原发性双侧乳腺癌预后分析

目的探讨原发性双侧乳腺癌的预后。方法回顾了119例原发性双侧乳腺癌患者的临床病理资料。分析双侧乳腺癌的预后情况及年龄和月经因素对预后的影响。结果双侧乳腺癌占同期可手术乳腺癌的3．67％（119／3239）。双侧乳腺癌患者中位年龄46岁，双侧发病中位间隔时间为48个月。双侧癌发生间隔时间按24个月来划分同时性（43／119）和异时性乳腺癌。从第二侧原发肿瘤手术算起，中位随访48个月，单侧和双侧乳腺癌的总生存率（OS）差异无显著性，但后者的无病生存率（DFS）较低（P=0．0469）；同时性和异时性乳腺癌的DFS（P=0．5399）和OS（P=0．5829）的差异无显著性。单因素分析发现第二原发癌发病≤45岁、双侧均绝经前发病或分别绝经前后发病的患者预后较差；多因素分析发现第二原发癌发生年龄是独立预后因素。结论从第二原发肿瘤手术起随访，单侧和双侧乳腺癌的OS无显著差别，但后者DFS较差；同时性和异时性双侧乳腺癌的预后相似。第二原发癌发病年龄是双侧乳腺癌患者的重要预后指标。     

双侧原发乳腺癌预后的相关因素分析

目的 探讨双侧原发性乳腺癌（bilateral primary breast cancer,BPBC）的临床病理特征和预后的影响因素。方法 回顾北京大学人民医院乳腺中心收治的68名双侧原发性乳腺癌患者的临床病理资料,分析双侧乳腺癌临床和病理特征和相关性,并对预后影响因素进行单因素和多因素分析。结果 双侧原发性乳腺癌发病率占同期全部乳腺癌患者的3.2%。BPBC患者发病年龄小于单侧乳腺癌患者（P=0.007）。单因素分析结果提示,以12月或24月作为双侧肿瘤发病时间间隔来定义同时性双侧原发性乳腺癌（synchronous bilateral primary breast cancer,sBPBC）与异时性双侧原发乳腺癌（metachronous bilateral primary breast cancer,mBPBC）时,sBPBC患者预后劣于mBPBC患者（P=0.018,P=0.000）;第二原发肿瘤病理类型为浸润性小叶癌患者预后劣于浸润性导管癌（P=0.036）。多因素分析结果提示肿瘤分期、双侧乳癌发病间隔时间和第二原发肿瘤激素受体表达情况是影响BPBC患者预后的主要因素（P=0.02,P=0.02,P=0.049）。结论 BPBC发病年龄较早;sBPBC患者比mBPBC预后更差;肿瘤分期、双侧乳癌发病间隔时间和第二原发肿瘤的病理类型以及激素受体表达情况是影响BPBC患者预后的主要因素。     

原发性双侧乳腺癌16例临床分析

目的探讨原发性双侧乳腺癌的临床特征、治疗和预后。方法对16例原发性双侧乳腺癌的临床资料进行回顾性分析。结果16例原发性双侧乳腺癌患者中,同时性发生7例,异时性发生9例,绝经前发生9例,病理类型以浸润性导管癌和导管内癌为主,双侧癌中0～I期比例高（P〈0．05）,经综合治疗后生存情况良好。结论单侧乳腺癌发生后应积极随访,以早期发现对侧是否发生病变,并采取综合治疗措施。     

双侧原发性乳腺癌267例临床分析

目的探讨双侧原发性乳腺癌（bilateral primary breast cancer, BPBC）的临床病理特征及治疗和预后。方法回顾性分析267例双侧原发性乳腺癌患者的临床资料。结果第一侧为浸润性小叶癌为双侧乳腺癌发病的危险因素。双侧原发性乳腺癌占同期手术治疗乳腺癌的约4％,同时性双侧乳腺癌占18％,异时性双侧乳腺癌占82％。双侧原发性乳腺癌的治疗均应遵循普通乳腺癌的治疗原则。异时性双乳癌的总生存率（OS）高于同时性双乳癌。结论单侧乳腺癌患者,对侧乳腺癌发生的危险度逐年增加,应建立完善的随访制度,做到早期发现,早期诊断及早期治疗第二癌,提高双侧乳腺癌患者的治愈率及生存率。     

