Abstract
We experienced 14 patients with breast cancer who had pleural effusion as a direct consequence of metastatic disease. The mean age of the patients was 47.3 years with a range of 36 to 68 years. The majority of the patients were in advanced stages (stage I:1, stage II:2, stage III:4, stage IV:7). Survival time after developement of the effusion was less than 1 year in 8 of the cases. However, there were 5 patients who survived more than 1 year. Interestingly, in 4 of these 5, estrogen receptor was positive and intrathoracic injection therapy was effective. Also, we had 2 long survivors of more than 1 year among the 4 patients who had pleuritis preoperatively. Even the stage IV breast cancer patient with preoperative pleural effusion may have a possivility of long survival if treated aggresively with a combination of radical mastectomy, adjuvant chemo-endocrine therapy and appropriate intrathoracic injection therapy.
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