Sinus histiocytosis and mammary carcinoma. Study of 366 radical mastectomies and an historical review

The prognostic significance of sinus histiocytosis in lymph nodes draining mammary carcinomas has been evaluated in a series of 366 radical mastectomies and the results compared with those in the literature. The presence of sinus histiocytosis indicates a more favorable prognosis, particularly in association with tumors of moderate or poor histologic differentiation and tumors involving the regional lymph nodes in only moderate degree. Patients with well-differentiated tumors, and those showing no nodal metastases at the time of mastectomy, have good prognoses regardless of the presence or absence of sinus histiocytosis, while those with more than 9 cancer-bearing axillary nodes have a uniformly dismal outlook.