Breast conserving surgery in locally advanced breast cancer treated with primary chemotherapy: experience at Istituto Nazionale Tumori

Sixty-eight patients with breast cancer diagnosed between August 1989 and Decemcber 1995 were selected on the basis of the presence of typical characteristics of familial breast cancer. Their histopathological features and prognostic factors were compared with those of a control group of 534 patients with sporadic breast cancer. No differences in histology, the degree of tumour differentiation, hormone receptor status or the expression of p53 were detected between the two groups. Although Ki-67 expression was available on only a small number of patients, there was a statistically significant difference between groups. Follow-up to a median of 27 months demonstrated an excess of relapses in the familial cancer group (p = 0.028).