[DNA content in the nuclei of breast cancer cells and their metastases to the regional lymph nodes analyzed by impulse cytophotometry].

The data are reaorted on the distribution of the DNA content in cell nuclei of normal human mammary gland, in benign processes, cancer and its metastases in regional lymphnodes by the method of impulse cytophotometry. In benign processes the distribution of DNA in epithelial cells was not shown to differ from the control, however, in some cases there is an increased proliferative activity of the epithelium. Cytophotometrical structure of human breast cancer in general traits reflects the pattern of DNA distribution in them. A tumor consisting of monomorphous elements more frequently shows one type of tumor cells with a different degree of their proliferative activity. The presence of large number of anaplastic cells would correspond to the peaks of anaeploid and polyploid cells on DNA-histograms. A correlation between the DNA content in epithelial cell nuclei of the primary tumor and its metastases in regional lymph nodes was found to remain in the uniform cytologic picture.