ABSTRACT
The relationship between low social class and low birthweight or preterm deliveries is well established in singletons but not in twins. We present a study using all twin deliveries registered in Belgium in 1983 and in Aberdeen between 1951 and 1983. No significant relationship was found between social class and low birthweight, very low birthweight or preterm deliveries in the Belgian sample. In Aberdeen, we found significantly higher rates of low birthweight twins in low social classes. This increase of low birthweight twins in low social classes occurred in Aberdeen during the period 1951-1968, but not in the more recent data.
Subject(s)
Infant, Low Birth Weight , Obstetric Labor, Premature/epidemiology , Social Class , Twins , Belgium/epidemiology , Female , Humans , Incidence , Infant, Newborn , Pregnancy , Risk Factors , Scotland/epidemiologyABSTRACT
Between 1969 and 1975, postoperative radiotherapy was performed at the J. Bordet Institute on 787 stage I-III operable breast cancer patients. Crude 10 years survival rates are respectively 61% for stage I, 59% for stage II and 30% for stage III. The results have been analysed according to clinical characteristics of significant prognostic value and according to the technical conditions of treatment. The status of the axillary nodes appears to be the most important prognostic factor. Radiotherapy to the thoracic wall and lymph drainage areas has varied little throughout the whole period with the dose to the internal mammary chain being the only parameter which varied significantly. Loco-regional recurrences occurred only in 5, 2% of patients without distant metastases appearing previously or during the following year (2.4 for stage I patients). Severe sequelae were seen in only a very few cases. Survival appears significantly correlated with an adequate dose of irradiation to mammary node chain.
