In the January 1, 2010 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology, a study was released which confirms the belief that tubular carcinomas of the breast have a more favorable prognosis than typical Grade I invasive carcinomas, NST.

I’ve reported before on invasive carcinomas which have been associated with a more favorable prognosis.  Tubular carcinoma is one of such invasive carcinomas that has traditionally been considered to confer a more favorable overall prognosis for the patient, even compared to a Grade I invasive carcinoma, NST.

This new article from the UK confirms prior impressions. In their study, 102 patients with pure tubular carcinomas were compared to 212 patients with Grade I invasive ductal carcinoma.  Compared to the Grade I carcinomas, the researchers found that tubular carcinomas were usually smaller, more likely to be found on mammographic screening, and were less likely to show angiolymphatic invasion.

Most importantly, tubular carcinomas were found to be associated with longer disease-free survival and breast cancer specific survival compared to the Grade I carcinomas.  Both of these were statistically significant (p values of <.001 and .003 respectively).

This study confirms the need for pathologists to stick to strict criteria for the definition of tubular carcinoma, as well as the other carcinomas that are associated with a more favorable prognosis.

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