双侧原发性乳腺癌ER、PR及HER-2表达特征及其与预后的关系

目的探讨雌激素受体（ER）、孕激素受体（PR）及人表皮生长因子受体2（HER-2）表达状态在双侧原发性乳腺癌（bilateral primary breast cancer,BPBC）患者第一癌与第二癌间的异同及其与预后的关系。方法回顾1961年1月至2007年12月间本院收治并确诊的565例BPBC患者临床资料,BPBC患者占同期全部乳腺癌患者的2．09％,其中同时性双侧乳腺癌（以6个月为界）198例占35．04％。采用免疫组织化学SP法进行ER、PR、HER-2检测。采用SPSS14．0中X^2检验比较ER、PR、HER-2在同时性和异时性BPBC表达的一致率及BPBC第一癌与第二癌ER、PR、HER-2的阳性率;采用Kaplan—Meier生存分析法研究BPBCER、PR和HER-2与患者预后的关系。结果同时性双侧原发性乳腺癌激素受体表达一致率要高于异时性双侧原发性乳腺癌（ER：X^2=5．30,P=0．02;PR：X^2=15．88,P=0,00）。双侧原发性乳腺癌两侧癌灶ER、PR和HER-2的表达没有区别（ER：X^2=2．02,P=0．16;PR：X^2=0．86,P=0．35：HER-2：X^2=0．70,P=0．79）。BPBC两侧ER和HER-2表达状况与其预后相关（ER：P=0．03,HER-2 P=0．03）。结论BPBC两侧癌灶激素受体及HER-2表达状态相仿。同时性BPBCER、PR表达的一致性高于异时性BPBC。两侧乳腺癌均检测激素受体和HER-2的表达对预后判断有一定的指导意义。     

双侧原发性乳腺癌的预后因素分析

目的：探讨双侧原发性乳腺癌（bilateral primary breast cancer，BPBC）的生存结果及其预后因素。方法：对1970年1月～2000年12月我院收治的54例BPBC的临床资料进行回顾性分析。结果：同时性和异时性BPBC分别为16例和38例。同时性和异时性BPBC（从第二侧癌确诊起计算生存率）的5年总生存率分别为49．1％和54．0％，8年总生存率分别为32．1％和33．1％，两组比较差异无统计学意义，P=0．5193；双侧腋窝淋巴结阴性，一侧阳性和双侧阳性患者的5年总生存率分别为75．6％、43.8％和28.9％，8年总生存率分别65．5％、32．9％和0，总体比较差异有统计学意义，P=0．0023；第一侧癌0～ⅡA期患者的5年和8年总生存率分别为64．5％和51．6％，ⅡB～Ⅲ期者分别为38．6％和19．3％，两组比较差异有统计学意义，P=0．0409；第二侧癌0～ⅡA期患者的5年和8年总生存率分别为60．9％和50．9％，ⅡB～Ⅲ期者分别为37．9％和0，两组比较差异有统计学意义，P=0．0213；在异时性BPBC中，间隔时间1～2年、2～5年和〉5年者的5年总生存率分别为52．6％、58．7％％和85．7％，8年总生存率分别为36．2％、42．2％和61．2％，总体比较差异有统计学意义，P=0．0412。结论：同时性和异时性BPBC的生存率结果相似。单因素分析表明双侧腋窝淋巴结状况和第一、二侧癌的病理分期是影响BPBC生存率的主要因素，两侧癌发生的间隔时间〉5年者的预后比同时性或间隔时间在5年以内者好。多因素分析表明双侧腋窝淋巴结阴性是独立的预后因素。     

