The Relationship between Clinico-Pathological Variables and Axillary Lymph Node Status in Breast Cancer in a Single Cancer Center in Jordan

Abstract

Objective:To determine the relationship between axillary lymph node involvement and clinicopathological variables in a single cancer center in Jordan. Methods:This retrospective study was conducted in Al-Hussein Hospital in Amman from Jan 2011 till Jan 2013. This study revised the histopathology reports of 204 patients who all underwent modified radical mastectomy for invasive breast cancer. Various clinico-pathological factors of age, estrogen/progesterone receptor status, tumor size, histological type and grade were statistically correlated with lymph node involvement using contingency tables and P values.Results: Axillary lymph node involvement was noted in 152 (74.5%) with an average of five nodes involved (range 1-41). Mean age was 51.3 years. Around eighty percent of patients were above 40 years old and had involved lymph node whereas only twenty percent were below 40 years with involved lymph node. Average tumor size was 3.5cm with 67.1% between 2-5cm (T2). The most common tumor type and grade was invasive ductal carcinoma (NOS) (170 patients (83.3%)) and grade 2 (119 patient (58.3%)). The Majority of tumors were both ER and PR positive 75%. Tumor grade, size and histological type significantly correlated with lymph node involvement whereas age and receptor status had no significant correlation. Conclusion:The majority of patients in our centre present with node positive breast cancer. In a Jordanian population, as has been demonstrated in the world literature, there is a statistically significant relation between axillary lymph node involvement and tumor, size, grade and type and that age is not an independent predictor for node positivist.