[Role of ultrasound-guided needle biopsy of ultrasonographic abnormal axillary lymph nodes in patients with breast cancer].
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the utility of ultrasound (US)-guided needle biopsy of ultrasonographic abnormal axillary lymph nodes in the patients with breast cancer.


METHODS
The pathological results of US-guided needle biopsy and clinical data of 395 primary breast cancer patients with ultrasonographic abnormal axillary nodes, all female, aged 24 - 83, were analyzed retrospectively.


RESULTS
Node metastasis were detected in 277 (70.1%) cases by mean of ultrasound-guided needle biopsy. Among 136 patients with clinical N(0) breast cancer, 65 (47.8%) were proved node positive. Sixty-two patients were diagnosed as pathologically negative by needle biopsy and underwent sentinel lymph node biopsy or axillary lymph node clearance, and pathological examination showed negative axillary lymph node negative. The complete pathological complete remission rate of the metastatic lymph nodes after new adjuvant chemotherapy was 32.3% (62/192).


CONCLUSIONS
Ultrasonographic examination of axilla combined with ultrasound-guided needle biopsy of suspicious axillary node is valuable in primary breast cancer treatment.
Ou
Yang-Tao
YT
Breast Cancer Prevention and Treatment Center, Beijing Cancer Hospital, School of Oncology, Peking University, Beijing 100036, China. ouyanghongtao@263.net
Li
Jin-Feng
JF
Fan
Zhao-Qing
ZQ
Fan
Tie
T
Wang
Tian-Feng
TF
Xie
Yun-Tao
YT
Lin
Ben-Yao
BY
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D021701:Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy / Q000379:methods*; D014463:Ultrasonography