Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Correlation between nuclear grade and biological prognostic variables in invasive Breast Cancer

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Breast Cancer Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Background

Grading of carcinomas is an estimation of differentiation. Nuclear grading is the cytological evaluation of tumor nuclei in comparison with the nuclei of normal mammary epithelial cells. Because nuclear grading does not involve an assessment of the growth pattern of the tumor, it applies not only to invasive ductal carcinoma but also to other subtypes of breast carcinoma.

Methods

A total of 215 primary breast carcinomas obtained from the Affiliated Kihoku Hospital of Wakayama Medical College were enrolled in our present study. Nuclear grade was evaluated according to the criteria of the National Surgical Adjuvant Study of Breast Cancer (NSAS-B) protocol. Immuno-histochemistry was also performed to determine Bcl-2, p53, c-erbB-2, estrogen receptor (ER) and MIB-1 expression in paraffin-embedded tissues for all cases.

Results

Thirty-two (14.9%) of the patients were graded as 1,124 (57.7%) as 2, and 59 (27.4%) as 3. Nuclear grade displayed a negative correlation with Bcl-2 expression (r=0.308, p<0.0001), and a positive correlation with c-erbB-2 overexpression (r= 0.172, p=0.01 17) and tumor proliferative index labeling by MIB-1 (r=0.485, p<0.0001).

Conclusions

These results imply that nuclear grade is related to the characteristics of tumor biology, indicating that the morphology and biology of breast cancer are tightly linked. Our present results also suggest that adding the nuclear grade to the pathological diagnosis of invasive breast carcinoma may be clinically useful for predicting tumor behavior, for example aggressiveness, and for prognostication.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

NSAS-B:

National Surgical Adjuvant Study of Breast Cancer

ER:

Estrogen receptor

LSAB:

Labeled streptavidin-biotin

PBS:

Phosphate-buffered saline

EGF:

Epidermal growth factor

HE:

Hematoxylineosin

References

  1. World Health Organization Histological Typing of Breast Tumors 2nd edn, WHO, Geneva, 1981.

  2. Tsuda H, Akiyama F, Kurosumi M,et al: Japan National Surgical Adjuvant Study of Breast Cancer (NSAS-BC) Pathology Section. The efficacy and limitations of repeated slide conferences for improving interobserver agreement when judging nuclear atypia of breast cancer.Jpn J Clin Oncol 29:68–73, 1999.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Tsuda H, Akiyama F, Kurosumi M,et al: Japan National Surgical Adjuvant Study of Breast Cancer (NSAS-BC) Pathology Section. Monitoring of interobserver agreement in nuclear atypia scoring of node-negative breast carcinomas judged at individual collaborating hospitals in the National Surgical Adjuvant Study of Breast Cancer (NSAS-BC) protocol.Jpn J Clin Oncol 29:413–420, 1999.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Watanabe T: Protocol for clinical trials (1). Phase III randomized comparison of postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy with 2-year oral UFT (uracil/tegafur) versus six-cycle CMF (cyclophosphamide/metho-trexate/5-fluorouracil) in high-risk node-negative breast cancer patients.Jpn J Clin Oncol 28:77–80, 1998.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Tsuda H, Akiyama F, Kurosumi M,et al: Establishment of histological criteria for high-risk node-negative breast carcinoma for the Japan National Surgical Adjuvant Study of Breast Cancer (NSAS-BC) protocol.Jpn J Clin Oncol 28:486–491, 1998.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Yang Q, Sakurai T, Yoshimura G,et al: Expression of Bcl-2 but not Bax or p53 correlates with in vitro resistance to a series of anticancer drugs in breast carcinoma.Breast Cancer Res Treat 61:211–216, 2000.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Yang Q, Shan L, Goro Yoshimura,et al: Thymidine Phosphorylase Expression in Invasive breast Carcinoma: Correlations with in vitro Chemosensitiviry to 5-fluorouracil.Anticancer Res 19:5543–5546, 1999.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Ellis PSJ, Whitehead R: Mitosis counting-a need for reappraisal.Hum Pathol 12:3–4, 1981.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Mann R, Elston CW, Hunter S,et al: Evaluation of mitotic activity as a component of histological grade and its contribution to prognosis in primary breast carcinoma.J Pathol 146:271, 1985.

