Individual differences between nuclear parameters of normal and malignant breast epithelium

This study attempts to estimate the status of estrogen and progesterone receptors (ER and PR) in tissue of invasive breast carcinoma. Identical stereologic parameters of nuclear ultrastructure, of normal and malignant epithelium in the same breast were compared. Samples of normal and malignant epithelium of 30 surgically amputated breasts were analysed morphometrically. The concentration of ER and PR in the malignant epithelium was estimated by means of the dextran-coated charcoal (DCC) method. We measured the mean nuclear area (A), nuclear specific density (Sv/Vv) and nuclear numerical density (Nv) of epithelium. The comparison of such models of normal and malignant epithelium nuclear ultrastructure of the same breast demonstrated: a) the difference between Sv/Vv of nuclei very sensitively and specifically marks the ER status in malignant tissue (overall efficiency = 80%, p < 0.01), and b) the difference between A, Sv/Vv and Nv marks the concordant ER and PR status with identical overall efficiency. Minimal individual differences in size, surface structure and shape, observed between nuclei of malignant epithelium of positive concordant ER and PR status and nuclei of normal epithelium demonstrated that the highest morphological similarity is associated with biochemical similarity of cells exposed to the identical media of steroid hormones.