Real-time ultrasound, axillary mammography, and clinical examination in the detection of axillary lymph node metastases in breast cancer patients.

The axillary node status is important in the prognosis of breast cancer. To evaluate the accuracy of various preoperative examination methods in detecting metastatic axillary lymph nodes, we compared the findings of clinical examination, axillary ultrasonography, and axillary mammography of 41 breast cancer patients who underwent axillary dissection and histological examination. The sensitivity was 72.7% for ultrasonography, 38.9% for axillary mammography, and 32.3% for clinical examination. Ultrasonography provides good information about the axillary nodal status. The specificity can be increased by fine-needle biopsy under ultrasound guidance.