A comparative study of tumor cells from metastatic carcinoma of the breast in effusions.

Fluids caused by metastatic tumors in body cavities were reviewed for the 20 year period of 1953 through 1972. Presented is a study of 115 cases of effusions secondary to metastatic breast carcinoma with emphasis on recognizing cytologic criteria for various breast tumors and determining which cells occur with consistency. Utilizing various characteristics of both individual and aggregates of malignant cells, specific guidelines were established. Delineating characteristics include cell size, individual cell morphology, and pattern of cellular adherence. These criteria allowed the differentiation between infiltrating ductal carcinoma, medullary carcinoma, and lobular carcinoma as well as metastatic tumors from other sites.