Changes in the Clinical Features of and the Treatment for Breast Cancer

ABSTRACT

1136 breast cancer patients admitted to and treated at the Department of Surgery, Seoul National University Hospital, between Jan. 1989 and Dec. 1995 were analysed retrospectively. We compared this group of patients with another group of 802 breast cancer patients between Jan. 1970 and Dec. 1988. The results are as follows. Neither the mean age (46.9 years), prevalent age group (5th decade) or common location of the tumor (outer upper quadrant) showed any difference between the two groups. The common presenting symptoms of patients, breast lump (89.0%) and bloody discharge (3.0%), also did not change significantly. However, the number of patients with microcalcification or abnormal mass density on mammography without specific symptoms and signs increased in this period. According to the AJCC staging system, more than half of thepatients were stage II (59.2%) followed by stage I (20.5%), stage III (13.2%), stage 0 (4.7%) and stage IV (2.3%). The proportion of patients with early breast cancer increased from 62.0% for the early-time group to 84.4% for the later-time group, while that of patients with advanced breast cancer decreased significantly from 38.0% to 15.5% (p<0.0001). Invasive ductal carcinoma,NOS (81.7%) and modified radical mastectomy (84.5%) was still the most common histologic type and type of operation performed respectively. Although the most common type of operation performed did not change significantly, a number of patients, 113 patients, underwent breast conservation surgeries during the later-time period. Quadrantectomy and axillary dissection was the most common type of breast conservation surgery. In summary, no obvious differences in age distribution, tumor location, or common histologic type were found between the two groups. However, the number of asymptomatic patients detected by mammography, the number of breast conservation surgery performed, and the proportion of early breast cancer were markedly increased remarkably in later-time group.