Management of bilateral breast carcinoma: long-term results

The aim of this study was to document the clinical features and long-term outcomes in 43 cases of bilateral breast carcinoma. All the women were diagnosed by a single surgeon who had evaluated 13,443 patients with breast-related complaints over a 40-year period. At the initial cancer diagnosis, 28 patients (65%) were of premenopausal age (< or = 46 years; group 1) and 15 (35%) were postmenopausal (> 46 years; group 2). The median interval between initial and subsequent cancer was 24 months (range, 12-288 months) in group 1 and 20 months (range, 14-252 months) in group 2 (P > 0.05). The distribution of initial cancer types based on pathological examination was ductal adenocarcinoma in 28 (65%) cases; lobular carcinoma in 5 (12%) cases; comedocarcinoma in 5 (12%) cases; papillary carcinoma in 2 (4.5%) cases; papillary combined with squamous cell carcinoma in 1 (2%) case; and lobular combined with medullary carcinoma in 2 (4.5%) cases. There were no significant differences between the groups with respect to the distribution of types of surgery used for the initial and subsequent carcinomas. Tumor locations were symmetrical in 26 (60%) patients. The mean palpable mass sizes for the initial and subsequent tumors in group 1 were 3 +/- 1.4 (range, 1-8 cm) and 1.3 +/- 0.5 cm (range, 1-2 cm), respectively. The corresponding means for group 2 were 2.3 +/- 1.8 (range, 0.9-7 cm) and 1.3 +/- 0.5 cm (range, 1-2 cm). The 10- and 20-year disease-free survival rates for group 1 versus group 2 were 32% versus 27% and 10% versus 8%, respectively. The rates of axillary lymph node metastasis from the primary cancer in groups 1 and 2 were statistically similar; however, the rate of axillary lymph node metastasis from subsequent cancer in group 1 was significantly higher than that in group 2 (P = 0.02). The lactation period (after each child born) in group 1 was significantly longer than that in group 2 (P = 0.04). Group 1 had a higher rate of distant metastasis at 20 years (P = 0.03), but the groups' local recurrence rates at this stage were similar. Log-rank analysis revealed no significant differences between the groups' 10- and 20-year patient survival rates. Subsequent breast cancer was not detected on mammography in 4 (9%) of the 43 patients. In these cases, the tumors were diagnosed by ultrasonography after physical examination revealed suspicious findings at symmetrical locations. The findings suggest that women who are diagnosed with primary cancer before menopause are at greater risk for distant metastasis than postmenopausal women, when subsequent cancer is detected in the contralateral breast. Herein, the risk for metastasis is only assessed after cancer is detected in the other breast. The premenopausal women had a significantly longer mean lactation period. Extended lactation may be a risk factor for breast cancer development in this age group, but this needs further investigation.