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Relationships of DNA ploidy, S‐phase fraction and hormone receptor status to tumor stage in breast cancers detected by population screening
Author(s) -
Stål Olle,
Brisfors Ann,
Carstensen John,
Ferraud Lilianne,
Hatschek Thomas,
Nordenskjöld Bo
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
international journal of cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.475
H-Index - 234
eISSN - 1097-0215
pISSN - 0020-7136
DOI - 10.1002/ijc.2910510106
Subject(s) - ploidy , aneuploidy , biology , breast cancer , lymph node , estrogen receptor , population , medicine , estrogen , flow cytometry , mammary gland , stage (stratigraphy) , cancer , oncology , pathology , endocrinology , microbiology and biotechnology , immunology , chromosome , genetics , gene , paleontology , environmental health
Cellular DNA content was analyzed by flow cytometry and estrogen and progesterone receptors by an immuno‐biochemical method (EIA) in a consecutive series of 807 frozen breast‐cancer samples. Before the beginning of the study, a mammography screening program had been introduced in the region where the tumors were diagnosed. Forty percent of the tumors were judged as DNA diploid, of which 86% were ER‐positive. The proportion of ER‐positive tumors among non‐diploids was significantly lower, or 73% ( p < 0.001). S‐phase fraction (SPF) was estimated in 691 cases (86%), with an overall mean of 8.4%. DNA ploidy as well as ER and PR status were independently related to SPF. Unlike the results obtained in most older series, the biological variables correlated significantly with tumor staging factors such as lymph‐node status and tumor size. Patients with nodal involvement, especially those with 4 positive nodes or more, more often had tumors which were receptor‐negative, DNA aneuploid and of high S‐phase rate. Large tumor size was significantly related to lower frequencies of receptor positivity and strongly related to DNA aneuploidy and high S‐phase fraction. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that these relationships were mainly due to the associations of SPF with the other variables. S‐phase fraction was the only independent factor predicting nodal status, while DNA ploidy in addition to SPF was associated with tumor size. In fact, DNA ploidy (p < 0.001), ER and PR status (p < 0.001, p = 0.002), nodal status (p = 0.04) and tumor size (p < 0.001) were all independently related to SPF.