= Abstract =
Prognostic Significance of Peritumoral Lymphatic
Vessel Invasion in Breast Cancer
Lee Su Kim, M.D., Geun Tong Park, M.D., Min Gyun 1m, M.D., Sung Kim, M.D.,
Chang Sig Choi, M.D. and Bong Hwa Lee, M.D.
Department
0/ Surgery,
College of Medicine, Hallym University
Purpose: The well-known prognostic factors for breast cancer, such as axillary lymph node status,
do not always account for the exact outcome. The development of other accurate prognostic
factors would help in assessing high risk for the disease recurrence and death. Recently, there are
reports that peritumoral lymphatic vessel invasion is a good prognostic factor to solid tumors in
animal studies and clinical trials. This study was perfanned to estimate the significance of
peritumoral lymphatic vessel invasion (PLVI) as a prognostic factor in breast cancer. Also, PLVI
was compared with established clinicopathological prognostic factors and hormone receptors,
Materials and Methods: A group of patient was selected from the Department of Surgery,
College of Medicine, Hallym University, which consists of 43 out of 96 patients who received
curative operation from 1985 to 1993. Peritumoral lymphatic vessel invasion by tumor cells on
H&E stain was considered PLVI positive. We classified 43 breast~cancer patients into 32 with
negative PLVI and 11 with positive PLVI. We estimated the correlation between the PLVI and
other established prognostic factors. We also calculated survivals based on PLVI. Results: The
4~year disease-free :;urvival rate was 61.8±8.7%, and the 4-year overall survival rate was 73.0±
8.0%, The receptor status of estrogen and of progesterone had significant impacts on survival (ER:
p=O.OOOI, PR: p"O.OOOl), Also, metastasis status of lymph node had significant impacts on overall
survival (p"0.0148). We found a significant correlation between PLVI and tumor size (p"0.OO4),
estrogen receptor (p"'0.OO2), progesterone receptor (p=0.OO6), but could not find any significant
correlation between PLVI and menopausal status, histologic grade, nuclear grade, lymph node
metastasis, PLVI status was correlated with disease free survival rate (p""0.0l) and overall survival
rate (p=O.OI). Conclusions: The determination of PLVI in breast cancer tissue may be useful as
a prognostic factor, but it is necessary to investigate the PLVI in a large number of patients before
this conclusion can be stated with certainty. (Korean J of Breast Cancer 1998;1:177-..185)
Key Words: Breast cancer, PLVI, Prognostic factor
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