Secondary inflammatory breast cancer: Treatment options

Abstract

Patients with inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) have either a short history of a tender, swollen, red breast (primary IBC) or skin changes that develop in the breast after a long history of carcinoma (secondary IBC). Between 1954 and 1981, 96 patients with secondary IBC were given radiotherapy (n = 66), chemotherapy and radiotherapy (n = 16), or surgery and chemotherapy (n = 14) at M. D. Anderson Hospital. The overall survival rate was 36% at five years and 18% at ten years. Patients with clinically negative axillary nodes fared better than patients with involved axillary nodes (median survival 90 and 25 months respectively; x2 = 11.71, P <.001). Local/regional control was achieved in 63% of ..