The aim of this study was to test the prognostic contribution of estrogen (ER) and progesterone (PgR) receptor status to an index consisting of the number of positive lymph nodes, the mean nuclear area of the breast cancer cells (MNA), and tumour diameter. This index is compared with a Danish index, which includes the same factors but uses histological grade instead of MNA. The Danish index has been developed from the Nottingham Prognostic Index (NPI). In the present study of 1629 breast cancer patients the Cox proportional hazard method is used to examine the time-dependency of the index, and to test for interaction between the index and the hormone receptors. The index sorts the patients into groups with low, intermediate, and high risk of dying. Logistic regression analysis is used to report the sensitivity and specificity of the index with and without ER and PgR. Our index gave information comparable to that of the Danish group. However, the information given by our index is time-dependent, its strength being weaker after 5-year of follow-up. PgR and ER add information to high risk patients, but only in the first 5-year period. High risk patients with positive hormone receptors have a prognosis similar to intermediate risk ones. PgR increases the ability of the index to predict breast cancer deaths correctly by 5 percent in high risk patients. In conclusion, PgR and ER act differently in groups of patients with different risk levels when time-dependency is considered. This indicates biological differences in subgroups as defined by the index.

This study of 786 node-negative breast cancer patients demonstrates that the prognostic effect of age at operation, tumor diameter and mean nuclear area (MNA) changed over time. Identifying patients at higher risk of dying after 5 years may be of clinical importance. These are patients who may have had a low metastatic tumor burden at the time of operation and in whom cytostatic adjuvant treatment could be of value. When estimating 10-year survival, a significant loss of strength was found for age. A near significant loss of effect was also found for MNA, while tumor diameter was the variable best maintaining prognostic power during the observation period. Due to the loss of strength for MNA and age when estimating 10-year survival, the observation period was divided into two periods. When estimating 5-year survival, MNA was the strongest variable, while tumor diameter and age gave additional significant information. When estimating the next 5 years, excluding patients who died before 5 years, only tumor diameter gave significant prognostic information (573 cases). This again stresses the importance of tumor diameter in assessing prognosis in node-negative patients.

Mzehle, B. 0. The internal elastic lamina in the basilar artery and its possible significance for intimal thickening. APMIS 99: 773-779, 1991.The degree of intimal thickening, folding of the internal elastic lamina (IEL) and luminal radius/wall thickness ratio (RWR) have been compared between predilectional sites and a non-predilectional site for atherosclerosis in human basilar arteries. The findings are compatible with the hypothesis that a low degree of folding and a high RWR facilitate intimal thickening. A negative correlation between the fold index and intimal thickening index and a positive correlation between RWR index and intimal thickening index were found. Predilectional areas also have lower fold indices and higher RWR in younger subjects prior to any intimal thickening development.