Breast conserving therapy and mastectomy revisited: Breast cancer-specific survival and the influence of prognostic factors in 129,692 patients.

This large population-based study compared breast-conserving surgery with radiation therapy (BCT) with mastectomy on (long-term) breast cancer-specific (BCSS) and overall survival (OS), and investigated the influence of several prognostic factors. Patients with primary T1-2N0-2M0 breast cancer, diagnosed between 1999 and 2012, were selected from the Netherlands Cancer Registry. We investigated the 1999-2005 (long-term outcome) and the 2006-2012 cohort (contemporary adjuvant systemic therapy). Cause of death was derived from the Statistics Netherlands (CBS). Multivariable analyses, per time cohort, were performed in T1-2N0-2, and separately in T1-2N0-1 and T1-2N2 stages. The T1-2N0-1 stages were further stratified for age, hormonal receptor and HER2 status, adjuvant systemic therapy and comorbidity. In total, 129,692 patients were included. In the 1999-2005 cohort, better BCSS and OS for BCT than mastectomy was seen in all subgroups, except in patients < 40 years with T1-2N0-1 stage. In the 2006-2012 cohort, superior BCSS and OS were found for T1-2N0-1, but not for T1-2N2. Subgroup analyses for T1-2N0-1 showed superior BCSS and OS for BCT in patients >50 years, not treated with chemotherapy and with comorbidity. Both treatments led to similar BCSS in patients <50 years, without comorbidity and those treated with chemotherapy. Although confounding by severity and residual confounding cannot be excluded, this study showed better long-term BCSS for BCT than mastectomy. Even with more contemporary diagnostics and therapies we identified several subgroups that may benefit from BCT. Our results support the hypothesis that BCT might be preferred in most breast cancer patients when both treatments are suitable.

Bilateral Mastectomy versus Breast-Conserving Surgery for Early-Stage Breast Cancer: The Role of Breast Reconstruction.

BACKGROUND: Although breast-conserving surgery is oncologically safe for women with early-stage breast cancer, mastectomy rates are increasing. The objective of this study was to examine the role of breast reconstruction in the surgical management of unilateral early-stage breast cancer. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study of women diagnosed with unilateral early-stage breast cancer (1998 to 2011) identified in the National Cancer Data Base was conducted. Rates of breast-conserving surgery, unilateral and bilateral mastectomy with contralateral prophylactic procedures (per 1000 early-stage breast cancer cases) were measured in relation to breast reconstruction. The association between breast reconstruction and surgical treatment was evaluated using a multinomial logistic regression, controlling for patient and disease characteristics. RESULTS: A total of 1,856,702 patients were included. Mastectomy rates decreased from 459 to 360 per 1000 from 1998 to 2005 (p < 0.01), increasing to 403 per 1000 in 2011 (p < 0.01). The mastectomy rates rise after 2005 reflects a 14 percent annual increase in contralateral prophylactic mastectomies (p < 0.01), as unilateral mastectomy rates did not change significantly. Each percentage point of increase in reconstruction rates was associated with a 7 percent increase in the probability of contralateral prophylactic mastectomies, with the greatest variation explained by young age(32 percent), breast reconstruction (29 percent), and stage 0 (5 percent). CONCLUSIONS: Since 2005, an increasing proportion of early-stage breast cancer patients have chosen mastectomy instead of breast-conserving surgery. This trend reflects a shift toward bilateral mastectomy with contralateral prophylactic procedures that may be facilitated by breast reconstruction availability.

Surgical management of the breast: breast conservation therapy and mastectomy.

The twentieth century has witnessed dramatic changes in the surgical management of breast cancer. Herein we focus on the evolution of breast conservation surgery and current surgical trends of lumpectomy, mastectomy and contralateral prophylactic mastectomy. Margin analysis, specimen localization and processing, and the benefits of magnetic resonance imaging remain controversial. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy can offer prognostic information and aid in surgical planning while radiation therapy continues to reduce the risk of local recurrence after breast conserving surgery. Despite these advances, mastectomy remains a popular choice for many women and the use of nipple sparing procedures is increasing. Overall the low rates of local recurrence are attributed to the combination of surgery and targeted adjuvant and radiation therapies.

