title: Biological and clinical relevance of proliferative activity in inflammatory breast-cancer.
abstract: The hormone receptor status and proliferative activity characteristics of inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) were studied in a series of 46 patients. ER and PgR were measured by the DCC method and proliferative activity was by the H-3-thymidine autoradiographic labeling index (H-3-Tdr-LI). Tumors were ER and PgR positive in 42% and 38% of cases, respectively, whereas median H-3-Tdr-LI was 3.8%. With regard to clinical aspects, overall survival (OS) was not affected by either ER status (36 cases) or H-3-Tdr-LI value (33 cases). On the contrary, PgR(+) status was able to individualize women with a significantly higher probability of OS (X(2) by long rank test, p=0.03) after 35 months of follow-up. In the subgroup of 14 patients subjected to double biopsy performed before and after administration of primary polychemotherapy, the tumor proliferative activity variations were not related to clinical outcome.
authors.affiliation: ONCOL INST,DIV MED ONCOL,I-70126 BARI,ITALY. ONCOL INST,DIV SURG SENOL,I-70126 BARI,ITALY.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Paradiso
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mangia
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tortora
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Schittulli
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Delena