Can negative axillary ultrasound reliably predict pathologically negative axillary lymph node status in breast cancer patients with cT ≤3 cm, cN0, and HER2-positive?-a retrospective, single-institution study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Breast cancer (BC) is the leading cancer in women globally, with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive subtype accounting for 15-20% of cases and exhibiting aggressive behavior. The standard of care for operable BC has evolved to include neoadjuvant systemic therapy, which can guide treatment decisions and improve outcomes, particularly in HER2⁺ BC. This study aims to investigate whether axillary ultrasound has a good negative predictive value (NPV) for early HER2 BC patients and to identify clinicopathological factors that can impact the axillary lymph node metastasis.

Methods

This retrospective, single-center study evaluated the medical records of 135 patients with HER2⁺ BC, cT ≤3 cm, and clinically negative axillary lymp

SUBMITTER: Qiu C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11399003 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature