Purpose: The purpose of our study was to evaluate the significance of multifocal (MF) and multicentric (MC) breast cancer in the diagnosis and treatment of this condition.
Methods: This retrospective study was a combination of clinical and laboratory data. The patient population consisted of 274 women operated on with Madden mastectomy for breast cancer. Assessed were the following parameters: age, menstrual status, histopathological parameters, HER-2 status, estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) status, disease stage, quadrant(s) in which breast cancer was detected and axillary lymph nodes status.
Results: Of 274 patients 206 (85%) has unifocal disease, 41 (15%) suffered of MF (n=27; 9.9%)/MC (n=14; 5.1%) disease. MC disease was associated with metastatic axillary lymph nodes in 92.9% of the cases. MF/MC cases were primarily dependent on histology. MF/MC cancer was best related to the lobular type (85.7% of the cases), while ductal histological type was characteristic of unifocal tumors.
Conclusion: Quadrantectomy as a form of conservative breast surgery is acceptable in cases of MF tumors, because all tumor foci can be removed. We suggest radical surgical treatment in all cases of suspected MC tumors because they are most often associated with metastasis to the axillary lymph nodes. Lobular histology characterizes MC breast cancer.