Prognostic and clinical evaluation of axillary lymph node metastasis in esophageal cancer

Axillary lymph node metastasis (ALNM) from esophageal cancer is rare. Its prognosis and effective treatments remain unknown. Between 1997 and 2005, esophagectomy was performed in 361 patients with esophageal cancer in our hospital. ALNM was identified in four patients (1.1%). All patients had left ALNM with ipsilateral left supraclavicular lymph node metastasis. In two patients ALNM developed after radical esophagectomy with regional lymphadenectomy and in the other two patients after chemoradiotherapy of primary lesions. Axillary lymphadenectomy with chemoradiotherapy was given to all patients. Median survival time and disease-free survival (DFS) after initial treatment for primary esophageal cancer were 30.5 months and 11.5 months, respectively. One patient, who had a small number of regional lymph node metastases (two lymph nodes) at esophagectomy and prolonged DFS (22 months) until axillary node recurrence, is still alive, 67 months after axillary lymphadenectomy. The other three patients, who had larger numbers of regional lymph node metastases (average, 8.3) and shorter DFS (average, 9.7 months), died of recurrence an average of 13.3 months after axillary lymphadenectomy. In conclusion, although ALNM is considered a type of distant organ metastasis, if it is a solitary recurrence, good survival may be obtained after appropriate loco-regional therapy. The number of metastatic regional lymph nodes at initial esophagectomy and the duration of DFS until axillary node recurrence can help to guide the decision whether aggressive treatments are warranted.     

Prognostic significance of axillary lymph node micrometastases and microvessel count in breast cancer

Objective To investigate the influence of axillary lymph node micrometastases and the microvessel count on the prognosis of patients with breast cancer. Methods Forty-eight patients with breast cancer, who had no tumor cells in their regional lymph nodes based on conventional histopathologic examination, were re -examined with immunohistochemical LSAB techniques. H&E, anti-EMA, CK 19 and FVIII factor staining was used to identify tumor cells in both lymph nodes and tumor tissues and to count the mtcrovessels. A total of 882 lymph nodes were examined. Results Immunostaining-positive tumor cells were found in 9.0 %( 79/882) of the dissected lymph nodes. The positive rates were not significantly different between a surviving group and a deceased group (P>0.05). The microvessel count was significantly higher in group that had died (P<0.001). Conclusion The lymph node micrometastases did not show any correlation with patients’ survival, but the microvessel density had a negative correlation with the survival period in breast cancer patients who had negative axillary lymph nodes.     

Prognostic Significance of Axillary Lymph Node Micrometastases and Microvessel Count in Breast Cancer

Objective  To investigate the influence of axillary lymph node micrometastases and the microvessel count on the prognosis of patients with breast cancer. Methods  Forty-eight patients with breast cancer, who had no tumor cells in their regional lymph nodes based on conventional histopathologic examination, were re -examined with immunohistochemical LSAB techniques. H&E, anti-EMA, CK 19 and FVIII factor staining was used to identify tumor cells in both lymph nodes and tumor tissues and to count the mtcrovessels. A total of 882 lymph nodes were examined. Results  Immunostaining-positive tumor cells were found in 9.0 %( 79/882) of the dissected lymph nodes. The positive rates were not significantly different between a surviving group and a deceased group (P>0.05). The microvessel count was significantly higher in group that had died (P<0.001). Conclusion  The lymph node micrometastases did not show any correlation with patients’ survival, but the microvessel density had a negative correlation with the survival period in breast cancer patients who had negative axillary lymph nodes.     

