Аннотация:might make axillary node staging unnecessary.In our report we used the first of these approaches because we could apply it to a very large data set (approximately 12 000 patients) without requiring clinical follow-up.In our predictive modeling efforts in patient sets for which we have detailed follow-up information, we are also examining the power of models for predicting relapse and survival that do and do not use information gained by axillary nodal staging.Interest in this question is sparked both because, for some patients, the necessity of axillary dissection might be eliminated and because neoadjuvant programs confound the axillary nodal status, making it impossible to use this classical powerful prognostic variable for predictive modeling.Issues of selection, reproducibility, and standardization of prognostic factors to be used in these models and validation of the models should be an integral part of the modeling process regardless of the approach taken.
