Recent Progress in Breast Conserving Therapy: From Experiences in Japan.
Breast conserving therapy (BCT) was conducted in 22.1% of breast cancer patients in 1994 in Japan and is being performed with increasing frequency. According to the data already published, 10-27% of patients treated with BCT had a positive surgical margin. The recurrence rate in the breast is 1-2% annually, The 5-year overall survival in patients mostly consisting of stage I is 90% or higher at the present time. A case-control analysis of a multicenter study revealed that significant risk factors for breast recurrence were a positive surgical margin and absence of radiation therapy. Progress in basic research and diagnosis has also been instrumental in improving treatment results.
Koyama
H
Departments of Surgery, Osaka Medical Center for Cancer and Cardiovascular Diseases, 1-3-3 Nakamichi, Higashinari-ku, Osaka 537, Japan.
Inaji
H
Noguchi
S
Motomura
K