Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42588624›Full record

ReviewCancers2026

Ultrasound-Guided Axillary Management in Early-Stage Breast Cancer: From Diagnosis to De-Escalation.

Xiangmin Shen, Zi Yi, Kui Tang

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Cancers, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing 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

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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

3 authors.

Xiangmin ShenDepartment of Neurology, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410011, China.
Zi YiDepartment of Cardiovascular Surgery Intensive Care Unit, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha 410011, China.
Kui TangDepartment of Ultrasound Diagnosis, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha 410011, China.ORCID 0000-0003-0769-5397

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Axillary lymph node management in early-stage breast cancer has undergone a fundamental transformation over the past three decades, shifting from routine radical clearance to precision-guided de-escalation. Ultrasound (US) has emerged as the central imaging modality in this paradigm shift, serving as the first-line tool for preoperative nodal assessment, guidance for biopsy and clip placement, monitoring of response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC), and localization of marked nodes for targeted axillary dissection (TAD). This review systematically examines the evolution of axillary management in early-stage breast cancer through a US-centric lens. We summarize the historical transition from Halstedian axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) to sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB), critically appraise the landmark trials-Z0011, AMAROS, OTOASOR, and SOUND-that have progressively de-escalated axillary surgery, and detail the role of US in preoperative staging (including conventional B-mode, superb microvascular imaging, contrast-enhanced US, elastography, and AI-assisted diagnostics), US-guided biopsy and node marking, and post-NAC TAD. We further explore the integration of US with liquid biopsy, multigene profiling, and molecular subtype-guided systemic therapy to enable individualized decision-making. Finally, we propose a stepwise US-centric clinical algorithm and discuss future directions, including AI-powered real-time interpretation, imaging-omics, and US-guided targeted therapy. This review provides a comprehensive framework for incorporating ultrasound as a key component of multidisciplinary decision-making-alongside pathological, surgical, radiotherapeutic, and molecular inputs-in contemporary axillary management.

Indexed as

axillary lymph nodebreast cancerde-escalation therapyneoadjuvant chemotherapysentinel lymph node biopsytargeted axillary dissectionultrasound

Identifiers

PMID42588624
PMCPMC13465595

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
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.