Local recurrence following breast conservation therapy in African-American women with invasive breast cancer.
BACKGROUND
African-American women have a lower survival rate than white women following a diagnosis of invasive breast cancer. Limited information is available regarding the impact of race on results of breast conservation therapy (BCT).


METHODS
Local recurrence rates were compared in 71 African-American patients (73 breasts) and 204 white patients (208 breasts) with stage I and II breast cancer treated with BCT.


RESULTS
Overall 5-year actuarial recurrence rates were 13% in African-Americans and 4% in whites (P = 0.075). These rates were 9% and 4%, respectively, if patients with local skin/soft tissue recurrences were excluded (P = 0.587). Exclusion of these skin/soft tissue failures eliminated any significant difference seen in recurrence between stage II African-American and white patients (P = 0.163). African-American women had less favorable recurrences, including tumor in more than one quadrant or local skin/ soft tissue involvement (P = 0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
Overall actuarial recurrence rates were slightly higher, but not significantly different, in African-American and white women following BCT. A much less favorable pattern of local recurrence was seen in the African-American patients (P = 0.001), which may represent the presence of more biologically aggressive tumors in these women.
Connor
C S
CS
Department of Surgery, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City 66160-7308, USA.
Touijer
A K
AK
Krishnan
L
L
Mayo
M S
MS
D000206:Actuarial Analysis; D044383:Black People; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000601:surgery*; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015412:Mastectomy, Segmental / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000208:ethnology*; D018714:Radiotherapy, Adjuvant; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001741:Black or African American