Breast cancer patients with a negative axillary ultrasound may have clinically significant nodal metastasis.
Stephen KeelanAnna HeeneyEithne DowneyAisling HegartyTrudi RocheColm PowerNeasa Ni MhuircheartaighDeirdre DukeJennifer KerrNiamh HamblyArnold HillPublished in: Breast cancer research and treatment (2021)
This study shows that AUS in its current form cannot exclude HNB axillary metastasis to the extent of eliminating the need for surgical staging of the axilla. This may impact axillary local-regional recurrence and disease-free survival. We caution that a negative AUS has a rate of 4.2% of HNB. Therefore, in cases of negative AUS with a T2 tumour, we advocate continued use of SLNB.