Re-evaluation of blood-vessel invasion as a prognostic factor in carcinoma of the breast

A series of 328 women who had radical mastectomy operations for stage A carcinoma was investigated for blood vessel invasion by the tumor, which was found in 21%. In the relatively favorable stage A carcinomas, 33% had microscopic axillary lymph node metastases. The over-all 10-year survival rate was 69%. In the 10 patients with both blood vessel invasion and lymph node metastases only 33% survived ten years, compared to 78% of patients without either vascular invasion or node metastases. Blood vessel invasion significantly reduced the 10-year survival rate in the presence but not in the absence of lymph node metastases.