[Role of axillary dissection in breast carcinoma]

Between 1986 and 1995, 965 patients with T1 breast cancer were treated with wide excision (796 pts) or mastectomy (138 pts). Axillary dissection was performed in 934 patients. Nodal positivity was 8.7% for T1a, 15.6% for T1b and 37.7% for T1c. 68.5% of cases had one to three positive nodes, 18.3% four to ten and 13% more than ten nodes. No differences were observed in the frequency of lymph nodes involved according to the age of patients, menopausal status, pattern at mammography, histology and receptor status. Favourable histology (tubular, cribriform, papillary, colloid) shows a significant difference when compared with all the others histotypes. On the basis of data collected it is impossible to anticipate the axillary status and avoid axillary dissection.