With the increase of early breast cancer patients, the number of node negative breast cancer patients is also on the rise. However, reports show that there is a 20~30% recurrence in node negative breast cancer. Thus, we have attempted to determine the prognostic factors that may affect recurrence and relapse free survival.

From January, 1980, to June, 1999, 1110 node negative breast cancer patients who underwent curative surgery at the Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, were selected. A retrospective study was done to determine the effects of factors, such as operation method, age, size, type, histologic grade, intraductal components, ER, PR, c-erbB-2, number of lymph nodes removed, adjuvant chemotherapy, hormonal therapy and radiation therapy.

The mean age was 47.2 years. The median follow-up period was 88 months. Recurrence occurred in 161 patients. Locoregional recurrence occurred in 64 patients, and systemic recurrence in 129 patients, while 32 patients had both. The 5 years overall survival rate was 93.3%. The rate of locoregional recurrence for a 10 year-period was significantly lower in the mastectomy group compared with that in the breast conservation therapy group (94.7% vs 79.6%, P=0.000). No other prognostic factors except the age affected in locoregional recurrence. There was less systemic recurrence in patients with the age greater than 35, with the histologic grade I, and with the intraductal components greater than 20%. Thus, 10-years distant relapse free survival rates were 87.4% vs 79.8% (P=0.039), 93.5% vs 85.5% (P=0.024), and 94.4% vs 82.0% (P=0.007), respectively. There was no statistical significance in the other prognostic factors that influence systemic recurrence.

The patients' age was determined to be an independent prognostic value in the lymph node negative breast cancer. The histologic grade and intraductal components showed to have significance as prognostic factors for systemic recurrence.