Pathology of preinvasive and excellent prognosis breast cancer

We review recent reports on breast cancer and its predictors, emphasizing t he clinical utility of tissue samples from patients. We highlight indicator s of increased cancer risk and lesions without metastatic capacity at time of detection, but of sufficient risk of attaining metastatic capacity that treatment is mandated (ie, ductal carcinoma in situ). Emphasized are histol ogic features of importance in stratification of ductal carcinoma in situ. We also review invasive lesions with little capacity for metastatic behavio r and indicators of low malignant potential. Included are several papers re viewing the usefulness of histologic grading, emphasizing mitotic counts. A lso, the continuing utility of recognizing some special and unusual types o f breast cancer is detailed. Sentinel lymph node evaluation by histology is included because some minimal or artifactual findings in lymph nodes can m imic true metastases. Curr Opin Oncol 2001, 13:426-430 (C) 2001 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc.