Evidence map›Paper›PMID 28755147›Full record

SynthesisBreast cancer research and treatment2017

Meta-analysis of tumour burden in pre-operative axillary ultrasound positive and negative breast cancer patients.

Muneer Ahmed, F Jozsa, R Baker, I T Rubio, J Benson, M Douek

Erratum issuedOpen access · hybridAbstract readComparative StudyMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Breast cancer research and treatment, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 34 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
34citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
2.0field-weighted citation impact, top 14% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

34 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 66 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.

Muneer AhmedDivision of Cancer Studies, Research Oncology, King's College London, Guy's Hospital Campus, Great Maze Pond, London, SE1 9RT, UK. muneer.ahmed@kcl.ac.uk.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4504-1354
F JozsaDivision of Cancer Studies, Research Oncology, King's College London, Guy's Hospital Campus, Great Maze Pond, London, SE1 9RT, UK.
R BakerDepartment of Statistics, School of Business, University of Salford, 612, Maxwell Building, Salford, M5 4WT, UK.
I T RubioBreast Surgical Unit, Breast Cancer Centre, Hospital Universitario Vall d'Hebron 119-129, 08035, Barcelona, Spain.
J BensonBreast Surgical Unit, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, UK.
M DouekDivision of Cancer Studies, Research Oncology, King's College London, Guy's Hospital Campus, Great Maze Pond, London, SE1 9RT, UK.
Guy's Hospital · GBAddenbrooke's Hospital · GBUniversity of Salford · GBVall d'Hebron Hospital Universitari · ES

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundManagement of the axilla in breast cancer is becoming increasingly conservative. Patients identified with a low axillary nodal burden (two or fewer involved nodes) at sentinel node biopsy (SNB) can avoid completion axillary node clearance (cANC). 'Fast track' to ANC in patients with involved nodes on pre-operative ultrasound may be over-treating a subgroup of these patients with low nodal burden, which would have precluded their need for ANC. This systematic review assesses the proportion of patients with involved nodes on pre-operative axillary ultrasound, which would fit low axillary burden criteria.

methodsMeta-analysis of studies comparing axillary burden of breast cancer patients identified as pre-operative ultrasound negative versus positive was performed. The primary outcome measure was the number of patients with two or fewer involved nodes (macrometastases only). Pooled odds ratio (OR), 95% confidence intervals (CIs), means and probabilities of identifying two or fewer involved nodes versus greater than two were calculated.

resultsSix studies reported the axillary burden in 4271 patients who were either directed straight to ANC or cANC after SNB. There was a significantly greater axillary burden in the ultrasound positive versus negative groups (OR 5.95, 95% CI 5.80-6.11) with mean nodal retrieval values of 2.9 [standard error (SE) 0.2] and 1.6 (SE 0.2) nodes, respectively. Cumulative probabilities identified 78.9% of ultrasound negative and 43.2% of ultrasound positive patients possessed low axillary burden.

conclusionsPre-operative ultrasound positive patients have significantly higher axillary burden. However, nearly half do fit the criteria of low axillary burden and could be considered for omission of ANC.

Indexed as

AxillaBreast NeoplasmsFemaleHumansLymph NodesOdds RatioPreoperative CareTumor BurdenUltrasonographyAxillary burdenAxillary node clearanceAxillary ultrasoundBreast cancerSentinel lymph node biopsy

Identifiers

PMID28755147
PMCPMC5668351
OpenAlexW2740772745

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.