OBJECTIVETo study the high risk factors of the third level of lymphatic metastasis in breast cancer patients to guide clinical practice.

METHODSThe clinical data of 746 breast cancer patients (all female, aged from 33 to 80 years with a median of 46 years) received radical or modified mastectomy between 2001 and 2011 was analyzed retrospectively. Eleven individual variables were selected to investigate high risk factors of the third level of lymphatic metastasis in different conditions.

RESULTSAxillary nodes metastasis status (OR = 4.541, 95%CI:3.569-5.776), tumor site (OR = 1.437, 95%CI:1.029-2.007), external nodes involved (OR = 3.809, 95%CI:1.683-8.618) and estrogen receptor (OR = 0.740, 95%CI:0.569-0.964) were high risk factors of the third level of lymphatic metastasis. Further analysis found that it is prone to happen a metastasis, especially when the tumor with a size over 5 cm and located at the lateral quadrant. Negative estrogen receptor was a risk factor of the third level lymphatic metastasis along with the tumor stage.

CONCLUSIONFor preoperative tumor biopsy shows Negative estrogen receptor of tumor stage T3 and over stage T3 when considering suspicious lymph node metastasis or external tissues metastasis intraoperatively should take in account into third level axillary lymph node dissection actively.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Axilla ; pathology ; Breast Neoplasms ; pathology ; surgery ; Female ; Humans ; Lymph Node Excision ; Lymph Nodes ; pathology ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Mastectomy ; methods ; Middle Aged ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors