Analysis of treatment and outcomes in locally advanced breast cancer

Abstract

Abstract Background Current breast cancer treatment guidelines recommend multimodality therapy for locally advanced breast cancer (LABC). Sometimes it is difficult to follow guidelines in clinical settings because LABC is more common in the elderly population and patients with psychological disorders. Methods We retrospectively analyzed 44 cases of LABC (defined as T3 N1, T4 N0, any N2 or N3, and M0) at our institution between July 2015 and September 2018. Results Eight patients (18.2%) are 75 years old or older. Five patients (11.4%) had psychological disorder and communication difficulty. Eleven (25%) did not have chemotherapy and three (6.8%) had only surgery. Median follow up periods are 558 (range: 9-1291) days. Nine patients (20.5%) had disease recurrence and four patients (9.1%) died of breast cancer. In the multivariate analysis, 4 or more lymph node metastasis and no chemotherapy are significantly associated with recurrence. Conclusion Perioperative chemotherapy is necessary for LABC patients, especially for patients with 4 or more lymph node metastasis.