Reassessment of tumour-load in the axilla in patients with breast cancer: a preliminary report.

The tumour-load in the axilla of breast cancer patients is classically measured from the number of tumour-bearing nodes present, which is then used to assess prognosis. This preliminary morphometric study on 73 cases of breast carcinoma for which standardized axillary dissection specimens were available shows that the total tumour load, measured from the sum of the tumour area (cm2) in hilar nodal sections, gives a redistribution of the patients; one that may provide better prognostic information in particular in women with a high tumour load. In those with four or more nodes involved the actual number is said to give little prognostic discrimination at 4 years post-operatively, as was demonstrated in this series. In contrast, using data from the same patients, the risk of death by this time increased steadily with increasing tumour area.