双侧原发性乳腺癌临床与预后分析

目的探讨双侧原发性乳腺癌(BPBC)的临床病理特点及预后。方法收集217例BPBC患者的临床病理与随访资料,着重分析BPBC的发生率、发病年龄、间隔时间和生存率。结果BPBC的发生率为2．1％,同时性双侧原发性乳腺癌(sBPBC)和异时性双侧原发性乳腺癌(mBPBC)的发病高峰年龄均为48岁左右,大多在绝经前发病。mBPBC中位间隔时间为57．6个月。sBPBC与mBPBC患者的中位生存时间分别为29．6个月和27．8个月,生存率差异无显著性。绝经状态与BPBC患者的生存率无关。结论sBPBC与mBPBC发病高峰年龄相同。BPBC患者的预后分析应以第2癌为起点计算。BPBC比单侧原发性乳腺癌患者的预后差,sBPBC与mBPBC患者预后相同,且不受绝经状态影响。一侧乳腺癌术后应密切随诊,尤其是在第1癌发生后的5年内,以早期发现第2侧乳腺癌。     

双侧乳腺癌（附14例报告）

自１９７２年至１９８９年，共收治乳腺癌９８４例。其中双侧性乳腺癌１４例（１．４％），均为女性。同时性５例（０．５％），异时性９例（０．９％），间隔时间为１０个月至１５年８个月，平均为５年８个月。年龄在３０～６４岁，平均４３．４岁。全部病例两侧乳癌病灶均经病理证实。作者认为对单侧乳癌治疗后患者应长期密切随访，对高危患者在对侧乳腺出现可疑病灶时应及时做活检。双侧乳腺癌的预后与肿瘤大小、腋窝淋巴结受累情况、治疗是否及时、正确，两侧病灶同时或异时发生及间隔时间的长短等因素有关。双侧乳腺癌经及时、积极、合理治疗后，预后并不差于单侧乳腺癌。     

114例同时性双乳癌临床及预后的回顾性分析

目的研究原发同时性双侧乳腺癌（以下简称同时性双乳癌）的临床病理、治疗及预后情况。方法回顾性分析中国医学科学院肿瘤医院1999年1月至2013年3月收治的114例同时性双乳癌患者的临床病理资料及随访资料。结果同时性双乳癌第一癌及第二癌病理类型以浸润性导管癌为主,原发灶手术方式以乳腺全切为主,腋窝淋巴结手术方式以清扫术为主。同时性双乳癌第一癌及第二癌激素受体阳性率高达70%,HER2阴性病例的比例（第一癌为60.5%,第二癌为64.0%）明显高于HER2阳性比例（第一癌为20.2%,第二癌为15.8%）。第一癌肿瘤大小、第一癌腋窝淋巴结分期、第一癌及第二癌TNM分期是影响同时性双乳癌预后的独立因素（均P〈0.05）。结论同时性双乳癌总体发病率较低,既往文献报道的手术方式多以改良根治术为主。第一癌的肿瘤大小及腋窝淋巴结分期能够影响患者的预后,分期较早的同时性双乳癌拥有更好的预后。     

双侧原发性乳腺癌的预后分析

目的　分析双侧原发性乳腺癌的预后特点 ,并与单侧原发性乳腺癌比较 ,探讨双侧原发性乳腺癌合理的治疗方法。方法　回顾性分析 1967年 3月到 2 0 0 3年 7月收治的 2 17例双侧原发性乳腺癌患者的临床资料 ,比较同时性和异时性双侧原发性乳腺癌、双侧和单侧原发性乳腺癌生存率的差异。结果　双侧原发性乳腺癌的发生率为 2 .1% ( 2 17/ 10 470 ) ,大多在绝经前发病 ,如以发生第二侧乳腺癌为起点计算 5年生存率 ,同时性双侧原发性乳腺癌为 2 5 .6% ,异时性双侧原发性乳腺癌为 2 9.5 % ,两者比较无显著性差异 (P =0 .45 ) ;双侧原发性乳腺癌 5年生存率为 2 8.4% ,与单侧原发性乳腺癌比较有非常显著性差异 (P <0 .0 1)。同时性双侧原发性乳腺癌中绝经前和绝经后患者 5年生存率分别为 2 1.2 %和 2 8.0 % ,两者比较无显著性差异 (P =0 .2 5 ) ;异时性双侧原发性乳腺癌中两侧乳腺癌均发生于绝经前、绝经后和分别发生于绝经前后 3组患者的 5年生存率分别为 2 2 .1%、3 0 .0 %和3 3 .6% ,三者相互比较无显著性差异 (P =0 .19)。结论　预后分析应以发生第二侧乳腺癌为起点开始计算 ,同时性和异时性双侧原发性乳腺癌的预后相当 ,较单侧原发性乳腺癌差 ,双侧发生的乳腺癌为 2个独立事件 ,绝经状态并不影响双侧原发性乳     

