Clinical features and treatment of squamous cell carcinoma of the breast.
OBJECTIVE
Data on breast squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) are rare. The aim of this study was to analyze the clinical characteristics and to explore the rational treatment of patients with breast SCC.


METHODS
We conducted a retrospective review of breast SCC cases treated at our center from 1966 to 2014. The majority of these patients received primary surgery followed by adjuvant chemoradiotherapy, whilst four elderly patients had lumpectomy only.


RESULTS
Patients with breast SCC were usually women, and large masses, large proportion of early stage disease, low levels of estrogen receptor expression, less frequent axillary lymph nodes involvement, and unfavorable prognosis were common. The 5-year overall survival and progression-free survival of all patients were 67.2% and 57.8%, respectively. Axillary nodal involvement was a significant prognostic factor for survival.


CONCLUSIONS
The current results indicated that breast SCC is clinically aggressive and the outcomes were poor. Distant metastasis was the main failure pattern. New strategies will be needed because of the poor outcomes.
Department of Radiation Oncology, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, People's Republic of China.
Ximei
X
Zhang
Department of Radiation Oncology, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, People's Republic of China.
Baozhong
B
Zhang
Department of Pathology, Cancer Institute and Hospital, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, People's Republic of China.
Fenglin
F
Zang
Department of Radiation Oncology, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, People's Republic of China.
Lujun
L
Zhao
Department of Radiation Oncology, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, People's Republic of China.
Zhiyong
Z
Yuan
Department of Radiation Oncology, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, People's Republic of China.
Ping
P
Wang
breast SCC; breast metaplastic carcinoma; prognosis; surgery; treatment