Abstract Aim Final 10-year analysis of the prospective randomised Chemo-N0 trial is presented. Based on the Chemo-N0 interim results and an European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer ...(EORTC) pooled analysis ( n = 8377), American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and Arbeitsgemeinschaft Gynäkologische Onkologie (AGO) guidelines recommend invasion and metastasis markers urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA)/plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) for risk assessment and treatment decision in node-negative (N0) breast cancer (BC). Methods The final Chemo-N0 trial analysis (recruitment 1993–1998; n = 647; 12 centres) comprises 113 (5-167) months of median follow-up. Patients with low-uPA and PAI-1 tumour tissue levels ( n = 283) were observed. External quality assurance guaranteed uPA/PAI-1 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) standardisation. Of 364 high uPA and/or PAI-1 patients, 242 agreed to randomisation for CMF chemotherapy ( n = 117) versus observation ( n = 125). Results Actuarial 10-year recurrence rate (without any adjuvant systemic therapy) for high-uPA/PAI-1 observation group patients (randomised and non-randomised) was 23.0%, in contrast to only 12.9% for low-uPA/PAI-1 patients ( plog-rank = 0.011). High-risk patients randomised to cyclophosphamide-methotrexate-5-fluorouracil (CMF) therapy had a 26.0% lower estimated probability of disease recurrence than those randomised for observation (intention-to-treat (ITT)-analysis: hazard ratio (HR) 0.74 (0.44–1.27); plog-rank = 0.28). Per-protocol analysis demonstrated significant treatment benefit: HR 0.48 (0.26–0.88), p = 0.019, disease-free survival (DFS) Cox regression, adjusted for tumour stage and grade. Conclusions Chemo-N0 is the first prospective biomarker-based therapy trial in early BC defining patients reaching good long-term DFS without adjuvant systemic therapy. Using a standardised uPA/PAI-1 ELISA, almost half of N0-patients could be spared chemotherapy, while high-risk patients benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy. These 10-year results validate the long-term prognostic impact of uPA/PAI-1 and the benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy in the high-uPA/PAI-1 group at highest level of evidence. They thus support the guideline-based routine use of uPA/PAI-1 for risk-adapted individualised therapy decisions in N0 breast cancer.
The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence, clinical signs and radiological features of breast lymphoma.
This is a retrospective review of 36 patients with breast lymphoma (22 primary ...and 14 secondary). 35 patients were female and 1 was male; their median age was 65 years (range 24-88 years). In all patients, the diagnosis was confirmed histopathologically.
The prevalence of breast lymphoma was 1.6% of all identified cases with non-Hodgkin lymphoma and 0.5% of cases with breast cancer. B-cell lymphoma was found in 94% and T-cell lymphoma in 6%. 96 lesions were identified (2.7 per patient). The mean size was 15.8 ± 8.3 mm. The number of intramammary lesions was higher in secondary than in primary lymphoma. The size of the identified intramammary lesions was larger in primary than in secondary lymphoma. Clinically, 86% of the patients presented with solitary or multiple breast lumps. In 14%, breast involvement was diagnosed incidentally during staging examinations.
On mammography, intramammary masses were the most commonly seen (27 patients, 82%). Architectural distortion occurred in three patients (9%). In three patients (9%), no abnormalities were found on mammography. On ultrasound, the identified lesions were homogeneously hypoechoic or heterogeneously mixed hypo- to hyperechoic. On MRI, the morphology of the lesions was variable. After intravenous administration of contrast medium, a marked inhomogeneous contrast enhancement was seen in most cases. On CT, most lesions presented as circumscribed round or oval masses with moderate or high enhancement.
Postmastectomy radiotherapy (PMRT) is accepted as the standard of care for women with early breast cancer with 4 or more involved axillary nodes. However the role of PMRT in women with 1–3 involved ...nodes remains controversial and guidelines vary.
We present the arguments against advocating postmastectomy radiotherapy for all women with node positive breast cancer.
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