title: Effect of perioperative blood transfusion on recurrence and death after mastectomy for breast cancer.
abstract: A recent report suggested that perioperative blood transfusion doubles the recurrence rate of breast cancer after mastectomy. In the present retrospective study the effect of transfusion on cancer recurrence and death after mastectomy was investigated in 96 women, 27 with and 69 without blood transfusion. The overall survival rates, the breast-cancer-specific survival and the recurrence-free survival rates were similar in the two groups. The study thus does not support the hypothesis that perioperative blood transfusion promotes recurrence of breast cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery K, Frederiksberg Hospital, Denmark.
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Eickhoff
authors.forename: P M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Andersen
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nørgård
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001803:Blood Transfusion; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007430:Intraoperative Care; D015411:Mastectomy, Modified Radical; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies