Abstract
Some studies reported the correlation between retraction clefts (RCs) and the clinicopathological features as well as prognosis in invasive breast carcinoma. However, limited number of investigations have been done and controversial results were reported. Larger population studies around the world might help to provide more accurate and comprehensive information. Thus, we examined the correlation between the extent of RCs and the clinicopathological features as well as the prognosis in 541 invasive breast carcinoma samples from Central China in this study. The statistical analyses were performed with the Pearson χ2 tests and univariate Cox proportional hazards regression assays. Compared with other studies, lower RCs occurrence rate (15.5%) was observed in Chinese breast cancer patients and opposite association between the presence of RCs and lymph nodes metastasis was identified, in which both progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were improved with the presence of RCs in our study. Besides, despite some statistically significant associations between RCs and molecular subtypes, RCs and estrogen receptor status, the results were largely depending on the stratification methods. Generally, no convincing association was detected between the extent of RCs and the clinicopathological features or prognosis. In sum, the extent of RCs showed limited value as a prognostic predictor in invasive breast carcinoma patients from Central China.
Highlights
Breast cancer is the most common malignant tumor with high heterogeneity amongst women [1]
We evaluated the clinicopathological and prognostic values of the extent of retraction clefts (RCs) in 541 invasive breast carcinoma samples
RCs were present in 15.5% (84/541) of the samples in this study, which was much less than the report of Acs’ group [6] in 2015
Summary
Breast cancer is the most common malignant tumor with high heterogeneity amongst women [1]. Retraction clefts (RCs) in breast neoplasms attracted pathologists’ special attention as they could be identified and classified in hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) stained sections under an optical microscope. The cavity with no endothelial cell lining around tumor glands or nests was recognized as RC. The mechanisms underlying RC formation remains unclear. Some studies proposed that RCs were related to the loss of basal cells in breast carcinoma and prostate adenocarcinoma [2,3,4,5], while others suggested that RCs were caused by abnormal stroma around the tumor [6,7,8]. The lymphatic vessels, namely ‘pre-lymphatic channels’, may contribute to RC formation [9, 10]
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