Cytologically proven axillary lymph node metastases are eradicated in patients receiving preoperative chemotherapy with concurrent trastuzumab for HER2‐positive breast cancer

BACKGROUND:

The axillary pathologic complete response rate (pCR) and the effect of axillary pCR on disease‐free survival (DFS) was determined in patients with HER2‐positive breast cancer and biopsy‐proven axillary lymph node metastases who were receiving concurrent trastuzumab and neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy is reported to result in pCR in the breast and axilla in up to 25% of patients. Patients achieving a pCR have improved DFS and overall survival. To the authors' knowledge, the rate of eradication of biopsy‐proven axillary lymph node metastases with trastuzumab‐containing neoadjuvant chemotherapy regimens has not been previously reported.

METHODS:

Records were reviewed of 109 consecutive patients with HER2‐positive breast cancer and axillary metastases confirmed by ultrasound‐guided fine‐needle aspiration biopsy who received trastuzumab‐containing neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by breast surgery with complete axillary lymph node dissection. Survival was evaluated by the Kaplan‐Meier method. Clinicopathologic factors and DFS were compared between patients with and without axillary pCR.

RESULTS:

Eighty‐one patients (74%) achieved a pCR in the axilla. Axillary pCR was not associated with age, estrogen receptor status, grade, tumor size, initial N classification, or median number of lymph nodes removed. More patients with an axillary pCR also achieved a pCR in the breast (78% vs 25%; P < .001). At a median follow‐up of 29.1 months, DFS was significantly greater in the axillary pCR group (P = .02).

CONCLUSIONS:

Trastuzumab‐containing neoadjuvant chemotherapy appears to be effective in eradicating axillary lymph node metastases in the majority of patients treated. Patients who achieve an axillary pCR are reported to have improved DFS. The success of pCR with concurrent trastuzumab and chemotherapy in eradicating lymph node metastases has implications for surgical management of the axilla in these patients. Cancer 2010. © 2010 American Cancer Society.     

Occult axillary lymph node metastases do not have prognostic significance in early stage breast cancer

BACKGROUND:

Axillary lymph node status is one of the most powerful prognostic indicators in patients with breast cancer and has implications for adjuvant treatment. It has been demonstrated that enhanced histologic evaluation of axillary lymph nodes, including serial sectioning of paraffin tissue blocks and immunohistochemical (IHC) staining, increases the rate of detection of occult metastases. The clinical significance of occult lymph node metastases has been the subject of debate.

METHODS:

In the current study, the authors identified 267 patients who underwent axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) between 1987 and 1995 and were lymph node negative according to a routine pathologic evaluation, which included the complete submission of all lymph nodes and an examination of 1 hematoxylin and eosin (H&E)‐stained section per paraffin block. Patients did not receive systemic chemotherapy or hormone therapy. All of the dissected lymph nodes from these patients were re‐evaluated by intensified pathologic methods (serial sectioning with H&E levels plus IHC). Occult metastases were categorized by detection method and size. The clinical significance of the occult metastases was determined.

RESULTS:

Thirty‐nine patients (15%) who had lymph node‐negative results on routine evaluation of their ALND specimens had occult metastases identified. Eight of these patients (20%) had macrometastases >2.0 mm, 15 (40%) had micrometastases (range, >0.2 mm to ≤2 mm), and 16 (40%) had isolated tumor cells (≤0.2 mm). The presence of occult metastases and the size of metastases did not affect recurrence‐free or overall survival.

CONCLUSIONS:

The presence of occult metastasis did not have clinical significance in this cohort of patients with early stage breast cancer. Cancer 2011;. © 2011 American Cancer Society.     

Aldehyde dehydrogenase 1-positive cells in axillary lymph node metastases after chemotherapy as a prognostic factor in patients with lymph node-positive breast cancer

BACKGROUND:

Aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 (ALDH1)‐positive cells exhibit stem‐like or progenitor ability and have been considered a clinically important diagnostic and therapeutic target in patients with breast cancer. In this study, the authors evaluated responsiveness to chemotherapy of ALDH1‐positive cells in primary and metastatic lesions and its relation to prognosis for patients with lymph node‐positive breast cancer.

METHODS:

In total, 115 patients who had breast cancer with cytologically confirmed lymph node metastases and who underwent surgery after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) were evaluated. By using ALDH1 immunohistochemistry in core‐needle biopsy specimens of the primary tumor, cytology samples of axillary lymph nodes before NAC, and pathologic samples of each after NAC, the clinical significance of ALDH1‐positive cell status was evaluated in primary and metastatic lesions before and after NAC.

RESULTS:

The presence of ALDH1‐positive cancer cells, but not ALDH1‐negative cancer cells, in primary and metastatic lesions after NAC was associated with a worse prognosis. In multivariate analysis, only ALDH1‐positive cells in metastatic lesions after NAC correlated with overall survival. The responsiveness of ALDH1‐positive cells to chemotherapy differed between primary and metastatic lesions, and the findings indicated that ALDH1‐positive cells in metastatic lesions after NAC may clinically precede those in the primary lesion.

