Preoperative prediction of nodal status using clinical data and artificial intelligence derived mammogram features enabling abstention of sentinel lymph node biopsy in breast cancer
INTRODUCTION: Patients with clinically node-negative breast cancer have a negative sentinel lymph node status (pN0) in approximately 75% of cases and the necessity of routine surgical nodal staging by sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) has been questioned. Previous prediction models for pN0 have included postoperative variables, thus defeating their purpose to spare patients non-beneficial axillary