Micrometastases in axillary lymph nodes in breast cancer, post-neoadjuvant systemic therapy.

ABSTRACT: The significance of minimal residual axillary disease, specifically micrometastases, following neoadjuvant systemic therapy (NST) remains largely unexplored. Our study aimed to elucidate the prognostic implications of micrometastases in axillary and sentinel lymph nodes following NST. This retrospective study analyzed primary breast cancer patients who underwent surgery after NST from September 2006 through February 2018. All patients received axillary lymph node dissection (ALND), either with or without sentinel lymph node biopsy. Recurrence-free survival (RFS)-associated variables were identified using a multivariate Cox proportional hazard model. Of the 978 patients examined, 438 (44.8%) exhibited no pathologic lymph node involvement (ypN0) after NST, while 89 (9.1%) had micrometastases

SUBMITTER: Lee J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11293213 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature