MAMMOGRAPHY AND MORPHOBIOLOGIC CHARACTERISTICS OF HUMAN BREAST-CANCER

Aims: A comparative analysis was performed to verify a possible correl ation between mammographic features and morphobiologic characteristics of the tumor in a series of 176 Invasive primary breast cancer patien ts. Methods: Breast cancers were grouped according to mammographic fea tures as follows: tumor mass with spiculated borders; tumor mass with well-circumscribed borders; tumor with density alteration of parenchym a with no clear borders; a cluster of microcalcifications as the only sign of tumor presence; tumor without mammographic abnormality. The tu mor tissue biologic characteristics investigated were: hormone recepto r content, tumor proliferative activity, DNA content and cytohistologi c tumor-grade differentiation. Results: Spiculated tumors showed a sig nificantly higher percentage of estrogen-receptor-positive cases with respect to circumscribed tumors, Independently of the patient's menopa usal status. Tumors with only microcalcifications were all from premen opausal patients and showed a significantly higher percentage of proge sterone-receptor-positive cases (83%). Tumor proliferative activity di d not significantly differ in the 5 mammographic breast cancer groups; aneuploidy was less frequent in tumors with spiculated borders than i n mammographic types (39% vs 57%; p = 0.05); percentages of G1-G2-G3 t umors did not differ significantly among the mammographic groups consi dered. Conclusions: Certain relationships between mammographic feature s and biologic characteristics could be of potential clinical interest and stimulate more detailed studies on this issue.