Locally advanced carcinoma of the breast. Initially treated with radiotherapy.

From January 1981 to December 1985, 133 patients with locally advanced breast cancer (stage III) were treated with teleradiotherapy using cobalt as the first modality of treatment aiming at appropriate conditions for surgery. Consequently, 58.6% of the patients achieved the required conditions for surgery after radiotherapy. A correlation is made between the final results and tumoral size and location, nodal invasion, histological grade and hormonal status. Local regional recurrence and systemic metastases are assessed according to the different treatment modalities used: Radiotherapy followed by surgery and or sequential systemic therapy (chemotherapy or hormonal therapy). We verified that the survival rate was higher in patients submitted to surgery. The global survival rate of the patients who underwent surgery at 5 and 8 years was 60% and 48% respectively. The same period of 5 and 8 years, the percentages decreased from 60% to 27% and from 48% to 10% in patients not submitted to surgery. The global disease-free survival was 46.6% at 5 years and 40% at 8 years.