Comparing Disease-Free Survival (DFS) and Overall Survival (OS) Rates in Breast Cancer Patients: Axillary Lymph Node...

Examining the survival rate in breast cancer patients serves as a metric for assessing and advancing various treatment modalities. In light of the significant incidence of breast cancer in Iran, this study is aimed at examining and comparing the disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) rates among breast cancer patients who underwent axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) and sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB).

This retrospective cohort research included 1071 patients at Tajrish Hospital, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran, from 1991 to 2021. The recurrence and survival rates of patients undergoing ALND and SLNB in both groups were examined and evaluated. The data were analyzed using SPSS statistical software using descriptive statistical techniques (percentage, frequency, mean, and standard deviation), Kaplan-Meier analysis, and Cox regression tests. A significance threshold of 0.05 is used.

The average OS among all patients was 18.08 ± 0.51. The average OS in the ALND group was 18.1 ± 0.53; in the SLNB group, it was 12.8 ± 0.39, which was insignificant (p < 0.05). The average DFS among all patients was 17.13 ± 0.51. The average DFS in the ALND group was 16.95 ± 0.54; in the SLNB group, it was 11.96 ± 0.3; the difference was insignificant (p = 0.11).

OS and DFS in the ALND group were higher than in the SLNB group, but they were not statistically significant.