ReviewBreast cancer (Tokyo, Japan)2026
Preoperative CA15-3 as a predictor of axillary lymph node metastasis and prognosis in women with breast cancer: a GRADE-assessed systematic review and meta-analysis.
Review in Breast cancer (Tokyo, Japan), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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.
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.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundBreast cancer (BC) is the leading cause of cancer-related death among women. Axillary lymph node metastasis (ALNM) is a key prognostic factor, yet its assessment relies on invasive procedures. The prognostic value of preoperative CA15-3 remains controversial. We aimed to evaluate the association between preoperative CA15-3 levels and overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), and ALNM in breast cancer patients.
methodsWe systematically searched PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane Library up to January 2026. Cohort studies assessing preoperative CA15-3 and OS, DFS, or ALNM were included. Pooled hazard ratios (HRs) for OS and DFS, as well as pooled odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for metastasis outcomes (Any metastasis or ALNM), were calculated using random-effects models.
resultsThirty-one cohort studies comprising 178,047 patients were included. Elevated CA15-3 was significantly associated with worse OS (HR: 1.91; 95% CI: 1.67-2.15), poorer DFS (HR: 2.04; 95% CI: 1.78-2.31), and increased metastasis risk (OR: 2.73; 95% CI: 2.04-3.42). The strongest association was observed for ALNM (OR: 3.08; 95% CI: 2.09-4.08). Subgroup and meta-regression analyses confirmed consistent findings across regions and identified age, tumor stage, and CA15-3 cutoff as heterogeneity sources.
conclusionsElevated preoperative CA15-3 is significantly associated with reduced survival and increased ALNM risk. This association remained significant after adjustment for tumor characteristics in most primary studies, suggesting CA15-3 may reflect more aggressive tumor biology. These findings support CA15-3's potential as an adjunctive biomarker; however, prospective validation is warranted.
Indexed as
Identifiers
42831963What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.