临床腋淋巴结阳性乳腺癌患者行全腋窝淋巴结清扫的应用探讨

背景与目的:临床腋淋巴结阳性乳腺癌患者常规行全腋窝淋巴结清扫,本研究探讨改良根治术时采用改进L3组淋巴结清扫方式的临床应用及意义.方法:322例临床腋淋巴结阳性的乳腺癌患者中,154例采用改进的L3组淋巴结清扫方式,168例行常规Auchinclos改良根治术,对两种手术方式所用时间和术后不良反应进行比较,同时随访观察患者的无病生存率.结果:两种手术方式所用手术时间、术后不良反应差异无统计学意义(P＞0.05),行改进术式患者腋下淋巴结总数及L3组淋巴结数较常规术式多,两组差异有统计学意义(P＜0.05),L3组淋巴结未转移患者5年无病生存率为68.6％,L3组淋巴结转移患者5年无病生存率为35.7％,差异有统计学意义(P＜0.05).结论:对临床腋淋巴结阳性乳腺癌患者行L3组淋巴结清扫具有一定的临床应用价值,采用改进的淋巴结清扫方式,便于L3组淋巴结的清扫.     

Therapeutic options for contralateral axillary lymph node metastasis in breast cancer

Contralateral axillary lymph node metastasis (CAM) in breast cancer is rare, and the reason is unclear. CAM may be found at the time of primary breast cancer diagnosis or following primary tumor treatment. CAM staging and treatment methods are controversial. Hence, we summarized the features of CAM patients and explored the therapeutic options. We report the case of an 82-year-old woman with right breast cancer accompanied by CAM. The records of breast cancer patients with CAM in PubMed (January 2000-May 2020) were also reviewed. After undergoing comprehensive treatments (neoadjuvant chemotherapy, surgery, radiotherapy, endocrine therapy, and targeted therapy), no signs of recurrence and metastasis were noted during the 25-month follow-up. Overall, 17 studies (36 patients) were selected for the review, of which 15 had synchronous CAM and 21 had metachronous CAM. Nineteen of 22 patients had histologic grade 3. Forty percent (12/30) had ≥4 positive lymph nodes. Among these 36 patients, 9 had triple-negative breast cancers, and 9 were human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 positive. Among the 30 patients staged, 6 (20%) were in stage I; 7 (23.33%), stage II; and 17 (56.67%), stage III. Two patients received systemic therapy, while one received an unknown treatment. The remaining 33 patients all received local treatment (surgery or radiotherapy). The survival time of synchronous and metachronous CAM patients was 12-72 months with the death rate of 1/7 and 12-144 months with that of 3/12, respectively. CAM may be a regional manifestation rather than a distant metastasis. Comprehensive treatment, including surgery and radiotherapy, may provide better control.     

Factors influencing axillary lymph node metastasis in invasive breast cancer

Purpose: To explore the relationship between auxiliary lymph node metastasis and clinical features, andto identify the factors that affect metastasis occurrence. Methods: A total of 164 cases of primary breastcancer were selected to investigate features such as age, concomitant chronic disease and pathologic diagnosis.Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of the estrogen receptor (ER) and CerbB-2. Logisticregression was employed to analyze the factors that affect the incidence of lymph node metastases. Results: Theincidence of lymph node metastases was 46.3% among elderly patients with breast cancer. Based on logisticregression, chronic disease, scale of tumor, age, and ER expression affected the occurrence of lymph nodemetastases; the ORs were 3.05, 2.18, 0.34, and 3.83, respectively. Between different pathologic diagnoses andthe risk factors, the OR scores were 12.7 and 8.02, respectively, for aggressive ductal carcinoma and aggressivelobular carcinoma auxiliary lymph node metastases. Conclusion: The incidence of lymph node metastases isaffected by chronic disease, scale of tumor, age, ER expression and pathologic diagnosis.     

Significance of axillary lymph node metastasis in primary breast cancer.

