A study of 46 cumulative breast cancer autopsy cases

Forty-six cases of breast cancer, autopsied at the Tokai University Hospital, between 1975 and 1993, were studied. Forty of the patients had undergone surgery, and 27 of them had been surgically treated in the Tokai University Hospital. The major causes of death were respiratory failure, cancer-related complications, and hepatic failure. Frequently involved organs were lymph node, lung, liver, and bone. The survival time after surgery ranged from 1 day to 137 months, with the patients being divided into two groups based on survival of more or less than three years after surgery. Frequently observed in individuals surviving less than 3 years were larger tumor sizes, extensive lymph node metastases, advanced stages, and negative reactions for estrogen and progesterone receptors, as compared to individuals surviving for more than 3 years. The patterns of tumor metastasis were also different in two groups. Local recurrences were more frequently observed in short-term survivors whereas disseminated spreading was encountered in the long-term survivors. These findings seem to indicate that not only survival time but also pattern of recurrence are related to the status of the original tumor.