[Association between socioeconomic status and all-cause mortality after breast cancer surgery: nationwide retrospective cohort study].

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to evaluate and explain the socioeconomic inequalities of all-cause mortality after breast cancer surgery in South Korea. METHODS: This population based study included all 8868 females who underwent radical mastectomy for breast cancer between January 2002 and June 2003. Follow-up for mortality continued from January 2002 to June 2006. The patients were divided into 4 socioeconomic classes according to their socioeconomic status as defined by the National Health Insurance contribution rate. The relationship between socioeconomic status and all-cause mortality after breast cancer surgery was assessed using the Cox proportional hazards model with adjusting for age, the Charlson's index score, emergency hospitalization, the type of hospital and the hospital ownership. RESULTS: Those in the lowest socioeconomic status group had a significantly higher hazard ratio of 2.09 (95% CI =1.50 - 2.91) compared with those in the highest socioeconomic group after controlling for all the identifiable confounding variables. For all-cause mortality after radical mastectomy, all the other income groups showed significantly higher 3-year mortality rates than did the highest income group. CONCLUSIONS: The socioeconomic status of breast cancer patients should be considered as an independent prognostic factor that affects all-cause mortality after radical mastectomy, and this is possibly due to a delayed diagnosis, limited access or minimal treatment leading to higher mortality. This study may provide tangible support to intensify surveillance and treatment for breast cancer among low socioeconomic class women.

Prolonged tamoxifen treatment increases relapse-free survival for patients with primary breast cancer expressing high levels of VEGF.

Previous retrospective studies have shown that high intratumoural levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) correlate with an inferior outcome for patients treated with adjuvant tamoxifen. Our objectives were to validate the impact of VEGF on survival after adjuvant tamoxifen and to investigate the interaction between VEGF and treatment duration. For this purpose tumour homogenates from 402 patients with operable oestrogen receptor positive breast cancer (BC), treated with tamoxifen for 2 (n=149) or 5 years (n=253) as the only systemic adjuvant therapy were included. The median follow-up time for surviving patients was 9.8 years (range 0.5-14.8 years). Expression of VEGF was assessed by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and investigated in relation to the standard BC parameters and survival. In the total population, higher VEGF was significantly correlated with shorter recurrence-free survival (RFS) (HR=1.63, 95%CI=1.11-2.39, p=0.010), breast cancer corrected survival (BCCS) (HR=1.82, 95%CI=1.13-2.93, p=0.014) and overall survival (OS) (HR=1.51, 95%CI=1.11-2.05, p=0.009). High VEGF was significantly associated with reduced RFS (HR=2.61, 95%CI=1.45-4.70, p=0.001) after two years of tamoxifen, whilst no difference was seen in patients treated for five years (HR=1.09, 95%CI=0.64-1.84, p=0.760). A statistically significant interaction was observed between high VEGF expression and improved RFS after 5-year tamoxifen (p=0.034). In concordance with previous studies, high VEGF was significantly correlated with shorter survival. We present data not reported previously revealing that patients expressing high levels of VEGF display a better outcome provided that tamoxifen is given for five years. Further studies on the impact of VEGF on a 5-year regimen are motivated.

