Motoi Yamane

Estrogen receptors in human breast cancer detected by the fluorescent estradiol histochemical and dextran coated charcoal techniques

Surgical specimens from 60 Japanese women with breast cancer were studied histochemically to detect estrogen receptors (ER). Forty-six were analyzed in a double blind study designed to compare the histochemical method using fluorescent estradiol conjugate for detection of ER (FITC method) with findings in case of the currently employed dextran coated charcoal (DCC method) techniques. The ER test was positive in 39 (65 percent) of the 60 cases studied by FITC method. Of the 46 cases analysed in a double blind study, 41 (89.8 percent) showed the same results. Of the 5 with inconsistent test results, 2 showed positive DCC and negative FITC, and 3, negative DCC and positive FITC. According to the histologic type, the FITC method demonstrated a low positive ER response rate in scirrhous cases (57 per cent), whereas the positive rate was 67 percent among papillotubular-type cases and 65 percent among medullary tubullar-type cases. In relation to menstrual status, the positive rates were 68 percent and 64 percent among premenopausal and postmenopausal women, respectively. However, in relation to tumor size, no difference was noted in the positive response rate by either method. Therefore, both the DCC and FITC methods are clinically useful to determine the indications for hormone therapy.

Breast cancer in a man treated effectively with a large dose of tamoxifen citrate

Breast cancer in males is comparatively rare. A 41-year-old man visited our hospital with a complaint of left breast tumor. Initial examination showed remarkably diffuse metastatic lesions in the lung field and small metastatic lesions in the surrounding skin. Modified radical mastectomy, including the surrounding metastatic skin lesions, and incisional biopsy of the lung were performed. Estrogen receptor was positive in both the primary breast cancer and metastatic cancer lesions in the lung. Postoperative medication of tamoxifen citrate, an estrogen receptor blocking agent, in a dose of 30 mg/day, was given together with fluorouracil, BCG, cyclophosphamide, and methotrexate. No evident change could be seen in the lung field six months after the operation. The metastatic lesions in the lung disappeared two years after the operation when the dose of tamoxifen citrate was increased to 60 mg/day. At this writing, thirty months after the operation, the patient is in good health.

Diagnosis of breast lesions by aspiration biopsy cytology

From November 1981 to the end of August 1984, 456 patients with breast lesions underwent aspiration biopsy cytology (A.B.C.). This study includes 109 for whom the diagnosis was histologically confirmed at surgical biopsy. Seventy-five lesions were histologically proven to be malignant and 34 were benign. The accuracy of diagnoses with A.B.C. was; true positive 86.7 per cent (65/75) of the time, true negative 82.6 per cent (28/34) of the time, false negative 5.3 per cent (4/75) of the time and false positive 5.7 per cent (2/34) of the time. Unsatisfactory or inadequate aspirated tissue made A.B.C. diagnosis difficult in 5.5 per cent (6/109) of the cases. Three out of 7 with malignant tumors, who were wrongly diagnosed as benign by A.B.C., had tumors with a diameter of 1.0 cm or less. Two benign cases which were falsely diagnosed as malignant also had small tumors about 1.0 cm in diameter. Although A.B.C. is more reliable than other conventional supplementary diagnostic techniques (mammography, ultrasonography, etc.), it is important to carefully follow clinically questionable cases which appear negative, using A.B.C.

Microscopic carcinoma of the breast--report of a case.

Microscopic cancer is extremely rare even among “occult breast cancers”. We treated a 70 year old woman with complaints of serosanguineous nipple discharge which yielded cytologically Class V cancer cells. Microdochectomy was performed and intraductal carcinoma was verified histologically in serially cut sections. Following a simple mastectomy, she has been well with no evidence of recurrence or metastasis, at this time.