Predict the Risk of Axillary Metastases in Breast Cancer Patients With Axillary Ultrasound

A Nomogram to Predict the Risk of Axillary Metastases in Breast Cancer Patients With Axillary Ultrasound

Axillary lymph node status is a vital prognostic factors in breast cancer patients and provides crucial information for making treatment decisions.This projective observational study is planned to identify risk factors for axillary metastases in breast cancer patients with axillary ultrasound and to construct a nomogram to predict the risk of axillary metastases in these patients.

Breast carcinoma is the most common malignancy in women, accounting for 25% of all female cancer cases and 15% of all cancer-related deaths in the world.Lymph node metastasis is a multifactorial event. Among patients with a preoperative axillary ultrasound, almost 40% of patients are pathologically proved to be free from axillary metastasis.The purpose of this study is to develop a nomogram to evaluate the probability of axillary metastasis as a tool to support clinical decision-making.

Inclusion Criteria:

• female patients with primary breast cancer
• receiving a successful SLNB or ALND
• pathological diagnosed, without distant metastasis
• a clinically negative axilla

Exclusion Criteria:

• pregnancy
• neoadjuvant therapy
• previous ipsilateral axillary surgery
• inflammatory breast cancer