title: Number of Axillary Lymph Node Metastases Determined by Preoperative Ultrasound is Related to Prognosis in Patients with Breast Cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyze the impact on prognosis of the number of axillary lymph node metastases (LNM) detected by ultrasound (US) in patients with breast cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  One-to-one comparison of LNM was performed between the ultrasound and histologic diagnosis in 380 patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The accuracy of preoperative ultrasound diagnosis was 79.7%. According to the subdivision of number of LNM (0, 1-3, 4-9, 10+), the accuracy rates associated with LNM were 82%, 49%, 34%, and 86%, respectively. The disease-free-survival curves according to the number of LNM were similar in them.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Preoperative ultrasound can determine axillary involvement and may be useful for predicting prognosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical Oncology, Breast and Endocrine Surgery, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences 8-35-1, Sakuragaoka, Kagoshima 890-8520, Japan. ykijima@m3.kufm.kagoshima-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Yuko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kijima
authors.forename: Heiji
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yoshinaka
authors.forename: Munetsugu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hirata
authors.forename: Tadao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mizoguchi
authors.forename: Sumiya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ishigami
authors.forename: Akihiro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nakajo
authors.forename: Hideo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Arima
authors.forename: Shinichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ueno
authors.forename: Shoji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Natsugoe