The prognosis for breast cancer after the development of lymphatic metastases varies depending on the specific disease. Overall, the five-year survival rate for patients with stage II breast cancer is about 90% and for patients with stage III breast cancer is about 80%.
The prognosis of breast cancer is related to many factors, with lymph node metastasis being one of the most important prognostic factors. Patients with pathological findings in extended radical surgery for breast cancer that report negative axillary lymph nodes have a ten-year postoperative survival rate of about 80%, while patients with positive axillary lymph node metastases have a survival rate of only 39%. Medical studies have shown that the number of lymph nodes accumulated is an important factor influencing the prognosis of breast cancer. Patients with 1-3 lymph nodes involved have a 10-year survival rate of about 70%, and those with 4 or more lymph nodes involved have a poorer prognosis, with a 10-year survival rate of about 20%. Patients with high lymph node metastases such as supraclavicular lymph node metastases and internal mammary lymph node metastases had a very poor prognosis, and the 8-year survival rate for patients with subclavian lymph node metastases was 29%. However, the above data are only an overall estimate, and the survival rate naturally varies for each patient in the clinical setting, making it difficult to go for an accurate assessment.
Lymphatic metastases from breast cancer are usually treated surgically by clearing the axillary lymph nodes. The surgical removal of axillary lymph nodes may have some side effects, resulting in edema, numbness, and even impaired movement of the upper extremity due to obstructed reflux, so the upper extremity on the operated side should be immobilized after surgery to limit the movement of the upper extremity. Postoperative treatment is usually supplemented with chemotherapy or local radiotherapy. Endocrine therapy is also available. This treatment is usually indicated for patients with positive estrogen and progesterone receptors, and this treatment has fewer side effects than other methods.