Adenoid cystic carcinoma: use of cell proliferation, BCL-2 expression, histologic grade, and clinical stage as predictors of clinical outcome

BACKGROUND: Although the three basic histologic growth patterns of adenoid cystic carcinomas (tubular, cribriform, and solid) provide some indication of clinical outcome, additional, perhaps superior, predictors of biologic activity are needed for patient management. METHODS: This series is composed of 31 adenoid cystic carcinomas that presented in Link?ping between 1982 and 1997. The tumors were clinically staged and histologically graded. For each case, after immunohistochemical identification, the proportion of tumor cells expressing the cell cycle markers MIB-1 and bcl-2 (as an indicator of proliferation and apoptosis, respectively) were quantified. Statistical correlation was sought between tumor stage and grade and the two cell cycle markers. RESULTS: The proportions of cycling tumor cells in adenoid cystic carcinomas ranged from 0.3% to 55%. For patients with no evidence of disease and a follow-up of at least 5 years, the mean percent MIB-1 value was significantly lower than for those patients who were alive with local recurrence and/or metastasis or who had died from their adenoid cystic carcinoma (p =. 024). MIB-1 tumor cell positivity also correlated strongly with tumor grade (p =.053), but not with stage (p =.22). Neither clinical stage nor histologic grade correlated with the degree of bcl-2 tumor cell positivity (p =.97 and p =.49, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Staging and grading continue to play a vital role in the management of patients with adenoid cystic carcinoma. Furthermore, in this series of patients with adenoid cystic carcinoma, a cycling tumor cell population as measured by the MIB-1 antibody greater than 10% indicates this group as biologically more aggressive and at an increased risk for a fatal course.     

Correlation of histopathological variants, cellular DNA content, and clinical outcome in adenoid cystic carcinoma of the salivary glands.

OBJECTIVE: To study the correlation between flow cytometrically measured DNA ploidy with prognostically important histopathologic groups and clinical outcome in patients with adenoid cystic carcinoma of the salivary glands. STUDY DESIGN: 46 tumor specimens were analyzed flow cytometrically for DNA content and assessed for histological grade. Correlations were made between tumor DNA ploidy and histopathological grade, and disease-free and overall survival of these patients. RESULTS: Of the 46 patients, 31 had a cribiform/tubular histologic pattern, and 15 had a solid pattern. 84% of the tumors with cribriform/tubular pattern were DNA diploid, compared with 33% of tumors that were graded solid. This difference proved to be statistically significant (chi(2)11.75, P = 0.0006). Overall and disease-free survival periods were longer for patients with DNA diploid tumors in both groups, 63% vs. 36% and 62% vs 38%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Tumor DNA ploidy correlates with prognostically important tumor histopathology as well as overall and disease-free survival in patients with adenoid cystic carcinoma of the salivary gland. EBM rating: B-3.     

Adenoid cystic salivary gland carcinoma: a clinicopathologic correlation

Between 1960 and 1980, 71 cases of adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) were reviewed according to treatment modality and clinical course. Histologic review of pathologic slides was performed to classify the tumors into their predominant histologic pattern (tubular, cribriform, solid). The predominant histologic patterns of the tumors were equally divided between tubular and cribriform. Very few were classified as a solid pattern. In the patients receiving the same type of therapy (surgery and irradiation), the cribriform and tubular variants of ACC demonstrated no difference in the rate of distant metastases and overall survival. The cribriform variant demonstrated a significantly worse prognosis in terms of local recurrence rate. The patients who had a solid histologic pattern of ACC appeared to have an overall worse prognosis in terms of distant metastases and long-term survival. The long-term survival of patients with ACC may be related to the development of distant metastases despite local control.     

Stage means more than grade in adenoid cystic carcinoma.

Our experience with 184 previously untreated patients who had adenoid cystic carcinoma of salivary gland origin is reviewed. Retrospective staging was possible in all but nine patients who had minor salivary gland primary tumors. Sixty-three percent of patients were diagnosed as having stage I or stage II disease (stage I, 64 patients; stage II, 47 patients), whereas 43 and 21 patients had stage III and IV tumors, respectively. Grading was as follows: cribriform pattern only (grade 1, 126 patients; 68%), mixed cribriform and solid features (grade 2, 48 patients; 26%), and solid only (grade 3, 10 patients; 5%). Treatment was predominantly surgical (174 patients), and relatively few patients received adjunctive, postoperative irradiation (27 patients). Cumulative 10-year survival was 75%, 43%, and 15% for stage I, stage II, and stage III and IV patients, respectively, and cause-specific survival at 10 years was as high as 94% in patients with stage I disease. Only the clinical stage had a significant impact on survival. Neither survival, regional metastases (16 patients; 11%), nor distant dissemination (64 patients; 43%) was predictable on the basis of tumor grade alone. The prognosis in patients with early stage lesions may be better than has been appreciated.     

