Cell Cannibalism as an Indicator of Anaplasia and Tumor Aggresiveness in Carcinoma Breast

Cell cannibalism is an emerging indicator of both the anaplastic grade and invasiveness. It is especially valuable as it eventually helps in assessing tumor behavior. Sixty two cytologically diagnosed (FNAC) cases of breast malignancies were assessed for the presence of cell cannibalism. The results were correlated with the grade/differentiation of malignancy. The study revealed that cell cannibalism was encountered in 67.74% cases of breast carcinoma. Fifty percent of grade I, 65% of grade II and 100% of grade III tumors grade and mean cannibalism per smear, it was observed that grade I tumors had a mean of 1.66/ smear, grade II a mean of 2.23/ smear and grade III a mean of 3.40/ smear. Tumor diathesis and metastasis were also found more in cannibalism positive cases. Finally, a conclusion was drawn that cell cannibalism was encountered more in high grade tumors. Thus it can be regarded as a marker of anaplasia and aggressive tumor behavior, however, a large number a large number of cases should be studied to give a definite opinion regarding this issue.