Prognostic significance of young age in breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: Breast carcinoma is relatively uncommon in younger women and whether or not young age at diagnosis is an adverse prognostic factor in this disease has been controversial. Our aim in this report is to determine whether the histopathologic features and outcome in young and old are different, and whether age is a prognostic factor for relapse. METHODS: A retrospective study of consecutive 281 stage I or II breast carcinoma patients who had modified radical mastectomy was carried out. The patients with a median follow-up period of 45 months were divided two groups according to their ages. The histopathological features and survival of Group 1 and Group 2 were compared with each other. Univariate and multivariate prognostic factor analysis for relapse were carried out. RESULTS: The patients in Group 1 (younger than 35 years of age) had the worst histopathological features related to the prognosis than those in Group 2 and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant. Whereas the rates of 5-year overall survival were 65% in Group 1 and 98% in Group 2 (P < 0.05), the rates of 5-year relapse-free survival were 40% and 80%, respectively (P < 0.05). In univariate analysis of all patients, pathologic tumour size, pathologic axillary status, number of metastatic lymph nodes, pathologic stage, age, lymphatic vascular invasion were statistically significant factors associated with relapse. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that number of metastatic nodes (risk ratio RR:4.3 in more than three nodes) and age (RR:3.6 in Group 1) were the most important independent prognostic factors for relapse. In the patients without axillary involvement, both of univariate and multivariate analysis revealed that pathologic tumour size (RR:5.1 in pT(2)) and age (RR:4 in Group 1) were the independent prognosticators for relapse. CONCLUSIONS: Young patients with breast cancer had the worst histopathological features and the worst survival than their older counterparts. Age was an independent significant prognostic factor for relapse.

Does local therapy affect survival rates in breast cancer?

BACKGROUND: The goal of this study was to challenge the hypothesis that local recurrence of breast cancer does not affect survival rates, by determining whether survival rates differ for conservative and radical surgical policies. METHODS: This study used prospective long-term follow-up monitoring of two contemporaneous groups of patients, within a single unit, who were treated identically except for the one variable of local treatment policy, i.e., conservative or radical. A total of 451 patients with operable breast cancer were chosen from 567 consecutive patients with breast cancer who were treated between 1970 and 1979 in the University Department of Surgery. The rate of survival 132 months after treatment was used as an outcome measure. RESULTS: Two hundred forty-one patients were treated using a conservative approach and 210 were treated using a radical approach. At 132 months, the survival rate (58% vs. 42%) and median survival time (> 132 vs. 100 months) were significantly improved for the radically treated group (P < .01). The treatment groups were comparable in terms of age, menopausal status, tumor size, histologic grading, and Nottingham Prognostic Index values. The advantage of the radical policy persisted when examined in relation to each of these prognostic factors. CONCLUSIONS: Use of radical local treatment yielded a highly significant survival benefit (comparable to that obtained with adjuvant therapy), compared with a conservative approach. This was related to a reduced locoregional recurrence rate and provides evidence that local therapy influences long-term outcomes for patients with breast cancer. High-quality locoregional control should be emphasized, as is systemic therapy, in management policies. Assessment of surgical techniques, particularly in relation to locoregional recurrence rates, should be included in all studies in which surgery is a component of therapy.

Prognosis after treatment for loco-regional recurrence after mastectomy or breast conserving therapy in two randomised trials (EORTC 10801 and DBCG-82TM). EORTC Breast Cancer Cooperative Group and the Danish Breast Cancer Cooperative Group.

The aim of this study was to investigate and compare the prognosis after treatment for loco-regional recurrences (LR) after (modified) radical mastectomy (MRM) or breast conserving therapy (BCT), in terms of overall survival and time to subsequent LR, in patients originally treated in two European randomised trials. In EORTC trial 10801 and DBCG trial 82-TM, 1,807 patients with stage I and II breast cancer were randomised to receive MRM or BCT from 1980 to 1989. All patients with a LR in these trials were analysed for survival and time to subsequent LR after salvage treatment. Of these, 133 patients had their LR as a first event, the majority within 5 years after initial treatment. The prognostic significance for survival and time to subsequent LR after salvage treatment was analysed in uni-, and multivariate analyses for a number of original tumour- and recurrence-related variables. After salvage treatment of LR after MRM or BCT, actuarial survival curves and the actuarial locoregional control curves were similar. The 5-year survival rates were 58% and 59% and the 5-year subsequent loco-regional control rates 62% and 63%, respectively. In a multivariate analysis, pN category (P = 0.03), pT category (P = 0.01) and vascular invasion (P = 0.02) of the primary tumour were the only independent prognostic factors for survival, whereas extensive LR (P < 0.001), interval < or = 2 years (P < 0.002) and pN+ at primary treatment (P = 0.004) were significant predictive factors for time to subsequent LR. The type of original treatment (MRM or BCT) did not have any prognostic impact. It is concluded that the survival and time to subsequent LR after treatment for an early loco-regional recurrence after MRM or BCT was similar in these two European randomised trials. This suggests that both after MRM and BCT an early LR is an indicator of a biologically aggressive tumour; early loco-regional relapse carries a poor prognosis and salvage treatment only cures a limited number of patients, whether treated by MRM or BCT originally.

[Surgery of breast carcinoma in the elderly woman]. / Die Chirurgie des Mammakarzinoms der alten Frau.

From our experience the age of the patient does not seen to be a contraindication to surgical therapy of breast cancer. There was no statistically significant difference in the tumor staging between patients younger than 75 years and patients older than 74 years. Although radical surgery was not possible in all cases of patients older than 74 years because of general risk factors, there was not statistical difference in the survival rates of patients younger than 75 years.

A 25-year prospective study of modified radical mastectomy (Patey) in 193 patients.

The results of a prospective study over 20 years of 193 patients with breast carcinoma treated by Patey mastectomy are presented together with details of the operative technique employed. One hundred and twenty-eight cases (66%) were stage 1 (T1/T2 N0), 46 (24%) were stage 2 (T1/T2 N1), 18 (9%) were stage 3 (T3 N0/N1), and one was stage 4 (M1). The probability of survival together with 95% confidence intervals for stage 1 (T1/T2 N0) at 10 years was 79% (71-88); and at 15 years 74% (61-87). For stage 2 (T1/T2 N1), the probability of survival at 10 years was 64% (48-79), and at 15 years 60% (44-76). For stage 3 (T3 N0/N1), the probability of survival at 10 years was 70% (45-95) and nobody survived at 15 years. These differences between the clinical stages lacked significance [Log-rank test: chi 2 = 3.44 df = 2 P = 0.18]. There were nine patients (5%) who developed local recurrence without systemic metastases. There was no postoperative mortality, and morbidity was low. Axillary node metastases depressed survival with probability of survival at 10 years 43% (29-57) in contrast to those without it 90% (84-96) [log-rank test: chi 2 = 39.42 df = 1 P < 0.0001]. Patey mastectomy should be considered for patients with T1 or T2 tumours who choose mastectomy rather than breast conservation. It is an effective local treatment which is of particular relevance in countries where radiotherapy is not available.

Bilateral breast carcinoma: 28 years' experience.

From 1959 to 1987, a total of 1,182 histologically proven breast cancer patients were followed. Of these, 48 (4.06%) with bilateral breast carcinoma were reviewed. Eight patients (0.68%) had simultaneous breast carcinomas and the remaining 40 (3.38%) had nonsimultaneous breast carcinomas. The period between the development of the first and second primary carcinoma ranged from 17 to 200 months (mean, 86 months). The second primary carcinoma was found symmetrically located with the first primary carcinoma in only 34.5% of the cases. No significant differences were observed between the bilateral carcinoma patients and the unilateral carcinoma patients with respect to pregnancy, delivery, family history, and the size and localization of the carcinomas. Axillary metastasis was seen in a higher percentage of the second primary carcinomas (48% versus 37.5%). It was observed that the shorter the time interval between the presentation of the carcinomas, the shorter the survival.

[The extent of the surgical intervention and the prognosis of patients with stage III breast cancer]. / Ob''em operativnogo vmeshatel'stva i prognoz u bol'nykh rakom molochnoi zhelezy III stadii.

The report is concerned with comparison of the effectiveness of surgery for breast tumors (stage III) after Halsted and Patey. The 5-year survival rates, relapse and tumor dissemination proved nearly identical in both study groups. A modified procedure of radical mastectomy after Patey was used for treatment of stage III breast tumors which did not extend through the underlying tissues of the chest wall.