Regional nodal recurrence in breast cancer patients treated with conservative surgery and radiation therapy (BCS+RT).

PURPOSE

To review regional nodal (RN) management and identify predictors of RN relapse in patients treated with breast conserving surgery and radiation therapy (BCS+RT).

METHODS AND MATERIALS

Patients with Stage I and II breast cancer (N = 1920) underwent BCS+RT from 1973 to 2003. Patients undergoing RN were treated with a median dose of 46 Gy. Patients undergoing axillary dissection (AXD, N = 1330) were treated to the breast alone if node-negative (N = 984), and to the breast and supraclavicular fossa if node-positive (N = 346). Patients who did not undergo AXD (N = 590) were treated with RT to the supraclavicular fossa and axilla. Sentinel node biopsy (SNB) was performed on 126 patients. SN-negative patients (N = 110) were treated with tangents only. There were 16 SN-positive patients who did not undergo complete AXD and were treated with RT.

RESULTS

As of September 2005, there have been 36 RN relapses for an actuarial nodal control rate (NCR) of 98% at 10 years. There was no difference in NCR between those undergoing AXD (NCR = 97.4%) and those receiving RT without AXD (NCR = 97.9%). In multivariate analysis, young age, non-Caucasian race, and pathologic nodal status correlated with increased risk of nodal relapse. Of the 126 patients undergoing SNB, there was only 1 nodal recurrence. None of the 16 SN-positive patients treated with RT without AXD had nodal failure.

CONCLUSIONS

In patients undergoing BCS+RT, both regional nodal irradiation and AXD (including SNB) resulted in equally high rates of regional nodal control. Nodal RT may also be an effective treatment for SN-positive patients.