Most impoant prognostic factor for breast carcinoma is: March 2005

Ans. B: Lymph node involvement Prognostic factors include staging, (i.e., tumor size, location, grade, whether disease has traveled to other pas of the body), recurrence of the disease, and age of patient. The best indicators of likely prognosis in breast cancer remain tumour size and lymph node status, which are components of stage of a tumour. The higher the stage at diagnosis, the worse is the prognosis. The stage is raised by the invasiveness of disease to lymph nodes, chest wall, skin or beyond, and the aggressiveness of the cancer cells. The stage is lowered by the presence of cancer-free zones and close-to-normal cell behaviour (grading). Size is not a factor in staging unless the cancer is invasive. For example, Ductal Carcinoma in Situ (DCIS) involving the entire breast will still be stage zero and consequently an excellent prognosis with a 10yr disease free survival.