Single-center retrospective observational study of the prognostic significance of lymphovascular invasion in invasive breast cancer

There is no consensus on the prognostic significance of lymphovascular invasion (LVI) in breast cancer. A retrospective observational study at the First Affilated Hospital of Dalian Medical University (China) investigated the association between LVI and outcomes among 2124 breast cancer patients (18.7% LVI-positive). There was a strong correlation between LVI and T stage, N stage, and nerve invasion. LVI was associated with significantly worse overall survival and disease free survival. These associations were also seen in subgroups of luminal B breast cancer, triple-negative breast cancer, and HER2 overexpressing breast cancer. The authors conclude that LVI is associated with aggressive and clinicopathological features and is an independent poor prognostic factor in invasive breast cancer.