Rate of disease progression in breast cancer: a clinical estimate of prognosis within nodal and anatomic stages.

From data obtained in the patient's history, the clinical rate of progression of disease in breast cancer patients can be estimated as slow, intermediate, or rapid. The strata defined by these rates had previously been shown to create prognostic gradients within groups of patients similar in anatomic stage or nodal status. In a second, validating cohort of 465 women with primary breast cancer, the strata delineating rate of disease progression were shown to have a cogent prognostic impact when the proportional hazards model was used to control simultaneously for nodal and anatomic status. In addition, the distinctions persisted when different types of treatment were taken into account. These findings from a multivariate analysis employing the Cox method confirmed the importance of clinical rate of disease progression in estimating prognosis of breast cancer.