Profiles of lipids, blood pressure and weight changes among premenopausal Chinese breast cancer patients after adjuvant chemotherapy

Table 1 Patients’ background demographic and clinical characteristics at the time of breast cancer diagnosis (n = 280)

	No. of patients	%
Age at breast cancer diagnosis
≤ 35	41	14.6
36–40	82	29.3
41–45	157	56.1
Height- median; range (cm)	159 (141–175)
Weight- median; range (kg)	54.6 (39.0–89.0)
BMI at diagnosis (according to HK BMI)
Underweight (<18.5)	33	11.8
Normal (18.5–22.9)	155	55.4
Overweight (23.0–24.9)	46	16.4
Obese (>25)	46	16.4
1 or more children born before breast cancer diagnosis	205	73.2
Ever smoking	10	3.6
Ever excessive alcohol intake (> 2 units/day)	1	0.4
Education
Primary	47	16.9
Secondary	187	67.0
Tertiary	27	9.7
Higher qualification	18	6.5
Employment
Retired	3	1.1
Unemployed	105	37.5
Full Time	127	45.3
Part Time	45	16.1
Family income
< HK$5000	27	9.6
HK$5000–25,000	150	53.6
HK$25000–50,000	83	29.6
HK$50,000	20	7.2
1st degree relative with breast cancer	17	6.1
T stage
T1	140	50.0
T2	133	47.5
T3	7	2.5
T4	0	0
Nodal Status- positive	114	40.7
TNM staging:
Stage I	88	31.4
Stage II	165	58.9
Stage IIIa	27	9.6
ER positive	203	72.5
PR positive	187	66.8
HER2 over-expression	47	16.8
Breast surgery:
Lumpectomy	95	33.9
Mastectomy	185	66.1
Axillary lymph node dissection	276	98.6
Received adjuvant radiotherapy	186	66.4
Adjuvant chemotherapy regimen:
Non-anthracycline and non-taxane containing	17	6.1
Anthracycline-containing	184	65.7
Taxane-containing	5	1.8
Anthracycline- and taxane-containing	74	26.4
Duration of adjuvant chemotherapy >64 days	191	68.2
Received corticosteroid premedication during chemotherapy	258	92.1
Received adjuvant tamoxifen	214	76.4
Received adjuvant trastuzumab	8	2.9
Use of traditional Chinese medicine since diagnosis	83	29.6

ISSN: 1472-6874