Outcomes in Patients with pT1-T2, pN0-N1 Breast Cancer After Conservative Surgery and Whole-breast Radiotherapy

Aim: To evaluate locoregional recurrence, overall survival, disease-free survival and prognostic influence of the number of positive lymph nodes and other variables in breast cancer treatment. Patients and Methods: A total of 377 patients with pT1-T2, pN0-N1 invasive breast carcinoma treated from 2005 to 2013 were retrospectively evaluated. Patients underwent conservative surgery followed by whole-breast radiotherapy. Clavicular region irradiation was not performed. Results: With a median follow-up of 4 years, locoregional recurrence rate was 3.4% (nodal recurrence=1.06%). Expression of progesterone receptors was significantly associated with better disease-free survival, tumor size (T>2 cm) with poorer disease-free survival, locoregional recurrence and poorer overall survival; the presence of three nodal metastases was related to significantly poorer overall survival (p=0.024). Conclusion: Whole-breast adjuvant radiotherapy without nodal irradiation after breast-conserving surgery led to low rate of locoregional recurrence and high rates of overall survival and disease-free survival in patients with pT1-T2 pN0-N1 breast cancer.