J. Yomi et al., TREATMENT OF T1 AND SMALL T2 NODE-NEGATIV E BREAST-CANCER - A REVIEW OF 21 CASES MANAGED AT THE YAOUNDE GENERAL-HOSPITAL, La Semaine des hopitaux de Paris, 72(23-24), 1996, pp. 713-717
From February 1989 to February 1993, 21 patients with TI or small T2 N
-MO breast cancer were treated at the radiotherapy department of the G
eneral Hospital in Yaounde. Radiation therapy was preceded by tumorect
omy (n=3), quadrantectomy (n=4), or radical mastectomy according to Pa
tey (n=14). Patients were given hormone therapy. Chemotherapy was not
used, After four years, five patients (23.8%) had lymph node or distan
t metastases, This poor result was unexpected since recent data from t
he literature suggest that the prognosis is favorable in patients with
tumors such as those included in this study, Current histologic and b
iologic criteria used to establish the prognosis may fail to consisten
tly detect all highly aggressive cancers. A limited review of the lite
rature on new criteria based on molecular and genetic findings was con
ducted. A fairly satisfactory solution for circumventing the technolog
ical problems that limit determination of these new criteria is propos
ed.