title: Ultrasonography of the axilla in the follow-up of breast cancer patients who have a negative sentinel node biopsy and who avoid axillary clearance.
abstract: The clinical value of ultrasonography of the axilla in detection of breast cancer recurrence is not known among patients who have a negative sentinel node biopsy and avoid axillary clearance. We studied a cohort of 205 such patients using ultrasonography one and three years after breast surgery. A recurrent tumour was found in the axilla in only two (0.5%) of the total of 383 ultrasound examinations performed during the study, and only one (0.3%) of the 369 examinations performed at the scheduled study visits revealed cancer. None of the ultrasound examinations was false positive, and no study participant was subjected to unnecessary surgery due to ultrasound monitoring. We conclude that the rate of breast cancer recurrence in the ipsilateral axilla is low following sparing of the axillary contents, and that monitoring of such patients with repeated ultrasound examinations is unlikely to be cost-effective.
authors.affiliation: Breast Surgery Unit Helsinki, Helsinki University Hospital, Finland. junnu.leikola@hus.fi
authors.forename: Junnu
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Leikola
authors.forename: Tiina
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Saarto
authors.forename: Heikki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Joensuu
authors.forename: Krista
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sarvas
authors.forename: Jaana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vironen
authors.forename: Karl
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Von Smitten
authors.forename: Pekka
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Virkkunen
authors.forename: Brita
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Vanharanta
authors.forename: Pekka
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mäkelä
authors.forename: Marjut
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Leidenius
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001365:Axilla / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000556:secondary / Q000601:surgery; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008197:Lymph Node Excision; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D008875:Middle Aged; D012008:Recurrence; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D021701:Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014463:Ultrasonography