Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39565571›Full record

ArticleLa Radiologia medica2025

Enhancing detection of high-level axillary lymph node metastasis after neoadjuvant therapy in breast cancer patients with nodal involvement: a combined approach of axilla ultrasound and breast elastography.

Jia-Xin Huang, Feng-Tao Liu, Yu-Ting Tan, Xue-Yan Wang, Jia-Hui Huang, Shi-Yang Lin, Gui-Ling Huang, Yu-Ting Zhang, Xiao-Qing Pei

Abstract readMulticenter Study
In one paragraph

Article in La Radiologia medica, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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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

9 authors.

Jia-Xin Huang *Department of Liver Surgery, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, 510060, People's Republic of China.
Feng-Tao Liu *Breast Tumor Center, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510000, People's Republic of China.
Yu-Ting Tan *Breast Tumor Center, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510000, People's Republic of China.
Xue-Yan Wang *Department of Medical Ultrasound, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, 510060, People's Republic of China.
Jia-Hui HuangInstitute of Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, 510000, People's Republic of China.
Shi-Yang LinDepartment of Medical Ultrasound, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510000, People's Republic of China.
Gui-Ling HuangDepartment of Medical Ultrasound, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, 510060, People's Republic of China.
Yu-Ting ZhangDepartment of Medical Ultrasound, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, 510060, People's Republic of China.
Xiao-Qing PeiDepartment of Medical Ultrasound, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, 510060, People's Republic of China. peixq@sysucc.org.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6832-1228

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeTo develop a combined approach using shear wave elastography (SWE) and conventional ultrasound (US) to determine the extent of positive axillary lymph nodes (LNs) following neoadjuvant therapy (NAT) in breast cancer patients with nodal involvement.

methodsThis prospective, multicenter study was registered on the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR2400085035). From October 2018 to February 2024, a total of 303 breast cancer patients with biopsy-proven positive LN were enrolled. The conventional US features of axillary LNs and SWE characteristics of breast lesions after NAT were analyzed. The diagnostic performances of axilla US, breast SWE, and their combination in detecting residual metastasis in axillary level III after NAT were assessed.

resultsPathologically positive LN(s) in axilla level III were detected in 13.75% of cases following NAT. The kappa value for the axilla level with positive LN confirmed by surgical pathology and detected by US is 0.39 (p < 0.001). The AUC of conventional axilla US to determine the status of axilla level III LNs after NAT was 0.67, with a sensitivity of 51.52%, a specificity of 74.36%. The breast SWE displayed moderate performance for detecting residual metastasis in axilla level III following NAT, with an AUC of 0.79, sensitivity of 84.85%, and specificity of 74.36%. Compared to axilla US and breast SWE alone, the combination of axilla US with breast SWE achieved a stronger discriminatory ability (AUC, 0.86 vs 0.67 vs 0.79, p < 0.05, Delong's test) and precise calibration (X

conclusionsSWE outperformed conventional US in identifying the axilla levels with nodal metastasis following NAT in patients with initially diagnosed positive axilla. Furthermore, combining breast SWE with axilla US showed good diagnostic performance for detecting residual metastasis in axilla level III after NAT.

Indexed as

Breast NeoplasmsElasticity Imaging TechniquesLymphatic MetastasisLymph NodesUltrasonography, MammaryAdultAgedAxillaFemaleHumansMiddle AgedNeoadjuvant TherapyProspective StudiesSensitivity and SpecificityUltrasonographyAxillaBreast neoplasmElastographyNeoadjuvant therapyUltrasound

Identifiers

PMID39565571
PMCPMC11882731

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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.