Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33968696›Full record

ArticleGland surgery2021

The effectiveness of axillary reverse mapping in preventing breast cancer-related lymphedema: a meta-analysis based on randomized controlled trials.

Xuhui Guo, Dechuang Jiao, Jiujun Zhu, Hui Xiao, Xin Zhao, Yue Yang, Yajie Zhao, Zhenzhen Liu

Open access · diamondAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Gland surgery, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
10citing papers in PubMed
0.9field-weighted citation impact, top 23% 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

10 citing papers in PubMed, 13 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. The FARM Trial Got Lost in the Weeds.Annals of surgical oncology · 2026
    Article
  4. The Canadian Breast Cancer Symposium 2025: Meeting Report.Current oncology (Toronto, Ont.) · 2025
    Article
  5. Review
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Review
  9. Article
  10. Review
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

8 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Xuhui GuoDepartment of Breast Disease, Henan Breast Cancer Center, The affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University & Henan Cancer Hospital, Zhengzhou, China.
Dechuang JiaoDepartment of Breast Disease, Henan Breast Cancer Center, The affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University & Henan Cancer Hospital, Zhengzhou, China.
Jiujun ZhuDepartment of Breast Disease, Henan Breast Cancer Center, The affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University & Henan Cancer Hospital, Zhengzhou, China.
Hui XiaoDepartment of Breast Disease, Henan Breast Cancer Center, The affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University & Henan Cancer Hospital, Zhengzhou, China.
Xin ZhaoDepartment of Breast Disease, Henan Breast Cancer Center, The affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University & Henan Cancer Hospital, Zhengzhou, China.
Yue YangDepartment of Breast Disease, Henan Breast Cancer Center, The affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University & Henan Cancer Hospital, Zhengzhou, China.
Yajie ZhaoDepartment of Breast Disease, Henan Breast Cancer Center, The affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University & Henan Cancer Hospital, Zhengzhou, China.
Zhenzhen LiuDepartment of Breast Disease, Henan Breast Cancer Center, The affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University & Henan Cancer Hospital, Zhengzhou, China.
Zhengzhou University · CNHenan Cancer Hospital · CN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundHere, we carried out an extensive meta-analysis to investigate the effectiveness of the use of axillary reverse mapping (ARM) during axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) in preventing breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL).

methodsDatabase searches to identify relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were performed of MEDLINE (PubMed), Web of Science, Embase, and the Cochrane Library. Eligible articles with a publication date from database establishment to December 2020 were retrieved by combining keywords including: "breast cancer", "breast carcinoma", "breast neoplasm", "axillary reverse mapping", "axillary lymph node dissection", "lymphatic arm drainage", and "lymphedema". Independent data extraction was conducted, and Review Manager (version 5.3) was used for statistical analyses.

resultsFive eligible RCTs were included in the meta-analysis. A total of 37 patients suffered arm lymphedema (37/786, 4.71%) in the experimental group (ARM during ALND), compared with 164 arm lymphedemas (164/873, 18.79%) in the control group (ALND alone). The results showed that ARM during ALND was superior to ALND alone in reducing the incidence of BCRL [OR =0.20, 95% confidence intervals (CI): 0.13-0.29, P<0.00001]; however, the 2 procedures did not differ significantly in terms of oncological safety or shoulder movement (OR =0.30, 95% CI: 0.03-2.96, P=0.30; OR =0.44, 95% CI: 0.14-1.40, P=0.17).

conclusionsARM during ALND can prevent and reduce the occurrence of BCRL in patients with early-stage BC during long-term follow-up. Due to the limited number of RCTs available, more in-depth, high-quality RCTs are urgently needed to provide a reliable and convincing basis for the application of ARM during ALND.

Indexed as

axillary lymph node dissection (ALND)Axillary reverse mapping (ARM)breast cancer (BC)lymphedemameta-analysis

Identifiers

PMID33968696
PMCPMC8102224
OpenAlexW3154063332

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
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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.