Prognostic factors in bilateral breast cancer

Twenty-nine bilateral breast carcinoma patients were analyzed retrospectively. The incidence of bilateral carcinoma of the breast among unilateral breast cancer patients was approximately 2.4%. Median age was 46 years at the time of first cancer diagnosis (range 26-69 years). The majority of the lesions were invasive ductal carcinoma (86%). Of 58 tumors, 10 were staged as Stage I (17%), 30 as Stage II (52%), 8 as Stage III (14%) and 10 as Stage IV (17%). Patients were treated with various combinations of surgery, radiation treatment and chemotherapy. Of 29 patients with bilateral breast cancer, 5 presented with simultaneous bilateral disease (17%), 7 (24%) with synchronous tumors whereas 17 (59%) developed asynchronous tumors. The mean interval between two cancers was 2.6 +/- 0.6 years. Overall survival was 4.8 +/- 0.7 years and overall 5-year actuarial survival was calculated to be 51%. Age, menopausal status and tumor size at the time of initial cancer correlated with the time interval between two cancers. Age, tumor size and nodal status at the time of initial cancer and the time interval between two cancers correlated with the overall survival.