Grading system for breast cancer.

As recurrence rates in breast cancer depend significantly on degree of malignancy (6-9) and mitotic rates as part of the grading system are difficult to assess in exact manner, we widened the grading system by evaluation of the proliferative compartment to get more information about proliferation activity as an important factor for tumor-progression (15, 16). This additional analysis can be used as a control factor for the correctness of the evaluation of mitotic activity. We practice this procedure at present as a "working formulation". New antibodies are in preparation which allow to exclude the highly variable G1-Phase. Further precision and control of degree of malignancy can be achieved by photometric analysis of S-Phase, 5c exceeding rate and state of ploidy according to Auer scheme.