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PubMed1985

Bleeding/plaque ratio. A possible prognostic indicator for periodontal breakdown.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the clinical differences between individuals highly susceptible and individuals insusceptible to periodontal breakdown. The susceptible group consisted of 7 patients with a diagnosis of juvenile periodontitis. The insusceptible group consisted of 7 individuals selected on the basis of age (52 years or older), presence of at least 18 teeth, no evidence of extractions due to periodontal breakdown, no loss of attachment, shallow pockets, gross amounts of plaque and no history of interdental cleaning. Results showed that the susceptible group had more bleeding, less plaque and deeper pockets than the insusceptible group. Since the 2 groups seem to behave differently with regard to bleeding upon probing and amount of plaque, bleeding/plaque ratios were calculated. Testing showed a highly significant difference between the 2 groups. The same results were obtained if only sites with shallow pockets were included in the analysis. On the basis of these results, it is hypothesized that a high value of the ratio between bleeding and plaque may act as a prognostic indicator for periodontal breakdown.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1977

Colloid osmotic pressure as a prognostic indicator of pulmonary edema and mortality in the critically ill.

The relationship of colloid osmotic pressure (COP) to pulmonary edema and mortality in 128 critically ill patients was investigated in our critical care unit, and confirms previously reported observations. The COP in the 86 survivors was 22.0 (+/- 0.4 SEM) mm Hg versus 17.2 (+/- 0.6 SEM) mm Hg in the 42 who died (P less than 0.001). The patients were divided into three groups: 71 with no pulmonary edema, COP of 21.5 (+/- 0.5 SEM) mm Hg; 40 with cardiogenic pulmonary edema, COP of 21.4 (+/- 0.4 SEM) mm Hg; and 17 with noncardiogenic pulmonary edema, COP OF 13.6 (+/- 0.8 SEM) mm Hg. Colloid osmotic pressure was significantly lower in patients with noncardiogenic pulmonary edema (P less than 0.001). In 36 patients in whom pulmonary artery wedge pressures (PWP) were available, a COP-PWP gradient of 4.0 mm Hg or less was always associated with pulmonary edema, while a COP-PWP gradient greater than 4.0 mm Hg was never associated with pulmonary edema. Colloid osmotic pressure is a useful prognostic indicator of pulmonary edema and mortality in the critically ill.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

Erythropoietin and the erythropoietin receptor are expressed by papillary thyroid carcinoma from children and adolescents. Expression of erythropoietin receptor might be a favorable prognostic indicator.

Erythropoietin (EPO) and the EPO receptor (EPO-R) have been implicated in solid tumors of the brain, breast, kidney and female genital tract. Based on their expression by a variety of tumors, we hypothesized that EPO and/or EPO-R might be expressed by thyroid cancers. To test this, we determined EPO and EPO-R expression by immunohistochemistry in 17 papillary thyroid carcinomas (PTC) from children and adolescents. Only a minority of PTC (4/17, 24%) expressed EPO, and there were no significant differences between the PTC that did or did not express EPO. In contrast, EPO-R was detected in the majority of PTC (11/17, 65%). The average tumor size (1.5 +/- 0.8 cm), MACIS score (3.6 +/- 0.2) and risk of recurrence (0/11) for the EPO-R(+) PTC were significantly less than those for PTC that failed to express EPO-R (average tumor size = 3.6 +/- 2.4 cm, p = 0.021; average MACIS score = 4.3 +/- 0.7, p = 0.004; recurrence = 3/6, p = 0.029). We conclude that the majority of PTC from children and adolescents express EPO-R, a finding associated with favorable prognostic indicators and a lower risk of recurrence.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Estimates of nuclear volume in plaque and tumor-stage mycosis fungoides. A new prognostic indicator.

