Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32712895›Full record

ArticleAnnals of surgical oncology2021

Omission of Axillary Lymph Node Dissection is Associated with Inferior Survival in Breast Cancer Patients with Residual N1 Nodal Disease Following Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy.

Muayad F Almahariq, Ronald Levitin, Thomas J Quinn, Peter Y Chen, Nayana Dekhne, Sayee Kiran, Amita Desai, Pamela Benitez, Maha S Jawad, Gregory S Gustafson and 1 more

Abstract read
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In one paragraph

Article in Annals of surgical oncology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 38 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
38citing papers in PubMed, 4 pooled it
3.0field-weighted citation impact, top 7% 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

38 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 72 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. DEGRO practical guidelines: radiotherapy of breast cancer-regional nodal irradiation.Strahlentherapie und Onkologie : Organ der Deutschen Rontgengesellschaft ... [et al] · 2026
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  10. Axillary lymph node management strategies in cN + breast cancer patients after neoadjuvant chemotherapy.Clinical & translational oncology : official publication of the Federation of Spanish Oncology Societies and of the National Cancer Institute of Mexico · 2025
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Muayad F AlmahariqDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Beaumont Health, Royal Oak, MI, USA.
Ronald LevitinDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Beaumont Health, Royal Oak, MI, USA.
Thomas J QuinnDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Beaumont Health, Royal Oak, MI, USA.
Peter Y ChenDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Beaumont Health, Royal Oak, MI, USA.
Nayana DekhneDepartment of Surgery, Beaumont Health, Royal Oak, MI, USA.
Sayee KiranDepartment of Surgery, Beaumont Health, Royal Oak, MI, USA.
Amita DesaiDepartment of Surgery, Beaumont Health, Royal Oak, MI, USA.
Pamela BenitezDepartment of Surgery, Beaumont Health, Royal Oak, MI, USA.
Maha S JawadDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Beaumont Health, Royal Oak, MI, USA.
Gregory S GustafsonDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Beaumont Health, Royal Oak, MI, USA.
Joshua T DilworthDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Beaumont Health, Royal Oak, MI, USA. joshua.dilworth@beaumont.edu.
Beaumont Health · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe appropriateness of substituting sentinel lymph node dissection (SLND) and regional nodal irradiation (RNI) for axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) in patients with residual lymph node (LN) disease following neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) is unknown. We used the National Cancer Database (NCDB) to compare survival following SLND and ALND in breast cancer patients with residual LN disease.

methodsWe analyzed NCDB patients, treated between 2006 and 2014, with cT1-3, cN1, cM0 breast cancer and residual disease in 1-3 axillary LNs (ypN1) following NAC. Patients were grouped into those who received SLND (defined as removal of ≤ 4 LNs) and RNI, or ALND and RNI. Patients were matched for all patient, tumor, and treatment characteristics.

resultsWe identified 1313 eligible patients in the ALND group and 304 patients in the SLND group. For the matched cohorts, SLND was associated with significantly lower survival in both univariate and doubly robust multivariable analyses (MVA) (HR 1.7, 95% CI 1.3-2.2, P < 0.001 for MVA), with estimated 5-year OS of 71%, compared with 77% in the ALND group (P = 0.01). Exploratory subgroup analyses showed that SLND was comparable with ALND in patients with luminal A or B tumors with a single metastatic LN (HR 1.03, 95% CI 0.59-1.8, (P = 0.91).

conclusionsOur analysis suggests that, while an ALND may not be needed for patients with limited residual nodal burden and biologically favorable tumors, SLND should not be routinely substituted for ALND in patients with ypN1 disease following NAC until its efficacy is confirmed by prospective trials.

Indexed as

Breast NeoplasmsNeoadjuvant TherapyAxillaHumansLymphatic MetastasisLymph Node ExcisionProspective StudiesSentinel Lymph Node Biopsy

Identifiers

PMID32712895
OpenAlexW3045403197

What OpenQuestion holds

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Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

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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.