Malignant salivary tumors—analysis of prognostic factors and survival

A group of 113 patients with malignant salivary gland tumors was retrospectively reviewed to analyze the association of clinical and histologic factors with survival. These factors were patient sex and age, tumor site, clinical stage, histologic diagnosis, tumor grade, and whether or not final surgical margins were clear. There were 57 parotid, 40 minor salivary, and 16 submandibular gland cancers. The histologic groups were mucoepidermoid carcinoma (49 patients), adenoid cystic carcinoma (31), adenocarcinoma not otherwise specified (18), acinic cell carcinoma (7), malignant mixed tumor (5), squamous cell carcinoma (2), and undifferentiated carcinoma (1). Univariate analysis of clinical factors showed that age and clinical stage significantly influenced survival. At 10 yr the predicted cumulative survival rates for Stage I, II, III, and IV tumors were 74%, 56%, 32%, and 10%, respectively. Tumor grade was the only significant histologic factor. This was most obviously reflected among patients with mucoepidermoid carcinomas. Cumulative survival at 5 yr was 94% for those with low-grade tumors and 26% for high-grade tumors. By multivariate analysis, clinical stage, age, and tumor grade remained highly significant. Analysis of patients with only Stage I and II disease demonstrated that the significant factors were patient age, tumor site, tumor grade, and whether or not surgical clearance was achieved. These results suggest that clinical stage should not be the exclusive determinant of the extent of surgery and that the selection of patients, for adjuvant therpay may be improved by an awareness of these prognostic factors.     

Malignant salivary tumors--analysis of prognostic factors and survival

A group of 113 patients with malignant salivary gland tumors was retrospectively reviewed to analyze the association of clinical and histologic factors with survival. These factors were patient sex and age, tumor site, clinical stage, histologic diagnosis, tumor grade, and whether or not final surgical margins were clear. There were 57 parotid, 40 minor salivary, and 16 submandibular gland cancers. The histologic groups were mucoepidermoid carcinoma (49 patients), adenoid cystic carcinoma (31), adenocarcinoma not otherwise specified (18), acinic cell carcinoma (7), malignant mixed tumor (5), squamous cell carcinoma (2), and undifferentiated carcinoma (1). Univariate analysis of clinical factors showed that age and clinical stage significantly influenced survival. At 10 yr the predicted cumulative survival rates for Stage I, II, III, and IV tumors were 74%, 56%, 32%, and 10%, respectively. Tumor grade was the only significant histologic factor. This was most obviously reflected among patients with mucoepidermoid carcinomas. Cumulative survival at 5 yr was 94% for those with low-grade tumors and 26% for high-grade tumors. By multivariate analysis, clinical stage, age, and tumor grade remained highly significant. Analysis of patients with only Stage I and II disease demonstrated that the significant factors were patient age, tumor site, tumor grade, and whether or not surgical clearance was achieved. These results suggest that clinical stage should not be the exclusive determinant of the extent of surgery and that the selection of patients, for adjuvant therapy may be improved by an awareness of these prognostic factors.     

Phase II trial of taxol in salivary gland malignancies (E1394): a trial of the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group

BACKGROUND: Malignant tumors of the salivary glands make up approximately 5% of head and neck cancers. The Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) initiated a phase II evaluation of paclitaxel in patients with locally recurrent or metastatic salivary gland malignancies. METHODS: Chemo-naive patients with histologically confirmed recurrent or metastatic carcinoma of salivary gland origin (mucoepidermoid, adenocarcinoma, or adenoid cystic) were eligible. Patients were treated with paclitaxel, 200 mg/m(2) IV, every 21 days for a minimum of four cycles. RESULTS: Forty-five patients were treated. Eight partial responses were seen among the 31 patients with mucoepidermoid or adenocarcinoma histologic findings for a response rate of 26%. No responses were seen in the adenoid cystic carcinoma group. No significant difference in overall survival was found among these three histologic subgroups. CONCLUSION: Paclitaxel demonstrates moderate activity in salivary gland tumors of mucoepidermoid and adenocarcinoma histology. The poor response rate in adenoid cystic carcinoma is consistent with prior reports in this chemoresistant histologic subtype.     

