[Correlation of morphological criteria with the rate of growth in cancer of the breast].

Prognosis of carcinoma of the breast depends on a number of factors. Besides tumour staging, these parameters include the number of axillary lymph nodes with metastatic growths, the status of the hormonal receptors, and the histological type of the tumour, especially the tumour grading and the rate of growth correlated therewith. The first few of these criteria are relatively easy to determine. The tumour duplication time has so far been determined only by means of serial mammographies. Only few studies have been conducted on the correlation of the morphological parameters connected with the dynamics of growth of carcinomas of the breast. In a group of 61 patients with carcinoma of the breast and known tumour duplication time determined by serial mammography, it is shown that broadening of the conventional tumour grading by means of additional histopathological malignancy criteria (frequency of mitosis, incidence of nuclear hyperchromasias, formation of tubules and nuclear irregularities) correlates with the growth dynamics of the tumours. This makes it seem possible to draw prospective conclusions on the growth performance of carcinomas of the breast even without resorting to serial mammographies.