Conservative treatment for infiltrating breast cancer. Ten years follow-up experience.
BACKGROUND
We retrospectively analyze our experience in conservative treatment for infiltrating advanced breast cancer before implementation of selective sentinel node biopsy, specially focusing on characteristics, incidence, treatment and evolution of local-regional recurrences, disease-free survival time, overall survival and patient's satisfaction.


METHODS
From January 1984 to 31st December 1998, 739 female patients were operated in our institution, diagnosed as having infiltrating breast cancer. One hundred and eighty-eight patients (25.43%) received conservative treatment and they were followed up until December 2003.


RESULTS
Average age when diagnosed was 50.42 years old (24-87 years). 53.19% of the patients were premenopausal. After a median follow-up of 129 months (60-198 months), 13 women (6.91%) presented local -regional recurrence and the disease-free time was 48.4 months (8-108 months). Global survival rate was 83.5% and disease free survival rate was 80.85%.


CONCLUSIONS
The management of choice for early stage (I and II) infiltrating breast cancer is nowadays conservative, with a low local-regional recurrence rate and survival rate that are comparable to radical mastectomy, according to the literature. It's a safe and efficient method that let us preserve the breast with a good esthetical result. In selected cases, when a regional recurrence occurs, a second conservative management is possible with a good control of the disease, although the most widely accepted treatment in these cases is total mastectomy.
Mena Mateos
Antonio
A
General and Digestive Tract Surgery Department, Breast Diseases Unit, University Hospital Ramón y Cajal, Madrid, Spain. antoniommimm@wanadoo.es
García Villanueva
Augusto
A
Moreno Montes
Irene
I
Collado Guirao
María Vicenta
MV
Rojo Blanco
Roberto
R
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D018270:Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast / Q000401:mortality* / Q000556:secondary / Q000628:therapy*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008408:Mastectomy; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents