[Cytologic grade, a prognostic factor in breast cancer].

Fine needle aspirations of breast carcinomas, submitted to a hypochromic Papanicolaou staining procedure, provides useful prognostic data. Three grades of increasing severity were used as a classification. An homogeneous group of 189 patients submitted to similar therapeutic management has been analyzed: 15.3/1 000 patients/months of those classified in grade III, versus 5.2 in grade II and 2 in grade I have had a worsening outcome within 1 to 5 years. The correlation of the cytoprognostic classification with TNM classification and lymph node involvement is significant. Moreover grade III points at patients with high metastatic potential: 27 per cent of stage I, 18 per cent without lymph nodes involvement and 23 per cent with less than 3 lymph nodes involved will develop recurrence within 5 years. The absence of steroid receptors confirms the poor prognosis of grade III.