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Mitotic indexes as prognostic predictors in female breast cancer

  • Original Papers
  • Clinical Oncology
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Summary

A series of 688 women with breast cancer were followed-up for a mean of 13 years. Tumour size, axillary lymph node status, histological grade, histological type and two mitotic indexes (M/V; MAI) were assessed and related to disease outcome. Primary tumour size (P<0.0001), the volume-corrected mitotic index (M/V) (P<0.0001), the mitotic activity index (MAI) (P=0.0001), and histological grade (P=0.0074) predicted axillary lymph node status. Recurrence as well as recurrence-free survival was significantly related to the axillary lymph node status (P<0.0001), M/V index (P<0.0001), MAI (P<0.0001), tumour size (P=0.0031) and histological grade (P=0.0208). Multivariate analyses disclosed the tumour size and M/V index as independent predictors of axillary metastasis at diagnosis. Recurrence was related independently to M/V index, axillary metastasis and tumour size. Independent predictors of recurrence-free survival in Cox's analysis were M/V index and axillary lymph node status. Axillary lymph node status (P<0.0001), tumour size (P<0.0001), M/V index (P<0.0001), MAI (P<0.0001) and histological grade (P=0.0009) predicted survical in that order. Cox's analysis showed that axillary lymph node status was the most important independent predictor of survival followed by tumour size and M/V index. In a separate Cox's analysis of axillary-lymph-node-negative patients the M/V index and tumour size were independently related to survival. In conclusion the M/V index is an important prognostic factor in breast cancer and also in axillary-lymph-node-negative breast tumours.

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Abbreviations

MAI:

mitotic activity index

M/V index:

volume-corrected mitotic index

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgery, Kuopio University Hospital, SF-70210, Kuopio, Finland

    S. Aaltomaa, M. Eskelinen & E. Alhava

  2. Department of Pathology, Kuopio University Hospital, SF-70210, Kuopio, Finland

    P. Lipponen, V. -M. Kosma, S. Marin & K. Syrjänen

Authors
  1. S. Aaltomaa
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  2. P. Lipponen
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  3. M. Eskelinen
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  4. V. -M. Kosma
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  5. S. Marin
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  6. E. Alhava
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  7. K. Syrjänen
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Aaltomaa, S., Lipponen, P., Eskelinen, M. et al. Mitotic indexes as prognostic predictors in female breast cancer. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 118, 75–81 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01192316

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01192316

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