title: Prognostic significance of lymph node status in stage III breast cancer.
abstract: Case histories of 103 patients with locally advanced (stage III) breast cancer have been reviewed. Ninety of the patients were judged operable. The median follow-up time was 52 months. The 5-year survival rate for the whole group was 54%. The 5-year relapse-free survival rates for the pN0, pN1 and pN2-3 were 91, 50 and 19% respectively and the 5-year survival rates for the groups were 86, 53 and 30% respectively. These results underline the heterogeneity and the very different prognoses for the different subgroups in stage III breast cancer patients. A reevaluation of the staging system is therefore suggested.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, University Hospital, Lund, Sweden.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Baldursson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies