title: Breast-conserving surgery for T3/T4 breast cancer: an analysis of 196 patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Breast conservation therapy (BCT) increases quality of life and self-esteem of breast cancer patients. In special cancer centers up to 90% of patients are treated with BCT. T3/T4 breast cancer is one of the few contraindications for BCT. However, retrospective data suggest that BCT may be eligible in selected cases of T3/T4 breast cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  We analyzed retrospectively 196 breast cancer patients (operated between 1995 and 2004) suffering from T3/T4 tumors and compared BCT and radiotherapy with mastectomy in these patients in terms of overall survival (OS), local recurrence free-survival (LRFS) and breast cancer-related death (BCRD).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Demographic data showed no significant differences in prognostic factors between patients treated with mastectomy compared with BCT. Kaplan-Meier curves demonstrated no significant difference for OS, LRFS and BCRD between the two groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data strongly suggest that BCT with R0 resection followed by radiotherapy is feasible in patients with T3/T4 breast cancer. Prospective studies have to be performed to further investigate this issue.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Medical University Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, 1080 Vienna, Austria. florian.fitzal@meduniwien.ac.at
authors.forename: Florian
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fitzal
authors.forename: Otto
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Riedl
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wutzl
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Draxler
authors.forename: Margaretha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rudas
authors.forename: Ursula
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Pluschnig
authors.forename: Leonore
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Handl-Zeller
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dubsky
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bachleitner-Hofmann
authors.forename: Günther
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Steger
authors.forename: Raimund
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jakesz
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gnant
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery*; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008408:Mastectomy / Q000379:methods; D015412:Mastectomy, Segmental; D008875:Middle Aged; D018714:Radiotherapy, Adjuvant; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis