Inflammatory breast carcinoma: comparison of survival of those diagnosed clinically, pathologically, or with both...

There still remains some controversy as to whether or not there is a survival difference in patients with inflammatory breast carcinoma (IBC) with regard to whether they were diagnosed clinically, pathologically, or with both features. We conducted a retrospective chart review of all the patients diagnosed with IBC who were treated at the Nova Scotia Cancer Treatment and Research foundation between the years of 1990 and 1994, inclusive. Fifty-seven patients' charts were reviewed for recurrence or death up until Feb. 16, 1996. The overall survival of the 57 patients was 32 per cent (confidence interval, 16-48%) and 12 per cent (confidence interval, 0-26%) at 3 and 5 years, respectively. The survival times according to presentation (clinical, pathological, or both) at 3 and 5 years were 31 and 10 per cent for the clinically diagnosed group, 56 per cent at 3 years for the pathologically diagnosed group (5-year survival times could not be calculated), and 34 and 20 per cent for the group diagnosed both clinically and pathologically, respectively. Analysis by the log-rank test revealed that there was no significant difference in survival between these three groups. We conclude that there was no statistically significant difference in survival between those patients who presented clinically, pathologically, or with both features.