Factors Predictive of Positive Lymph Nodes for Breast Cancer

oleh: Kelly M. Elleson, Katherine Englander, Julia Gallagher, Neha Chintapally, Weihong Sun, Junmin Whiting, Melissa Mallory, John Kiluk, Susan Hoover, Nazanin Khakpour, Brian Czerniecki, Christine Laronga, Marie Catherine Lee

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2023-12-01

Deskripsi

Background: Axillary node status is an important prognostic factor in breast cancer. The primary aim was to evaluate tumor size and other characteristics relative to axillary disease. Materials and Methods: Single institution retrospective chart review of stage I-III breast cancer patients collected demographic and clinical/pathologic data from 1998–2019. Student’s <i>t</i>-test, Chi-squared test (or Fisher exact test if applicable), and logistic regression models were used for testing the association of pN+ to predictive variables. Results: Of 728 patients (mean age 59 yrs) with mean follow up of 50 months, 86% were estrogen receptor +, 10% Her2+, 78% ER+HER2−negative, and 10% triple-negative. In total, 351/728 (48.2%) were pN+ and mean tumor size was larger in pN+ cases compared to pN− cases (mean = 27.7 mm versus 15.5 mm) (<i>p</i> < 0.001). By univariate analysis, pN+ was associated with lymphovascular invasion (LVI), higher grade, Her2, and histology (<i>p</i> < 0.005). Tumor-to-nipple distance was shorter in pN+ compared to pN− (45 mm v. 62 mm; <i>p</i>< 0.001). Age < 60, LVI, recurrence, mastectomy, larger tumor size, and shorter tumor-nipple distance were associated with 3+ positive nodes (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Conclusions: Larger tumor size and shorter tumor-nipple distance were associated with higher lymph node positivity. Age less than 60, LVI, recurrence, mastectomy, larger tumor size, and shorter tumor-nipple distance were all associated with 3+ positive lymph nodes.