Abstract
Background and Objective
The aim of this study is to know whether intravenous digital subtraction angiography (IVβDSA) is useful to detect axillary lymph node metastasis of breast cancer and to evaluate the anigiogenesis of lymph nodes in the axilla.
Patients and Methods
Forty three primary breast cancer patients (N0: 26 cases, N1: 5 cases, N2: 2 cases) who underwent IVβDSA between January and November 2000 were included in the study. Infinix CB apparatus (Toshiba, Japan) was used to collect IVβDSA images and when a mass became stained in the axilla, it was considered to be metastatic. The angiogenesis was studied by examining microvessel density (MVD) after lymph node immunostaining for factor VIII. Primary tumor was detected by IVβDSA in all 43 cases.
Results
Axillary lymph node metastases were detected by IVβDSA in 34.9% of cases (15/43), and by pathology in 37.2% (16/43). The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of the diagnostic method were 75.0% (12/16), 88.9% (24/27), and 83.7% (36/43), respectively. MVD, calculated after immunostaining for factor VIII, was significantly lower in the in metastatic region of lymph nodes identified by DSA (88.5βΒ±β35.0) than in metastasisβfree lymph nodes (141.1βΒ±β34.0, Pβ<β0.0001).
Conclusions
IVβDSA is useful in the diagnosis of axillary lymph node metastasis of breast cancer. Our results suggest that the primary factors involved in the mechanism of DSA display may be different from high/low MVC values. J. Surg. Oncol. 2004;87:75β79. Β© 2004 WileyβLiss, Inc.