Abstract
Background. Bilateral synchronous breast cancer is uncommon (accounting for 1.0%-2.6% of all
patients with breast cancer), and most physicians do not accumulate a large personal
experience of patients with this disease. We reviewed our experience with patients
with bilateral synchronous breast cancer, focusing on the mode of detection and histologic
features in the 2 breasts. Methods. The charts of patients who were treated at this institution for bilateral synchronous
breast cancer during the 15-year period of 1984 through 1999 were reviewed. Information
regarding age, mode of detection, histopathologic features, treatment, and overall
survival were analyzed. Results. During the study period, 51 patients (all women) were treated at our institution
for bilateral synchronous breast cancer. This comprised 2.1% of all patients (n =
2382 patients) treated for breast cancer during the same period of time. The first
cancer was detected by palpation in 81% and by mammography in 14%. The corresponding
figures for the contralateral cancer were 24% and 54%, respectively. The histologic
type of cancer was identical in the 2 breasts in 29 patients (57%) and was different
between the 2 breasts in 22 patients (43%). The overall 10-year survival rate was
63%. Conclusions. Bilateral synchronous breast cancer is often detected by mammography and is frequently
of the same histologic type as the index cancer. A better awareness of the risk for
this disease may help detect bilateral breast cancer earlier. (Surgery 2000;128:702-7.)
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Article info
Footnotes
*Reprint requests: Per-Olof Hasselgren, MD, Department of Surgery, University of Cincinnati, 231 Bethesda Avenue, ML 558, Cincinnati, OH 45267-0558.
**Surgery 2000;128:702-7
Identification
Copyright
© 2000 Mosby, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