    Google Scholar 

  10. Tsujimoto Y, Bashir MM, Givol I,et al: DNA rearrangements in human follicular lymphoma can involve the 5’ or the 3’ region of the bcl-2 gene.Pro Natl Acad Set USA 84:1329–31, 1987.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Joensuu H, Pylkkanen L, Toikkanen S: Bcl-2 protein expression and long-term survival in breast cancer.Am J Pathol 145:1191–1198, 1994.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. van Slooten H, Clahsen PC, van Dierendonck JH,et al: Expression of Bcl-2 in node-negative breast cancer is associated with various prognostic factors, but does not predict response to one course of perioperative chemotherapy.Br J Cancer 74:74–85, 1996.

    Google Scholar 

  13. Home GM, Anderson JJ, Tiniakos DG,et al: p53 protein as a prognostic indicator in breast carcinoma: A comparision of four antibodies for immunohistochemistry.Br J Cancer 73:29–36, 1996.

    Google Scholar 

  14. Slamon DJ, Godolphin W, Jones LA,et al: Studies of th.HER-2/neu proto-oncogene in human breast and ovarian cancer.Science 244:707–712, 1989.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Berger MS, Locher GW, Saurer S,et al: Correlation of c-erbB-2 gene amplification and protein expression in human breast carcinoma with nodal status and nuclear grading.Cancer Res 48:1238–1243, 1988.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Cardiff RD: Cellular and molecular aspects of neoplastic progression in the mammary gland.Eur J Cancer Clin Oncol 24:15–20, 1988.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Van de Vijver MJ, Peterse JL, Modi W: Neu-protein overexpression in breast cancer: association with comedo-type ductal carcinoma in situ and limited prognostic value in stage II breast cancer.N Engl J Med 319:1239–1245, 1988.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Berns EMJJ, Foekens JA, van Staveren IL,et al: Oncogene amplification and prognosis in breast cancer: Relationship with systemic treatment.Gene 159:11–19, 1995.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Gusterson BA, Gelber RD, Goldhirsch A,et al: Prognostic importance of c-erbB-2 expression in breast cancer. International (Ludwig) Breast Cancer Study Group.J Clin Oncol 10:1049–1056, 1992.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Gullick WJ, Love SB, Wright C,et al: c-erbB-2 protein overexpression in breast cancer is a risk factor in patients with involved and uninvolved lymph nodes.Br J Cancer 163:434–438, 1991.

    Google Scholar 

  21. Andrulis IL, Bull SB, Blackstein ME,et al: neu/erbB2 amplification identifies a poor-prognosis group of women with node negative breast cancer.J Clin Oncol 16:1340–1349, 1998.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgery, Affiliated Kihoku Hospital, Japan

    Qifeng Yang, Takeo Sakurai, Goro Yoshimura, Takaomi Suzuma, Takeshi Tamaki & Teiji Umemura

  2. Second Department of Pathology, Wakayama Medical College, Japan

    Qifeng Yang, Ichiro Mori, Yasushi Nakamura, Misa Nakamura, Emiko Taniguchi & Kennichi Kakudo

Authors
  1. Qifeng Yang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Ichiro Mori
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Takeo Sakurai
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Goro Yoshimura
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Takaomi Suzuma
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Yasushi Nakamura
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Misa Nakamura
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Emiko Taniguchi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Takeshi Tamaki
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  10. Teiji Umemura
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  11. Kennichi Kakudo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

About this article

Cite this article

Yang, Q., Mori, I., Sakurai, T. et al. Correlation between nuclear grade and biological prognostic variables in invasive Breast Cancer. Breast Cancer 8, 105–110 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02967488

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02967488

Key words

Search

Navigation