It is well documented that mycosis fungoides (MF), a cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, has a variable clinical course. Unbiased stereological estimates of three-dimensional volume-weighted mean nuclear size (nucl vV) of mycosis cells were obtained in a retrospective study of 18 patients with a total of 34 biopsies of cutaneous plaque and tumor-stage MF. The value of nucl vV in the first sampled biopsy, as well as the average and highest values, were determined in biopsies from each patient. The patients were divided into two groups, either above or below the group median. There was a strong positive correlation between shorter survival and an average value of nucl vV > 104 microns 3 or a highest value of nucl vV > 126 microns 3 (2p = 0.002 and 0.003, respectively). A nucl vV > 91.6 microns 3 in the first biopsy was also suggestive of a shorter survival (2p = 0.07). There was no clear pattern of nucl vV evolution in the patients with multiple biopsies, but the impact of various therapeutic regimens cannot be assessed. Certain estimates of nucl vV appear to be good prognostic indicators in plaque and tumor-stage MF, but further study of a larger series of patients is needed to corroborate these results and assess the impact of differing therapeutic regimes.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Colorectal carcinoma associated with ulcerative colitis: a study of prognostic indicators.

Fifty-two patients with ulcerative colitis and colorectal cancer undergoing colectomy at the Mount Sinai Hospital between 1973 and 1988 were studied retrospectively to determine the correlation of age, sex, duration of colitis, tumor location, number of cancers, tumor differentiation, colloid content, presence of signet ring cells, Dukes' classification, and DNA ploidy with survival. The mean age was 45 years, with a mean duration of colitis of 21 years. Five patients (10%) had Dukes' A lesions, 17 (33%) had Dukes' B lesions, 17 (33%) had Dukes' C lesions, and 13 (25%) had distant metastases. Thirty patients (58%) had well- or moderately differentiated tumors, whereas tumors were poorly differentiated in 22 (42%). Twenty-eight patients (54%) had colloid tumors, and, in 14 (27%), signet ring cells were present. Thirty-one patients (60%) had nondiploid tumors. Actuarial analysis revealed that the 5-year survival rate was significantly worse for patients with nondiploid tumors (76% versus 32%). When stratified by stage, only patients with Dukes' C lesions showed a significant difference in survival for diploid versus nondiploid tumors. Multivariate analysis showed that the Dukes' classification was the best prognostic indicator, followed by tumor differentiation and DNA ploidy. Tumor location, colloid content, number of cancers, duration of disease, age, and sex did not correlate with the prognosis.

Actuarial Analysis↗
PubMed1995

Tumour angiogenesis and tumour cell proliferation as prognostic indicators in gastric carcinoma.

Tumour growth depends on neovascularisation and tumour cell proliferation. Factor VIII-related antigen (F-VIII RA) localises to vascular endothelium. Expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) is correlated with cell proliferation. We investigated the correlation between the expression of these antigens and prognosis in gastric carcinoma. A total of 108 specimens resected from patients with gastric carcinoma were investigated by staining with monoclonal antibodies against F-VIII RA and PCNA. Microvessel count (MVC; the mean number of microvessels in the five areas of highest vascular density at 200 x magnification) and PCNA labelling index (PCNA LI; percentage of positive cells in more than 500 tumour cells) were determined. The results showed that prognosis was significantly worse in patients who had a tumour with a high MVC (16 or greater) or a high PCNA LI (42% or greater) than in those patients who had a tumour with a low MVC (less than 16) or a low PCNA LI (less than 42%). Furthermore, MVC was significantly associated with the risk of hepatic recurrence. In conclusion, both MVC and PCNA LI may be good prognostic indicators in patients with gastric carcinoma.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

The loss of heterozygosity in retinoblastoma and p53 suppressor genes as a prognostic indicator for head and neck cancer.

Inactivation of tumor suppressor genes, including p53 and retinoblastoma (Rb), are commonly found in all cancers, including head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Alterations at either p53 or Rb, however, are only weakly associated with tumor aggressiveness. In many cancers loss of heterozygosity (LOH) at multiple loci is associated with decreased survival. The polymerase chain reaction and highly informative microsatellite markers were used to compare DNA from matched sets of 63 head and neck squamous cell cancers and normal tissue for LOH at the p53 and Rb loci. At p53, 50 were informative, with LOH occurring in 19 (38%). Of the 57 that were informative at Rb, LOH occurred in 21 (37%). Of the 46 that were informative at both p53 and Rb, LOH occurred in 10 (22%) at both loci. When LOH for p53 and Rb individually was compared to stage, differentiation, and survival, there was no correlation. However, the patients with LOH at both loci had a significantly poorer survival (P = .009). This strongly supports the contention that simultaneous alterations of these two tumor suppressor genes favor tumor aggressiveness and can be used as a prognostic indicator.

