Fig. 3

Survival Outcomes in patients with IM–SC LN recurrence without DM. Kaplan–Meier curves for DDFS (a) and OS (b) after recurrence in patients with IM–SC LN recurrence according to clinical axillary LN status of the primary tumor at diagnosis. Kaplan–Meier curves for DDFS (c) and OS (d) after recurrence in patients with IM–SC LN recurrence according to pathological axillary LN status of the primary tumor at surgery. DDFS distant disease-free survival, IM–SC LN internal mammary and/or supraclavicular lymph node, OS overall survival. The 5-year DDFS rates were 83% in patients with clinically axillary node-negative tumor at diagnosis and 12% in patients with clinical node-positive tumor (P = 0.004). The 5-year OS rates were 100% in patients with clinical axillary node-negative tumor at diagnosis and 17% in patients with clinically node-positive tumor (P = 0.011). The 5-year DDFS rates were 69% in patients with pathological axillary node-negative tumor at the primary surgery and 0% in patients with pathological axillary node-positive tumor (P = 0.007). The 5-year OS rates were 100% in patients with pathological axillary node-negative tumor at the primary surgery and 0% in patients with pathological axillary node-positive tumor at the primary surgery (P = 0.001)