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The article offers information on the forthcoming meetings of the British Division of the International Academy of Pathology including the 26th International Congress which will be held in Montreal, Canada on September 17 to 22, 2006 and the Symposium on Breast Pathology which will be held in London, England on November 24 to 25, 2006.

The prognostic information obtained by triple node biopsy (low axillary, apical axillary and internal mammary nodes) in 693 patients with early breast cancer has been reviewed. Results show that tumour site within the breast influenced which nodal groups were involved. The low axillary node contributed the most useful prognostic information. The involved apical node carried the worst prognosis. Either the internal mammary node or a low axillary node when positive alone carried the same prognostic weight. When both nodes were positive the prognosis declined to the level associated with apical node positivity. A double node biopsy of the low axillary node and either the apical or the internal mammary node gave the same maximum prognostic information as a triple node biopsy. The triple node biopsy technique can be used to divide patients into groups with vastly different prognoses.

The results of a 12-year retrospective study on the epidemiology of hydatidiform mole (HM) in Nottingham are presented. We have reviewed the histology of our cases of HM, tried to minimize selection bias, and have used the most reliable data available. Using data from two different sources we have calculated the frequency of HM as 1 in 1400 deliveries. The frequency of HM in this study is one quarter of that reported in an excellent study from Japan. We suggest that, with accurate epidemiological studies, the difference in frequency of HM between 'high risk' and 'low risk' areas is less than previously accepted. The present study also shows a lower incidence of persistent trophoblastic disease than previously generally accepted. We confirm that partial HM is a distinct clinicopathological entity and that two forms are distinguishable histologically. The malignant potential of partial HM is uncertain, and we suggest that the clinical management of partial HM should be no different from that of complete HM until further studies dictate otherwise.

As part of a national study of early detection of breast cancer, 28663 women aged between 45 and 64 have been invited to attend a teaching programme on the method of self-examination with the advice to practise it regularly. This paper reports the early results of the Nottingham study on 14905 who have attended. To date there have been 717 self-referrals. One hundred and thirty-nine of these had a significant abnormality on either clinical examination or mammography and eight biopsies have been performed. Cancer was detected in 43 women. This is a detection rate of 2.9 cancers per 1000 educated. Mean tumour size was 2.3 cm (0.5-6.0 cm) and 56% were lymph node negative.

This report presents the results of a study into the effect of breast self-examination (BSE) in a large defined population within the City of Nottingham since 1979. We have examined the effect of breast self-examination in a group of patients invited to attend for education in BSE compared with a group of historical controls. No overall survival advantage has been demonstrated for the study group but within the latter group patients who had attended for instruction in BSE had a significantly better actuarial survival at 13 years than those who did not (P less than 0.001). Patients in the study group presented with significantly smaller tumours which were more likely to be of better histological grade and lymph node stage. A case-control study has demonstrated the value of attendance for BSE particularly in post-menopausal women. Although BSE is not as sensitive as mammographic screening, patients who practise it present with more favourable tumour characteristics and its value in post-menopausal women supports its use as an adjunct to mammographic screening.