CONCLUSIONS:

The responsiveness of ALDH1‐positive cells to chemotherapy in primary and metastatic lesions and its prognostic significance were clarified in patients with breast cancer. The authors concluded that ALDH1‐positive status may represent a surrogate marker as a new concept in patients with lymph node‐positive breast cancer. Cancer 2012. © 2011 American Cancer Society.     

Clinical course of breast cancer patients with complete pathologic primary tumor and axillary lymph node response to doxorubicin-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

PURPOSE: To assess patient and tumor characteristics associated with a complete pathologic response (pCR) in both the breast and axillary lymph node specimens and the outcome of patients found to have a pCR after neoadjuvant chemotherapy for locally advanced breast cancer (LABC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Three hundred seventy-two LABC patients received treatment in two prospective neoadjuvant trials using four cycles of doxorubicin-containing chemotherapy. Patients had a total mastectomy with axillary dissection or segmental mastectomy and axillary dissection followed by four or more cycles of additional chemotherapy. Patients then received irradiation treatment of the chest-wall or breast and regional lymphatics. Median follow-up was 58 months (range, 8 to 99 months). RESULTS: The initial nodal status, age, and stage distribution of patients with a pCR were not significantly different from those of patients with less than a pCR (P>.05). Patients with a pCR had initial tumors that were more likely to be estrogen receptor (ER)-negative (P<.01), and anaplastic (P = .01) but of smaller size (P<.01) than those of patients with less than a pCR. Upon multivariate analysis, the effects of ER status and nuclear grade were independent of initial tumor size. Sixteen percent of the patients in this study (n = 60) had a pathologic complete primary tumor response. Twelve percent of patients (n = 43) had no microscopic evidence of invasive cancer in their breast and axillary specimens. A pathologic complete primary tumor response was predictive of a complete axillary lymph node response (P<.01 ). The 5-year overall and disease-free survival rates were significantly higher in the group who had a pCR (89% and 87%, respectively) than in the group who had less than a pCR (64% and 58%, respectively; P<.01). CONCLUSION: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy has the capacity to completely clear the breast and axillary lymph nodes of invasive tumor before surgery. Patients with LABC who have a pCR in the breast and axillary nodes have a significantly improved disease-free survival rate. However, a pCR does not entirely eliminate recurrence. Further efforts should focus on elucidating the molecular mechanisms associated with this response.     

Occult axillary lymph node metastases are of no prognostic significance in breast cancer

The significance of occult metastases in axillary lymph nodes in patients with carcinoma of the breast is controversial. Additional sections were cut from the axillary lymph nodes of 477 women with invasive carcinoma of the breast, in whom no metastases were seen on initial assessment of haematoxylin and eosin stained sections of the nodes. One section was stained with haematoxylin and eosin, and one using immunohistochemistry with two anti-epithelial antibodies (CAM5.2 and HMFG2). Occult metastases were found in 60 patients (13%). The median follow-up was 18.9 years with 153 breast cancer related deaths. There was no difference in survival between those with and those without occult metastases. Multivariate analysis, however, showed that survival was related to tumour size and histological grade. This node-negative group was compared with a second group of 202 patients who had one involved axillary node found on initial assessment of the haematoxylin and eosin sections; survival was worse in the patients in whom a nodal metastasis was found at the time of surgery. Survival was not related to the size of nodal metastases in the occult metastases and single node positive groups. Some previous studies have found a worse prognosis associated with occult metastases on univariate analysis, but the evidence that it is an independent prognostic factor on multivariate analysis is weak. We believe that the current evidence does not support the routine use of serial sections or immunohistochemistry for the detection of occult metastases in the management of lymph node negative patients, but that the traditional factors of histological grade and tumour size are useful.     

Incidence and prognostic significance of complete axillary downstaging after primary chemotherapy in breast cancer patients with T1 to T3 tumors and cytologically proven axillary metastatic lymph nodes.

PURPOSE: To determine the incidence and prognostic significance of eradication of cytologically proven axillary lymph node metastases in breast cancer patients treated with primary chemotherapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between January 1985 and December 1994, 152 breast cancer patients with invasive T1 to T3 tumors and axillary metastases cytologically proven by fine-needle sampling underwent primary chemotherapy followed by lumpectomy or mastectomy, level I and II axillary lymph node dissection, and irradiation. We studied pathologic complete responses (pCRs) of axillary nodes and breast tumors, as well as predictors of distant metastases. RESULTS: Thirty-five patients (23%) had axillary pCRs, and 20 patients (13.2%) had pCRs of primary breast tumors. Scarff-Bloom-Richardson grade 3 tumors (P =.04) and a clinical response to chemotherapy > or = 50% (P =.003) were associated with negative axillary status at dissection. An initial tumor size < or = 3 cm (63 patients) was associated with pCR of the primary tumor (P =.02) but not with complete histologic clearance of axillary lymph nodes. The median length of follow-up was 75 months. In the univariate analysis, age greater than 40 years (P =.003), absence of residual nodal disease (P =.01), and pCR of the tumor (P =.05) were associated with better distant disease-free survival. Five-year distant disease-free survival rates were 73.5% +/- 14.9% among patients with no involved nodes at the time of surgery and 48.7% +/- 9.2% among patients with residual nodal disease. In the multivariate Cox regression analysis, parameters associated with poor distant disease-free survival were age < or = 40 years (P =.002), persistence of nodal involvement (P =.03), and S-phase fraction greater than 4% (P =.02). CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that axillary status is a better prognostic factor than response of the primary tumor to primary chemotherapy.     

