Sensitivity, Specificity and Accuracy of Ultrasound in Diagnosis of Breast Cancer Metastasis to the Axillary Lymph Nodes in Chinese Patients.
The use of ultrasound in the diagnosis of axillary lymph node metastases from breast cancer in a Chinese population was investigated. Data for 1,049 with breast cancer were retrospectively collected. All patients had undergone pre-operative axillary ultrasound and then axillary lymph node dissection. The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of axillary ultrasound in this cohort were 69.4%, 81.8% and 77.0%, respectively. The overall false-negative rate of ultrasound images was 30.6% (123/402). False-negative ultrasound rates for pathologic N1, N2 and N3 patients were 46.2%, 21.8% and 9.3%, respectively. In patients with stage T1 disease and fewer than three metastatic lymph nodes, the false-negative ultrasound rate was 52.2% (47/90). Moreover, breast cancer patients with a false-negative axillary ultrasound were more likely to have a large tumor (p < 0.001) and high tumor grade (p = 0.009). However, there were no statistically significant differences between accuracy of axillary ultrasound and age of patients or experiences of ultrasound practitioners. In conclusion, the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of ultrasound in the diagnosis of breast cancer metastasis to the axillary lymph nodes in Chinese patients were assessed. These data could help us to carefully use axillary ultrasound to diagnose and predict breast cancer axillary lymph node metastasis.
Department of Breast Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.
Yan-Na
YN
Zhang
Department of Breast Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.
Chang-Jun
CJ
Wang
Department of Breast Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.
Ying
Y
Xu
Department of Ultrasound, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.
Qing-Li
QL
Zhu
Department of Breast Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.
Yi-Dong
YD
Zhou
Department of Ultrasound, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.
Jing
J
Zhang
Department of Breast Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.
Feng
F
Mao
Department of Ultrasound, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.
Yu-Xin
YX
Jiang
Department of Breast Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China. Electronic address: pumchzyn@sohu.com.
Qiang
Q
Sun
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001365:Axilla; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008875:Middle Aged; D015588:Observer Variation; D015995:Prevalence; D011379:Prognosis; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D016217:Ultrasonography, Mammary / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
Accuracy; Breast cancer; Lymph node metastasis; Sensitivity; Specificity; Ultrasound diagnosis