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01-09-2009 | Brief Report

Tumor size is an unreliable predictor of prognosis in basal-like breast cancers and does not correlate closely with lymph node status

Authors: William D. Foulkes, Matthew J. Grainge, Emad A. Rakha, Andrew R. Green, Ian O. Ellis

Published in: Breast Cancer Research and Treatment | Issue 1/2009

Abstract

Larger breast tumors tend to be associated with a greater number of axillary lymph nodes involved with metastatic tumor than are smaller tumors. This rule may not fully apply in BRCA1-related breast cancers. We hypothesized that the rule also might not apply in basal-like breast cancers (BLBC), and further, that disruption of this relationship would impact on prognosis. In 1,324 non-BLBC (87.1% of 1520 tumors), after adjustment for grade, a strongly positive correlation between increasing tumor size and increasing number of lymph nodes involved by tumor was observed (P for trend <.001). The correlation was much weaker in 196 BLBC (12.9%) (P for trend = 0.58). Similarly, a worsening breast cancer-specific survival with increasing tumor size was observed in non-BLBC (P for trend <.001) but not in BLBC (P for trend = 0.43). The “size-nodes” relationship in BLBC is distinct and is similar to that seen in BRCA1-related breast cancer, further suggesting biological similarities between these sub-types of breast cancer. Moreover, tumor size is not a strong indicator of prognosis in BLBC.

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Title: Tumor size is an unreliable predictor of prognosis in basal-like breast cancers and does not correlate closely with lymph node status
Authors: William D. Foulkes
Matthew J. Grainge
Emad A. Rakha
Andrew R. Green
Ian O. Ellis
Publication date: 01-09-2009
Publisher: Springer US
Published in: Breast Cancer Research and Treatment / Issue 1/2009
Print ISSN: 0167-6806
Electronic ISSN: 1573-7217
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10549-008-0102-6

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