Prognoses of T4 breast cancer subsets.
BACKGROUND
The relative prognoses of subsets of patients with T4 breast tumors, since the advent of neoadjuvant therapy, are unknown, although inflammatory carcinoma (T4d) is considered to have the worst prognosis.


METHODS
Subsets of T4 patients were analyzed for the incidence of distant metastases at presentation (M1; n = 263). T4M0 patients treated with neoadjuvant therapy (n = 126) were analyzed for relapse-free survival (RFS). T4d tumors with (Cut/CW+) and without (Cut/CW-) skin nodules, posterior fixation, or both were analyzed separately.


RESULTS
Fewer patients with T4d (Cut/CW-) tumors had distant metastases at presentation than T4d (Cut/CW+) patients or T4b and T4c patients (P =.001,.001, and.009, respectively). RFS was longer for T4b patients than for T4c patients (P =.018) or T4d (Cut/CW+) patients (P =.003). RFS of the T4d (Cut/CW+) patients was shorter than for T4d (Cut/CW-) patients (P =.050).


CONCLUSIONS
The incidence of distant metastases at presentation was lowest, and RFS was longest, for patients with T4d tumors not grossly involving the skin or posterior structures. Patients whose tumors grossly invaded both skin and posterior structures (T4c) or those with T4d tumors grossly invading either most frequently presented with distant metastases and had the shortest RFS.
El-Tamer
Mahmoud
M
Department of Surgery, Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center, New York, New York, USA.
Hussain
Sabir
S
Weedon
Jeremy
J
Chalchal
Haji
H
Chakrabarti
Ashis
A
Sohn
Chul
C
Braverman
Albert S
AS
D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007249:Inflammation; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D015995:Prevalence; D011379:Prognosis; D013997:Time Factors