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Chemotherapy is a safe and effective initial therapy for infected malignant breast and chest wall ulcers
S Dauphin1, S Katz, M el Tamer
1Department of Medicine, Health Sciences Center at Brooklyn, State University of New York 11203-2089, USA.
Background And Objectives:
Locally advanced breast cancers may form large, infected skin ulcers, which were traditionally treated with radiation therapy. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy is now standard treatment for locally advanced breast cancer.
Methods:
The response of 33 patients with ulcerated breast cancer to primary chemotherapy was retrospectively analyzed. Antibiotics were not used in primary treatment. Tumor and ulcer responses were evaluated independently.
Results:
Chemotherapy alone healed 18 of these ulcers. Neither responding nor refractory patients developed sepsis during this treatment.
Conclusions:
Chemotherapy is safe and effective treatment for patients with infected malignant breast ulcers and does not cause systemic sepsis.