title: Timing of breast cancer surgery within the menstrual cycle: tumor proliferative activity, receptor status and short-term clinical outcome.
abstract: We verified the variations of primary tumour steroid receptor status and proliferative activity at different times and phases (follicular vs luteal) of the menstrual cycle and their relationship with short clinical outcome in a cohort of 248 N- breast cancer patients. Steroid receptor content (ER and PgR) was evaluated by DCC assay and proliferative activity by 3H-Thymidine autoradiographic assay (TLI). Median age was 44 years, 60% of tumors were T1, and cytohistological grade was G1-2 in 54% of cases. At surgery, 57% were in the luteal phase while 43% were in the follicular phase. No significant variations were found in mean TLI or ER and PgR characteristics of the primary tumors surgically treated in different periods of the menstrual cycle; however, the ER level resulted significantly higher in 4th with respect to the 3rd week of menstrual cycle, while PgR level was higher in PgR+ cases treated during the 3rd week. The number of relapses and disease-free survival curves after 36 months median follow-up did not differ significantly for patients treated in different periods of the menstrual cycle (12% and 9% of disease relapses in luteal and follicular phases; p=n.s.). We can conclude, therefore, that TLI, ER and PgR expressions could vary significantly during menstrual cycle only in certain specific tumor subgroups.
authors.affiliation: Experimental and Clinical Oncology Laboratory, Oncology Institute, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mangia
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: De Lena
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Barletta
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Marzullo
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Attolico
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Stea
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Petroni
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Labriola
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cellamare
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Digiesi
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Altieri
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Schittulli
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Paradiso
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000737:chemistry; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008597:Menstrual Cycle; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000032:analysis*; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone / Q000032:analysis*; D012008:Recurrence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D011960:Receptors, Estrogen; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone