Ultrasound-guided diffuse optical tomography (DOT) of invasive breast carcinoma: does tumour total haemoglobin concentration contribute to the prediction of axillary lymph node status?

OBJECTIVES

To prospectively study the ultrasound-guided near-infrared diffuse optical tomography (DOT) findings of the total haemoglobin concentration (THC) detected in invasive breast carcinomas and its contribution to the prediction of axillary lymph node (LN) status.

METHODS

A total of 195 invasive breast carcinomas were prospectively studied with DOT before surgery. Lumpectomy or mastectomy with full axillary nodal dissection was performed. Tumour size and THC level were correlated with LN status by a logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS

One hundred twenty-four patients (63.59%) was LN(-) and 71 (36.41%) was LN(+). The average THC was significantly higher in the LN(+) group than in the LN(-) group (252.94±69.19 μmol/L versus 203.86±83.13 μmol/L, P=0.01). A multivariate analysis showed an independent relationship between the probability of axillary metastasis, elevated THC level (P=0.01), and tumour size (P=0.001). The odds ratio with THC≥140 μmol/L was 13.651 (1.781-104.560), whereas that of tumour size with a 1cm increment was only 1.777 (1.283-2.246).

CONCLUSIONS

The THC level and the tumour size are independent and preoperative predictors of axillary nodal status; these variables may improve the diagnosis of patients with lymph node metastasis.