Is there a survival benefit with adjuvant radiotherapy in margin negative malignant phyllodes tumor of the breast after mastectomy? A single institutional study

Abstract Background and purpose This study aims to analyze the benefit of adjuvant radiotherapy (RT) in malignant phyllodes tumor in terms of overall survival and control of local and systemic recurrence. Recently, there is an increasing trend toward the use of adjuvant RT. Methods and material Fifty-four patients with non-metastatic, malignant phyllodes tumor from January 2001 to December 2015 were included in the study. All patients had undergone margin negative surgical treatment either with a wide local excision [ n =  6] or simple mastectomy [ n = 48]. Patients who received adjuvant RT were stratified as Group 1 [n = 29] and those who did not receive adjuvant radiation as Group 2 [n = 25]. Survival probabilities were estimated by the Kaplan–Meier method. Results The median follow-up was 76 months (2–150 months) with no statistically significant clinicopathologic or treatment factor associated with either local or systemic recurrence. There were seven [local 7.4% and systemic 5.6%] recurrences (3 in Group 1 and 4 in Group 2). The 5 and 10-year overall survival were 82% and 51% in Group 1 and 82% and 62% in Group 2, respectively (p = 0.989). Conclusion The role of adjuvant radiation in malignant phyllodes tumor in terms of overall survival is doubtful when margins are negative.