Breast cancer prognosis. II. Prognostic factors in patients with node-positive (N1-3) breast cancer.

Predictors of breast cancer survival were investigated among 282 node-positive (N1-3) breast cancer patients treated at the Department of Surgery of the University Hospital for Tumors in Zagreb between 1969-1988. Selected prognostic factors included patient age, delay in treatment, tumor size, type of lymph-node affection, pathohistological grade of malignancy, estrogen receptor status, progesterone receptor status, tumor site, and type of surgical treatment. Among these predictors, only tumor size (p < 0.001), type of lymph-node affection (p < 0.001), malignancy grade (p < 0.001), and progesterone receptor status (p < 0.001) revealed a significant impact on a 5-year overall survival rates (T1-100%, T2-64.5%, T3-54.5% and T4-23.7%; N1-60.2%, N2-20.8%, N3-30.3%; grade I-85.5%, II-59.4%, III-30.5%; PgR+ 63.8%, PgR--26.4%). The authors conclude that among nine selected characteristics, only tumor size, type of lymph-node affection, pathohistological malignancy grade, and progesterone receptor status can be helpful predictors in the determination of the probability of 5-year overall survival among node-positive breast cancer patients.