title: A retrospective series of long-term survivors of metastatic breast cancer in complete remission.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe clinical features, treatment modalities and long-term outcome of patients with overt metastatic breast cancer in complete remission for more than 5 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective survey of 12 patients who were referred to a single institution from 1982 to 1995.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The majority of the long-term survivors had a good performance status, endocrine-responsive disease and a single metastatic site. Ten patients had received chemotherapy, 8 patients hormone therapy, and 2 patients had been treated with surgery followed by systemic therapies. At a median follow-up of 11.7 years, 10 of the 12 patients were still in complete remission. The median duration of complete remission was 9.2 years (range 5.0-15.7 years).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This case series confirms that only a few metastatic breast cancer patients could potentially be cured with multidisciplinary treatments.
authors.affiliation: Unità Operativa di Oncologia Medica e Fondazione Beretta, Azienda Spedali Civili, 25123 Brescia, Italy. vitoamoroso@libero.it
authors.forename: Vito
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Amoroso
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Valcamonico
authors.forename: Edda
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Simoncini
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ardighieri
authors.forename: Salvatore
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Grisanti
authors.forename: Lucia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Vassalli
authors.forename: Patrizia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Marpicati
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lucini
authors.forename: Vittorio D
authors.initials: VD
authors.lastname: Ferrari
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rangoni
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Marini
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy*; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D018714:Radiotherapy, Adjuvant; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D017741:Survivors; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal