Using data from the Geneva Cancer Registry, we found that in 2002–2004, breast cancer incidence in women aged 25–39 years increased by 46.7% per year (95% CI: 7.1–74.0, P =0.015), which surveillance or detection bias may not fully explain.

Conflicting data exist as to whether the prognosis of familial or hereditary breast cancer differs from that of sporadic cases. Some of the discrepancies may be explained by methodological differences or biases. However, no studies showed a survival advantage for BRCA1 mutation carriers. This seems to indicate that BRCA1-related breast cancer is not associated with a survival advantage, and that in fact, certain BRCA1 germline mutations confer a worse prognosis. However, to adequately answer this question, more efficient molecular tools to identify all the genetic changes responsible for breast cancer predisposition, and large cohort studies to evaluate their clinical consequences, are needed.

Glomeruloid microvascular proliferation (GMP) in breast cancer independently adversely affected survival (relative risk 1.9, 95% CI: 1.2 -3.0), particularly among women who received adjuvant chemotherapy (10-year survival 27 vs 69%, P ¼ 0.0003), and was significantly associated with p53 overexpression and BRCA1 germline mutations. The presence of GMP may influence treatment decisions.