Association of a high versus low number of negative lymph nodes removed with survival and recurrence-free survival after lymph node dissection in breast cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies.

ABSTRACT: Although most studies have reported that a high number of negative lymph nodes (NLNs) at surgery can be associated with improved overall survival (OS) in patients with breast cancer (BC), the effect size was reported differently in several studies, which may be due to the small sample size of the primary studies. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to investigate the association of a high number of NLNs removed during surgery with OS and recurrence-free survival (RFS) in BC patients who are candidates for axillary lymph node dissection. We searched the PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Google Scholar, and Web of Science databases, as well as study references, to identify related articles published from the beginning of 2000 to October 2024. Based on sensitivity analysis, the removal of ≥ 

SUBMITTER: Bahardoust M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12769599 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature