title: Breast-conservation therapy in early-stage breast cancer patients with a positive family history.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Our goal was to evaluate the role of breast-conservation therapy in early-stage breast cancer patients with a family history (FH) of breast cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between 1970 and 1994, 1324 female patients with breast cancer were treated with breast-conservation therapy at our institution. From these, we identified 985 patients with stage 0-II breast cancer and who had available information on FH status. FH was considered positive in any patient who had a relative who had been previously diagnosed with breast cancer. Disease-specific survival was calculated from the date of initial diagnosis using the Kaplan-Meier method.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The stage distribution for the 985 patients was as follows: 0 in 65 (7%), I in 500 (51%), and II in 420 (43%). The median age was 50 years (range, 21-88), with a median follow-up time of 8.8 years (range,.25-29). The median tumor size was 1.5 cm. FH was positive in 31%. There were no significant differences in locoregional recurrence, distant recurrence, disease-specific survival, or incidence of contralateral breast cancer in patients with a positive FH versus patients with a negative FH.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Breast-conservation therapy is not contraindicated in early-stage breast cancer patients with a positive FH.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Senology Geneva University, Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Georges
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Vlastos
authors.forename: Nadeem Q
authors.initials: NQ
authors.lastname: Mirza
authors.forename: Funda
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Meric
authors.forename: Kelly K
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Hunt
authors.forename: Attiqa N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Mirza
authors.forename: Lisa A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Newman
authors.forename: Frederick C
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Ames
authors.forename: Henry M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Kuerer
authors.forename: Merrick I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Ross
authors.forename: Barry
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Feig
authors.forename: Gildy
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Babiera
authors.forename: Thomas A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Buchholz
authors.forename: Gabriel N
authors.initials: GN
authors.lastname: Hortobagyi
authors.forename: S Eva
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Singletary
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery*; D018270:Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000235:genetics / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery*; D000075202:Contraindications; D005260:Female; D018095:Germ-Line Mutation; D006801:Humans; D015412:Mastectomy, Segmental; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D018714:Radiotherapy, Adjuvant; D016896:Treatment Outcome