Sublingual salivary gland tumors: clinicopathologic study of six cases.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess the clinical and histologic features of 6 cases of sublingual salivary gland tumors treated in a single institution. STUDY DESIGN: The clinical data were obtained from the medical records, and the histopathologic slides were reviewed. RESULTS: Four cases were adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) and 2 were mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC). Most cases were clinically staged as T3N0M0. Histologically, 3 cases of ACC were of the cribriform subtype and 1 was tubular. One MEC was classified as intermediate and 1 as high grade of malignancy. After surgical treatment, 3 patients (2 MEC and 1 ACC) did not show tumoral recurrence after a mean time of 162 months of follow-up (ranging from 120 to 216 months). CONCLUSIONS: Sublingual salivary gland tumors are very rare and most are malignant; in our series, 3 cases of ACC had poor prognosis but the patients with MEC were considered cured of the disease.     

Clinical and pathologic characteristics in patients with tracheobronchial tumor: report of 50 patients

From January, 1961, to July, 1985, 50 patients in the Peking Union Medical College Hospital with intraluminal tracheobronchial tumors were operated on. There was no gender or age predominance either in the 24 patients with tracheal tumor or in the 26 patients with bronchial tumor. The 13 cell types found in these patients' specimens were divided into four groups: malignant, low-grade malignant, benign with tendency to recur and benign without tendency to recur. Squamous cell carcinoma and adenoid cystic carcinoma were the most common tumors of the trachea. Carcinoid and adenoid cystic carcinoma were the most common tumors of the bronchus in this group of patients. Conservative excision with postoperative irradiation may be sufficient for patients with advanced lesions of low-grade malignancy.     

Proliferating cell nuclear antigen and c-erbB-2 oncoprotein expression in adenoid cystic carcinomas of the salivary glands.

BACKGROUND: Adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) of the salivary gland shows a variable clinical course. It would be helpful to discover reliable biologic markers in the management of patients with ACC. METHODS: We examined proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and c-erbB-2 oncoprotein expression on 30 cases of ACC of the salivary glands. The immunohistochemical results, and size, location, and histologic grade of the tumors were compared with the clinical outcome of the patients. RESULTS: Mean PCNA positivity of ACCs was 15%, and was higher in solid than in cribriform/tubular areas. High PCNA value was significantly correlated with shorter disease-free and overall survival of the patients with ACC. c-erbB-2 overexpression was observed in only five cases, focally in cribriform/tubular areas. High histologic grade, which was determined by the presence of solid components, showed a trend toward shorter survival. Size and location of ACC were not associated with patient outcome. CONCLUSIONS: The present study indicates that PCNA score may be one of the most useful prognostic factor of ACC.     

Adenoid cystic carcinoma of the trachea and bronchus--a clinicopathologic study with DNA flow cytometric analysis and oncogene expression.

OBJECTIVE: Adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) of the tracheobronchial tree is quite uncommon. The clinicopathologic analysis and the therapeutic outcomes of tracheobronchial ACC have been reported earlier. However, their biological behavior should differ from other tracheal neoplasms. Thus, DNA flow cytometric analysis and biomarkers of p53, HER-2/neu and COX-2 for tracheobronchial ACC were investigated in order to evaluate their clinicopathological significance. METHODS: Between 1985 and 1999, nine patients with tracheobronchial ACC were included for the study. All the patients had pathologically confirmed ACC. Five were male and four were female. Eight patients underwent surgical resections. Seven paraffin embedded tumors from six patients were available for DNA flow cytomeric analysis and immunohistochemical staining of p53, HER-2/neu and COX-2. RESULTS: Histologically, nine pathologic specimens from eight surgical patients (including one patient received operation twice) showed one grade I, five grade II and three grade III. The mitotic activity, lymphatic invasion and vascular invasion were more frequent in advanced grading tumor. The higher grade tumors seemed to be associated with a higher synthetic phase fraction (SPF). Immunohistochemically, except for one grade II tumor showing positive expression of HER-2/neu, all the seven tumorous samples revealed negative expressions of p53, COX-2 and HER-2/neu. The patient with positive HER-2/neu tumor had distant metastases 4 years after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Complete surgical resection may provide best survival for tracheobronchial ACC. The DNA ploidy and SPF may correlate with tumor grading or metastasis. The overexpressions of HER-2/neu, p53 and COX-2 may impact the prognosis in patients with stage I non-small cell lung cancer, but did not express difference in our patients.     

