[Should chest wall irradiation be included after mastectomy and negative node breast cancer?].
OBJECTIVE
This study aims to evaluate local failure patterns in node negative breast cancer patients treated with post-mastectomy radiotherapy including internal mammary chain only.


METHODS
Retrospective analysis of 92 internal or central-breast node-negative tumours with mastectomy and external irradiation of the internal mammary chain at the dose of 50 Gy, from 1994 to 1998.


RESULTS
Local recurrence rate was 5 % (five cases). Recurrence sites were the operative scare and chest wall. Factors associated with increased risk of local failure were age < or = 40 years and tumour size greater than 20mm, without statistical significance.


CONCLUSIONS
Post-mastectomy radiotherapy should be discussed for a sub-group of node-negative patients with predictors factors of local failure such as age < or = 40 years and larger tumour size.
Ben Ammar
C N
CN
Service de radiothérapie-oncologie, institut Salah-Azaiz, boulevard du 9 avril, 1006 Bab-Saadoun, Tunis, Tunisie. chiraz_ammar@yahoo.com
Kochbati
L
L
Chraeit
N
N
Amrouche
A
A
Gargouri
W
W
Frikha
H
H
Besbes
M
M
Abdallah
M B
MB
Maalej
M
M
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008408:Mastectomy; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011878:Radiotherapy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D035441:Thoracic Wall