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Axillary lymph node metastasis (ALNM)
remains the most significant prognostic indicator in patients
with invasive breast cancer.1-4
Increasing tumor size is a well-known factor influencing nodal
metastases. The presence of ALNM in patients
with small invasive breast carcinomas, that is T1a and T1b tumors
(< 1 cm), varies substantially from 3% to 37%.5,6
The role of axillary dissection remains a controversial issue,
with some questioning its need given the reported small incidence
of ALNM in this group of patients. With
the increasing use of screening mammography, the proportion of
< 1-cm invasive breast carcinomas is increasing.7
A better understanding of the clinical and pathologic features
is essential in identifying patients at increased risk of ALNM.
The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence of
ALNM in patients with T1a and T1b tumors seen at New York Presbyterian-Cornell
Medical Center and Strang-Cornell Breast Center between 1990
and 1996. We set out to identify predictive clinical and pathologic
variables in those patients with < 1-cm invasive breast
carcinomas by univariate and multivariate analyses.
Introduction | Methods
| Results
| Discussion
| References
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