Carcinoma, Squamous Cell↗
PubMed1990

Nuclear morphometry as a prognostic indicator for genitourinary rhabdomyosarcoma: a preliminary investigation.

Rhabdomyosarcoma of the urogenital tract is a malignant mesenchymal tumor seen primarily in childhood. Multimodal therapy, encompassing surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, has dramatically improved the survival of patients with this disease. However, the quest for markers of tumor aggression is important to decrease the morbidity of treatment given to patients with good prognosis tumors, while at the same time intensifying treatment of tumors with poor prognosis. Using archival tumor specimens from 13 patients with genitourinary rhabdomyosarcoma, a multivariate analysis of multiple nuclear shape descriptors was done with the Hopkins Morphometry System. Three nuclear shape descriptors clearly separated patients with no evidence of disease recurrence or progression from those with recurrent disease, progressive disease or death of disease. These nuclear shape descriptors were standard error of the chain code standard deviation analysis (p = 0.010), range of the feret ellipticity distribution (p = 0.016) and standard error of the chain code range analysis (p = 0.037). With multivariate analysis these shape descriptors taken together separated patients with good and poor prognoses to a level of significance of p = 0.007. Thus, nuclear morphometric analysis may prove to be useful as an individual prognostic indicator in childhood genitourinary rhabdomyosarcoma and warrants further analysis in a much larger, blinded, controlled study.

Cell Nucleus↗
PubMed1993

Hepatitis C is a poor prognostic indicator in black kidney transplant recipients.

BACKGROUND: The significance of hepatitis C in kidney transplant recipients is unclear. The prevalence of antibodies to hepatitis C among candidates for transplantation is up to 50% in some centers. METHODS: We screened 640 frozen serum samples obtained pretransplantation from all kidney recipients at the Medical College of Wisconsin between January 1979 and March 1990 for antibody to hepatitis C using the second generation immunoassay. Charts were reviewed from all hepatitis C antibody-positive (anti-HCV+) patients and 256 randomly chosen hepatitis C antibody negative (anti-HCV-) controls. Actuarial patient and graft survival in these two groups were determined. RESULTS: The prevalence of anti-HCV was 8.3%. Blacks and i.v. drug users were disproportionately represented in the anti-HCV+ group. Of the anti-HCV+ patients, 18.9% developed chronic hepatitis independent of race. Black anti-HCV+ patients had a 5-year graft survival of 28 +/- 11% compared to 67 +/- 7% in black anti-HCV- patients (P = 0.003). Black anti-HCV-, white anti-HCV-, and white anti-HCV+ patients all had similar graft survival. Anti-HCV was not a poor prognostic indicator for overall patient survival or the development of aplastic anemia and malignancies including hepatocellular carcinoma. CONCLUSIONS: Anti-HCV is a significant risk factor for reduced kidney graft survival in blacks apart from i.v. drug abuse. Black anti-HCV- patients had graft survival similar to white transplant recipients, indicating that anti-HCV may be one marker for the poorer graft survival in blacks that has been observed in most transplant programs. Anti-HCV in kidney transplant recipients increases the risk for the development of chronic hepatitis post-transplant.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

[A pathological comparison of primary and metastatic lesions as a prognostic indicator for renal cell carcinoma].