Solid variant of mammary adenoid cystic carcinoma with basaloid features: a study of nine cases

Adenoid cystic carcinoma of the breast is a rare neoplasm that represents <1% of breast carcinomas. The tumors are histologically indistinguishable from examples in other sites, and they have a generally favorable prognosis. Several studies have investigated the possible correlation between histologic grade in adenoid cystic carcinoma (largely determined by cytology and growth pattern) and prognosis. Some earlier reports concluded that a solid variant of mammary adenoid cystic carcinoma had a more aggressive clinical course, but others did not confirm this impression. This report describes nine patients with a solid variant of mammary adenoid cystic carcinoma that has a striking basaloid appearance. All were women ranging in age from 37 to 83 years. A solitary mass was evident in all patients. Tumor size was 1.1-15 cm (mean 3.7 cm). The tumors exhibited a predominantly solid architecture comprised of basaloid appearing cells with moderate to marked nuclear atypia. Five tumors had >5 mitotic figures per 10 high power microscopic fields. Intercalated ducts were found in all tumors, being well formed in six and poorly formed in three. Immunohistochemical stains for cytokeratins, basement membranes, and vimentin were consistently positive. Surgery was performed in all cases consisting of excision in seven and mastectomy in two. Axillary lymph node metastases were found in two of six axillary dissections and four had negative lymph nodes. The lymph nodes were not examined in three patients. Follow-up information was available for seven patients. Six women had no evidence of disease after follow-up of 2-88 months (mean 32 months), one patient died of unknown causes, and one patient was lost to follow-up. It is concluded that the solid variant of mammary carcinoma with basaloid features is a histologically distinct tumor that is capable of axillary metastases. Long-term follow-up of a larger series of cases will be needed to determine whether the prognosis of these patients differs significantly from that of women with conventional adenoid cystic carcinoma. Presently, these patients are candidates for axillary staging by sentinel lymph node mapping or low axillary dissection if there is no clinical evidence of axillary metastases. Systemic adjuvant treatment would be prudent when axillary nodal metastases are present. Breast-conserving surgery with radiation is an option if negative margins can be achieved because this appears to be a unicentric form of carcinoma.     

Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma: Clinical and Molecular Features

The clinical features and common molecular alterations of adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) are reviewed in this paper. ACC is an uncommon neoplasm that most frequently arises in salivary glands and related tissue in the head and neck region. ACC has distinct histologic features, with cribriform and tubular growth patterns of basaloid cells displaying a predominantly myoepithelial cellular phenotype. This neoplasm also has uncommon clinical features of rare regional lymph node metastasis and a prolonged but relentlessly progressive clinical course. Clinical outcome in ACC is correlated to histologic grade, which is correlated to the degree of aneuploidy and genetic alterations present in the tumor genomes. Recent studies have identified that the majority of ACC contain alterations of the MYB gene, usually resulting in a fusion gene product with the NFIB gene by a t(6;9) translocation event. The molecular consequences of this alteration are incompletely understood, as are secondary molecular alterations that contribute to the neoplastic phenotype of ACC.     

Is Adenocarcinoma of the Esophagogastric Junction Different between Japan and Western Countries? The Incidence and Clinicopathological Features at a Japanese High-Volume Cancer Center

Background  We clarified the incidence of adenocarcinoma of the esophagogastric junction (AEG) at a Japanese high-volume cancer center and its clinicopathological features between the Siewert subtypes. Methods  Patients with AEG were selected from a prospective database of gastric and esophageal tumors established by Kanagawa Cancer Center. The Siewert subtypes were determined retrospectively by examining pathological pictures of the resected specimens and by evaluating the pathology and endoscopy findings. Results  From January 1986 to December 2005, 147 (4.0%) patients were determined to have AEG; 2,794 (75.8%) were diagnosed to be true gastric cancer, whereas 745 (20.2%) were true esophageal cancer. Of these 147 patients with AEG, 5 (3.4%) were classified as type I, 82 (55.8%) as type II, and 60 (40.8%) as type III tumors. The depth of tumor invasion was deeper and the nodal metastases were more frequent in type III compared with type II. The risk factors for nodal metastases included the depth and size of the tumor, but not the Siewert subtypes itself. Mediastinal nodal metastases were strongly influenced by a thoracotomy and the extent of the dissection. The pathological grade was higher in type III than in type II. Although the 5-year survival rate was significantly higher in type II than in type III tumors, the survival difference disappeared when the patients were restricted to an R0 resection, even though type III patients demonstrated a more advanced stage. Conclusions  The proportions of AEG were strikingly different between Japan and western countries. Although each Siewert subtype had some different characteristics, nodal metastases were determined by both the tumor progression and the extent of the nodal dissection. An R0 resection was a key for the survival in AEG.     

