title: Micrometastases in axillary lymph nodes and bone marrow of lymph node-negative breast cancer patients--prognostic relevance after 10 years.
abstract: The long-term prognostic significance of immunohistochemically detectable occult tumor cells in bone marrow and axillary lymph nodes of breast cancer patients considered to be lymph node-negative in multilevel haematoxylineosin (H&E) lymph node sectioning was analyzed. A total of 212 patients with a median follow-up of 10.3 years were included in the study. Bone marrow was obtained during surgery and stained with anti-cytokeratin and anti-EMA antibodies. Additional consecutive sections of lymph nodes were stained either with H&E or with anti-cytokeratin antibodies. All histological sections were analyzed by the same pathologist. Micrometastases were detected in bone marrow of 67 (32%) patients. Immunohitochemical examination of negative axillary lymph nodes--based on multilevel H&E examination--revealed micrometastases in 14 (7%) cases. There was no difference in overall or disease-free survival between patients with or without epithelial cells in bone marrow. Immunohistological examination of axillary lymph nodes also did not add any prognostic information for overall or disease-free survival. However, patients with occult micrometastases in axillary lymph nodes had a slightly higher rate of local recurrences. Immunohistochemical analysis of bone marrow or axillary lymph nodes does not add prognostic information if multilevel H&E sectioning is performed. Therefore, decision about adjuvant therapy in breast cancer patients considered to be lymph node-negative in multilevel H&E microscopy should not be based on immunohistochemical detection of micrometastases in bone marrow or axillary lymph nodes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hannover Medical School, Podbielskistrasse 380, D-30659 Hannover, Germany. ggebauer@i-mednet.org
authors.forename: Gerhard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gebauer
authors.forename: Tanja
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fehm
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Merkle
authors.forename: Wolfram
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Jaeger
authors.forename: Margarete
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mitze
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D019046:Bone Marrow Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology*; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis