Abstract
A considerable subgroup of patients with early breast cancer does not address benefits of anthracycline based chemotherapy. The aim of this retrospective study was to investigate the effect of microvessel density (MVD) and status of p53 protein on 5-year disease free survival (DFS) in the group of breast cancer patients treated with anthracyclines in adjuvant setting. Correlations between MVD, p53 status and other clinicopathological parameters were also assessed. MVD and p53 status were analyzed immunohistochemically in the group of 172 women with breast cancer in clinical stage T1-2, N1-N2, M0. There were 123 tumors (71.5 %) with lower MVD (≤ 214.8 microvesells/mm(2)) and 49 (28.5 %) with higher MVD (>214.8 microvesells/mm(2)). The proportion of higher MVD tumors significantly increased in N2 (P = 0.000) and in estrogen (P = 0.046) or progesterone receptors (P = 0.029) negative tumors. p53 positivity was indicated in 50 cancers (29.1 %) and was significantly associated with higher grade (P = 0.000), steroid receptors negativity (P = 0.000), cytokeratin5/6 positivity (P = 0.026), topoisomerase IIα overexpression (P = 0.005) and higher proliferation rate (P = 0.001). In univariate analysis, higher MVD (P = 0.016) and p53 negativity (P = 0.023) were significantly related with longer DFS (median follow-up 36 months). In multivariate Cox regression analysis MVD was independently associated with DFS. These data suggest that higher MVD is favourable prognostic factors for early advanced breast cancer patients after adjuvant anthracycline based chemotherapy.