Exclusive radical radiation therapy in breast carcinoma

The results are presented of 186 breast cancer patients treated initially for locoregional disease by radiotherapy alone, combining cobalt therapy with external electron beam or interstitial iridium implants. According to the TNM classification, the patients were distributed as follows: 3 T1N0, 2 T1N1, 33 T2N0, 36 T2N1, 16 T3N0, 26 T3N1, 6 T3N2, 14 T4N0, 29 T4N1, 9 T4N2 and 12 T4N3. The 5- and 10-year survival rates (52.7 and 36.5 per cent respectively, for all patients) were directly correlated with the size and location of the breast tumor, and the extent of lymph node involvement. Locoregional recurrence was observed in 39.8 per cent of the cases, metastases alone in 26.8 per cent, and a combination of local recurrence and distant metastasis in 14.5 per cent of the cases. The local recurrences and metastases were directly correlated with the extent of locoregional involvement. Late complications and sequelae were mostly minor and occurred in less than 25 per cent of the cases; severe sequelae in no more than 2 per cent. They depended on the initial tumor volume and the tumor dose. The results, along with those in the literature, indicate that radiotherapy administered alone is a valid therapeutic option in breast cancer. (author). 23 refs.; 5 tabs