Author/Editor		Pajk, Bojana
Title		Napovedna vrednost DNA ploidije pri starejših bolnicah z rakom dojke zdravljenih s tamoksifenom
Type		monografija
Place		Ljubljana
Publisher		Medicinska fakulteta
Publication year		1999
Volume		str. 49
Language		slo
Abstract		Background: About one third of all patients diagnosed with breast cancer in SLovenia are older than 70 years. Due to concomitant diseases, poor performance status, short life expectancy or refusal of surgery also patients with operable breast cancer are treated with an anti-estrogen, tamoxifen alone. In these patients classical prognostic factors can not be determined, which renders the course of disease and their response to hormonal therapy unpredictable. DNA ploidy is one of the new prognostic factors in breast cancer. It can be determined in a fine-needle biopsy sample by means of flow cytometry. There has been little information published on the predictive value of DNA ploidy of the primary tumor and S phase fraction for response to tamoxifen, as well as for the duration of response and survival in elderly patients. Aim: To find out whether the DNA ploidy and S phase fraction can help to predict the response to tamoxifen, as well as the disease-free survival and overall survival of breast cancer patients older than 70 years. Patients and methods: Our retrospective study included 79 breast cancer patients treated with tamoxifen during the period 1992/1993 at the Institute of Oncology in Ljubljana. The mean age of the patients was 81 years (range 70-96 yrs). At the time of diagnosis, 3/79 (4%) patients had clinical stage I, 30/79 (38%) stage II, 32/79 (40%) stage III, and 14/79 (28%) patients had clinical stage IV of the disease. Median follow up of the patients was 49 months (range 3-72 mos). The diagnosis of breast cancer was established by fine-needle aspiration of a tumor sample. At the same time samples were taken for DNA analysis. DNA ploidy and S phase fraction were determined using a PAS II flow-cytometer. (Abstract truncated at 2000 characters).
Descriptors		BREAST NEOPLASMS TAMOXIFEN PLOIDIES DNA NEOPLASM STAGING AGED SURVIVAL ANALYSIS FLOW CYTOMETRY DIPLOIDY RETROSPECTIVE STUDIES MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS