title: Modified primary tumour/vessel tumour/nodal tumour classification for patients with invasive ductal carcinoma of the breast.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  We previously reported that the primary tumour/vessel tumour/nodal tumour (PVN) classification is significantly superior to the UICC pTNM classification and the Nottingham Prognostic Index for accurately predicting the outcome of patients with invasive ductal carcinoma of the breast in a manner that is independent of the nodal status and the hormone receptor status.
  
  
  METHODS
  The purpose of the present study was to compare the outcome predictive power of a modified PVN classification to that of the newly devised pathological UICC pTNM classification and the reclassified Nottingham Prognostic Index in a different group of patients with invasive ductal carcinoma (n=1042) using multivariate analyses by the Cox proportional hazard regression model.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The modified PVN classification clearly exhibited a superior significant power, compared with the other classifications, for the accurate prediction of tumour recurrence and tumour-related death among patients with invasive ductal carcinoma in a manner that was independent of the nodal status, the hormone receptor status, and adjuvant therapy status.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The modified PVN classification is a useful classification system for predicting the outcome of invasive ductal carcinoma of the breast.
authors.affiliation: Pathology Consultation Service, Clinical Trials and Practice Support Division, Center for Cancer Control and Information Services, National Cancer Center, 5-1-1, Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0045, Japan. thasebe@ncc.go.jp
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hasebe
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Iwasaki
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Akashi-Tanaka
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hojo
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shibata
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sasajima
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kinoshita
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tsuda
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000145:classification* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D018270:Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast / Q000145:classification* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009367:Neoplasm Staging / Q000379:methods*; D009383:Neoplasms, Vascular Tissue / Q000145:classification* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality / Q000556:secondary; D011379:Prognosis; D012008:Recurrence; D016019:Survival Analysis; D055815:Young Adult