Value of radiotherapy in preventing loco-regional recurrences after radical mastectomy for carcinoma of the breast
López-Mújica, R.J.; Marcial, V.A.; Tomé, J.M.; Ubiñas, J.
Boletin de la Asociacion Medica de Puerto Rico 74(10): 289-294
1982
ISSN/ISBN: 0004-4849 PMID: 6963890 Document Number: 196324
With the objective of identifying the value of radiotherapy in preventing loco-regional tumor manifestations after mastectomy for operable carcinoma of the breast, a retrospective study has been conducted at the Radiotherapy Institute of the Metropolitan Hospital. High risk cases (stage II lesions, or central and medial quadrant stage I tumors), received irradiation to the regional node arcas, with or without chest wall radiotherapy. A total of 146 such cases was registered during the period from July 1972 to March 1978. The records of these patients were analyzed for the various factors that could affect loco-regional control of the tumor, distant metastases, and survival at various intervals after mastectomy, up to 5 years. The results of this study revealed that radiotherapy was highly effective in reducing the expected incidence of loco-regional recurrences after mastectomy from an expected level of 35 to 45% in high risk patients to 8%. The few patients showing recurrence in the irradiated area had heavy axillary node metastatic involvement of 20 or more positive nodes. Chest wall and lymph node irradiation is more effective than irradiation limited to the lymph node arcas only. No radiation induced complications were observed in the patients of this study. The survival at 5 years in the patients in this study was 66%, with 52% living free of tumor.
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