Changing patterns of breast cancer. Lucy Wortham James lecture (clinical)

At present, through public awareness and the use of improved diagnostic aids, increasing numbers of patients are being seen with localized "minimal" breast cancer. In our own experience, the average measured size of the primary tumor has diminished from 3.2 cm in 1955 to 2 cm in 1974. Although the incidence of axillary node metastases has diminished only from about 50% to 42% during this interval, the extent of involvement and the distribution of nodal disease has improved markedly with a marked decrease in apical node involvement. Mammography has been responsible for the detection of more than 50% of our "minimal" breast cancers. This improved patient material presents a great potential for improved control of this disease. In planning the choice of surgery for primary breast cancer, its multicentric origin, and regional nodal spread to axillary and internal mammary nodal areas must be considered. There is no single ideal operation for all breast cancers. The scope of surgery should be correlated with the clinical and pathologic extent of disease in the individual patient with the aim of removing all disease present while preserving appearance and function-the main goal being removal of disease. We have utilized three operative procedures: total mastectomy with axillary dissection, radical mastectomy, and extended radical mastectomy. With this approach a 10-year survival rate of 61% with a local recurrence rate of 7.7% has been attained in a group of 565 patients with 40% axillary node involvement. The best salvage obtained in patients with "minimal" breast cancers-noninfiltrating cancers and infiltrating cancers under 1 cm in diameter with clinically negative axillae-was 95% survival at 10 years following modified radical mastectomy (total mastectomy with axillary dissection). When disease has extended to the axillary nodes the more extensive procedures have proved more effective in achieving long term control-54% 10 year survival in patients with axillary node metastases treated by the extended radical mastectomy. An increasing number of patients are being seen who can be treated adequately by less than a radical mastectomy. Careful clinical judgment and close liason with a competent pathologist must be combined in selecting the proper operative procedure for each individual patient. Statistics concerning therapeutic effects based on current material, unless they are based on accurate data covering extent of disease, cannot be compared with previous data because of the improved patient material now being encountered. Adjuvant multiple chemotherapy appears promising as a supplement to surgical treatment of breast cancer. However, it should not be used to replace or minimize the role of primary surgery, but should be combined with the optimum procedure for each individual patient.