Impact of status of ER, PR, HER2 and Ki-67 index on axillary lymph node metastasis of breast cancer

Abstract

Aim: Axillary status evaluation and, if present, the number of metastatic lymph nodes is important in staging and adjuvant therapy planning of breast cancer. A number of clinical and pathological variables were analyzed to detect factors affecting nodal status. Methods: A total of 298 women with unilateral breast cancer operated with axillary lymph node dissection or sentinel lymph node biopsy, were retrospectively analyzed for age, localization, BIRADS category, pathological features, subtypes as Luminal A, Luminal B, HER2 positive, triple negative, Ki-67 index and number of lymph nodes involved. Results: The mean age was 54.7 years. BIRADS 5 was the most detected category in 208 (69.8%) patients. The most common pathological type was invasive ductal carcinoma in 265 patients (88.9%). The most detected tumor grade was grade 2 in 160 (31.2%). Luminal B was the most common subtype and detected in 173 patients (58.1%). Ki-67 indexes were detected between 0-14% in 69 patients (23.3%), between 15-19% in 31patients (10.4%) and above 20% in 198 patients (66.4%). Conclusions: HER2 positivity, Ki-67 index,>