Clinical, pathological and molecular characteristics of newly diagnosed breast cancers

Selection of breast carcinoma therapy is based on standard prognostic markers, such as tumor size, infiltration of regional lymph nodes, tumor grade, and expression of hormonal receptors. Insufficient treatment results stimulate a search for new markers which may lead to a more precise characterization of these tumors and to a more effective treatment. In our study we determined essential clinical and histopathological characteristics of non-metastasizing breast cancer - primary tumor size, involvement of the regional lymph nodes, expression of hormonal receptors and a status of ERBB-2 protein (HER-2), DNA ploidy, and their possible inter-correlation. In this study 77 patients were analyzed. The mean age was 59.3 years. Tumor stage T1 was found in 53%, T2 in 39%, T3 in 5% of patients. 57% of patients did not show any metastases in the axillary lymph nodes. A higher tumor grade 3 was seen mainly in larger tumors, in 62% of T2 and 66% of T3 tumors; 77% of carcinomas expressed hormonal receptors. HER-2 expression was shown in 21 T1 tumors, 13 T2 tumors, and 1 T3 tumor. 47 tumors were diploid. 13 T1 tumors, 14 T2 tumors, and 2 T3 tumors were aneuploid. Any significant correlation among staging T, N and ERBB-2 expression, hormonal receptors expression, tumor grade and DNA ploidy was found.