We followed up 298 breast cancer patients who underwent surgical treatment before Dec. 1976 at Catholic Medical Center (7 hospitals), Pildong Sacred Heart Hospital and Pusan Gospel hospital.
At ´first every patients were checked by mailing return postcards to confirm whether the patients died or survived and the date of the death, if the patients died. Investigators made nationwide direct visits to individual patients who sent no answer.
Comparative statistical analyses were performed by reviewing the, patients hospital records and above findings. Every data was calculated out with computer machine (CDC-3300, U.S. A.,).
Our main purpose of this study was, to calculate survival rate on each clinical condition at operation and the periodical expectant survival rate after surgery.
Among the 298 patients, we could confirm the postoperative status only in 243 patients and adequate pathological reports were available in 211 patients.
The results were as follows;
1. The most frequent age group was in 40~49 and the average age was 45.5 years..
2. 37.5% of patients experienced menarche before the age of 15 years and 62.5% after the age of, i6 years. Comparing with average age of menarche of, Korean girls, these findings were not significant on breast cancer.
3. Number of pregnancy or delivery had no significant bearing on cancer incidence. But prevalence was found in-.6 times of pregnancy and 4 times of delivery. Menstrual status and breast-feeding also showed no significance in our series.
4. The most frequent symptom was painless breast lump (57%), followed by painful breast lump, axillary palpable mass, nipple discharge, and skin change in order.
5. More than half of patients came to hospital after 6 months history of initial symptoms and signs.
6. There was no significant difference between right side breast and left side breast in cancer development (Rt.: Lt.= 153:145). The, most frequent site of cancer location in breast was the upper outer quadrant of the both breasts.
7. The 5-year survival rates were different depending on the kinds of surgery, 61.1% in radical mastectomy and 40.5% in simple mastectomy. The radical mastectomy group showed better survival rate than the simple mastectomy group.
8. The postoperative, combined therapy such as local X-ray irradiation, castration and chemotherapy appeared to he not significantly effective upon survival rate.
9. The most frequent postoperative complications were wound troubles.
10. 211 patients were analyzed along the pathological reports. Most of cancers were ductal origin. The degree of differentiation seemed to be concerned with survival rate, the better differentiation, the better survival rate. 211 patients were staged by TNM classification method, 40. 3% in stage 1, 28.9% in stage II, 17.5% in stage III and 13.3% in stage IV and each 5 year survival rate after surgery was 72.9%, 54.1%, 43.3% and 35.7% respectively.
11. The number of involved regional nodes by cancer appeared to be one of the important factors affecting the postoperative survival rate. The histologically negative node patients showed 81.3% of 5-year survival rate, 1 to 3 positive node patients 52.5% and over 4 positive node patients 43.0%.
12. The absolute 5-year survival rate was calculated in the patients who underwent surgical treatment before Dec. 1971.
Total patients were. 223, among them 102 patients died and 121 patients survived. The absolute 5-year survival rate was 54.3% in this series.
13. Life table was made along the life table method to calculate they periodical expectant survival rate after surgical´ treatment in 243 patients who were confirmed whether died or survived. The expectant survival rate during the first 6 months was calculated 93.0%. These survivors next 6 months expectant survival rate was 98.7%. These life table showed the expectant survival rate of every 6 months of just previous 6 month survivors from 6 months to 60, months (5 years) after surgery. The 60 months possible expectant survival rate of every patient can be caleulated 57.6%in this table.
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