BACKGROUND Infraclavicular axillary vein cannulation is not commonly used for central venous access because identifying the surface landmarks is difficult. Ultrasound guided axillary vein puncture has not been well described. We assessed ultrasound imaging to guide catheterization of the infraclavicular axillary vein. METHODS In 200 consecutive patients we attempted to catheterize the axillar...

BACKGROUND Sentinel node biopsy predicts accurate pathological nodal staging. The survival of node-negative breast cancer patients should be evaluated between the patients treated with sentinel node biopsy alone and those treated with axillary lymph node dissection. METHODS Ninety-seven patients with negative axillary nodes underwent sentinel node biopsy immediately followed by axillary lymph...

BACKGROUND Lymphedema is one of the major long-term complications of axillary dissection. This study was designed to investigate the risk factors that are predicted to effect the development of lymphedema after complete axillary dissection. METHODS Two hundred forty patients who had undergone modified radical mastectomy with complete axillary dissection were examined at least 18 months after ...

OBJECTIVE This study aims to investigate the correlations between rapidly accelerated fibrosarcoma/mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK)/extracellular signal-regulated kinase signaling pathway and clinicopathological features and prognosis for patients with breast cancer having axillary lymph node metastasis. METHODS A total of 118 breast cancer tissues with axillary lymph node metast...

IMPORTANCE Although axillary lymph node evaluation is standard of care in the surgical management of invasive breast cancer, a benefit has not been demonstrated in ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). Despite uncertainty regarding the efficacy, axillary evaluation is often performed in women with DCIS. OBJECTIVE To determine the incidence of axillary evaluation in women with DCIS and identify cli...

PURPOSE The study was to estimate the likelihood of axillary downstaging and to identify the factors predicting a pathologically node negative status after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) with or without trastuzumab in HER2-positive breast cancer. METHODS Patients with HER2-positive, stage IIa-IIIc breast cancer were enrolled. Axillary status was evaluated by palpation and fine needle aspirati...

BACKGROUND Breast cancer is one of the most commonly occurring malignancies in females in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. Axillary clearance is an integral part of the surgical treatment of breast cancer. Precise analysis of lymph node involvement for proper staging and adjuvant therapy is therefore necessary. During axillary dissection, lymph nodes at levels I, II and III are removed, while ...