Initial Surgery and Survival in Stage IV Breast Cancer in the United States, 1988-2011.

ABSTRACT:

Importance

Management of the primary tumor site in patients with metastatic breast cancer remains controversial.

Objective

To evaluate the patterns of receipt of initial breast surgery for female patients with stage IV breast cancer in the United States, with particular attention to women who survived at least 10 years.

Design, setting, and participants

A retrospective cohort study using data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program. Female patients diagnosed as having stage IV breast cancer between 1988 and 2011 and who did not receive radiation therapy as part of the first course of treatment were included (N = 21 372). Kaplan-Meier estimates of median survival and descriptive statistics were used to compare patient and tumor characteristi

SUBMITTER: Thomas A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5844269 | biostudies-literature | 2016 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature