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Patients with preoperatively ultrasonically uninvolved axillary lymph nodes: a distinct subgroup of early breast cancer patients

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Summary

Introduction

Ultrasound (US) preoperative examination of the axillary lymph nodes combined with the fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) is often used in order to reduce the number of sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy procedures in clinically node negative breast cancer patients. The pathohistological characteristics of the ultrasonically negative axillary lymph nodes in clinically negative axillary lymph nodes are not known. The aim of our study was to compare the pathohistological characteristics of ultrasonically uninvolved axillary lymph nodes (US group) versus clinically uninvolved axillary lymph nodes (non-US group) in SLN biopsy candidates.

Methods

We included 658 patients after SLN biopsy; 286 patients in the US group and 372 in the non-US group. The pathohistological characteristics of axillary lymph nodes were evaluated by univariate analysis and logistic regression.

Results

In the univariate analysis, the proportion of macrometastastic SLN, total number of metastatic lymph nodes per patient, proportion of nonsentinel lymph node (NSLN) metastases and proportion of NSLN macrometastases were found to be lower in the US group compared to the non-US group. In the logistic regression model, only US of the axilla (p=0.010; OR: 0.57) and tumor size were significant predictors for the presence of SLN macrometastases or macrometastatic NSLN (p<0.001; OR: 0.23).

Conclusion

The patients with US negative axillary lymph nodes form a distinct subgroup of early breast cancer patients having a significantly lower tumor burden in the axillary lymph nodes compared to those with only clinically negative axillary lymph nodes.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgical Oncology, Institute of Oncology Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia

    Janez Zgajnar, Marko Hocevar & Nikola Besic

  2. Department of Radiology, Institute of Oncology Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia

    Maja Podkrajsek & Kristijana Hertl

  3. Department of Pathology, Institute of Oncology Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia

    Snjezana Frkovic-Grazio

  4. Institute of Biomedical Informatics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia

    Gaj Vidmar

  5. Department of Surgical Oncology, Institute of Oncology Ljubljana, Zaloska c. 2, 1105, Ljubljana, Slovenia

    Janez Zgajnar

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  1. Janez Zgajnar
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  2. Marko Hocevar
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  3. Maja Podkrajsek
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  4. Kristijana Hertl
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  5. Snjezana Frkovic-Grazio
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Correspondence to Janez Zgajnar.

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Zgajnar, J., Hocevar, M., Podkrajsek, M. et al. Patients with preoperatively ultrasonically uninvolved axillary lymph nodes: a distinct subgroup of early breast cancer patients. Breast Cancer Res Treat 97, 293–299 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10549-005-9123-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10549-005-9123-6

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