The role of postmastectomy radiotherapy in breast cancer patients with T1-T2 and one to three positive axillary nodes / 中华放射肿瘤学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To analyze the outcomes and the role of radiotherapy in breast cancer pa-tients with T1-T2 and one to three positive axillary nodes treated with modified radical mastectomy, and to investigate the prognostic factors for loco - regional recurrence in patients without radiotherapy . Methods Three hundred and seventy breast cancer patients with T1-T2 and one to three positive axillary lymph nodes treated with mastectomy and axillary dissection were retrospectively analyzed. Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate the overall survival (OS) and loco-regional recurrence-free survival (LRFS) rates. The Logrank test was used for the comparison of the survival curves of patients with or without radiotherapy. Univariate analyses of potential prognostic variables for LRFS were performed. Results The 5-year OS and LRFS rates were 85.4% and 91%. Radiotherapy significantly improved the 5-year LRFS rate ( 100% vs. 89.5% ;x2 = 5.17, P=0.023). However, there was no significant difference in overall survival rate between patients with and without radiotherapy. In univariate analyses, T stage, the number of positive axillary nodes, C-erbB-2 and PR status were the significant predictive factors for LRFS. Conclusions For breast cancer pa-tients with T1-T2. and one to three positive axillary nodes, radiotherapy improves the LRFS, but not OS. T stage, the number of positive axillary nodes, C-erbB-2 and PR status are predictive factors for loco-regional recurrence in patients without radiotherapy.