Nuclear polymorphism--a prognostic parameter to evaluate local recurrence of female breast cancer.

Between 1980 and 1986 676 patients underwent surgery for primary breast cancer. Of these, 35 patients developed locoregional recurrence. Retrospective analysis of the spontaneous postoperative development revealed 2 groups: group A had subsequent distant metastases, group B was tumor-free after surgical treatment of local recurrence. Analysis of the commonly employed characterization criteria of primary tumors (tumor size, lymph node involvement, estrogen receptors, histologic grading of primary tumors, and excised locoregional recurrence) showed no statistically significant difference between the two groups. However, a more detailed differentiation of the subcriteria for the histologic grading according to Bloom and Richardson revealed a prevalence of anaplastic nuclei in the primary tumors of group A (9/11). Even in this small patient population the parameter of nuclear polymorphism revealed a highly significant statistical difference between the two groups.