PURPOSE: Axillary lymph node status is the single most important prognostic variable in the management of patients with primary breast cancer. Yet, it is not known whether metastasis to the axillary nodes is simply a time-dependent variable or also a marker for a more aggressive tumor phenotype. The purpose of this study was to determine whether nodal status at initial diagnosis predicts outcome after relapse and therefore also serves as a marker of breast cancer phenotype. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Survival experience after first relapse in 1,696 primary breast cancer cases was analyzed using Cox proportional hazards regression. The following explanatory variables and their first-order interactions were considered: number of axillary lymph nodes involved (zero v one to three v four or more), hormone receptor status (any estrogen receptor [ER] negativity v ER negativity/progesterone receptor positivity v other ER positivity), primary tumor size (< 2 cm v 2 to 5 cm v > 5 cm), site of relapse (locoregional v distant), disease-free interval (< 1.5 years v 1.5 to 3 years v > 3 years), adjuvant endocrine therapy (none v any), adjuvant chemotherapy (none v any), and menopausal status (pre-, peri-, or postmenopausal). RESULTS: Axillary lymph node status, site of relapse, and hormone receptor status were all highly significant as main effects in the model. After adjustment for other variables, disease-free interval alone was only modestly significant but interacted with nodal status. After disease-free interval, hormone receptor status, and site of relapse were accounted for, survival after relapse was poorer in node-positive cases, when compared with node-negative cases. The hazard ratios for patients with one to three and four or more involved nodes were 1.2 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.8 to 1.9) and 2.5 (95% CI, 1.8 to 3.4), respectively. CONCLUSION: Patients with four or more involved nodes at initial diagnosis have a significantly worse outcome after relapse than node-negative cases, regardless of the duration of the disease-free interval. We conclude that nodal metastasis is not only a marker of diagnosis at a later point in the natural history of breast cancer but also a marker of an aggressive phenotype.     

前哨淋巴结活检术检测乳腺癌腋窝淋巴结转移的效果评价

区域淋巴结是否转移是影响乳腺癌患者预后的独立因素。临床已证实,对于腋窝淋巴结阴性乳腺癌患者,行常规腋窝淋巴结清除术(axillary lymph node dissection,ALND)无任何治疗意义,而且可引起许多并发症。乳腺癌前哨淋巴结     

乳腺癌腋窝淋巴结转移的多因素分析

目的:研究乳腺癌腋窝淋巴结转移与年龄、民族、初潮年龄、第一胎生育年龄、绝经、绝经年龄、病程、哺乳时间、妊娠次数、肿瘤部位、肿瘤大小（B超、钼靶、MRI分别测值）、病理分型、雌激素受体（ER）、孕激素受体（PR）、C-erbB-2基因表达之间的关系及规律,为乳腺癌手术中腋窝淋巴结清扫术的指征提供理论依据。方法:回顾性分析356例乳腺癌患者的临床资料。结果:腋窝淋巴结转移228例（64%）,无转移128例（36%）;腋窝淋巴结转移与第一胎生育年龄、妊娠次数、哺乳时间、病程、肿瘤大小(B超、钼靶、MRI)、肿瘤部位、病理类型相关（P<0.05）,P值分别为0.007、0.005、0.006、0.022、（0.001、0.000、0.020）、0.009、0.000。结论:腋窝淋巴结的转移受多种因素影响。     

Proteomic profiling of primary breast cancer predicts axillary lymph node metastasis

To determine if protein expression in primary breast cancers can predict axillary lymph node (ALN) metastasis, we assessed differences in protein expression between primary breast cancers with and without ALN metastasis using surface-enhanced laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (SELDI-TOF-MS). Laser capture microdissection was performed on invasive breast cancer frozen sections from 65 patients undergoing resection with sentinel lymph node (SLN) or level I and II ALN dissection. Isolated proteins from these tumors were applied to immobilized metal affinity capture (IMAC-3) ProteinChip arrays and analyzed by SELDI-TOF-MS to generate unique protein profiles. Correlations between unique protein peaks and histologically confirmed ALN status and other known clinicopathologic factors were examined using ANOVA and multivariate logistic regression. Two metal-binding polypeptides at 4,871 and 8,596 Da were identified as significant risk factors for nodal metastasis (P = 0.034 and 0.015, respectively) in a multivariate analysis. Lymphovascular invasion (LVI) was the only clinicopathologic factor predictive of ALN metastasis (P = 0.0038). In a logistic regression model combining the 4,871 and 8,596 Da peaks with LVI, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.87. Compared with patients with negative ALN, those with > or =2 positive ALN or non-SLN metastases were significantly more likely to have an increased peak at 4,871 Da (P = 0.016 and 0.0083, respectively). ProteinChip array analysis identified differential protein peaks in primary breast cancers that predict the presence and number of ALN metastases and non-SLN status.     

