Histopathological features and their association with steroid receptors in women with breast cancer in Fukuoka, Japan.

In Fukuoka, Japan, infiltrating duct carcinoma predominated among 213 breast cancer cases, age 45 to 74. Lobular and medullary carcinomas were infrequent. About thirty three percent of the women had marked productive fibrosis, based on the UICC code type. Both rough margin and productive fibrosis of the cancer increased with age of the patients. On the contrary, most of accompanying hyperplastic lesions decreased with age. The difference was significant for cystic formation between 10-year age groups of 45-54 and 55-64 (chi 2 = 6.61, p less than 0.02). Hormone receptors of 115 of the cases were independently measured and characterized according to histologic patterns manifesting host reaction (stromal cell infiltration and lymph node histiocytosis). Positive estrogen receptors were more frequent among ductal carcinomas with slight or no cellular reaction than those with extensive cellular reaction. The same pattern was also present for progesterone and androgen receptors. The extent of sinus histiocytosis in lymph nodes without metastasis was also inversely correlated with the presence of these hormone receptors. The correlation was significant for androgen receptor (chi 2 = 5.31, p less than 0.05). Positive estrogen receptor was more common among ductal carcinomas with prominent fibrosis than among those with minimal fibrosis.