To investigate the value of ultrasonographic features of tumor in suggesting axillary lymph node metastasis in patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 over-expression (HER2
+
) breast cancer.
Methods:
A total of 482
female patients were enrolled with HER2
+
breast cancer confirmed by pathology in The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from March 2016 to September 2021 in this study
including lymph node metastasis group with 153 patients and non- metastasis group with 329 patients. The correlation between ultrasonographic features of HER2
+
breast cancer and axillary lymph node metastasis was determined by univariate and logistic regression analyses.
Results:
Univariate analysis showed that some parameters of the tumor
including size
margin
resistant index (RI)
and of lymph node
including short axis
L/S ratio (<2)
cortical thickness (>3 mm)
effacement of the fatty hilum
vascular pattern and vascularity were significantly different between the two groups
which were correlated with axillary lymph node metastasis (
P
<0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that margin of tumor (OR=0.411,
P
=0.040)
cortical thickness (OR=3.082,
P
<0.001)
effacement of the fatty hilum (OR=0.331,
P
=0.001)
and vascularity of lymph node (OR=0.382,
P
=0.001) were independent risk factors for axillary lymph node metastasis in HER2
+
breast cancer.
Conclusion:
Combined ultrasonographic features of mass and lymph node can predict the metastasis of axillary lymph nodesin HER2
+
breast cancer and guide the clinical selection of axillary lymph node surgery.