Family history of breast cancer and local recurrence after breast-conserving therapy

The impact of a family history of breast cancer on the local recurrence (LR) risk after breast-conserving therapy (BCT) was performed within the framework of a large, multicentre matched ease-control study of risk factors for LR after BCT (BORST study). Family history was assessed for 218 breast cancer patients with LR (cases) and 480 patients without LR (controls). Detailed histological tumour features were determined by review of the primary tumour. The risk of LR for patients with a positive family history was similar to or less than that of non-familial patients (unadjusted odds ratio (ORunadj) 0.66 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.40-1.08)). Familial patients were older than non-familial patients (P = 0.07) and their tumours had a lower histological grade (P = 0.07). A second primary tumour occurred significantly more often in familial patients (P = 0.02). Adjustment for these factors did not essentially alter the results (ORadj 0.71 (0.38-1.32)). Separate analyses according to age at onset (younger and older than 50 years) and time to LR/site of LR produced similar results. The sole presence of a positive family history of breast cancer does not appear to be a risk factor for local recurrence after BCT. Whilst this might be different for genetically predisposed patients, a positive family history does not appear to be a contra-indication for BCT. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.