The purpose of this study is clarify the changes in histological grade between primary and metastatic lesions in renal cell carcinoma. A tota of 100 cases of renal cell carcinoma and their metastases were compared respectively. In 31 (31%) of the cases observed, metastatic lesions were observed to have higher grade of malignancy when compared to primary lesions. In 59 (59%) of the cases, metastatic lesions had the same grade of malignancy and in 10 (10%) of the cases, metastatic lesions had a lower grade of malignancy when compared to primary lesions. The frequency of upgrading cases in young patients (i.e. less than 40 years old) occurred with less frequency when compared to elderly patients. Additionally, the frequency of upgrading cases involving female patients was lower when compared to male patients. The one year survival rates in patients, who received nephrectomy, having grade 1 to 4 lesions following metastases were 100%, 65%, 71%, and 27% respectively. From these percentages, a statistically significant difference exists in one year survival rates between patients with grade 2 and 4 metastatic lesions (p < 0.005), and grade 3 and 4 metastatic lesions (p < 0.01). Histological grade of metastatic lesions is an important prognostic indicator for determining the outcome of renal cell carcinoma following metastases. Thus it is important that the prognosis of renal cell carcinoma be based on the histological grade of metastatic lesions as well as primary lesions.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Heparanase expression is a prognostic indicator for postoperative survival in pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma has a median survival of less than 6 months from diagnosis. This is due to the difficulty in early diagnosis, the aggressive biological behaviour of the tumour and a lack of effective therapies for advanced disease. Mammalian heparanase is a heparan-sulphate proteoglycan cleaving enzyme. It helps to degrade the extracellular matrix and basement membranes and is involved in angiogenesis. Degradation of extracellular matrix and basement membranes as well as angiogenesis are key conditions for tumour cell spreading. Therefore, we have analysed the expression of heparanase in human pancreatic cancer tissue and cell lines. Heparanase is expressed in cell lines derived from primary tumours as well as from metastatic sites. By immunohistochemical analysis, it is preferentially expressed at the invading edge of a tumour at both metastatic and primary tumour sites. There is a trend towards heparanase expression in metastasising tumours as compared to locally growing tumours. Postoperative survival correlates inversely with heparanase expression of the tumour reflected by a median survival of 34 and 17 month for heparanase negative and positive tumours, respectively. Our results suggest, that heparanase promotes cancer cell invasion in pancreatic carcinoma and could be used as a prognostic indicator for postoperative survival of patients.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1986

Refined chromosome analysis as an independent prognostic indicator in de novo myelodysplastic syndromes.

In a study of 56 consecutive adult patients with de novo myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), all cases were successfully analyzed with two refined chromosome banding techniques. Most patients (44 of 56, 79%) were found to have a chromosome defect. The majority of these patients had a recurrent loss of chromosomal material rather than a reciprocal translocation or inversion, as commonly found in acute leukemia. The three largest chromosomal categories found were associated with a wide range of survival. Twelve patients (21%) had normal chromosomes, a stable clinical course, and long survival (median follow-up time of 49 months, with all patients alive). Nine patients had in common a single chromosome defect resulting in either monosomy 7 or deletion 7q. They had a median survival of 12 months, and four died of acute nonlymphocytic leukemia (ANLL). Of 12 patients with complex defects, 11 had a complete or partial loss of a chromosome 5 and a complete or partial loss of the long arm of a chromosome 7 or 20. They had a poor median survival of four months, and six patients died of ANLL. Although the French-American-British (FAB) classification was also found to have some prognostic value, FAB subgroups were chromosomally heterogeneous and showed less dramatic differences in median survival than the larger chromosomal subgroups. We have shown, for the first time, that a refined chromosomal analysis is an independent prognostic indicator in de novo MDS and may be helpful in establishing therapeutic approaches in this difficult group of heterogeneous disorders.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

An immunohistochemical study of c-erbB-2 protein in gastric carcinomas and lymph-node metastases: is the c-erbB-2 protein really a prognostic indicator?

An immunohistochemical study of the c-erbB-2 protein was conducted on formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue sections from 136 primary gastric carcinomas and 50 metastatic lymph-node tumors obtained at gastrectomy. Expression of the protein was detected in 35 of 136 primary gastric carcinomas (25.7%) and 22 of 50 metastatic lymph nodes (44%). The staining pattern of tumor cells was classified as membranous or cytoplasmic. An immunohistochemical study using serially diluted antibody demonstrated that 82.6% of positive cases in metastatic lymph nodes showed c-erbB-2 immunoreactivity stronger than that in the primary tumors. Membranous staining was stronger than cytoplasmic staining. c-erbB-2 protein of the cytoplasmic as well as membranous types was confirmed to be a 185-kDa whole molecule by immunoblotting. Correlation between the expression of c-erbB-2 protein and clinical and histological parameters was investigated. No significant correlation between 5-year survival rate of patients and expression of c-erbB-2 protein was found. In the poorly differentiated carcinoma group possessing c-erbB-2 protein, overall survival was significantly shorter than in cases without protein expression (p < 0.01). We conclude that c-erbB-2 protein is not a useful prognostic indicator in gastric carcinomas.

