Table 3.
Diagnostic performance of SLNB in all and subgroups of patients
| Parameter | Sensitivity (%) | FNR (%) | NPV (%) | Accuracy (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall (n=20) | 80.0 | 20.0 | 83.3 | 90.0 |
| 95% CI | 55.2-100.0 | 0.0-44.8 | 62.2-100.0 | 76.9-100.0 |
| No. of retrieved SLNs | ||||
| ≤ 2 (n=2) | 0.0 | 100.0 | 50.0 | 50.0 |
| 3 (n=11) | 75.0 | 25.0 | 87.5 | 90.9 |
| ≥ 4 (n=7) | 100.0 | 0.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 |
| p-value | 0.089 | 0.089 | 0.576 | 0.305 |
| Type of axillary surgery | ||||
| Axillary sampling (n=8) | 66.7 | 33.4 | 83.3 | 87.5 |
| ALND (n=12) | 85.7 | 14.3 | 83.3 | 91.7 |
| p-value | > 0.999 | > 0.999 | > 0.999 | > 0.999 |
| Node response to NCT | ||||
| Response (n=11) | 100.0 | 0.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 |
| Non-response (n=9) | 71.4 | 28.6 | 50.0 | 77.8 |
| p-value | > 0.999 | > 0.999 | 0.091 | 0.190 |
| Molecular phenotype | ||||
| Luminal (n=14) | 100.0 | 0.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 |
| Non-luminal (n=6) | 33.3 | 66.7 | 60.0 | 66.7 |
| p-value | 0.067 | 0.067 | 0.152 | 0.079 |
SLNB, sentinel lymph node biopsy; FNR, false-negative rate; NPV, negative predictive value; CI, confidence interval; SLNs, sentinel lymph nodes; ALND, axillary lymph node dissection; NCT, neoadjuvant chemotherapy.