Combined therapy for inflammatory breast cancer
W. L. Donegan and B. Padrta
Department of Surgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.
The prognosis for patients with inflammatory breast cancer has improved in
recent years. This review was undertaken to evaluate current management in
three Milwaukee (Wis) hospitals and to identify determinants of prognosis.
We identified 25 patients with inflammatory breast carcinoma diagnosed
between 1967 and 1987. Most of the patients were treated with combination
chemotherapy and radiation therapy, and 10 had mastectomies. The 5-year
survival of patients without initial distant metastases was 24%. The 5-year
survival of patients who received chemotherapy before local treatment was
40%. Patients who had clinically involved axillary nodes or a palpable mass
in the breast had poorer survival than those who did not; the presence of
dermal lymphatic invasion had no significant effect on survival. Initial
chemotherapy has become an important part of the care of patients with
inflammatory breast cancer. It remains uncertain whether mastectomy
improves on irradiation in achieving local control or improves survival.