Nonrandom distribution of oncogene amplifications in bilateral breast carcinomas: Possible role of host factors and survival bias

Amplification of HER2, C-MYC and CCND1 oncogenes is a hallmark of breast cancer (BC); however, its involvement in the bilateral form of this disease has not been investigated yet. In this study, 50 bilateral BC (biBC) pairs (100 tumors) and 72 control unilateral BC were examined using real-time PCR analysis of microdissected archival tissues. In biBC, the frequency of >3-fold oncogene amplification was 6/100 (6%) for HER2, 6/100 (6%) for C-MYC and 7/100 (7%) for CCND1. Altogether, 18/100 (18%) biBC tumors had increased gene dosage of at least one oncogene. Tumors forming synchronous biBC pairs had amplification in 11/46 cases (24%). In 3 of 8 patients with amplification-positive carcinomas, the amplification was detected in both neoplasms: 2 biBC had concordant activation of the same oncogene (HER2 and CCND1, respectively), and in the remaining case distinct oncogenes were affected (HER2 and C-MYC). In contrast, amplifications in metachronous biBC were strongly discordant: none of 27 first carcinomas carried this abnormality, while the frequency of amplification in second tumors (7/27; 26%) was similar to the one observed in unilateral BC (20/72; 28%). The trend toward concordance of oncogene amplification status in synchronous but not in metachronous biBC pairs can be explained by the nearly identical natural history of the disease in simultaneously arising tumors. The skewed pattern of amplifications in metachronous biBC might be attributed to their association with adverse BC prognosis; it appears that only patients with amplification-negative first BC have sufficient chances to survive until the development of the contralateral carcinoma.     

High level of miR-21, miR-10b, and miR-31 expression in bilateral vs. unilateral breast carcinomas

We analyzed the expression of several microRNAs (miRs) implicated in breast cancer (BC) pathogenesis (miR-21, miR-10b, miR17-5p, mir-31, miR-155, miR-200c, miR-18a, miR-205, and miR-27a) in 80 breast carcinomas obtained from patients with bilateral BC (biBC) and 40 cases of unilateral BC (uBC). Unexpectedly, three miRs (miR-21, miR-10b and miR-31) demonstrated significantly higher level of expression in biBC vs. uBC (P = 0.0001, 0.00004 and 0.0002, respectively). Increased contents of miR-21, miR-10b and miR-31 were observed in all categories of biBC tumors, i.e., in synchronous biBC as well as in first and second tumors from metachronous biBC cases. Synchronous biBC showed more similarity of miR expression profiles within pairs that the metachronous doublets (P = 0.004). This study suggests that bilateral breast tumors have somewhat distinct pattern of molecular events as compared to the unilateral disease.     

The long-term outcome of synchronous bilateral breast cancer is worse than metachronous or unilateral tumours.

