Biological characterisation of primary and metachronous lesions in breast cancer patients.
Proliferative activity, evaluated as [3H]thymidine labelling index ([3H]dT LI), and hormone receptors were determined on 97 primary breast cancers and on metachronous lesions from the same patient. Overall, the [3H]dT LI of metachronous lesions was significantly higher than that of the primary tumour (P = 0.003). Hormone receptor profiles of the two lesions were similar in about 75% of the cases; disagreements were mainly due to a disappearance of hormone receptors in metachronous lesions. In contralateral tumours, [3H]dT LI and hormone receptors were unrelated to those of the relative primary lesion. In this series of relapsing patients, [3H]dT LI was unrelated to hormone receptor status in the primary tumour, but it was higher in the metachronous lesions from patients with hormone receptor-negative primary tumours. For patients given no systemic therapy between surgery and relapse, the time to develop local-regional recurrences or contralateral tumours was inversely related to the [3H]dT LI of the metachronous lesions.
Silvestrini
R
R
Oncologia Chirurgica C, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, Milano, Italy.
Valentinis
B
B
Daidone
M G
MG
Di Fronzo
G
G
Coradini
D
D
Salvadori
B
B
D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology*; D002455:Cell Division; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008938:Mitosis; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000473:pathology; D011379:Prognosis; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000032:analysis*; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone / Q000032:analysis*; D013936:Thymidine / Q000378:metabolism
D011960:Receptors, Estrogen; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone; D013936:Thymidine