title: Post-mastectomy radiotherapy benefits subgroups of breast cancer patients with T1-2 tumor and 1-3 axillary lymph node(s) metastasis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To determine the role of postmastectomy radiotherapy (PMRT) in breast cancer patients with T1-2 and N1 disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 207 postmastectomy women were enrolled. The 5-year Kaplan-Meier estimates of locoregional recurrence rate (LRR), distant recurrence rate (DRR) and overall survival (OS) were analyzed by different tumor characteristics. Multivariate analyses were performed using Cox proportional hazards modeling.
  
  
  RESULTS
  With median follow-up 59.5 months, the 5-year LRR, DRR and OS were 9.1%, 20.3% and 84.4%, respectively. On univariate analysis, age < 40 years old (p = 0.003) and Her-2/neu over-expression (p = 0.016) were associated with higher LRR, whereas presence of LVI significantly predicted higher DRR (p = 0.026). Negative estrogen status (p = 0.033), Her-2/neu overexpression (p = 0.001) and LVI (p = 0.01) were significantly correlated with worse OS. PMRT didn't prove to reduce 5-year LRR (p = 0.107), as well as 5-year OS (p = 0.918). In subgroup analysis, PMRT showed significant benefits of improvement LRR and OS in patients with positive LVI.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  For patients with T1-2 and N1 stage breast cancer, PMRT can decrease locoregional recurrence and increase overall survival only in patients with lymphovascular invasion.
authors.affiliation: Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yu-Li
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Su
authors.affiliation: Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan ; Chang Gung University, College of Medicine, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Shan-Hsuan
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yen-Yang
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Hui-Chun
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, E-Da Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yen
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Cheng-Hua
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Chang Gung University, College of Medicine, Taoyuan, Taiwan ; Department of General Surgery, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Fong-Fu
authors.initials: FF
authors.lastname: Chou
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Shih-Chung
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan ; Chang Gung University, College of Medicine, Taoyuan, Taiwan ; Cancer Center, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Kun-Ming
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Rau
keywords: breast cancer; locoregional recurrence; lymphovascular invasion; overall survival; postmastectomy radiotherapy