AIM: There is uncertainty in the literature as to whether bilateral breast cancer carries a worse prognosis than unilateral disease because some studies suggest that the development of a second primary does not influence survival, while others report a decreased survival in patients suffering from bilateral disease. METHODS: A prospectively accrued and regularly validated database of 1945 patients with breast cancer treated in a district general hospital between 1963 and 1999 was analysed for clinical and pathological tumour characteristics including family history, grade, type of tumour, treatment and outcome. RESULTS: Five per cent of patients (92) suffered from metachronous and 43 (2%) from synchronous bilateral breast cancer. A family history of breast cancer was more common in patients with metachronous bilateral breast cancer (38%), compared with the unilateral group (15%) and the synchronous bilateral breast cancer group (17%) (chi(2)=22.9, P<0.001). Patients with synchronous bilateral breast cancer had a significantly worse overall survival when compared with those with metachronous bilateral or unilateral breast cancer (log-rank test chi(2)=6.1, P=0.047). CONCLUSION: Women with metachronous breast cancer were more likely to have positive family history, while those with synchronous bilateral breast cancer tend to have shorter survival when compared with those with unilateral breast cancer. Synchronous bilaterality is not, however, an independent risk factor on multivariate analysis.     

Survival after bilateral breast cancer: results from a population-based study

Background Controversy exists on the impact of bilaterality of breast cancer on survival. We used population-based data to compare survival of women with unilateral versus bilateral breast cancer. Patients and methods At the Geneva cancer registry, we identified all 7,912 women diagnosed with invasive breast cancer between 1970 and 2002. Breast cancers were categorized as unilateral, synchronous bilateral (contralateral tumour diagnosed within six months after the first tumour) and metachronous bilateral (contralateral tumour diagnosed over six months after the first tumour). With multivariate modelling we compared characteristics and survival between women with unilateral and bilateral disease. Results Patients with synchronous bilateral tumours (n = 155, 2.0%) had more often lobular histology and less frequently stage I disease than women with unilateral disease. Women with metachronous breast cancer (n = 219, 2.8%) received less often chemotherapy or hormone therapy for their first tumours. Ten-year disease-specific survival was similar (66%) after unilateral and metachronous bilateral breast cancer, but worse after synchronous bilateral cancer (51%). After adjustment, breast cancer mortality risks were not significantly increased for women with either synchronous or metachronous bilateral disease (Hazard ratios 1.1 (0.8–1.5) and 0.8 (0.5–1.4), respectively). Conclusion This large population-based study indicates that bilaterality of breast cancer is not associated with impaired survival.     

Genetic implications of bilateral breast cancer: a population based cohort study

BACKGROUND: Women with breast cancer are at high risk of bilateral breast cancer. We aimed to assess the incidence of bilateral breast cancer in relation to age and time since diagnosis of first cancer. METHODS: We analysed a population-based cohort of 123757 women with a first primary breast cancer diagnosed in Sweden from 1970 to 2000 for frequency of bilateral breast cancers and deaths by means of record linkage. Second primary breast cancers were categorised as synchronous bilateral breast cancers if diagnosed within 3 months of the first primary cancer or as metachronous if diagnosed more than 3 months after diagnosis of first primary cancer. FINDINGS: We identified 6550 women who had developed bilateral breast cancer. Age-incidence patterns of synchronous and unilateral breast cancer were similar, although the absolute rates of synchronous bilateral cancer were 50-100 times lower than those of unilateral cancer. A woman aged 80 years or older is at least twice as likely to be diagnosed with synchronous bilateral breast cancer than is a woman younger than 40 years. In the first 20 years after diagnosis of primary breast cancer, incidence of metachronous bilateral cancer decreased from about 800 per 10(5) person-years to 400 per 10(5) person-years in patients diagnosed with primary breast cancer before the age of 45 years, whereas incidence remained at 500-600 per 10(5) person-years in those age 45 years or older at diagnosis. After 30 years' follow-up, cumulative risk of metachronous bilateral breast cancer was about 15% irrespective of age at first primary breast cancer. INTERPRETATION: The higher than expected risk of synchronous bilateral breast cancer could be explained by non-genetic factors. By contrast, incidence of metachronous bilateral cancer fits neither a model of highly penetrant genes nor aggregation of environmental risk factors.     

