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STROMAL RESPONSE IN BREAST CARCINOMA AND FIBROADENOMATOSIS, ESTIMATED BY THE AID OF THE ALKALINE PHOSPHATASE ACTIVITY
Author(s) -
Jensen Henning,
Sghiødt Torben
Publication year - 1971
Publication title -
acta pathologica microbiologica scandinavica section a pathology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.909
H-Index - 88
eISSN - 1600-0463
pISSN - 0365-4184
DOI - 10.1111/j.1699-0463.1971.tb01827.x
Subject(s) - stromal cell , alkaline phosphatase , breast carcinoma , biopsy , carcinoma , pathology , stroma , anaplasia , pathogenesis , medicine , phosphatase , biology , cancer , breast cancer , immunohistochemistry , enzyme , biochemistry
80 specimens of mammary tissue presenting benign and malignant changes were subjected to biopsy with a view to disclosing activity of unspecific a'lkaline phosphatases. The material comprised 40 carcinomas, 32 cases of fibroadenomatosis, 7 fibroadenomas, and 1 carcinoma in situ. In the cases of carcinoma no or only slight phosphatase activity was found in the tumour cells. The surrounding stroma often showed “reaction zones” formed by proliferating fibroblasts with high phosphatase activity. This stromal response was found in 65 per cent of the biopsy specimens of carcinoma, while another 7.5 per cent were doubtfully positive. The incidence of reaction zones was seen to increase appreciably with rising grades of tumour anaplasia. (Grade I 33.3 per cent, grade II 65 per cent, and grade III 90.9 per cent). Further, correlation was found between reaction zones and stromal lymphocyte infiltrates. The pathogenesis of the reaction zones is discussed, and the conclusion has been drawn that a stromal reaction against the tumour must be the most likely hypothesis. In fibroadenomatosis 18.8 per cent of the biopsies revealed reaction zones. The question has been considered whether the observation might be employed for a delimitation of a high risk group of patients with fibroadenomatosis.