A retrospective study of different local treatments in breast cancer patients with synchronous ipsilateral supraclavicular lymph node metastasis

Aim: To evaluate the local treatment outcome and efficacy of supraclavicular lymph node dissection and radical radiotherapy for breast cancer patients with synchronous ipsilateral supraclavicular lymph node metastasis (ISLM). Materials and Methods: A total of 29 patients with ISLM in the absence of distant metastases were retrospectively analyzed. All patients received radical or modified radical mastectomy and systemic therapy. Thirteen patients received supraclavicular lymph node dissection surgery and the other patients were treated with radical radiotherapy. Results: At the median follow-up of 47 months, 23 patients had developed distant metastases. The 3-year distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) rates were 46.2% for the supraclavicular lymph node dissection group and 31.3% for the radical radiotherapy group. The 5-year overall survival rates were 46.2% for the supraclavicular lymph node dissection group and 37.5% for the radical radiotherapy group. Conclusion: Breast cancer with ISLM should be considered as a locoregional disease. Besides systemic therapy, local therapy may be helpful in enhancing local control and correspondingly reducing distant metastasis. In some individual patients, supraclavicular lymph node dissection might get a good prognosis.