Table 1

Survival associated tissue-section-based prognostic factors and lymph node status in breast cancer.

Prognosticator

N

Age range or median

Country

Methods

Stage/LN status of all patients

Stength of association (survival %)*

P value, type of analysis

Mean or median follow-up (months)

Reference

LN+ patients

AgNOR

164

N.A.

Italy

MA

N-, N+

DFS (42,61)

0.0093 M

108

Derenzini⁹⁰

Bcl-2

107

56

Belgium

IHC

N-, N+

DFS (21,62)

<0.001 U

91

Hellemans⁵⁵

CD44

74

62

Finland

IHC

N-, N+

DSS (45,56)

0.02 U

84

Joensuu¹⁵⁸

E-cadherin

57

59

Finland

IHC

N-, N+

OS (36,88)

0.0001 U

66.5

Elzagheid¹⁵⁰

EGFR

404

53.4

Japan

IHC

N-, N+

DFS (50,75)

<0.0001 U

46

Tsutsui¹¹⁰

ER

705

54

UK

IHC

I-IV

DFS, ReR 0.651

0.004 M

62

Rehim¹²²

HER2/neu

106

59

Finland

IHC

N-, N+

OS (13,80)

0.001 U

67.2

Jalava¹⁶

IGF-1

98

57.1

Finland

IHC

N-, N+

OS (16,35)

0.0286 U

169.2

Toropainen¹¹⁵

Mitoses

131

59

Finland

SMI

N-, N+

RR 3.5

0.0005 U

69

Kronqvist⁷¹

Mitoses

368

25–81

MC

MAI

N+

OS (57,83)

0.00003 U

60

Simpson⁶⁸

P21

328

N.A.

USA

IHC

N-, N+

DFS, X² 74.61

0.054 M

195.6

Thor ³⁷

PgR

106

58

Finland

IHC

N-, N+

N.A.

0.0186

70

Jalava ¹²³

SPF

257

25–81

MC

FCM

N+

OS (70,82)

0.026 U

60

Simpson⁶⁸

LN- patients

Ploidy

50

56

UK

FCM

N-

DFS (32,71)

<0.0001 U

>120

Yuan¹³²

Cathepsin D

262

60

Finland

IHC

N-

DFS (47,68)

<0.0001 U

98.4

Isola¹⁰⁰

CD44

237

56

Holland

IHC

N-, N+

DFS (50,75)

0.005 U

84

Foekens¹⁵⁶

EGFR

618

53.4

Japan

IHC

N-, N+

DFS, ReR 2.05

0.0241 M

46

Tsutsui¹¹⁰

HER2/neu

324

N.A.

USA

FISH

N-

DFS (57,75)

0.0077 U

50

Press¹⁷

HER2/neu

224

59

Finland

IHC

N-, N+

N.A.

N.S.

67.2

Jalava¹⁶

Ki-67

89

60.5

Finland

IHC

N-, N+

OS (50,70)

0.0297 U

103.2

Pietilainen⁷⁸

Mitoses

516

<55

MC

MAI

N-

DFS (62,85)

<0.00001U

118

Baak⁶⁹

Mitoses

232

59

Finland

SMI

N-, N+

RR 4.2

0.0007 U

69

Kronqvist⁷¹

P27

75

<65

Canada

IHC

N-, N+

DSS, ReR 0.24

0.03 M

180

Foulkes⁴⁷

P53

700

<50

USA

IHC

N-

DFS (53,85)

0.0001U

54

Allred³³

PCNA

205

60.5

Finland

IHC

N-

DFS (56,80)

0.0003 U

141.6

Aaltomaa⁸⁴

SPF

180

N.A.

China

N.A.

N-

N.A.

<0.001

60

Zhang ⁹⁶

Prognosticators for LN+ patients are presented first followed by those for LN- patients. The database applied was PubMed, the presented papers were published during years 1991–2005. The most significant p-values with defined survival characteristics for each marker are shown. P-values are not comparable with each other in absolute terms because also the size of the sample influences the p value. The value of prognosticators can only be compared reliably by comparing different prognosticators in the same patient material.

* The figures within the parantheses refer to the survival of 2 cutpoint-associated patient groups after median follow up. IHC, immunohistochemistry; N-, node negative; N+, node positive; MA, morphometric analysis; FCM, flow-cytometry; NA, not available; MC, multicenter study; SMI, standardized mitotic index; MAI, mitotic activity index; OS, overall survival; DFS, disease free survival; DSS, disease specific survival; RR, risk ratio; ReR, relative risk; X², Chi square;, FISH, fluorescence in situ hybridization; N.S, not significant; M, multivariate; U, univariate.

Elzagheid et al. Diagnostic Pathology 2006 1:41   doi:10.1186/1746-1596-1-41