title: Characteristics of Multifocal and Multicentric Breast Cancers.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Multifocality and multicentricity are increasingly recognized in breast cancer. However, little is known about the characteristics and biology of these cancers and the clinical implications are controversial.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective, institutional database was used to compare characteristics of multifocal (MF) and multicentric (MC) breast cancers with unifocal (UF) cancers to study concordance of histology and receptor status among primary and secondary foci and to evaluate predictors of lymph node positivity using multivariate logistic regression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 1495 invasive cancers, 1231 (82.3 %) were UF, 169 (11.3 %) were MF, and 95 (6.4 %) were MC cancers. When MF and MC cancers were compared with UF cancers, MC but not MF cancers were associated with young age at diagnosis, larger tumor size, lymphovascular invasion, and node positivity. MF but not MC tumors were more likely to be ER/PR+Her2+ tumors and less likely to be triple-negative cancers compared with UF tumors. MF tumors were more likely to be infiltrating ductal carcinomas with an extensive intraductal component, and MC tumors were more likely to be infiltrating lobular carcinomas. Concordance of histology and receptor status between primary and secondary foci was high and was similar for both MF and MC cancers. Multicentricity remained an independent predictor of lymph node positivity on multivariate analysis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  MF and MC tumors seem to be biologically different diseases. MC is clinicopathologically more aggressive than MF disease and is more frequently associated with younger age and larger tumor size and also is an independent predictor of node positivity.
authors: Department of Surgery, and Yale Comprehensive Cancer Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
authors: Prathima
authors: P
authors: Kanumuri
authors: Brandon
authors: B
authors: Hayse
authors: Brigid K
authors: BK
authors: Killelea
authors: Anees B
authors: AB
authors: Chagpar
authors: Nina R
authors: NR
authors: Horowitz
authors: Donald R
authors: DR
authors: Lannin
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D018270:Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast / Q000737:chemistry / Q000556:secondary*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D009378:Neoplasms, Multiple Primary / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000032:analysis; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000032:analysis; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone / Q000032:analysis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D047368:Tumor Burden
chemical_list: D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone; C508053:ERBB2 protein, human