Non-inflammatory skin involvement in breast cancer, histologically proven but without the clinical and histological T4 category features.

Background: The study evaluates characteristics and prognostic significance of breast cancer with histologically proven non-inflammatory skin involvement but without the clinical and histological features that are mandatory for inclusion in the T4 category.

Methods: We compared retrospectively the clinical course of 55 patients with this clinico-pathologic entity to the outcome of a control group of 309 consecutive patients with tumors of the same size but without skin involvement. The median follow-up time was 6.

A new approach in breast cancer with non-inflammatory skin involvement.

The widely accepted image of breast cancer with non-inflammatory skin involvement (T4b) is determined by the tenet that all these tumors are locally advanced (Stage IIIB). The study addresses the question whether this view is justified. Data from 453 non-metastatic breast cancer patients were collected retrospectively.

T4 category revision enhances the accuracy and significance of stage III breast cancer.

Background: Because of the considerable heterogeneity in breast carcinoma with noninflammatory skin involvement (T4b/Stage IIIB), a revision was proposed of the TNM staging system that would classify these tumors exclusively based on their tumor size and lymph node status. In the current study, the authors evaluated how implementation of this proposal will affect Stage III noninflammatory breast cancer.

Methods: Two hundred seven patients who were classified with noninflammatory Stage III breast cancer were treated consecutively between 1990 and 1999 at the University Hospital Basel, Switzerland.

Correlation and significance of histopathological and clinical features in breast cancer with skin involvement (T4b).

A retrospective review was performed to investigate the prognostic significance and validity of the pathological and clinical TNM staging of noninflammatory skin involvement in breast cancer. In 128 tumors with histologically proven skin involvement and a size up to 5 cm (64% of the entire group), we distinguished clearly between group A) cases showing the classical clinical signs (cT4b) and those that do not, and between group B) carcinomas infiltrating the epidermis (pT4b) and those infiltrating only the dermis. We found only moderate concordance (kappa = 0.

Breast carcinoma with noninflammatory skin involvement (T4b): time to abandon an historic relic from the TNM classification.

Background: In this study, the authors evaluated the clinical presentation of patients with T4b breast carcinoma, analyzed the impact of noninflammatory skin involvement on long-term survival, and addressed the question whether the T4 tumor category still has any justification.

Methods: The clinical course of a study group of 119 patients with skin involvement was compared with the outcome of a control group of 299 consecutive patients who had tumors of the same size but without skin involvement. All tumors were stratified into 1 of 4 subsets according to greatest tumor dimension, as follows: Group A, < or = 3.

Noninflammatory breast carcinoma with skin involvement.

Background: According to the TNM Supplement, only breast carcinoma with macroscopic 'classic' skin changes (e.g., edema, peau d'orange, ulceration) should be placed in the T4 category; the classification of tumors with histologically proven skin involvement but no clinical skin changes or only discreet changes should be based on the size of the tumor (T1-3).