增强MRI影像组学在构建乳腺癌腋窝淋巴结转移预测模型中的应用研究

目的探讨基于增强MRI影像组学构建的预测模型对乳腺癌腋窝淋巴结转移的诊断效能。 方法根据纳入及排除标准,回顾性分析2016年1月至2020年6月在吉林省肿瘤医院接受手术治疗的376例女性乳腺癌患者的临床、病理及影像资料。患者术前接受乳腺增强MRI检查。用随机数字表法从所有患者中选择20例,由2名放射科医师对其影像独立分割病灶,勾画感兴趣区域(ROI)。采用组内相关系数(ICC)检验对2名医师勾画的ROI进行一致性分析。采用A.K.(Version 3.3.0)软件提取病灶区域的三维纹理特征参数,通过IPMs(Version 2.0.2)软件及最小绝对收缩和选择算子(LASSO)筛选出最佳影像组学特征,用于构建乳腺癌淋巴结转移预测模型。按7∶3的比例将患者随机分为训练组(n＝263)和验证组(n＝113)。采用6种机器学习模型,包括Logistic回归、随机森林(RF)、贝叶斯算法(NB)、决策树(DT)、邻近算法(KNN)和支持向量机(SVM)模型,对2组数据进行处理,采用受试者操作特征(ROC)曲线分析各机器学习模型对乳腺癌腋窝淋巴结转移的诊断效能,根据训练组ROC曲线下面积(AUC)大小,选择最佳模型。用决策曲线分析(DCA)评价最佳模型的临床获益。 结果共有腋窝淋巴结阳性患者114例,腋窝淋巴结阴性患者262例。操作者一致性检验结果显示：2名医师具有很强的操作者一致性(ICC＝0.915,95%CI: 0.894~0.932, P<0.001)。每个病灶提取得到396个三维纹理特征参数,筛选保留7个淋巴结阳性组与淋巴结阴性组间差异明显的影像组学特征,并将其与2个临床指标(年龄和绝经状态)和5个影像学指标(病灶位置、有无钙化、病灶数量、病灶长径和造影剂时间-信号曲线类型)一起,共14个参数,构建预测模型。6种机器学习模型中,Logistic回归模型在训练组中诊断乳腺癌腋窝淋巴结转移的AUC最高(0.798),准确率为73.0%(192/263)、特异度为75.4%(138/183)、敏感度为67.5%(54/80),在验证组的AUC为0.767、准确率为73.5%(83/113)、特异度为77.2%(61/79)、敏感度为64.7%(22/34),为最佳机器学习模型。基于Logistic回归模型的决策曲线分析结果显示：训练组中阈值为0.15~1.00,验证组中阈值为0.10~0.60,有临床获益。 结论基于增强MRI影像组学结合机器学习模型建立的预测模型能够鉴别乳腺癌淋巴结转移,其中以Logistic回归模型的诊断效能更优。     

Characteristics of and therapeutic options for contralateral axillary lymph node metastasis in breast cancer

Aim

Contralateral axillary metastasis (CAM) from breast cancer is uncommon. This papers aims to identify the features of our patients with CAM, as well as clarify management options.

Methods

We reviewed all of our breast cancer patients during the period from 2004 to 2009. All patients with a proven pathological diagnosis of CAM were included. Patients were evaluated for demographics, tumor features and management modalities.

Results

A total of 21 patients were included, forming 1.9% of our breast cancer population. The median age was 51 years (range 29-71). Twelve patients had large central or diffuse tumors. Most of the tumors were of invasive ductal type (95%), of high grade (81%) and with lymphovascular invasion (81%). The majority of cases were locally advanced (stage III: 90%). Hormonal receptor positivity and HER-2 overexpression were seen in 48% and 42% of cases, respectively. Those pathological features were significantly worse than those of patients without CAM. Ten patients had synchronous and 11 patients had metachronous CAM. Treatment modalities included axillary dissection, chemotherapy and hormonal therapy. Four patients died from metastatic disease and 5 patients are still alive without evidence of metastasis.

Conclusion

CAM is associated with tumors with aggressive pathological features. Hormonal therapy is associated with an excellent response in patients whose tumors are hormone-receptor positive. Axillary dissection is indicated in patients with early-stage tumors, when there is no response to systemic therapy, or for palliation. It is associated with excellent local control.     

Rab5A is associated with axillary lymph node metastasis in breast cancer patients

The expression of Rab proteins has been associated with cancer. However, few data are available on Rab5A expression in human breast cancer or its impact on disease progression. First, we examined the functional role of Rab5A in breast cancer cells. The expression of Rab5A in MDA-MB-231 cells can be stimulated by epidermal growth factor in a dose-dependent manner. The epidermal growth factor-induced increase of Rab5A expression correlated well with enhanced migration in wound healing migration assays in these cells. Furthermore, we evaluated the expression of Rab5A in breast cancer specimens using immunohistochemical staining, then analyzed the relationship between the expression of Rab5A and clinicopathological parameters. The increased expression of Rab5A protein in 123 breast cancer samples was associated with higher histological grade (P = 0.004), more lymphovascular invasion (P = 0.027), more axillary lymph node (LN) metastasis (P = 0.008), and a higher number of axillary LN metastases (P = 0.043). Among 218 axillary LNs of more than 10 breast cancer patients with node metastases, 167 metastatic LNs were found to have increased Rab5A expression. Rab5A is associated with axillary LN metastasis in breast cancer patients.     

Percent positive axillary lymph node metastasis predicts survival in patients with non-metastatic breast cancer

PURPOSE: We retrospectively evaluated the impact of percent positive axillary nodal involvement on the therapeutic outcomes in patients with non-metastatic breast cancer receiving postmastectomy radiotherapy and chemotherapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between January 1994 and December 2002, the medical records of 939 eligible non metastatic breast carcinoma patients were analyzed. Chest wall radiotherapy was indicated in case of positive surgical margin, tumor size equal or more than 4 cm, skin-fascia invasion. Lymphatic irradiation was applied for more than three metastatic axillary lymph nodes, incomplete axillary dissection (<10 lymph nodes), extracapsular extension or perinodal fat tissue invasion. A total dose of 50 Gy was given to chest wall and lymph node regions with 2 Gy daily fractions. Statistical analyses were performed by Kaplan-Meier method, Log-rank test and Cox's regression analysis. RESULTS: The median follow-up for all patients alive was 62 months. The 5-year overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) for entire cohort were 81%, and 65%, respectively. Univariate analysis for OS revealed significance for tumour size (< or =5 cm vs. >5 cm, p<0.001), metastatic nodal involvement (0 vs. 1-3 vs. >4 LN, p<0.001), percent positive nodal involvement ([metastatic nodes/total nodes removed] x 100; 0 vs. < or =25% vs. 26-50% vs. >50%, p<0.001), surgical margin status (negative vs. positive, p=0.05), and hormonal treatment (present vs. absent, p=0.03). DFS had similarly significance for age (< or =40 years vs. >40 years, p=0.006), tumour size (0.02), metastatic nodal involvement (p<0.001), percent positive nodal involvement (p<0.001), and perinodal invasion (present vs. absent, p=0.01). Multivariate analysis revealed significance for tumour size, percent positive nodal involvement, hormonal treatment, and surgical margin status for OS. Age and percent positive nodal involvement were found to be significant for DFS. CONCLUSION: Percent positive nodal involvement was found to be a significant prognostic factor for survival in all end-points.     

乳腺癌组织LOX蛋白表达与腋窝淋巴结转移相关性分析

目的 赖氨酰氧化酶(lysyl oxidase,LOX)是稳定细胞外基质的关键酶,主要功能是调节细胞黏附、运动及基因转录等.LOX在不同类型肿瘤中可能发挥着不同的作用.本研究通过观察LOX在腋窝淋巴结阳性乳腺癌组织中的表达,分析其与细胞周期蛋白D1 (Cyclin D1)、细胞增殖核抗原(nuclcar-associated antigen,Ki-67)、趋化因子受体4(C-X-C chemokine receptor type 4,CXCR4)及E-钙黏素(E-cadherin)的相关性,探讨LOX在乳腺癌腋窝淋巴结转移中的作用及可能机制.方法 收集广西医科大学附属肿瘤医院2013-09-01-2015-12-31住院手术切除的227例乳腺癌组织及配对的正常乳腺组织(距离癌组织＞5 cm)标本.采用免疫组化法检测LOX蛋白在乳腺癌组织和正常乳腺组织中的表达,分析LOX蛋白表达与临床病理特征及腋窝淋巴结转移数目的关系,以及Cyclin D1、Ki-67、CXCR4和E-cadherin蛋白与LOX蛋白表达的相关性.结果 LOX蛋白在乳腺癌组织中的阳性表达率64.8％ (147/227),显著高于癌旁正常乳腺组织的31.7％(72/227),x2 =49.621,P＜0.001.LOX蛋白表达与乳腺癌组织学分级、原发肿瘤大小、腋窝淋巴结状态、临床分期、ER、PR及HER2状态有关,x2值分别为8.312、6.183、10.597、7.950、19.731、5.221和16.648,P值分别为0.016、0.045、0.014、0.019、＜0.001、0.022和0.001;而与年龄、月经状态、体质量指数和分子分型无明显相关性,均P＞0.05.LOX蛋白表达与腋窝淋巴结转移数目呈正相关,r=0.199,P=0.003.LOX蛋白与Cyclin D1 (r=0.476,P＜0.001)、Ki-67(r=0.492,P＜0.001和CXCR4蛋白(r=0.539,P＜0.001)表达呈中度正相关,与E-cadherin蛋白表达呈中度负相关(r[-0.387,P＜0.001).结论 LOX蛋白在乳腺癌组织中表达升高,并与腋窝淋巴结转移相关.LOX蛋白过表达促进乳腺癌侵袭和转移,并可能通过上调Cyclin D1、Ki-67、CXCR4和下调E-cadherin表达促进腋窝淋巴结的转移.     

超声判断乳腺癌患者腋淋巴结转移的多因素分析

目的 观察乳腺癌患者原发灶及腋下淋巴结（LN）的超声诊断图像和彩色Doppler特点,分析淋巴结转移（LNM）的相关因素,以获得超声诊断乳腺癌患者腋下LNM的较佳组合指标。方法 超声观察113例乳腺癌患者的原发灶和腋LN。观察原发灶的位置、最大径、数量、内部钙化灶边带回声、边界、肿瘤内部的血流丰富程度分级（0-Ⅲ级）、最高流速和阻力指数;观察患侧腋LN目最大径、纵横比、纵切面皮质厚度与淋巴门厚度比值（皮／门比）、皮质局部最大厚径、淋巴结的血流分布类型、最高流速和阻力指数。全部患者均进行乳房改良根治术,以腋LN清扫的病理结果作为金标准,对与LNM相关的影像及临床因素进行单因素及多因素分析（Logistic回归）,并利用受试者工作率性（ROC）曲线评价诊断指标。结果 113例乳腺癌患者的超声观察指标单因素分析结果显示,原发灶的最大径、多发或弥漫、血流丰富度,对腋LNM有影响,差异有统计学意义（P=0．029-0．005）腋LN的纵横比、皮／门比、皮质局部最大厚径、血流分布类型与腋LNM有关,差异有统计学意义（P=0．000）。将单因素分析有意义的指标进行多因素分析,与腋LNM有关的影响因素为：LN的皮／门比LN的纵横比以及原发灶的最大径,利用ROC曲线评价各单项指标及其不同组合指标的诊断价值结果显示,LN皮／门比＋LN纵横比＋原发灶最大径这一组合指标最优,其ROC曲线的线下面积最大,即灵敏度和特异度之和最大。结论 对乳腺癌患者进行腋LN超声扫查,综合考虑原发灶大小LN的纵横比、皮质厚度及其与淋巴门厚度的比例关系,将有助于提高超声诊断腋LNM的正确率,较为准确地判断腋LN的状态。     

Variability in axillary lymph node dissection for breast cancer

BACKGROUND: The axillary nodal status may influence the prognosis and the choice of adjuvant treatment of individual breast cancer patients. The variation in number of reported axillary lymph nodes and its effect on the axillary nodal stage were studied and the implications are discussed. METHODS: Between 1994 and 1997, a total of 4,806 axillary dissections for invasive breast cancers in 4,715 patients were performed in hospitals in the North-Netherlands. The factors associated with the number of reported nodes and the relation of this number with the nodal status and the number of positive nodes were studied. RESULTS: The number of reported nodes varied significantly between pathology laboratories, the median number of nodes ranged from 9 to 15, respectively. The individual hospitals explained even more variability in the number of nodes than pathology laboratories (range in median number 8-15, P < 0.0001). The number of reported nodes increased gradually during the study period. A decreasing trend was observed with older patient age. A higher number of reported nodes was associated with a markedly increased chance of finding tumor positive nodes, especially more than three nodes. The frequency of node positivity increased from 28% if less than six nodes to 54% if >/=20 nodes were examined, the percentage of tumors with >/=4 positive nodes increased from 4 to 31%. Multivariate analysis confirmed these results. CONCLUSIONS: This population-based study showed a large variation in the number of reported lymph nodes between hospitals. A more extensive surgical dissection or histopathological examination of the specimen generally resulted in a higher number of positive nodes. Although the impact of misclassification on adjuvant treatment will have varied, the impact with regard to adjuvant regional radiotherapy may have been considerable.     

Prognostic significance of estrogen receptor status in breast cancer in relation to tumor stage, axillary node metastasis, and histopathologic grading

The value of estrogen receptor (ER) measurements for predicting recurrence and survival rates in primary breast cancer was examined in 121 women who were followed from 5 to 12 years after mastectomy with a median follow-up of 64 months. The prognostic significance of the ER status was evaluated independently and in association with tumor stage, axillary node metastasis, and histopathologic grade. The independent evaluation demonstrated no statistically significant difference in prognosis between women with ER-negative and ER-positive cancers, although the latter group tended to have a longer time to recurrence and longer survival. Multivariate analysis of the data by Cox's proportional hazard regression techniques revealed a synergistic effect of ER status on the risk associated with axillary node metastasis. Patients with nodal metastasis were at 2.8 times the risk of recurrence compared to patients without metastasis. For women with nodal metastasis whose primary cancer was ER-negative, this risk increased to 4.6 times compared to women without metastasis and ER-positive tumors (P = 0.0003). The risk of cancer-related death was 5.6 times more likely for poorly differentiated tumors than for highly differentiated tumors. Patients with poorly differentiated ER-negative tumors were at an even higher risk (7.0) of dying than women with highly differentiated ER-positive carcinomas (P = 0.009). In conjunction with tumor stage, axillary node metastasis and histopathologic grade ER determination is useful for identifying subpopulations at increased risk of tumor recurrence or mortality.