[Bilateral breast carcinoma. 12 years' experience]

In order to assess bilateral breast carcinoma (BBC) clinical findings, 19 BBC cases were enrolled in succession (1982-1993). Of these, 7 (1.6%) had synchronous breast carcinomas and 12 (2.7%) had metachronous breast carcinomas. The occurrence of BBC was of 4.3% of women with breast cancer. The median age of the patients was 63.7 years for synchronous cancers and 53.5% for metachronous. Synchronous carcinomas were found symmetrically located in 42.5% of cases and metachronous in 58.3%. The most frequent location was in the upper outer quadrant (UOQ): 50% in synchronous and 37.5% in metachronous. T1 was detected in 71 and 66% of cases in the second tumor, synchronous and metachronous respectively, and in 28 and 25% of cases in the first tumor, always synchronous and metachronous. The 71.4% of synchronous carcinomas and the 83.3% of metachronous carcinomas were represented by invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC). Between the first and the second metachronous carcinoma the free time interval ranged from 11 to 144 months (mean, 67 months). All the patients were treated by surgery and adjuvant therapy (RT, CT, HT) according to stage, to menopausal status and to receptor status. In synchronous carcinomas only 1 recurrence was recorded, while in metachronous carcinomas the recurrences were 5. The 5-year actuarial survival was of 100% in synchronous carcinomas and of 33% in metachronous carcinomas independently of stage, while the 5-year actuarial survival after the metachronous tumor was of 50%, if the free time interval was less than 3 years, and of 75%, if more.