Differences in regional immunoreactivity during the premenopausal and postmenopausal periods in patients with carcinoma of the breast.

Quantitative morphologic assessment of immunoreactivity in regional lymph nodes in 82 patients with carcinoma of the breast without axillary node metastasis showed a significant decrease of the hyperplasia index with age. These differences were particularly noteworthy when premenopausal and postmenopausal women were compared, p less than 0.05. This finding might be an indication of a direct link between ovarian hormones, probably progesterone, and immunity, and it would challenge the concept of oophorectomy performed as a prophylactic measure in patients in the premenopausal period.