[Regional recurrence of triple-negative breast cancer: interest of systematic adjuvant lymph node irradiation?].

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the percentage of regional recurrence (RR) in patients with triple-negative (TN) N0 breast cancer in order to consider the interests of a systematic adjuvant nodal irradiation.

PATIENTS AND

METHODS

Between February 1996 and June 2009, 249 patients were treated for TN breast cancer in Léon-Bérard center (Lyon, France). All patients received first surgical treatment followed or not by chemotherapy or radiotherapy. We excluded patients with metastasis at diagnosis, patients who were initially irradiated regional lymph node, patients which ER, PR and/or HER2 status was not known and patients who didn't have standard treatment. Ultimately, 100 patients were included.

RESULTS

Two patients (2%) developed regional recurrence (1 sub and supraclavicular recurrence and 1 supraclavicular recurrence). The median follow-up was 34 months (95% CI: 29,2 to 37,4). The survival rate at 3 years was 98% (95% CI: 90-99). Our study showed no differences in terms of RR between TN cancers and not TN cancers for a median followed up of 34 months.

CONCLUSION

The results of our study do not suggest that patients with TN breast cancer should receive systematic nodal adjuvant radiotherapy.