title: The prognostic value of lymph node status among breast cancer subtypes.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Breast cancer subtypes (BCSs) are predictive of responses to specific therapies and of prognostic value for clinical outcomes. This study aimed to evaluate the relative 5-year overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival rates (RFS) based on lymph node (LN) status among BCSs.
  
  
  METHODS
  Medical records of 1,399 breast cancer patients treated from 2006 to 2011 were retrospectively reviewed. Pathologic findings, type of treatment, and OS and RFS were evaluated for 5 molecular subtypes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Luminal A cancers accounted for 40.9% of the total, luminal B 21.5%, luminal human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) 24.8%, HER2 6.9%, and triple negative 5.9%, of which 30% (n = 395) were LN positive. Analysis of patient characteristics showed significant differences among BCSs in age, tumor size, LN status, chemotherapy, and endocrine therapy. Adjustments for age and tumor size revealed significant differences in OS according to the nodal status in luminal A, luminal B, and luminal HER2 subtypes, and with RFS in the luminal B and luminal HER2 subtypes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  LN status in BCS presents an important prognostic factor of OS and RFS.
authors.affiliation: Division of General Surgery, Department of Surgery, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Guo-Shiou
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Liao
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yu-Ching
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Chou
authors.affiliation: Division of General Surgery, Department of Surgery, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Huan-Ming
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Hsu
authors.affiliation: Division of Hematology/Oncology, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Ming-Shen
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Dai
authors.affiliation: Division of General Surgery, Department of Surgery, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan. Electronic address: doc20106@ndmctsgh.edu.tw.
authors.forename: Jyh-Cherng
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Yu
mesh_terms: D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000145:classification / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology*; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D013997:Time Factors
keywords: Breast cancer subtypes; Lymph node status; Overall survival; Recurrence-free survival