Abstract
Aims: A comparative analysis was performed to verify a possible correlation between mammographic features and morphobiologic characteristics of the tumor in a series of 176 invasive primary breast cancer patients. Methods: Breast cancers were grouped according to mammographic features as follows: tumor mass with spiculated borders; tumor mass with well-circumscribed borders; tumor with density alteration of parenchyma with no clear borders; a cluster of microcalcifications as the only sign of tumor presence; tumor without mammographic abnormality. The tumor tissue biologic characteristics investigated were: hormone receptor content, tumor proliferative activity, DNA content and cytohistologic tumor-grade differentiation. Results: Spiculated tumors showed a significantly higher percentage of estrogen-receptor-positive cases with respect to circumscribed tumors, independently of the patient's menopausal status. Tumors with only microcalcifications were all from premenopausal patients and showed a significantly higher percentage of progesterone-receptor-positive cases (83%). Tumor proliferative activity did not significantly differ in the 5 mammographic breast cancer groups; aneuploidy was less frequent in tumors with spiculated borders than in mammographic types (39% vs 57%; p = 0.05); percentages of G1-G2-G3 tumors did not differ significantly among the mammographic groups considered. Conclusions: Certain relationships between mammographic features and biologic characteristics could be of potential clinical interest and stimulate more detailed studies on this issue.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 422-426 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | Tumori |
Volume | 79 |
Issue number | 6 |
Publication status | Published - 1993 |
Keywords
- breast cancer
- mammography
- morphobiologic characteristics
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Cancer Research