Microvessel quantitation in intraductal and early invasive breast carcinomas.
OBJECTIVE
To study the angiogenic process in intraductal carcinoma of the breast, with and without a small focus of stromal infiltration, and to compare the microvessel density between the in situ phase and the early infiltration phases of breast cancer.


METHODS
Microvessel density (number of microvessels per square millimeter of neoplasia) was quantitatively evaluated on anti-factor VIII-immunostained histologic sections obtained from 10 ductal carcinomas in situ (DCIS) (category A), 22 DCIS with a small focus of stromal infiltration (category B), 10 microinvasive carcinomas (category C), 12 T1a carcinomas (category D) and 20 T1b carcinomas (category E).


RESULTS
The five categories of lesion had different values for microvessel density (P = .0017). Category A had microvessel density lower than category B (P = .0005). Category B had microvessel density higher than categories C, D and E (P = .0028, .0133 and .0033, respectively).


CONCLUSIONS
Microvessel density seems to be a feature related to each crucial step in the early phases of neoplastic progression.
Santinelli
A
A
Institute of Pathological Anatomy and Histopathology, School of Medicine, University of Ancona, Italy. anpat@popcsi.unian.it
Baccarini
M
M
Colanzi
P
P
Fabris
G
G
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology; D002285:Carcinoma, Intraductal, Noninfiltrating / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology; D005169:Factor VIII / Q000032:analysis / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008833:Microcirculation; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic; D017154:Stromal Cells / Q000473:pathology
D005169:Factor VIII