Independent prognostic factors in breast cancer patients.
BACKGROUND
Recently tumor microvessel density has been shown to be a powerful prognostic tool in breast cancer. We attempted to assess its significance as a prognostic factor.


METHODS
We analyzed the medical records of 100 patients using univariate and multivariate analyses of nine factors as follows; age, tumor size, nodal status, estrogen receptor, C-erbB2, p53, microvessel density, DNA ploidy pattern, and S-phase fraction.


RESULTS
Nodal status and microvessel density were independent prognostic indicators for both survival and relapse-free survival. Microvessel density was independent in the node-negative subgroup for survival, but not independent in the node-positive subgroup, while it was independent in both the node-negative and node-positive subgroups for relapse-free survival. Short-term survival rates in the high and low vessel density subgroups were almost the same, and all patients with early death were node-positive.


CONCLUSIONS
Microvessel density was an important prognostic factor especially in node-negative patients and more significant in long-term survival.
Narita
M
M
Department of Surgery, Osaka Police Hospital, Japan.
Nakao
K
K
Ogino
N
N
Nakahara
M
M
Onishi
A
A
Tsujimoto
M
M
D000367:Age Factors; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm / Q000235:genetics; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D018734:Genes, erbB-2 / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D008833:Microcirculation; D008875:Middle Aged; D011003:Ploidies; D011379:Prognosis; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000032:analysis
D004273:DNA, Neoplasm; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen