Does the Degree of Cell Lesion in Breast Cancer After Inductive Chemotherapy Have Any Prognostic Value?

Abstract

During 1991 and 1992, 77 patients with breast cancer were treated with induction chemotherapy using the CMFV and FAC protocols at the Lublin Oncological Centre. The degree of cancer cell damage in the specimens obtained postoperatively was evaluated by microscopy. Complete or substantial damage of neoplastic cells was found in 29% of the cases; whereas minimal to no damage was found in 71% of specimens. After assessing the 5-year survival periods of our patients in relation to the degree of cancer cell damage after induction chemotherapy, a statistically significant correlation was noted. Five-year survival without cancer symptoms was observed in 64% of cases in which the cell damage was estimated as considerable, and only in 34% in which the damage was slight or not notable. A much weaker correlation was observed between the degree of breast cancer cell damage after inductive chemotherapy and clinical response.