Predictors of local recurrence following conservative breast surgery and radiation therapy. The influence of tumor size
T. J. Eberlein, J. L. Connolly, S. J. Schnitt, A. Recht, R. T. Osteen and J. R. Harris
Department of Surgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115.
Size of tumor has not been established as a predictor of tumor recurrence
in the breast following conservative surgery and radiation therapy. We
analyzed 783 patients with infiltrating carcinoma treated with simple
excision and radiation therapy. Median follow-up was 91 months. Median age
at diagnosis was 50 years. There was a 13% recurrence among patients with
T1 lesions compared with a 12% recurrence among patients with T2 tumors.
Size did not predict for local recurrence when the tumor was analyzed by
1-cm increments and whether the tumor was estrogen receptor protein
positive or estrogen receptor protein negative. Patients with an extensive
intraductal component had a significantly higher local recurrence rate for
every tumor size compared with patients with extensive intraductal
component-negative tumors. We concluded that size did not predict local
recurrence.
