PROGNOSTIC FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH SURVIVAL AFTER BREAST-CANCER RECURRENCE

Factors associated with disease-free interval after the primary treatment and survival after a recurrence of breast cancer were studied in 331 female breast cancer patients treated in 1976 1980. Within five years after the primary treatment, recurrence occurred in 131 patients. The observation time of these patients after recurrence was from few weeks to twelve years. Twenty-nine patients were alive at the end of the follow-up. The average disease-free time was 2 years. The clinical stage of the disease in this material was not significantly associated with the disease-free interval. The median survival time after recurrence was 2.7 years when only breast cancer related deaths were included. Survival was significantly better for patients with primarily stage I disease than for patients with primarily stage II-IV disease. The size of the primary tumour was not significantly associated with survival after recurrence. The patients with loco-regional recurrence survived almost significantly better than those with distant recurrence. The disease-free time correlated positively with survival after a recurrence. The present study confirms the view that breast cancer includes several subgroups with a different type of clinical course.