Axillary and supraclavicular recurrences are rare after axillary lymph node dissection in breast cancer

Abstract

Background: This study was designed to evaluate the incidence of and risk factors for axillary recurrence (AR) and supraclavicular recurrence (SR) in breast cancer patients with axillary lymph node dissection.

Methods: The study was based on 1,180 patients with unilateral invasive breast cancer operated between January 2000 and December 2003. The median duration of follow-up was 78 months.

Results: The 7-year AR incidence was 0.7% and SR incidence was 1.3%. Twelve of the 14 SR patients and 4 of the 8 AR patients had concomitant distant recurrences. No risk factors for AR were identified. Histological tumor grade III as well as estrogen and progesterone negativity were risk factors for SR. SR, but not AR, was an independent risk factor for poor breast cancer-specific survival [hazard ratio, 10.116; P < 0.0001]. Among N1 patients, the extent of radiotherapy (RT) had no influence on regional recurrences. Among N2-N3 patients, the 7-year regional recurrence rates were 34.3% in patients without RT, 0% in patients with local RT, and 1.2% in patients with locoregional RT (P < 0.0001).

Conclusions: AR and SR are rare events that often are detected concomitantly with distant metastases. SRs are associated with aggressive disease and poor survival. Our results also suggest that regional RT reduces regional recurrences in N2-N3 patients but not in N1 patients, but the retrospective, nonrandomized study setting renders this conclusion as uncertain.