DNA ploidy and the expression of tissue-carcinoembryonic antigen in grade III carcinoma of the breast.

A series of 50 Stage I and II, Grade III ductal carcinomas of the breast was characterized by DNA flow cytometry and further analyzed with a monoclonal antibody for carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA). The antigen was detected with the indirect immunoperoxidase technique on paraffin sections and on cytologic smears of the cell suspensions that were used for flow cytometric DNA analysis. A significant higher incidence of CEA-positivity in cytologic smears and tissue sections was found in DNA-diploid tumors (13/18 and 12/18, respectively) than in DNA-aneuploid tumors (13/22 and 12/32, respectively) (P less than 0.05 and P less than 0.025, respectively).