Breast Cancer Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Breast Cancer, including details on symptoms, genetics, screening, treatment, information.

A retrospective series of long-term survivors of metastatic breast cancer in complete remission.

Amoroso V, Valcamonico F, Simoncini E, Ardighieri L, Grisanti S, Vassalli L, Marpicati P, Lucini L, Ferrari VD, Rangoni G, Marini G

Unità Operativa di Oncologia Medica e Fondazione Beretta, Azienda Spedali Civili, 25123 Brescia, Italy. vitoamoroso@libero.it

AIM: To describe clinical features, treatment modalities and long-term outcome of patients with overt metastatic breast cancer in complete remission for more than 5 years. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective survey of 12 patients who were referred to a single institution from 1982 to 1995. RESULTS: The majority of the long-term survivors had a good performance status, endocrine-responsive disease and a single metastatic site. Ten patients had received chemotherapy, 8 patients hormone therapy, and 2 patients had been treated with surgery followed by systemic therapies. At a median follow-up of 11.7 years, 10 of the 12 patients were still in complete remission. The median duration of complete remission was 9.2 years (range 5.0-15.7 years). CONCLUSIONS: This case series confirms that only a few metastatic breast cancer patients could potentially be cured with multidisciplinary treatments.

Published 2 May 2005 in Oncology, 68(1): 48-51.
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