Skip to main content
NCBI home page
British Journal of Cancer logoLink to British Journal of Cancer
. 1990 May;61(5):671–674. doi: 10.1038/bjc.1990.152

DNA index, S-phase fraction, histological grade and prognosis in breast cancer.

S M O'Reilly 1, R S Camplejohn 1, D M Barnes 1, R R Millis 1, D Allen 1, R D Rubens 1, M A Richards 1
PMCID: PMC1971595  PMID: 2159768

Abstract

DNA index and S-phase fraction (SPF) were measured by flow cytometry on paraffin embedded tissue from 140 primary breast tumours. The results of DNA analysis were compared with the size, degree of axillary node involvement, histological grade and steroid receptor content of the tumours, as well as with the patients' subsequent clinical course. Forty-four (31.4%) of the 140 tumours were diploid. S-phase fraction was evaluable for 134 (95.7%). The median SPF of the whole population was 7.1%, with diploid tumours having a significantly lower median SPF (3.2%) than aneuploid (10.1%, P less than 0.001). Both aneuploidy (P = 0.002) and high SPF (P less than 0.001) were strongly associated with high histological grade. There was no significant association between either DNA ploidy or SPF and tumour size, nodal status or steroid receptor content. An SPF below the median was strongly associated with better relapse-free survival (P = 0.008), overall survival (P = 0.004) and survival after relapse (P less than 0.001). Ploidy did not correlate significantly with clinical course. Multivariate analysis using the Cox model suggested that, while SPF gave prognostic information independent of tumour size or nodal status, this independent significance was lost when histological grade was included in the analysis.

Full text

PDF
671

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Allegra J. C., Lippman M. E., Simon R., Thompson E. B., Barlock A., Green L., Huff K. K., Do H. M., Aitken S. C., Warren R. Association between steroid hormone receptor status and disease-free interval in breast cancer. Cancer Treat Rep. 1979 Aug;63(8):1271–1277. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Baisch H., Göhde W., Linden W. A. Analysis of PCP-data to determine the fraction of cells in the various phases of cell cycle. Radiat Environ Biophys. 1975 Jun 13;12(1):31–39. doi: 10.1007/BF02339807. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Camplejohn R. S., Macartney J. C., Morris R. W. Measurement of S-phase fractions in lymphoid tissue comparing fresh versus paraffin-embedded tissue and 4',6'-diamidino-2 phenylindole dihydrochloride versus propidium iodide staining. Cytometry. 1989 Jul;10(4):410–416. doi: 10.1002/cyto.990100408. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Cornelisse C. J., van de Velde C. J., Caspers R. J., Moolenaar A. J., Hermans J. DNA ploidy and survival in breast cancer patients. Cytometry. 1987 Mar;8(2):225–234. doi: 10.1002/cyto.990080217. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Delides G. S., Garas G., Georgouli G., Jiortziotis D., Lecca J., Liva T., Elemenoglou J. Intralaboratory variations in the grading of breast carcinoma. Arch Pathol Lab Med. 1982 Mar;106(3):126–128. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Dressler L. G., Seamer L. C., Owens M. A., Clark G. M., McGuire W. L. DNA flow cytometry and prognostic factors in 1331 frozen breast cancer specimens. Cancer. 1988 Feb 1;61(3):420–427. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(19880201)61:3<420::aid-cncr2820610303>3.0.co;2-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Feichter G. E., Mueller A., Kaufmann M., Haag D., Born I. A., Abel U., Klinga K., Kubli F., Goerttler K. Correlation of DNA flow cytometric results and other prognostic factors in primary breast cancer. Int J Cancer. 1988 Jun 15;41(6):823–828. doi: 10.1002/ijc.2910410608. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Fisher B., Ravdin R. G., Ausman R. K., Slack N. H., Moore G. E., Noer R. J. Surgical adjuvant chemotherapy in cancer of the breast: results of a decade of cooperative investigation. Ann Surg. 1968 Sep;168(3):337–356. doi: 10.1097/00000658-196809000-00004. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Hedley D. W., Rugg C. A., Gelber R. D. Association of DNA index and S-phase fraction with prognosis of nodes positive early breast cancer. Cancer Res. 1987 Sep 1;47(17):4729–4735. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Kallioniemi O. P., Blanco G., Alavaikko M., Hietanen T., Mattila J., Lauslahti K., Koivula T. Tumour DNA ploidy as an independent prognostic factor in breast cancer. Br J Cancer. 1987 Nov;56(5):637–642. doi: 10.1038/bjc.1987.258. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Kallioniemi O. P., Hietanen T., Mattila J., Lehtinen M., Lauslahti K., Koivula T. Aneuploid DNA content and high S-phase fraction of tumour cells are related to poor prognosis in patients with primary breast cancer. Eur J Cancer Clin Oncol. 1987 Mar;23(3):277–282. doi: 10.1016/0277-5379(87)90071-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Kute T. E., Muss H. B., Hopkins M., Marshall R., Case D., Kammire L. Relationship of flow cytometry results to clinical and steroid receptor status in human breast cancer. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 1985;6(2):113–121. doi: 10.1007/BF02235742. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Mason B. H., Holdaway I. M., Mullins P. R., Yee L. H., Kay R. G. Progesterone and estrogen receptors as prognostic variables in breast cancer. Cancer Res. 1983 Jun;43(6):2985–2990. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Masters J. R., Camplejohn R. S., Millis R. R., Rubens R. D. Histological grade, elastosis, DNA ploidy and the response to chemotherapy of breast cancer. Br J Cancer. 1987 Apr;55(4):455–457. doi: 10.1038/bjc.1987.89. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. McDivitt R. W., Stone K. R., Craig R. B., Meyer J. S. A comparison of human breast cancer cell kinetics measured by flow cytometry and thymidine labeling. Lab Invest. 1985 Mar;52(3):287–291. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Moran R. E., Black M. M., Alpert L., Straus M. J. Correlation of cell-cycle kinetics, hormone receptors, histopathology, and nodal status in human breast cancer. Cancer. 1984 Oct 15;54(8):1586–1590. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(19841015)54:8<1586::aid-cncr2820540820>3.0.co;2-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Stewart J. F., King R. J., Sexton S. A., Millis R. R., Rubens R. D., Hayward J. L. Oestrogen receptors, sites of metastatic disease and survival in recurrent breast cancer. Eur J Cancer. 1981 Apr;17(4):449–453. doi: 10.1016/0014-2964(81)90254-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Thorud E., Fosså S. D., Vaage S., Kaalhus O., Knudsen O. S., Børmer O., Shoaib M. C. Primary breast cancer. Flow cytometric DNA pattern in relation to clinical and histopathologic characteristics. Cancer. 1986 Feb 15;57(4):808–811. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(19860215)57:4<808::aid-cncr2820570421>3.0.co;2-#. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from British Journal of Cancer are provided here courtesy of Cancer Research UK

RESOURCES