Axillary lymph node dissection may not be necessary in the treatment of many patients with early-stage breast cancer.
Researchers at Duke University report in this month's Journal of Clinical Oncology on a decision model they developed to evaluate the procedure in patients with early-stage disease whose nodes were disease-free on physical examinations. The model combines clinical trial results with data on cancer rates and survival to determine the benefit of knowing lymph node status in terms of prolonging survival and quality of life.
The analysis showed that patients who benefit most from axillary node dissection are women with small tumors that have estrogen receptors. If their nodes are negative for cancer, they could receive tamoxifen and avoid chemotherapy. For other patients, the model showed that chemotherapy plus tamoxifen, if indicated, is the preferred treatment, regardless of node status.
Authors of the study said physicians should determine if therapy . . . [Full Text of this Article]
