Clinicopathologic and Ultrasound Variables Associated With a Heavy Axillary Nodal Tumor Burden in Invasive Breast Carcinoma

Objectives To identify clinicopathologic and ultrasound (US) variables that were associated with a heavy nodal tumor burden, which was defined as 3 or more lymph nodes involved with metastasis to the axilla after invasive breast carcinoma. Methods With ethical approval, 621 patients with a pathologic diagnosis of invasive breast carcinoma were retrospectively analyzed for clinical, pathologic, and US data. Pathologic findings were ascertained by the final paraffin pathologic analysis. Ultrasound characteristics were evaluated on the basis of the American College of Radiology's Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI‐RADS). Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to assess the clinicopathologic and US variables that were associated with a heavy nodal tumor burden at the axilla. Results There were 107 cases (17.2%) of invasive breast carcinoma with a heavy tumor burden at the axilla. The independent clinicopathologic variables for a heavy tumor burden at the axilla included a tumor size of 2 to 5 cm (odds ratio [OR], 1.86; P = .036), the presence of lymphovascular invasion (OR, 23.52; P