The prognostic significance of AgNOR counts in lymph node deposits of breast carcinomas

Summary Low AgNOR counts in metastatic lymph node deposits confer a longer 5-year survival rate in patients with breast carcinoma compared with those having high AgNOR counts. This was demonstrated in a series of 30 axillary lymph nodes from an equal number of patients with malignant breast disease. The beneficial effect of the low AgNOR status was independent of tumour differentiation, tumour size and the patients' age using univariate analysis, but it was related to the number of lymph nodes with metastatic disease. It is thought that AgNOR counts in axillary lymph node metastases may be an additional prognostic variable in assessing breast tumour behaviour.