Relationship of tumor grade, stage and host response in a group of breast neoplasms

Two hundred thirty-nine breast carcinomas were reviewed, and the interrelationship of stage, grade, host response (sinus histiocytosis), bilaterality, and survival was studied.A peculiar pleomorphic grade with infrequent axillary involvement b u t considerable bilateral involvement was noted.The stage of the disease was the single most important factor; 54% of those operated on for cure (radical mastectomy) survived 5 or more years. HE FOLLOWING STUDY INCLUDES 239 PA-T tients with carcinoma of the breast, all of whom were clinically staged and operated on by one of us (AGJ) .T h e study was initiated to evaluate factors of success and failure (survival and death) relative to this group of closely followed patients.Approximately 90% of the patients were treated with Halsted's radical mastectomy; factors relative to survival and conclusions as to stage and survival and host response and survival are made. METHODST h e office records of one of us (AGJ) were searched for all patients with carcinoma of the breast.T h e clinical records, hospital records, surgical pathology protocol, slides, tissue blocks, and recuts of these blocks were studied in each case.Cases which were considered not to be cancer, or in which tumor blocks and tissues were unavailable, were discarded.Follow-up was available on all but two patients (997").Patients alive with cancer or dead of cancer were documented by the attending