[Observations and problems in the TNM classification of breast cancers]

The pretherapeutically and histologically measured size of the tumor was compared in 2511 cases of breast carcinomas. Breast tumors up to 2 cm in size revealed a correspondence in the histologically and clinically measured tumor size in only 13.6%. 240 breast cancer patients having undergone a mastectomy with dissection of the axilla in 1986, were examined as to the number of histologically detected lymph nodes. In most cases nine lymph nodes were removed, this corresponds to 11.7%. An optimal surgical treatment and pathological diagnosis was found in 43.3% of all breast carcinomas with the required amount of 10 nodes, and in 28.3% with 12 lymph nodes. In order to emphasize the prognostic adequacy of the pTNM-classification, it is recommended to note down in brackets after the abbreviation pN0 the number of lymph nodes detected and to indicate for pN1 the relation between axillary nodes afflicted compared to the nodes examined.