Neoadjuvant chemotherapy impacts axillary lymph node positivity in early breast cancer (cT1-2N0M0) with negative axillary lymph nodes at diagnosis.

ABSTRACT:

Purpose

This study compared the role of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) followed by surgery vs. upfront surgery for avoiding axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) in patients with cT1-2N0M0 breast cancer and clinically negative axillary lymph nodes (LNs) at diagnosis.

Patients and methods

Medical records of a sample of 1,695 patients with a primary diagnosis of axillary LN-negative early-stage breast cancer who underwent surgical treatment for breast cancer at the First Bethune Hospital of Jilin University between June 2019 and December 2022 were retrospectively reviewed. The positive rate of sentinel lymph nodes (PR_SLN) and the positive rate of total axillary lymph nodes (PR_TLN) were compared between patients who received 4-8 cycles of NAC followed by s

SUBMITTER: Ma J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12549614 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature