SURGICAL MANAGEMENT OF Tx BREAST CANCER: IS BREAST CONSERVATION AN OPTION?

Kassem, Hatem Aboul; El-Gemeie, Emad

doi:10.21608/ejsur.2009.367583

SURGICAL MANAGEMENT OF Tx BREAST CANCER: IS BREAST CONSERVATION AN OPTION?

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Hatem Aboul Kassem ¹
Emad El-Gemeie ²

¹ Department of Surgery, National Cancer Institute, Cairo University, Egypt

² Department of Pathology, National Cancer Institute, Cairo University, Egypt

10.21608/ejsur.2009.367583

Abstract

Aim: Unfortunately, lumpectomy is still the most diagnostic tool for breast carcinoma in Egypt. Management
of Tx breast carcinoma is still a controversial issue. Most of these patients are doomed to undergo
mastectomy.
The aim of this study is to analyze patients with Tx breast carcinoma after having their definitive treatment as
regard residual disease in the lumpectomy cavity and factors affecting it.
Methods: 60 patients with Tx breast carcinoma who had lumpectomy for a localized breast lump and were
proved to be invasive breast cancer were subjected to this study. They were operated from January 2001 to
December 2007. Pathologic and patient characteristics were all reviewed.
Results: In this sample, the median age of the patients was 45 year, and the median tumor size was 3 cm. 52
patients (86.7%) had mastectomy and 8 patients (13.3%) had conservative breast therapy (CBT). Residual
disease was present in 22 patients (36.7%). Margins less than 5 mm had residual tumors in 90.9% of cases.
Tumors larger than 2.5 cm in diameter showed residual disease in 52.9% of cases. The other independent
factors as age, sex, laterality and grade of tumor had no statistically significant effect on residual tumor.
Conclusion: Mastectomy is not the only option for management of Tx breast cancer. Breast conserving
therapy is still a valid option provided that a wide safety margin is excised with definitive negative margins.

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