Twenty-year incidence and patterns of contralateral breast cancer after breast conservation treatment with radiation

PURPOSE: This study was undertaken to determine the incidence of contralateral breast cancer (CLB) after treatment for early-stage breast cancer with breast-conserving treatment (BCT), and to observe patterns of CLB presentation. METHODS: Medical records of 1,801 women treated for unilateral AJCC Stage 0-II breast cancer with BCT between 1977 and 2000 were analyzed as a retrospective cohort. RESULTS: The incidence of any CLB at 20 years was 15.4%. The annual risk of developing any CLB remained constant at approximately 0.75% per year after treatment. The median time to any CLB was 8.2 years (range, 0.5-26.5 years). No difference in incidence of CLB was demonstrated in patients with primary invasive carcinoma vs. DCIS (p = 0.84). The majority of patients (83%) developing CLB tumors developed invasive disease. The risk of developing an invasive CLB did not differ significantly for patients with DCIS vs. those with primary invasive carcinoma (p = 0.20). The method of detection of the primary tumor (mammography vs. physical examination) was not predictive of detection of the CLB (p = 0.20). Finally, the location of CLB tumors was not affected by that of prior tumors (p = 0.82). CONCLUSIONS: The risk of development of CLB persists for at least 20 years after treatment for early-stage breast cancer. CLB tumors are frequently invasive, and their location is not influenced by location of prior tumors. Mammography and physical examination remain essential after BCT for detection of a contralateral breast cancer, regardless of the method of detection of the primary tumor.     

Bilateral breast carcinoma: risk factors and outcomes for patients with synchronous and metachronous disease

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to compare the outcomes of bilateral breast carcinoma (BBC) patients with those of patients who had unilateral disease. METHODS: From 1960 to 1995, 1465 Stage 0-III patients with primary breast carcinoma were treated with either mastectomy or breast conservation therapy at the Kimmel Cancer Center of Jefferson Medical College and Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. There were 1315 (89.9%) unilateral, 103 (7.1%) metachronous, and 47 (3.0%) synchronous breast carcinoma patients. Patients with synchronous breast carcinoma were defined as having a contralateral cancer diagnosed within 1 year of initial diagnosis. The percentage of patients with Stage 0-I disease at initial diagnosis was 49.4%, whereas 68% had Stage 0-I disease at subsequent diagnosis. For patients with metachronous breast carcinomas, the median interval between the first and second diagnosis was 44 months (range, 13-287 months). The median follow-up time was 58 months (range, 12-229 months) for patients with synchronous cancers and 87 months (range, 0.25-414 months) for those with metachronous cancers. Rates of overall survival and survival with no evidence of disease (NED survival), local control, and distant metastasis from the time of the second diagnosis were calculated for patients with synchronous and metachronous disease. These figures were then compared with each other and also with those for unilateral breast carcinoma patients. RESULTS: Patients with synchronous and metachronous breast carcinoma had worse 5- and 8-year NED survival rates compared with unilateral breast carcinoma patients, as well as an increased risk of distant metastasis. In multivariate analysis, differences in local control and overall survival were not statistically significant for patients who had bilateral disease compared with those who had unilateral disease. There was no difference when patients with metachronous and unilateral breast carcinoma were compared with respect to local control and overall survival. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with bilateral breast carcinoma who present with synchronous disease are at greater risk for distant metastasis than women with unilateral or metachronous breast tumors. There was a trend toward decreased overall survival and local control for patients with synchronous bilateral breast carcinoma compared with patients who had either metachronous or unilateral disease.     

A case-control study of unilateral and bilateral breast carcinoma patients

BACKGROUND: Women with unilateral breast carcinoma are at increased risk for developing contralateral disease. The clinical significance of bilateral breast carcinoma has not been fully defined, and the subset of patients who may benefit from medical or surgical risk-reduction intervention has not yet been characterized. The purpose of this study was to evaluate risk factors and outcomes for bilateral breast carcinoma. METHODS: A subject group of 70 bilateral breast carcinoma patients (62% metachronous) was matched by age and survival interval with a control group of 70 unilateral breast carcinoma patients. Median follow-up was 103 months. RESULTS: Eighty-two percent of the unilateral patients and 80% of the bilateral patients had Stage I or II disease at diagnosis. Median age at presentation was 53 years. In the bilateral group, the contralateral cancer was diagnosed at the same or earlier stage than the first cancer in 87% of cases. Bilateral patients were significantly more likely to have multicentric disease and to have a positive family history for breast carcinoma compared with the unilateral group. There were no significant differences regarding history of exogenous hormone exposure, lobular histology, hormone-receptor status, or HER-2/neu expression. Five-year disease-free survival was 94% for the unilateral breast carcinoma patients and 91% for the bilateral breast carcinoma patients (P = 0.16). CONCLUSIONS: Survival for patients with bilateral breast carcinoma is similar to that of patients with unilateral disease; however, prophylactic risk-reduction intervention for the contralateral breast should be considered in patients who have multicentric unilateral disease or a positive family history for breast carcinoma.     

