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Poor nuclear grade of tumor cells in the preentry FNA or TC specimens in the preop group was predictive of a pCR. AC-induced meganuclear giant cells and apocrine changes and nuclear and histologic grades of the primary tumors also were found to be prognostically significant in patients in the preop treatment group, and the latter two variables were found to be significant for those patients in the postop treatment group. No evidence was found to support the need for axillary lymph node radiation for ECE of lymph node metastases. Extended pathologic or immunohistochemical procedures also appear to be unnecessary for the detection of lymph node mini micrometastases, at least when traditional postop chemotherapy is used. The adverse relation between such small metastases and OS and DFS after preop AC appears to be related to the timing of the chemotherapy administration rather than any pathobiologic reasons.
Fisher et al. (Wed,) studied this question.