Is Pathologic Axillary Staging Valid If Lymph Nodes Are Less than 10 with Axillary Lymph Node Dissection after Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy?

Introduction: The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of the number of lymph nodes removed in breast cancer patients who undergo axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). Methods: We included patients who were diagnosed with invasive breast cancer and cytology with proven involved axillary node metastasis at diagnosis and treated with NAC followed by curative surgery at Samsung Medical Center between January 2007 and December 2015. The primary outcomes were disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS). Results: Among 772 patients with NAC and ALND, there were 285 ypN0, 258 ypN1, 135 ypN2, and 94 ypN3 cases. The median follow-up duration was 69.0 months. The group with less than 10 lymph nodes number (<10 nodes group) included 123 patients and the group with 10 or more lymph nodes number (≥10 nodes group) included 649 patients. There were no significant differences in DFS (p = 0.501) or OS (p = 0.883) between the two groups. In the ypN0 subgroup, the <10 nodes group had worse DFS than ≥10 nodes group (p = 0.024). In the ypN1 subgroup, there were no significant differences in DFS (p = 0.846) or OS (p = 0.774) between the two groups. In the ypN2 subgroup, the <10 nodes group had worse DFS (p = 0.025) and OS (p = 0.031) than ≥10 nodes group Conclusion: In ypN0 and ypN2 subgroups, breast cancer patients with less than 10 lymph nodes number in ALND after NAC might be considered for additional staging or closer surveillance when compared to patients with 10 or more than lymph node.