Abstract: Background and purpose: Axillary lymph node metastasis of breast cancer has an important significance in prognosis and treatment of breast cancer. This study was to investigate the correlation between axillary lymph node metastasis and ultrasonographic characteristics of axillary lymph node combined with immunohistochemistry in breast cancer patients. Methods: A total number of 366 breast cancer patients were selected in this study. Seven hundred and twenty-eight axillary lymph nodes were collected. With ultrasonography, the maximum cortex thickness, the ratio of the height to the length, the ratio of the cortex to the medulla and blood flow of axillary lymph nodes were observed, in order to study the correlation between these indicators and axillary lymph node metastasis combined with the postoperative immunohistochemical results. Results: According to univariate analysis, axillary lymph node maximum cortex thickness, the ratio of the height to the length, characteristics of blood flow and the positive expression rate of p53 were related to axillary lymph node metastasis (P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve showed that axillary lymph node maximum cortex thickness was the best indicator to determine axillary lymph node metastasis. The positive expression rate of p53 in patients with maximum cortex thickness >3 mm (42.78%) of axillary lymph node was significantly higher than that in patients with maximum cortex thickness ≤3 mm (25.82%) (P<0.01). Conclusion: Ultrasonographic characteristics of axillary lymph node and immunohistochemistry method are closely correlated with axillary lymph node metastasis in patients with breast cancer, which is important in diagnostic and treatment in clinic.

Key words: Breast cancer, Axillary lymph node metastasis, Ultrasound, Immunohistochemistry