[Evaluation of modalities for recurrent breast cancer patients]

Of 342 breast cancer patients radically operated on in the Second Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, Chiba University during 1965-1988, treatment for 75 recurrent patients were evaluated by the initial modes of recurrence. The modes of recurrence were classified into distant metastases, local lymph node recurrence (axillary, parasternal and supraclavicular nodes) and chest wall recurrence according to the General Rules for Clinical and Pathological Recording of Breast Cancer. Of 75 recurrent patients, distant metastases were seen as common as 77.3%, followed by recurrences of local lymph nodes (14.7%) and chest wall (8.0%). The number of patients in each mode of recurrence increased in relation to increase in the size of tumor and the number of metastatic lymph nodes at the time of the first operation. Histologically, scirrhous carcinoma was most common in chest wall recurrence. 2-year disease-free survival rates of distant metastases, local lymph node recurrence and chest wall recurrence were 44.6%, 24.2% and 16.7%, respectively. 5-year survival of bone metastasis with chemo-endocrine therapy was as significantly favorable as 60%, compared to chemo- or radiotherapy alone (p less than 0.01). However, 5-year survival of lung metastasis with or without endocrine therapy revealed no significant difference. Local lymph node recurrence with the combination of resection, radio- and/or chemotherapy produced a trend toward showing more favorable survival than that without resection.