[Epithelial growth factor receptors (EGF-R) and DNA flow cytometry in addition to lymph node and hormone receptor status as prognostic factors in primary breast cancer].

The presence of receptors for epidermal growth factor (EGF-R), the percentage of cells in S-phase and DNA-ploidy measured by flow-cytometry are new prognostic factors in breast cancer. In order to investigate the relationship between EGF-R, S-Phase/DNA-ploidy and clinical data, we measured these parameters in 68 tumors from patients with operable breast cancer. 11 Patients had positive EGF-R's (specific binding greater than 10 fmol/mg membrane-protein) and 37 patients had a positive S-Phase (more than 5% of cells in S-Phase). 10 of 44 carcinomas of ductal type were EGF-R positive, while only 1 of 18 lobular-type tumor displayed positive EGF-R's. We found significant inverse correlations between EGF-R's and estrogen receptors (p less than 0.00001) and between EGF-R's and age (p less than 0.0001): EGF-R positive tumors were found more often in young patients and in patients with estrogen-receptor-negative tumors. The EGF-R's and flow-cytometric data did not correlate with tumor size and/or nodal status. There was no correlation between EGF-R and S-Phase/DNA-ploidy in the breast cancer specimens suggesting that these two prognostic parameters are independent from each other.