J Korean Surg Soc.  2000 Nov;59(5):577-583.

Predictors of Axillary Lymph Node Metastases in Patients with T1 Breast Cancer

• Lee KN
• Kim JR
• Chang ES

Abstract

PURPOSE: In T1 tumors, the reported incidence of lymph node metastasis ranges from 6% to 31%. The authors analyzed the clinical and the pathological parameters of T1 tumors for their association with the likelihood of axillary lymph node metastases (ALNM). METHODS: The authors reviewed data from 57 patients with T1 breast carcinomas who had undergone a level I/II axillary dissection from January 1996 to March 2000. The association between the incidence of ALNM and clinical/pathologic factors (age, site, size, neoadjuvant chemotherapy, histologic grade, lymphovascular invasion, estrogen receptor status, progesterone receptor status, p53, and c-erbB-2) were analyzed by using chi-square tests. RESULTS: Approximately 42% of the 57 patients with a T1 breast carcinoma had ALNM. Chi-square tests showed that lymph node metastases were associated with tumor size (P=0.043), lymphovascular invasion (P=0.001), and expression of c-erbB-2 (P=0.026). CONCLUSION: The authors conclude that the charac teristics of the primary tumor can be used to estimate the risk of ALNM in patients with a T1 breast carcinoma. Such a risk assessment might facillitate appropriate management.

Keyword

Axillary lymph node metastases; Breast cancer; Predictive factors

MeSH Terms

Breast Neoplasms*
Breast*
Drug Therapy
Estrogens
Humans
Incidence
Lymph Nodes*
Neoplasm Metastasis*
Receptors, Progesterone
Risk Assessment
Estrogens
Receptors, Progesterone