Table 1.
Association between the presence of nerve fibers and clinicopathological parameters in breast carcinomas.
| Parameter | Nerve fibers negative | Nerve fibers positive | p‐value |
|---|---|---|---|
| All cases (n = 369) | 301 (82%) | 68 (18%) | |
| Pathological subtype | 0.0003 a | ||
| DCIS (n = 50) | 46 (92%) | 4 (8%) | |
| ILC (n = 160) | 140 (88%) | 20 (12%) | |
| IDC (n = 159) | 115 (72%) | 44 (28%) | |
| Clinical parameters in invasive carcinomas | |||
| Patient age | |||
| 50≤ (n = 183) | 142 (77%) | 41 (22%) | 0.1201 |
| >50 (n = 136) | 115 (84%) | 21 (15%) | |
| Lymph node status (N) | 0.0031 a | ||
| Negative (n = 164) | 140 (85%) | 24 (15%) | |
| Positive (n = 135) | 97 (72%) | 38 (28%) | |
| Undetermined (n = 20) | 16 (80%) | 4 (20%) | |
| HER2 | 0.2162 | ||
| HER2 negative (n = 252) | 205 (81%) | 47 (19%) | |
| HER2 positive (n = 67) | 50 (75%) | 17 (15%) | |
| Estrogen receptor | 0.3093 | ||
| ER negative (n = 182) | 149 (82%) | 33 (18%) | |
| ER positive (n = 137) | 106 (77%) | 31 (13%) | |
| Progesterone receptor | 0.8143 | ||
| PR negative (n = 208) | 167 (80%) | 41 (20%) | |
| PR positive (n = 111) | 88 (79%) | 23 (21%) | |
| Molecular subtype | 0.5801 | ||
| TNBC (n = 123) | 98 (80%) | 25 (20%) | |
| Luminal A (n = 129) | 107 (83%) | 22 (17%) | |
| Luminal B (n = 34) | 25 (74%) | 9 (26%) | |
| HER2+ (n = 33) | 25 (76%) | 8 (24%) | |
| Tumor size (T) | 0.5284 | ||
| 1 (n = 25) | 19 (76%) | 6 (14%) | |
| 2 (n = 228) | 183 (80%) | 45 (20%) | |
| 3 (n = 32) | 28 (88%) | 4 (12%) | |
| 4 (n = 30) | 22 (73%) | 8 (27%) | |
| Nerve growth factor | 0.0001 a | ||
| NGF negative (n = 167) | 149 (89%) | 18 (11%) | |
| NGF positive (n = 152) | 107 (70%) | 45 (30%) | |
DCIS = ductal carcinomas in situ; ER = estrogen receptor; HER2 = Human EGF receptor 2; IDC = invasive ductal carcinomas; ILC = invasive lobular carcinomas; NGF = nerve growth factor; TNBC = triple negative breast cancer.
Statistically significant p‐values (p < 0.05 using chi‐square test). Molecular subtypes were defined as TNBC: ER−/PR−/HER2−, luminal A: ER+ and/or PR+/HER2−, luminal B: ER+ and/or PR+/HER2+, HER2+: ER−/PR−/HER2+.