Background: Recently tumor microvessel density has been shown to be a powerful prognostic tool in breast cancer. We attempted to assess its significance as a prognostic factor.
Methods: We analyzed the medical records of 100 patients using univariate and multivariate analyses of nine factors as follows; age, tumor size, nodal status, estrogen receptor, C-erbB2, p53, microvessel density, DNA ploidy pattern, and S-phase fraction.
Results: Nodal status and microvessel density were independent prognostic indicators for both survival and relapse-free survival. Microvessel density was independent in the node-negative subgroup for survival, but not independent in the node-positive subgroup, while it was independent in both the node-negative and node-positive subgroups for relapse-free survival. Short-term survival rates in the high and low vessel density subgroups were almost the same, and all patients with early death were node-positive.
Conclusion: Microvessel density was an important prognostic factor especially in node-negative patients and more significant in long-term survival.