Female↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Stromal staining for PINCH is an independent prognostic indicator in colorectal cancer.

Particularly interesting new cysteine-histidine-rich protein (PINCH), a LIM domain adapter protein that functions in the integrin and growth factor signal transduction pathway, is upregulated in stroma associated with many common cancers. The finding suggested that PINCH may be involved in promoting tumor-stromal interactions that support tumor progression, and, if so, tumors with abundant PINCH stromal staining may have a worse prognosis. To test this hypothesis, 174 primary colorectal adenocarcinomas with 39 distant normal mucosa samples and 26 metastases in the lymph nodes were studied by immunohistochemistry, and 7 additional colon tumors were studied by Western blot analysis and immunofluorescence. The abundance of PINCH protein in stroma increased from normal mucosa to primary tumor to metastasis (P <.05), and was more intense at the invasive margin than it was in the intratumoral stroma. Strong stromal immunostaining for PINCH was shown to predict a worse outcome (rate ratio 2.1, 95% CI 1.16-3.37, P=.01), independent of Dukes stage, growth pattern, and tumor differentiation. PINCH was detected in fibroblasts, myofibroblasts, and a proportion of endothelial cells of the tumor vasculature, supporting the involvement of PINCH in promoting tumor-stromal interactions that support tumor progression. Interestingly, stromal staining for PINCH was an independent prognostic indicator in colorectal cancer.

Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Prognostic indices in childhood heart failure.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the short term prognosis of childhood heart failure and highlight the factors that affect outcome among cases of heart failure admitted into the paediatric wards, University College Hospital, Ibadan. BACKGROUND: Childhood heart failure remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the developing world. The advent of open heart surgery, use of better myocardial preservative techniques, and the introduction of newer, more effective drugs in the treatment of heart failure have greatly improved the outcome of children with heart failure in the developed world. The outlook of such children in the developing world however remains poor. METHODS: One hundred consecutive cases of heart failure admitted into the Paediatric wards of the University College Hospital, Ibadan with a diagnosis of heart failure over a 10-month period were studied prospectively. Diagnosis of heart failure was based on the presence of at least three of the four cardinal signs of heart failure: tachypnoea, tachycardia, tender hepatomegaly and cardiomegaly. All cases were followed up daily till a definite outcome was determined. RESULTS: The predominant underlying causes of heart failure were acute respiratory infections (36%), severe anaemia (28%), and congenital heart disease (25%). There was a case-fatality rate of 24% among the study population. Poor prognostic indices identified were age below one year or above 5 years, presence of underlying acute respiratory infections, rheumatic heart disease and renal disorders. CONCLUSION: Heart failure in Nigerian children though mostly due to preventable causes, are associated with an unacceptably high mortality.

Child↗
PubMed1999

Prognostic indices in heart transplant candidates after the first hospitalization triggered by the need for intravenous pharmacologic circulatory support.

BACKGROUND: Patients with heart failure refractory to optimal oral pharmacologic therapy have a dismal short term prognosis. Heart transplantation is the only therapy shown to improve survival in these patients. Unfortunately, due to the critical shortage of donor organs, approximately 30% of listed patients with end-stage heart failure die before a suitable donor heart becomes available. The principal aim of this study was to determine whether intravenous pharmacologic circulatory support favorably influences the clinical course of heart transplant candidates or whether mechanical circulatory support should be instituted in this high risk patient population. METHODS: Data from 154 consecutive hospitalizations in 125 patients 49+/-12 years were retrospectively reviewed. The product limit method was used to estimate survival. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to identify the clinical and hemodynamic variables that independently predict outcome after each admission in which heart transplantation did not occur. RESULTS: One year survival for the study population was 65%. This survival is significantly lower than the 91% 1 year survival in similarly ill patients undergoing heart transplantation. The Cox proportional hazard method identified serum bilirubin, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), serum sodium levels and right atrial pressure as independent prognostic indices. Serum bilirubin, BUN levels and duration of intravenous pharmacologic circulatory support were associated with a poor outcome. A composite index including serum bilirubin and BUN levels predicted outcome with a sensitivity and specificity of 79% and 77%, respectively. The addition of pharmacologic support duration increased the model's sensitivity to 95%, but did not significantly alter specificity that was 74%. Of the 125 patients hospitalized due to the need to initiate intravenous pharmacologic support for the first time (index hospitalization), 69 (55%) were discharged after optimization of medical therapy. Of 21 patients who did not undergo transplantation during the follow-up period, 18 (86%) died within 2 years of the index hospitalization. The duration of intravenous pharmacologic support beyond which prognosis dramatically worsens without heart transplantation is 21 days. CONCLUSION: Heart transplant candidates who require intravenous pharmacologic circulatory support for more than 21 days and do not receive a suitable donor heart within this period of time have a high mortality. Alternative therapies, such as implantation of a mechanical circulatory assist device should be considered in this high risk population.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Protein expression of p53, p21WAF1, and Rb as prognostic indicators in patients with surgically treated hepatocellular carcinoma.

