title: Increased sentinel lymph node lymphangiogenesis is associated with nonsentinel axillary lymph node involvement in breast cancer patients with a positive sentinel node.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Lymph node (LN) lymphangiogenesis has recently been shown to be important in the premetastatic niche of sentinel LNs. To study its role in the further metastatic spread of human breast cancer, we investigated the association of angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis in sentinel LN metastases with the presence of nonsentinel LN metastases in breast cancer patients with a positive sentinel LN.
  
  
  METHODS
  Angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis--quantified as endothelial cell proliferation fraction (ECP%) and lymphatic ECP fraction (LECP%)--were assessed in sentinel LN metastases of 65 T(1)/T(2) patients with breast cancer using CD34/Ki67 and D2-40/Ki67 immunohistochemical double stains. Correlations were analyzed between nonsentinel LN status, LECP%, and other clinicopathologic variables (number of involved sentinel LNs, size of the primary tumor and LN metastasis, presence of lymphovascular invasion in the primary tumor, and of extracapsular growth in the sentinel LN metastasis).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thirty seven out of 65 patients (56.9%) had at least one involved nonsentinel LN. Size of the sentinel LN metastasis (P = 0.001), lymphovascular invasion (P = 0.02), extracapsular growth (P = 0.02), and LECP% (P = 0.01) were correlated with a positive nonsentinel LN status. The multivariate logistic regression model retained high LECP% (odds ratios = 4.2, P = 0.01) and the presence of extracapsular growth (odds ratios = 3.38, P = 0.04) as independently associated with the presence of nonsentinel LN metastases.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Increased sentinel LN metastasis lymphangiogenesis is associated with metastatic involvement of nonsentinel axillary LNs. These are the first data sustaining the hypothesis that sentinel LN lymphangiogenesis is involved in further metastatic spread of human breast cancer.
authors: Translational Cancer Research Group (Lab Pathology, University of Antwerp/University Hospital Antwerp, Wilrijk; Oncology Center, General Hospital St.-Augustinus, Wilrijk, Belgium), Antwerp, Belgium.
authors: Gert G
authors: GG
authors: Van den Eynden
authors: Melanie K
authors: MK
authors: Vandenberghe
authors: Pieter-Jan H
authors: PJ
authors: van Dam
authors: Cecile G
authors: CG
authors: Colpaert
authors: Peter
authors: P
authors: van Dam
authors: Luc Y
authors: LY
authors: Dirix
authors: Peter B
authors: PB
authors: Vermeulen
authors: Eric A
authors: EA
authors: Van Marck
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology*; D042583:Lymphangiogenesis; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008875:Middle Aged; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic