Because of the considerable variation in the weight of tissue removed even in standardized axillary dissections, this study examined whether the specimen weight reflects its sufficiency as regards nodal content. Evaluating 124 specimens from a number of different hospitals and surgeons, it is concluded that there is little if any correlation between specimen weight and the number of nodes recovered.

Axilla↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Lymph node-negative breast cancer: the prognostic role and time dependency of age, tumor diameter and mean nuclear area.

This study of 786 node-negative breast cancer patients demonstrates that the prognostic effect of age at operation, tumor diameter and mean nuclear area (MNA) changed over time. Identifying patients at higher risk of dying after 5 years may be of clinical importance. These are patients who may have had a low metastatic tumor burden at the time of operation and in whom cytostatic adjuvant treatment could be of value. When estimating 10-year survival, a significant loss of strength was found for age. A near significant loss of effect was also found for MNA, while tumor diameter was the variable best maintaining prognostic power during the observation period. Due to the loss of strength for MNA and age when estimating 10-year survival, the observation period was divided into two periods. When estimating 5-year survival, MNA was the strongest variable, while tumor diameter and age gave additional significant information. When estimating the next 5 years, excluding patients who died before 5 years, only tumor diameter gave significant prognostic information (573 cases). This again stresses the importance of tumor diameter in assessing prognosis in node-negative patients.

Age Factors↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Is a woman's date of birth related to her risk of developing breast cancer?

Some previous reports have shown seasonality in the date of birth in patients with breast cancer, others have not. In this study of 1,110 women with unilateral breast carcinoma significantly more cases had been born in the first than the second half of the year. This finding could, however, not be linked to the later development of breast cancer as their case-matched controls showed a similar trend. These results underline the importance of using relevant control material in such studies.

Breast Neoplasms↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Seasonal variation in melanoma deaths and the pattern of disease process. A preliminary report.

Seasonality is reported in deaths from malignant melanoma in patients over 50 years of age. In a series of 75 cases, male deaths occurred more often in June-November, while female patients died mainly in October-March. About a third of the patients died of cerebral complications, and these were significantly more common in March-August. The results are discussed on the basis of local and systemic effects of sunlight together with possible hormonal influences.

Brain Neoplasms↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Tumour cells and the axillary nodes in breast cancer.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Adenocarcinoma↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Mast cells in the axillary nodes of breast cancer patients.

Mast cell counts on lymph nodes from 64 patients with infiltrating breast carcinoma showed that in the absence of metastases to any of the axillary nodes few mast cells were present. If metastases were present in any of these nodes, both those with and those without tumour showed higher mast cell counts. Thus it seems that it is the presence or absence of tumour in the axilla as a whole, rather than within the individual node, that is associated with the change in mast cell count.

Breast Neoplasms↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Efferent vascular invasion and the mean nuclear area of axillary nodal tumour cells in breast cancer.

The presence of tumour cells of high mean nuclear area (MNA) in axillary nodal metastases from breast carcinoma is shown to be related to the finding of tumour cells in the efferent nodal vessels. In cases without efferent vascular invasion (EVI) the MNA was on average lower. EVI positivity combined with a high MNA is associated with a poor prognosis. However, a subgroup was identified, i.e. the MNA 1, with the smallest nuclei, in which prognosis approached that in the EVI negative. In the latter the differences related to MNA groups were not statistically significant.

Axilla↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Early recurrence in breast cancer with efferent vascular invasion: a preliminary report.

When the axillary nodes contain tumour, the prognosis in breast carcinoma is poor. Preliminary results suggest that a combination of efferent vascular invasion of the axillary nodes and oestrogen receptor analysis on the primary tumour may enable a more individual prognosis to be given at the time of operation. The risk of early recurrence is greatest in patients with efferent vascular invasion and an oestrogen receptor negative primary tumour.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Axillary node histology in cases of infiltrating breast cancer without nodal metastases dying later of disseminated disease.

The association is reported between the presence of plasma cells and sinus catarrh in the axilary lymph nodes from patients with breast carcinoma without nodal metastases, and their later death from disseminated disease. Patients surviving at 5 years showed predominantly parcortical reaction with sinus histiocytosis.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Expression of E-cadherin and catenins in invasive mammary carcinomas.

E-Cadherin has been shown to be an invasion tumor suppressor gene, but few epidemiological studies have revealed relationships between loss of E-cadherin expression and invasive tumor growth and/or metastasis. The adhesive function of E-cadherin is dependent on the integrity of the catenin components which link E-cadherin to the actin filaments. In order to achieve a better correlation between the loss of cell adhesion and metastasis in cancer, we decided to investigate both E-cadherin and the catenins. 157 archival primary mammary carcinomas were immunohistochemically studied using antibodies against E-cadherin, alpha-, beta- and gamma-catenin. The following results were obtained: (a) Independent of the presence of E-cadherin, loss of expression of one or multiple catenins was noted; (b) loss of E-cadherin and alpha-catenin expression was more pronounced in lobular-type than ductal-type carcinomas; c) axillary lymph node metastases were completely lacking only in the group where expression of E-cadherin, alpha- and beta- catenin was preserved: d) no correlation between expression of c-erbB-2 and E-cadherin or one of the catenins was found. The results demonstrate for the first time that consideration of both the expression of E-cadherin and of the three catenins is useful in evaluation of the metastatic potential of mammary carcinomas.

Axilla↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Breast cancer: poor short-term prognosis in cases with moderate lymphocyte infiltration at the tumour edge: a preliminary report.

Lymphocyte infiltration in breast carcinoma has long been associated with favourable prognosis, however it has also been related to poor prognosis. In this study of 128 consecutive cases lymphocyte infiltration, its absence, or presence and degree was recorded at the tumour edge adjacent to fatty tissue in 100 cases, to other tissues in the remaining 28 in which no such edge was found. In the former there was a highly significant prognostic difference between those with moderate infiltration, which was of poor short-term prognosis, and those with other degrees of infiltration (none, slight and marked). Thus, lymphocyte infiltration in breast cancer can give information on both good and poor prognosis in over 80% of cases if its site and degree are taken into consideration. The remaining cases are histologically distinct. Their survival was similar to that in the total material. The mechanisms involved are as yet open to speculation. In view of increasing surgical reluctance to remove the axillary nodes it is of interest that the present investigation can be carried out on the routine diagnostic specimen from the primary and that the relation between survival and axillary nodal status, significant in the total material, no longer held in these groups.

Adenocarcinoma↗