THE TREATMENT RESULTS IN LOCALLY ADVANCED BREAST CANCER

63 women with locally advanced "inoperable" breast cancer, treated between 1980 through 1990, by initial mastectomy and postoperative adjuvant therapy were retrospectively analysed. 10 patients (16%) had stage IIIA (T2-3N2MO) and 53 (84%) had IIIB (T2-4NO-3MO) disease. 20 (32%) patients had local/regional recurrence at median 18 months and 36 (57%) had distant metastazes at median 27 months after completion of treatment. Three years overall and disease-free survivals were: in 41 patients treated by combination of mastectomy, radiotherapy and chemotherapy 56% and 45%, in 18 patients treated by mastectomy and radiotherapy 28% and 22% (p>0.05); 4 patients treated by mastectomy and chemotherapy had median survival 17 months and disease-free survival 3 months, Multimodality treatment is the treatment of choice in locally advanced breast cancer.