title: Ploidy and S-phase fractions (SPF) of primary breast cancers and their nodal metastases.
abstract: Ninety-one cases of primary breast cancers and their nodal metastases were examined with DNA flow cytometry. No differences were found between the stemline distributions in the primary tumors and nodal metastases. At both sites stemlines clustered around a DNA index of 1.0 (33-40% of cases) and 1.8. The mean S-phase fractions were 7.9 in primary tumors versus 5.6% in nodal metastases (p = 0.02); this difference was also observed if the analysis was restricted to cases with DNA aneuploidy at both sites (10.2 versus 7.6%, p = 0.04). Our results indicate that axillary nodal ploidy and proliferation reflect primary tumor characteristics rather than displaying changes associated with selection during the lymphatic metastatic process. Lymph nodes may have a suppressive effect on the proliferation of tumor cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Academic Hospital Maastricht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: P S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Hupperets
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Schutte
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: van Assche
authors.forename: L J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Schouten
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jager
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: de Jong
authors.forename: G H
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Blijham
mesh_terms: D000782:Aneuploidy; D001365:Axilla; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology*; D002455:Cell Division; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis*; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology*; D011003:Ploidies; D016196:S Phase
chemical_list: D004273:DNA, Neoplasm