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A clinicopathological analysis of breast cancer in patients with a family history

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Abstract

A study was conducted to investigate the clinical and pathological characteristics of breast cancer in patients with a family history (FH). Among 4,481 primary breast cancer patients, 394 (8.8%) had families which included two or more breast cancer patients within three generations (FH(+) group). This group was compared with the remaining 3,969 patients (FH(−) group) with the following results: (1) The tumor diameter in the FH(+) group was slightly less than that in the FH(−) group [not significant (NS)], with fewer lymph node metastases (P<0.05); (2) the positive rates for the estrogen receptor were 52% (138/266) and 49% (1,216/2,481), respectively (NS); (3) expression of the c-erbB-2 protein was observed in 14 out of 40 (35%) and 32 out of 100 cases (32%), respectively (NS); (4) the relative risk of bilateral occurrence in the FH(+) group was 1.4, with a 95% confidence interval of 0.9–2.4; (5) the 15-year survival rate was 72% and 60%, respectively, suggesting a better prognosis for the FH(+) group (P<0.01); and (6) multivariate analysis showed that the contribution of FH to postoperative survival was marginal (P=0.07). Factors related to the hormonal environment such as age at menarche (P=0.08) and age at menopause (P=0.08) made a greater but non-significant contribution to the prognosis of the FH(+) group than to that of the FH(−) group. However, further genetic and molecular biological analyses of familial breast cancer are needed in order to clarify the mechanisms of cancer accumulation within families.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Department of Surgery, National Cancer Center Hospital, 5-1-1 Tsujiji, Chuo-ku, 104, Tokyo, Japan

    Takashi Fukutomi, Takeshi Nanasawa & Hiroshi Yamamoto

  2. the Epidemiology Division, National Cancer Center Hospital, 5-1-1 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, 104, Tokyo, Japan

    Yumiko Kobayashi

  3. the Pathology Division, National Cancer Center Hospital, 5-1-1 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, 104, Tokyo, Japan

    Hitoshi Tsuda

Authors
  1. Takashi Fukutomi
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  2. Yumiko Kobayashi
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  3. Takeshi Nanasawa
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  4. Hiroshi Yamamoto
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  5. Hitoshi Tsuda
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Fukutomi, T., Kobayashi, Y., Nanasawa, T. et al. A clinicopathological analysis of breast cancer in patients with a family history. Surg Today 23, 849–854 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00311360

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00311360

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