Fifteen-year results of breast-conserving surgery and definitive breast irradiation for the treatment of ductal carcinoma in situ of the breast.

PURPOSETo determine the 15-year outcome for women with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS, intraductal carcinoma) of the breast treated with breast-conserving surgery followed by definitive breast irradiation.PATIENTS AND METHODSAn analysis was performed of 270 intraductal breast carcinomas in 268 women from 10 institutions in Europe and the United States. In all patients, breast-conserving surgery included complete gross excision of the primary tumor followed by definitive breast irradiation. When performed, pathologic axillary lymph node staging was node-negative (n=86). The median follow-up time was 10.3 years (range, 0.9 to 26.8).RESULTSThe 15-year actuarial overall survival rate was 87%, and the 15-year actuarial cause-specific survival rate was 96%. The 15-year actuarial rate of freedom from distant metastases was 96%. There were 45 local recurrences in the treated breast, and the 15-year actuarial rate of local failure was 19%. The median time to local failure was 5.2 years (range, 1.4 to 16.8). A numb...