PROLIFERATION, BASEMENT-MEMBRANE CHANGES, METASTASIS AND VASCULARIZATION PATTERNS IN HUMAN BREAST-CANCER

Tumour cell proliferation shows a heterogeneous intratumour distributi on. By comparison with the infiltrating component of breast cancers, t he intraductal component has a significantly lower proliferation index . The cells at the periphery of infiltrating tumour strands have a hig her proliferation activity than the cells in the core. A variable turn -over of basement membrane material is reported in infiltrating cancer s. Increased amounts of type IV collagen are demonstrated in areas of periductal elastosis and of interstitial elastosis in breast cancer. I mportant parallels are found between metastatic tumour cells and the m acrophages acting in the process of inflammation. We found evidence th at displacements of tumour cells and macrophages are similar. Studies of vascularization in transplanted tumours cannot be extrapolated to m an. A striking heterogeneity in the organization of vessels and in the expression of some markers is observed in human breast cancer.