A high macrophage content in human breast cancer is not associated with favourable prognostic factors

The macrophage contents of 40 human primary breast cancers were ascertained using three separate macrophage membrane markers. Four prognostic factors (lymph node status, tumour size, histological grade and oestrogen receptor status) were determined concurrently in these mammary carcinomas. No significant relationship was found between the macrophage content of the mammary carcinomas and any individual prognostic factor. When the patients were grouped according to whether they had 0-2 or 3-4 high risk factors, however, the macrophage content was significantly greater in those tumours with the poorer prognosis, regardless of the marker used to enumerate the cells. A high macrophage content, therefore, is not associated with favourable prognostic factors in breast cancer. Indeed, the present study has revealed the reverse to be the case.