OBJECTIVE

To analyze the clinicopathological features, parameters of molecular biology, survival rate, and prognostic factors in breast cancer patients with vascular invasion.

METHODS

The data of 262 breast cancer patients with vascular invasion surgically treated between January 1995 and December 2003 in our institution were retrospectively analyzed. Clinicopathological characteristics, parameters of molecular biology, disease free survival rate and overall survival rate were surveyed.

RESULTS

Of all breast cancer patients registered in our institution during the same period, these 262 breast cancer patients with vascular invasion accounted for 5.3% with a median age of 43 years. The major pathological type was invasive ductal carcinoma (93.3%). The stages included stage I in 5% , stage II 31. 3% , stage III 58.8% , stage IV 1.1% , and unknown 3.8%. Immunohistochemical staining showed that ER positive in 67.7%, PR(+) 68.0%, p53(+) 54.2%, PCNA(+) 93.3%, c-erbB2( +++) 20.8% and c-erbB2(++) 16.9%. The 5-year and 10-year cumulative disease free survival and overall survival were 57.6% , 50.7% and 62.8%, 52.9% , respectively. The factors which were found to compromise disease free survival were the tumor size, lymph node status, stage, and radiotherapy in the univariate analysis, and for overall survival, were the tumor size, lymph node status, stage, location of vascular invasion and radiotherapy. The tumor size and radiotherapy were found to be independent prognostic factors for disease free survival and overall survival in the multivariate analysis.

CONCLUSION

Breast cancers with vascular invasion have poor biological behavior though having been treated by surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. The independent prognostic factors of such patients are tumor size and radiotherapy. Anti-angiogenesis and antilymphangiogenesis may gradually become promising target treatment for such patient.