Peritumoral vascular invasion in women with node-negative breast cancer, receiving no adjuvant therapy.
BACKGROUND
The prognostic value of peritumoral vascular invasion (PVI) in node negative breast cancer (N-) is a controversial issue. Considerable debate has focused on how PVI should be defined, and the techniques used to detect them have differed considerably from one study to another.


METHODS
In our study, 167 cases of N- breast cancers were reviewed, with a view to determining whether or not PVI, as defined in the recently published European recommendations, were present.


RESULTS
Based on the results of the subsequent statistical study, the presence of PVI was not found to constitute a reliable prognostic index to the outcome of N- breast cancer.


CONCLUSIONS
Referring each case to the data available in the literature, the difficulties encountered when searching for PVI of this kind are described, the results of various studies on the topic are reviewed and whether it is worth pursuing studies along these lines is discussed.
Mathoulin-Portier
M P
MP
Unité d'Oncologie Mammaire, Institut Paoli-Calmettes, Marseille, France.
Meynard
P
P
Charton-Bain
M C
MC
Escoute
M
M
Bardou
V J
VJ
Puig
B
B
Viens
P
P
Cowen
D
D
Houvenaeghel
G
G
Hassoun
J
J
Jacquemier
J
J
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D018567:Breast Neoplasms, Male / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009360:Neoplastic Cells, Circulating / Q000473:pathology*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D015996:Survival Rate; D019043:Vascular Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*