The analysis of prognostic factors in stage III-B non-inflammatory breast cancer

Aims: To evaluate factors predicting disease recurrence in patients treated for slags III-B breast cancer by neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by surg ery. Methods: A retrospective study of 52 patients who responded to neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by modified radical mastectomy was carried out. The p arameters studied included pre-treatment tumour size, clinical axillary sta tus, grade, lymphatic-vascular invasion, pathological axillary status, numb er of metastatic lymph nodes, menopausal status and oestrogen receptor stat us. Results: In the univariate analysis, number of metastatic lymph nodes, prim ary tumour size, pathological axillary status and histological grade were s tatistically significant factors associated with recurrence of disease. Mul tivariate analysis demonstrated that the number of metastatic lymph nodes ( relative hazard 6.1) and primary tumour size (related hazard 2.5) were the most important independent prognostic factors for recurrence. Conclusions: These results indicate that the number of involved lymph nodes after neoadjuvant chemotherapy independent of the clinical response of pri mary tumour, had a most significant impact on disease free survival. Additi onally primary tumour size had a mai-h-ed prognostic significance in spite of clinical changes in rumours following chemotherapy. (C) 2000 Harcourt Pu blishers Ltd.