Radiotherapy in 1009 breast cancers

Review of consecutive 1009 cases of carcinoma breast has been presented. Treatment techniques (surgery and postoperative radiotherapy) in strictly comparable histologically confirmed State I, II and III patients have been analysed. Therapeutic response in relation to initial extent of the disease has been evaluated in terms of disease-free status at the end of one year. Radical mastectomy could achieve disease-free status in 90% of Stage I patients, whereas in Stage II and III, highest percentage of disease-free status (81,58% and 55,3% respectively) was obtained with simple mastectomy and radiotherapy. The relapse frequency in relation to time, initial extent of disease and treatment techniques have been utilised to study the biological behaviour of breast cancer among these patients. Maximum incidence of relapse was noted within five years of treatment in all stages and has varied from 11,1%, 37,5% and 60% in Stage I, II and III respectively. The anatomical distribution of first site of relapses (in soft tissues visceral, osseous and multiple sites) suggests that the incidence of distant disease varied from 8,8% to 66%, indicating subclinical distant focci at the very inception of the disease, among the cases under review. It is surmised that breast cancer is more or less a systemic disease and the systemic adjuvants are essentially required for achieving better quality and quantity of cancer cure. (author)