Local control and survival of breast cancer treated by limited surgery followed by irradiation.

Between 1960 and 1978, 324 patients with early breast cancer were treated by lumpectomy with or without axillary dissection followed by radiation therapy. All were followed for a minimum of 5 years. All patients were, retrospectively, classified T1, T2, N0, N1a, in the TNM (U.I.C.C.) Classification. The retrospective analysis of the local-regional patterns of failure revealed that young age (less than or equal to 32 years) and premenopausal status were associated with an increased rate of local failure, whereas tumor size and location showed no influence. No pathological features were associated with an increased risk of local recurrence, whether pathological subtypes, Scarff Bloom and Richardson grading, intraductal associated component, or vascular involvement. The absolute 5 year disease-free survival rate was 87% in patients who recurred and 93% in those who did not. The absolute 10 year disease-free survival rates were 75 and 82%, respectively. Therefore, these results confirm that loco-regional failure does not significantly influence the disease-free survival.