Skip to main content
. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2017 Feb 1.
Published in final edited form as: J Am Coll Surg. 2015 Nov 25;222(2):138–145. doi: 10.1016/j.jamcollsurg.2015.11.013

Table 3.

Need for Axillary Lymph Node Dissection among Women With and Without Abnormal Axillary Imaging

Imaging modality n ALND required No ALND p Value
Individual axillary imaging
results
 Mammogram 0.016
  No abnormal LNs 391 61 (15%) 333 (85%)
  Any abnormal LNs 31 10 (32%) 21 (68%)
 Axillary US 0.005
  Not done 183 31 (17%) 151 (83%)
  No abnormal LNs 181 21 (12%) 160 (88%)
  Any abnormal LNs 61 18 (30%) 43 (70%)
 MRI 0.085
  Not done 253 40 (16%) 212 (84%)
  No abnormal LNs 120 16 (13% 104 (87%)
  Any abnormal LNs 52 14 (27%) 38 (73%)
Combined axillary imaging
results
 Mammogram only* 101 16 (16%) 85 (84%) <0.0001
 Negative axillary imaging
 by US and/or MRI		 254 31 (12%) 223 (88%)
 Abnormal axillary imaging
 by US and/or MRI		 70 24 (34%) 46 (66%)
*

Six women had abnormal axillary imaging by mammogram with no additional axillary imaging performed.

ALND, axillary lymph node dissection; LN, lymph node; US, ultrasound.