A retrospective series of long-term survivors of metastatic breast cancer in complete remission.
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.
Amoroso
Vito
V
Unità Operativa di Oncologia Medica e Fondazione Beretta, Azienda Spedali Civili, 25123 Brescia, Italy. vitoamoroso@libero.it
Valcamonico
Francesca
F
Simoncini
Edda
E
Ardighieri
Laura
L
Grisanti
Salvatore
S
Vassalli
Lucia
L
Marpicati
Patrizia
P
Lucini
Laura
L
Ferrari
Vittorio D
VD
Rangoni
Giovanni
G
Marini
Giovanni
G
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
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal