title: Omitting axillary surgery for low-risk breast cancer patients--a Swedish prospective cohort study.
abstract: The effects of mammography screening are a decrease in the sizes of tumours and a shift in stage. Very few small breast cancers (< or = 10 mm) have lymph node metastases when screening-detected, the rate being as low as 7%. Axillary clearance is not necessary for all such small tumours. A Swedish prospective cohort study, scheduled for 1500 patients, is being launched, where axillary surgery is omitted for screening-detected breast cancers of < or = 10 mm showing Elston grade I or II/and/or S-phase < or = 10%. Axillary surgery, with the associated disadvantages, will not be performed in 970 women out of 1000 expecting an axillary recurrence rate of 3%. Nordic breast cancer centres are welcome to join the study, which has already recruited around 500 patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedicine and Surgery, University Hospital, Linköping, Sweden.
authors.forename: L G
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Arnesson
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ahlgren
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001365:Axilla / Q000601:surgery; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008197:Lymph Node Excision; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D018579:Patient Selection; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012107:Research Design; D012307:Risk Factors