Maki H S, Hoehn J L
Department of Surgery, Marshfield Clinic, WI 54449.
Arch Surg. 1989 Mar;124(3):377-80. doi: 10.1001/archsurg.1989.01410030127021.
A retrospective chart review was conducted to determine the prognostic effect of estrogen receptor (ER) protein in patients with node-negative operable breast cancer. One hundred nine patients with breast cancer whose tumors underwent ER analysis and whose lymph node negativity was established histologically were studied. Based on life-table analysis, the overall survival at six years was 92.7% for ER-positive patients, 95.3% for ER-negative patients, and 94.4% for ER-borderline patients. The disease-free survival was 83.3%, 92.8%, and 71.4%, respectively. Survival and disease-free survival were also correlated to menopausal status. The difference in survival was not statistically significant at six years. We conclude that in node-negative primary operable breast cancer, ER status should not be used as a discriminant for adjuvant treatment.
