PROGNOSTIC FACTORS IN HEREDITARY AND SPORADIC BREAST CANCERS - ANALYSIS OF AN ITALIAN SERIES OF 602 PATIENTS

Sixty-eight patients with breast cancer diagnosed between August 1989 and December 1995 were selected on the basis of the presence of typica l characteristics of familial breast cancer. Their histopathological f eatures and prognostic factors were compared with those of a control g roup of 534 patients with sporadic breast cancer. No differences in hi stology, the degree of tumour differentiation, hormone receptor status or the expression of p53 were detected between the two groups. Althou gh Ki-67 expression was available on only a small number of patients, there was a statistically significant difference between groups. Follo w-up to a median of 27 months demonstrated an excess of relapses in th e familial cancer group (p = 0.028).