Clinico-Pathological Correlation Between Pre-Operative Clinical Staging and Post-Operative Pathological Staging in Breast Cancer Patients

Breast neoplasms; Neoplasm staging; Pathology; TNM classification; Lymph nodes

Dr Pratik Shaparia1,
Associate Professor,
Department of General Surgery, SBKS Medical
Institute and Research Centre, Sumandeep
Vidyapeeth (Deemed to be University), Piparia,
Vadodara, Gujarat, India.

Dr Honeypalsinh H. Maharaul2,
Professor,
Department of General Surgery, SBKS Medical
Institute and Research Centre, Sumandeep
Vidyapeeth (Deemed to be University), Piparia,
Vadodara, Gujarat, India. (Corresponding
Author)

Dr Hitesh Jain3,
Resident , Department of General Surgery,
SBKS Medical Institute and
Research Centre, Sumandeep Vidyapeeth
(Deemed to be University), Piparia, Vadodara,
Gujarat, India.

Dr Deval Patel4,
Resident , Department of General Surgery,
SBKS Medical Institute and
Research Centre, Sumandeep Vidyapeeth
(Deemed to be University), Piparia, Vadodara,
Gujarat, India.

Dr Vipul Gurjar5*,
Professor and Head,
Department of General Surgery, SBKS Medical
Institute and Research Centre, Sumandeep
Vidyapeeth (Deemed to be University), Piparia,
Vadodara, Gujarat, India.

Received:21-06-2026
Revised:25-07-2026
Accepted:30-07-2026

European Journal of Prosthodontics and Restorative Dentistry (2026) 34(7s), 914–920

Clinico-Pathological Correlation Between PreOperative Clinical Staging and Post-Operative Pathological Staging in Breast Cancer Patients

Introduction: Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among women worldwide. Staging guides treatment selection and prognosis; clinical staging precedes surgery, while pathological staging follows histological examination of the resected specimen. Any mismatch between the two can alter management. Aim: To correlate pre-operative clinical staging with post-operative pathological staging in patients with carcinoma of the breast and to quantify the direction of stage change. Materials and methods: This hospital-based, cross-sectional, observational study included 50 patients with histologically confirmed breast carcinoma who underwent surgery at a tertiary care hospital in western India over 18 months. Clinical stage was assigned from history, examination and routine investigations; pathological stage was assigned from the resected specimen using the AJCC 7th edition TNM system. Clinical and pathological stages were compared for the tumour (T) category, node (N) category and the overall stage, and were classified as concordant, upgraded or downgraded. Results: The mean age was 50.9 years; 47 (94%) patients were women. A painless lump was the commonest presentation (72%), the upper outer quadrant was the commonest site (42%) and the right breast was slightly more often involved (56%). Grade II tumours predominated (58%). Overall clinical and pathological stages were concordant in 15 (30%) patients, while 26 (52%) were upgraded and 9 (18%) downgraded. Concordance was 46% for the T category and 38% for the N category, with nodal upgrading in 56%. Conclusion: Clinical staging disagreed with pathological staging in roughly 70% of patients, with a clear tendency toward pathological upgrading, chiefly of nodal status. Careful pre-operative assessment of tumour size, fixity and nodal status is needed to narrow this gap and refine treatment planning.

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