Histological grading of alveolar type renal cell carcinoma based on architectural variation

Ninety-two of a total 107 renal cell carcinomas excluding papillary, sarcomatoid and other uncommon histological types were classified into 3 groups based on architectural variations. Statistically analyses were carried out for prognostic significance. Histological criteria of 3 groups were defined as follows. Group I consists predominantly of tubular formations with characteristic cystic change. Group III shows solid proliferation without tubular formations, and Group II shows small alveolar or trabecular structures with inconspicuous tubular formations. According to the survival curves (Kaplan-Meier method), the prognosis of Group I was significantly better than II and III. Ten year survival rate of each group was 88 +/- 7.8% in Group I, 39 +/- 8.8% in Group II, and 0% in Group III. The distribution of T and V stages in the 3 groups were not significantly different. Nuclear grading of Group I and II was not so different, though high grade cases predominated in Group III. Therefore, the present grading of alveolar type renal cell carcinoma based on architectural atypia was considered to be a useful prognostic parameter.     

Flow cytometric evaluation of adenoid cystic carcinoma: correlation with histologic subtype and survival.

Adenoid cystic carcinoma is an unusual but capricious tumor of salivary gland origin. Characteristically, these tumors follow a relentless clinical course, although some patients experience prolonged disease-free survival. Tumor size, site, and grade have been shown to correlate with tumor behavior. Recent investigation by others has suggested that DNA ploidy as determined by flow cytometry may provide an additional biologic marker of tumor behavior. This study was undertaken to investigate the relationship of DNA ploidy to tumor grade, biologic behavior, and patient outcome. A retrospective comparison of flow cytometric evaluations of paraffin-embedded formalin-fixed tumor specimens with patient outcome and histopathologic grade was undertaken. Follow-up of 4 to 7 years in 26 patients confirmed that the presence of a solid histologic component in the tumor correlated with the presence of recurrent or persistent disease (p = 0.04). Twenty-two of 28 tumors (78%) were found to be aneuploid on at least one section. Comparison of DNA ploidy with either patient outcome or the presence of a solid component did not achieve statistical significance, although a trend was suggested. This study confirms previous studies demonstrating the validity of histopathologic evaluation of tumor grade in the prediction of the biologic behavior of adenoid cystic carcinoma. However, our findings suggest that DNA ploidy has only limited value as an additional marker of tumor behavior in this patient population.     

Conservatively Treated Breast Cancer: Outcome by Histologic Subtype

Abstract: Between 1970 and 1990, 1,008 patients with early-stage breast cancer were treated by conservative surgery without axillary dissection followed by radiation therapy to the intact breast in the Department of Therapeutic Radiology at Yale-New Haven Hospital. The patient population, broken down by histologic subtype, was as follows: 761 patients presented with infiltrating ductal carcinoma, 70 patients with pure intraductal, 38 intraductal with focal invasion, 54 infiltrating lobular, 21 tubular, 17 medullary, 16 mucinous, and 29 with other various histologic subtypes. Patients were followed on a regular basis by the referring physicians and radiation oncologists. Diagnostic studies for distant metastases were performed as clinically indicated. Annual mammography was a routine component of the follow-up program. As of 3/96, with a median follow-up of 10.5 years, 83 patients developed an ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence, and 109 patients developed distant metastases resulting in an overall 10-year breast recurrence-free rate of 84%, and a 10-year distant metastasis-free rate of 78%. There were significant differences in clinical stage, pathological nodal involvement, and administration of systemic therapy between various histologic subtypes. As expected, those patients with histologies of low metastatic potential (such as intraductal, tubular, and mucinous) had significantly superior distant recurrence-free survival rates. With respect to breast relapse rates, there were no statistically significant differences in the 5- and 10-year breast recurrence-free rates between any of the histologic subtypes. Patients with intraductal carcinoma with or without focal invasion had similar breast relapse rates as those with other histologic subtypes. Patients with lobular carcinoma in situ as a histologic component also had a similar overall breast relapse-free recurrence rate. In conclusion, long-term follow-up of conservatively treated breast cancer patients demonstrates no significant differences in ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence rates between various histologic subtypes. There are no histologies which had a statistically significantly higher breast-relapse rate than infiltrating ductal carcinomas and therefore no primary histologic subtype represents a relative contraindication to breast conservation therapy.     

