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BMC Cancer
Published in: BMC Cancer 1/2015

Open Access 01-12-2015 | Research article

Number of negative lymph nodes is associated with disease-free survival in patients with breast cancer

Authors: San-Gang Wu, Jia-Yuan Sun, Juan Zhou, Feng-Yan Li, Qin Lin, Huan-Xin Lin, Xun-Xing Guan, Zhen-Yu He

Published in: BMC Cancer | Issue 1/2015

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Abstract

Background

The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of the number of negative lymph nodes (NLNs) in breast cancer patients after mastectomy.

Methods

2,455 breast cancer patients who received a mastectomy between January 1998 and December 2007 were retrospectively reviewed. The prognostic impact of the number of NLNs with respect to disease-free survival (DFS) was analyzed.

Results

The median follow-up time was 62.0 months, and the 5-year and 10-year DFS was 87.1% and 74.3%, respectively. The DFS of patients with >10 NLNs was significantly higher than that of patents with ≤10 NLNs, and the 5-year DFS rates were 87.5% and 69.5%, respectively (P < 0.001). Univariate Cox analysis showed that the NLN count (continuous variable) was a prognostic factor of DFS (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.913, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.896-0.930, P < 0.001). In multivariate Cox analysis, patients with a higher number of NLNs had a better DFS (HR = 0.977, 95% CI: 0.958-0.997, P = 0.022). Subgroup analysis showed that the NLN count had a prognostic value in patients at different pT stages and pN positive patients (log-rank P < 0.001). However, it had no prognostic value in pN0 patients (log-rank P = 0.684).

Conclusions

The number of NLNs is an independent prognostic factor of DFS in breast cancer patients after mastectomy, and patients with a higher number of NLNs have a better DFS.
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Metadata
Title
Number of negative lymph nodes is associated with disease-free survival in patients with breast cancer
Authors
San-Gang Wu
Jia-Yuan Sun
Juan Zhou
Feng-Yan Li
Qin Lin
Huan-Xin Lin
Xun-Xing Guan
Zhen-Yu He
Publication date
01-12-2015
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Cancer / Issue 1/2015
Electronic ISSN: 1471-2407
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12885-015-1061-z

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