The impact of bilateral breast cancer on the prognosis of breast cancer: a comparative study with unilateral breast cancer

BACKGROUND: The clinical significance of bilateral breast cancer is unclear and its influence on prognosis is controversial. We assessed the impact of synchronous and metachronous bilateral breast cancer on the prognosis compared with unilateral breast cancer. METHODS: Between January 1, 1960 and December 31, 2001, 1,214 women were treated for primary operable breast cancers. Thirteen (1.1%) had synchronous bilateral breast cancer; 33 (2.7%) had a metachronous contralateral breast cancer. We compared age at operation, menopausal status, clinical stage, tumor size and histology, lymph node status, hormone receptor status, and use of adjuvant chemotherapy or hormone therapy, and we analyzed the impact of these factors on recurrence and survival in the 46 patients with bilateral breast cancer and the 1,168 patients with unilateral breast cancer. RESULTS: The 5-and 10-year disease-free survival rates, respectively, were 65% and 65% in metachronous cases, 85.7% and 64.3% in synchronous cases, and 77.9% and 72.1% in unilateral cases. There was no significant difference in overall survival among the three groups. On multivariate analysis, metachronous bilaterality, tumor size, lymph node status and adjuvant hormone therapy were each independent risk factors for recurrence, whereas bilaterality of breast cancer did not influence overall survival. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that metachronous bilateral breast cancer is associated with shorter disease-free survival than synchronous bilateral or unilateral breast cancer, although overall survival does not differ among the 3 groups. Patients with metachronous bilateral breast cancer should be followed particularly closely in order to detect recurrence early and maximize quality of life.     

Classification of ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence after breast-conserving therapy: New primary cancer allows a good prognosis

PURPOSE: To classify and assess ipsilateral breast tumor recurrences (IBTR) after breast-conserving therapy. METHODS: Between 1986 and 2001, 2,137 patients who had breast cancer underwent breast-conserving surgery with or without radiotherapy at the Cancer Institute Hospital of the Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research. Of these patients, 83 (3.9%) had an IBTR. We classified the IBTR as a new primary cancer (NP) if the primary tumor had completely negative margins at first operation by detailed pathological examination and if the IBTR had an intraductal component. All other IBTRs were judged true local recurrence (TR). RESULTS: Of the 83 patients, 42 patients were classified as TR (29 had no radiotherapy) and 41 as NP (40 had no radiotherapy). Mean time to disease recurrence was 37 months for TR (52% were within 2 years) versus 55 months for NP (19% were within 2 years) (p=0.031). Six patients (14%) with TR did not receive re-operation, and 67% received salvage mastectomy and 19% re-lumpectomy. All cases of NP were operable, 78% underwent salvage mastectomy and 22% underwent re-lumpectomy. Distant metastases were observed in 33% of patients with TR and 5% of patients with NP, and cause-specific death occurred in 6 cases with TR and in one with NP. The patients with NP had improved 5-year rates of overall survival (NP 91% vs. TR 76%, P=0.0627) and distant disease-free survival (NP 93% vs. TR 61%, P=0.0028). Patients with NP more often developed contralateral breast cancer (NP 37% vs. TR 12%, P=0.018) CONCLUSIONS: Patients with NP had better survival rates than those with TR. Distinguishing new primary breast carcinomas from local disease recurrences may have importance in therapeutic decisions and chemoprevention strategies.