Background: Intracystic papillary carcinoma (IPC) of the breast is a rare breast malignancy with an indolent course. However, patients can develop metastatic disease. Indications for surgery and radiotherapeutic management have not been well elucidated.
Methods: We identified 2649 female patients with IPC from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) registry. Differences in demographics, clinical features and survival of patients were assessed using the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regression.
Results: Median age was 67 years. The majority of patients were white with Stage 0 disease. Most patients had lymph node evaluation and only 34% received radiation therapy. Using a log-rank test, survival was significantly better in Caucasian compared to African-American patients, patients with early stage disease, negative lymph nodes and those who received radiation (all p < 0.0001). In a Cox regression survival model adjusting for age, stage and grade, patients who were African-American (hazard ratio [HR] 2.0, CI 1.4-2.8; p < 0.0001) had a significantly higher risk of death than Caucasians. Patients who received radiation therapy (HR 0.5, CI 0.3-0.7; p = 0.0003) had a lower chance of death than patients that did not undergo radiation.
Conclusion: Overall, IPC has a good prognosis. Survival is improved in Caucasian patients and in patients who receive radiation therapy. Radiation therapy should be offered to women with IPC who undergo breast conserving surgery.
Keywords: Breast cancer; Intracystic papillary carcinoma; SEER.
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