An Update on Grading of Salivary Gland Carcinomas

Histologic grade is a significant predictor of outcome in salivary gland carcinomas. However, the sheer variety of tumor type and the rarity of these tumors pose challenges to devising highly predictive grading schemes. As our knowledge base has evolved, it is clear that carcinoma ex pleomorphic adenoma is not automatically a high grade tumor as is traditionally suggested. These tumors should be further qualified as to type/grade of carcinoma and extent, since intracapsular and minimally invasive carcinomas ex pleomorphic adenoma behave favorably. The two carcinoma types for which grading schemes are common include adenoid cystic carcinoma and mucoepidermoid carcinoma. Adenoid cystic carcinomas are graded based solely on pattern with solid components portending a worse prognosis. Occasionally, adenoid cystic carcinomas may undergo transformation to pleomorphic high grade carcinomas. This feature confers a high propensity for lymph node metastasis and should thus be reported to alert the clinical team. Mucoepidermoid carcinomas are graded in a three tier fashion based on a constellation of features including cystic component, border, mitoses, anaplasia, and perineural invasion among others. All grading schemes are somewhat cumbersome, intimidating and occasionally ambiguous, but evidence suggests that using a scheme consistently shows greater reproducibility than using an intuitive approach. The intermediate grade category demonstrates the most variability between grading systems and thus the most controversy in management. In the AFIP system intermediate grade tumors cluster with high grade tumors, while in the Brandwein system, they cluster with low grade tumors.     

Important histologic outcome predictors for patients with invasive ductal carcinoma of the breast

The pathologic diagnosis is regarded as the final diagnosis of a disease, and pathologic examination based on tumor histology is very important for the accurate assessment of the biological characteristics of tumors. The purpose of this study was to investigate the histologic factors that accurately predict patient outcome among 1042 patients with invasive ductal carcinoma of the breast. Both well-known histologic factors and our proposed histologic factors were examined according to several tumor statuses using multivariate analysis. This study clearly demonstrated that type 4 invasive ductal carcinomas having fibrotic foci and atypical tumor-stromal fibroblasts within the fibrotic foci are significant outcome predictors for lymph node-negative and lymph node-positive, the pathologic UICC-TNM stage II and III, luminal A-subtype, luminal B-subtype, and equivocal HER2 subtype invasive ductal carcinoma patients. Lymph vessel tumor embolus grades 2 and 3 were significant outcome predictors for lymph node-positive, UICC pTNM stages II and III, luminal A-subtype, and triple-negative invasive ductal carcinoma patients (except lymph vessel tumor embolus grade 2 in luminal A-subtype patients). More than 5 mitotic figures in metastatic carcinoma to the lymph nodes was a significant outcome predictor for lymph node-positive, UICC pTNM stage II, and luminal A-subtype invasive ductal carcinoma patients. A fibrotic focus diameter >8 mm was a significant outcome predictor for UICC pTNM stages I and III invasive ductal carcinoma patients. These findings strongly suggest that these histologic factors are very useful for accurately predicting the outcomes of patients with invasive ductal carcinoma of the breast.     

Flow cytometric and histological analysis of ductal carcinoma in situ of the breast

Using archival paraffin wax embedded tumour we have investigated histological grade, DNA ploidy, S phase fraction and proliferative index in 74 patients with symptomatic ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) of the breast. Nine patients developed local recurrence, six invasive in character. No patients with the cribriform subtype of DCIS developed local recurrence. The cribriform subtype showed a significantly lower rate of DNA aneuploidy and a lower proliferative index than the other subtypes. Cribriform tumours were almost exclusively well differentiated in contrast with the comedo and solid variants. Our results suggest the cribriform variant is less aggressive than other subtypes of DCIS. This has possible implications for management of these lesions.