Breast Cancer Biopsy
Cancer Cell Division Rate
A pathologist can estimate the cell division rate when examining biopsy cells under the microscope. If there are a number of cells that have more than one nucleus (a sign that a cell is ready to divide), or if the nuclei are beginning to split apart (also a predictor of cell division), the pathologist will report that the nuclear grade of the cancer is 3, meaning rapid division. If there is no evidence of cell division, the nuclear grade is reported as 1, meaning the behavior of the cancer -- not necessarily its size -- is in an early stage. A grade of 1 is better than a grade of 3. A more precise measure of the rate of cell division is a test called DNA flow cytometry, which estimates the S-phase fraction. S-phase is one of the phases a cell goes through before dividing. A low S-phase fraction means little cell division, whereas a high S-phase fraction means cells are dividing fairly rapidly. It is better to have a low S-phase fraction than a high one.
