title: Estrogen-receptor status of patients who underwent mastectomy for breast cancer with a disease-free interval of not less than 8 years.
abstract: The authors present a series of 1,226 patients who underwent total or partial mastectomy for breast cancer, who for a period of no less than 8 years from surgery did not have a relapse or relapsed only after 8 years. The patients were evaluated for estrogen-receptor (ER) content of the primary tumor. In the group of 237 patients who relapsed, only 8.8% (21 of 237) were ER negative; in the group of 989 patients without a relapse, 24.1% (239 of 989) were ER negative. The difference was significant (p < 0.001). Therefore, the absence of hormone receptors (ER negative) indicates a favorable prognosis after a period of 8 years. For comparison, ER content in the group of patients who relapsed before 8 years was evaluated; the results showed a different prognosis from the ER-negative patients in this group. Because the behavior of ER-negative tumors in the cancer-affected breast is similar to that of non-hormone-dependent carcinomas arising in other parts of the body (which generally are considered cured after a long disease-free interval from surgery), we conclude that this repudiates the theory that confers to breast cancer the character of a systemic disease.
authors.affiliation: Division of Radiotherapy B, National Cancer Institute, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Basso Ricci
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Coradini
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Di Fronzo
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bartoli
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Villa
mesh_terms: D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008408:Mastectomy; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D011379:Prognosis; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000032:analysis*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D011960:Receptors, Estrogen