• Bhumsuk Keam, Seock-Ah Im, Hee-Jun Kim, Do-Youn Oh, Jee Hyun Kim, Se-Hoon Lee, Eui Kyu Chie, Wonshik Han, Dong-Wan Kim, Nariya Cho, Woo Kyung Moon, Tae-You Kim, In Ae Park, Dong-Young Noh, Dae Seog Heo, Sung Whan Ha, and Yung-Jue Bang.
• Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Chongno-Gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
• Breast Cancer Res. Treat. 2009 Jul 1; 116 (1): 153-60.

PurposeNeoadjuvant chemotherapy may modify the yield of involved axillary lymph nodes. The purpose of this study was to identify the clinical significance of the involved nodal ratios in patients with stage II/III breast cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy.MethodsTwo hundred and five stage II and III breast cancer patients who received neoadjuvant docetaxel/doxorubicin chemotherapy were enrolled in this prospective study. The patients received three cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by curative surgery, either breast-conserving surgery or mastectomy with axillary lymph node dissection, and received three additional cycles of docetaxel/doxorubicin chemotherapy as adjuvant. Adjuvant radiotherapy and hormonal therapy were given after adjuvant chemotherapy when indicated.ResultsThe median follow-up duration was 28.9 months. The overall response rate (RR) for neoadjuvant chemotherapy was 77.6%. The mean nodal ratio was 0.29 (range, 0-1.0; nodal ratio 0.25, 84 [41.0%]). Relapse free survival (RFS) of the patients who had a nodal ratio >0.25 was significantly shorter (Hazard Ratio (HR) = 2.701, P = 0.001). A nodal ratio >0.25 was also associated with a shorter overall survival (OS) (HR = 4.109, P = 0.006). However, RFS and OS were not different according to the absolute number of involved nodes (ANIN) (P = 0.166, P = 0.248, respectively). In multivariate analysis, the nodal ratio was an independent prognostic factor for RFS and OS (HR = 4.246, P < 0.001; HR = 7.764, P < 0.001).ConclusionAxillary nodal ratios have an independent prognostic value in stage II/III breast cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Nodal ratio might be a useful tool to identify the patients at high risk of relapse in the neoadjuvant setting.

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