Retrospective preoperative assessment of the axillary lymph nodes in patients with breast cancer and literature review

Aim To evaluate the accuracy of axillary ultrasound, compared with published literature, identify women at low risk for lymph node (LN) involvement, and to determine which clinical, pathological, and imaging findings best predict LN involvement. Material and methods From June 2010 to April 2012, 288 women with breast lesions that were suspicious of malignancy (category 4) or malignant (category 5) underwent axillary ultrasound examination. A 3 mm LN cortical thickness was used as the threshold to prompt fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) of the LN. Data were gathered regarding size, site, and grade of the index breast lesion and cortical thickness of the LN. Results Using a cut-off point of 20 mm.