After long-term follow-up, study looks at prognostic factors for breast cancer

A new study published online by JAMA Oncology is long-term analysis of prognostic factors among some patients with breast cancer who were treated with breast-conserving therapy in the EORTC "boost no boost" trial, which evaluated the influence of a "boost" dose in radiotherapy.

With a median follow-up of 18 years among 1,616 patients, Conny Vrieling, M.D., Ph.D., of the Clinique des Grangettes, Geneva, Switzerland, and coauthors report that young age and the presence of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) adjacent to the invasive tumor were associated with increased risk of ipsilateral (on the same side of the body) breast tumor recurrence (IBTR) at long-term follow-up. Also, high-grade invasive tumors relapsed more frequently only during the first five years, according to the findings.

The 20-year cumulative incidence of IBTR was 15 percent with 160 cases found, the results indicate.

"Patients with high-grade invasive tumors should be monitored closely, especially in the first five years. The impact of DCIS remained constant over time, indicating that long-term follow-up is necessary. The boost significantly reduced IBTR in these patients," the study concludes.