Many genes participate in the regulation of cell cycle progression from G1 to S phase. Functional loss of one or more of these genes has been reported to be associated with carcinogenesis and/or tumor progression and poor prognosis in many cancers. In a series of 126 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), we immunohistochemically evaluated tumor expression of the cell cycle-related gene protein products of Rb, p21 (WAF1), and p53. Positive immunostaining for Rb, p21, and mutant p53 protein was detected in 58%, 33%, and 37% of the tumors, respectively. The proportion of HCCs exhibiting aberrant p53 protein expression increased significantly with advancing stage of disease (p < 0.001), poorer histological classification of differentiation (p < 0.01), and increasing tumor size (p < 0.01). A decrease in the proportion of HCCs expressing p21 protein was also associated with advancing clinical stage of disease (p < 0.01), and larger tumor size (p < 0.05). The only clinicopathological feature found to be associated with Rb status, was intrahepatic metastasis, which occurred with a higher frequency in HCCs exhibiting positive immunoreactivity for Rb protein expression (p < 0.05). Multivariate survival analysis revealed that, amongst the protein products of the different genes evaluated, only positive immunostaining for aberrant p53 protein expression served as an independent prognostic indicator, being significantly associated with worse survival in patients with HCC (p = 0.023). Analysis for relationships between gene products showed an inverse correlation between expression of aberrant p53 protein and p21 protein (p < 0.01), and also an inverse correlation between p21 protein and Rb protein expression (p < 0.05) in these cases of HCC. These findings demonstrate that positive immunostaining for mutant p53 protein expression is a significant indicator of tumor progression and poor prognosis, confirm that p21 protein expression is induced in a p53-dependent manner, and suggest that Rb protein expression may be regulated to some extent by p21 in HCC.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

An evaluation of the usefulness of primary tumour expression of MCA and CA15-3 as prognostic indicators in breast carcinoma.

CA15-3 antigen and mucin-like carcinoma associated antigen (MCA) show potential as clinically useful serum markers of breast carcinoma. Recently, immunohistochemical versions of these monoclonal antibodies have become available but few data are available as to their clinical usefulness. The aims of this study were (i) to assess CA15-3 and MCA expression by primary breast tumours and to correlate tumour immunoreactivity with tumour behaviour, and (ii) to investigate the relationship between immunohistological staining and oestrogen receptor (ER) status. Pathological material from 39 stage 1 (node free) breast carcinoma patients was assessed. The mean age was 51.3 (range 34-70) years, 19 were premenopausal and the mean duration of follow-up was 3.6 years (range 0.8-14 years). In each case two further sections were stained with antisera to the CA15-3 and MCA antigens. Staining of primary tumour was achieved in 38 cases. Low (less than 30% tumour cell staining) and intermediate (30-60% of cells staining) grade immunoreactivity with both monoclonals correlated with significantly shorter disease free intervals (P less than 0.05). Neither monoclonal can predict ER status. We conclude that the use of monoclonal antibodies to CA15-3 and MCA in staining primary breast carcinoma tumours and their axillary nodes may be a significant (P less than 0.05) prognostic indicator of future tumour behaviour and that this requires further evaluation.

Adult↗