Outcome following sentinel lymph node biopsy-guided decisions in breast cancer patients with conversion from positive to negative axillary lymph nodes after neoadjuvant chemotherapy

Purpose

Many breast cancer patients with positive axillary lymph nodes achieve complete node remission after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The usefulness of sentinel lymph node biopsy in this situation is uncertain. This study evaluated the outcomes of sentinel biopsy-guided decisions in patients who had conversion of axillary nodes from clinically positive to negative following neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Methods

We reviewed the records of 1247 patients from five hospitals in Korea who had breast cancer with clinically axillary lymph node-positive status and negative conversion after neoadjuvant chemotherapy, between 2005 and 2012. Patients who underwent axillary operations with sentinel biopsy-guided decisions (Group A) were compared with patients who underwent complete axillary lymph node dissection without sentinel lymph node biopsy (Group B). Axillary node recurrence and distant recurrence-free survival were compared.

Results

There were 428 cases in Group A and 819 in Group B. Kaplan–Meier analysis showed that recurrence-free survivals were not significantly different between Groups A and B (4-year axillary recurrence-free survival: 97.8 vs. 99.0%; p = 0.148). Multivariate analysis also indicated the two groups had no significant difference in axillary and distant recurrence-free survival.

Conclusions

For breast cancer patients who had clinical conversion of axillary lymph nodes from positive to negative following neoadjuvant chemotherapy, sentinel biopsy-guided axillary surgery, and axillary lymph node dissection without sentinel lymph node biopsy had similar rates of recurrence. Thus, sentinel biopsy-guided axillary operation in breast cancer patients who have clinically axillary lymph node positive to negative conversion following neoadjuvant chemotherapy is a useful strategy.

     

乳腺癌新辅助化疗后同侧锁骨上淋巴结病理完全缓解列线图预测模型的构建

目的建立乳腺癌新辅助化疗后同侧锁骨上淋巴结病理完全缓解(ispCR)的预测模型, 以指导局部治疗。方法连续纳入2012年9月至2019年5月河南省肿瘤医院收治的首诊同侧锁骨上淋巴结转移且新辅助化疗后行同侧锁骨上淋巴结清扫的乳腺癌患者211例, 分为训练集142例, 验证集69例。采用单因素和多因素logistic回归分析确定乳腺癌新辅助化疗后ispCR的影响因素, 建立乳腺癌新辅助化疗后ispCR的列线图预测模型。通过受试者工作特征(ROC)曲线分析和绘制校准曲线对列线图预测模型进行内部和外部验证评价。结果单因素logistic回归分析显示, Ki-67指数、腋窝淋巴结转移数目、乳腺pCR、腋窝pCR、新辅助化疗后同侧锁骨上淋巴结大小与乳腺癌新辅助化疗后ispCR有关(均P<0.05)。多因素logistic回归分析显示, 腋窝淋巴结转移数目(OR=5.035, 95%CI为1.722～14.721)、乳腺pCR (OR=4.662, 95%CI为1.456～14.922)和新辅助化疗后同侧锁骨上淋巴结大小(OR=4.231, 95%CI为1.194～14.985)是乳腺癌新辅助...     

Impact of axillary lymph node dissection on breast cancer outcome in clinically node negative patients

BACKGROUND:

The regional lymph node control and survival impact of axillary dissection in breast cancer has been the subject of multiple randomized trials, with various results. This study reviews and conducts a meta‐analysis of contemporary trials of axillary dissection in patients with early stage breast cancer.

METHODS:

A systematic MEDLINE review identified 3 randomized trials published between January 2000 and January 2007 of axillary dissection versus no dissection in clinically lymph node negative early stage breast cancer patients. A fourth trial of axillary radiotherapy versus no axillary treatment was also identified and included in this review. Meta‐analyses were performed for survival, axillary recurrence, metastatic disease, and ipsilateral breast recurrence.

RESULTS:

All trials reported a higher rate of axillary recurrence (1.5%‐3%, median follow‐up 5‐15 years) in the absence of axillary dissection or radiotherapy. Overall survival was similar with and without definitive axillary treatment in 3 of the 4 trials, with an increased rate of nonbreast cancer‐related death in the observation arm of the fourth trial. Meta‐analyses found no significant difference in overall survival (odds ratio [OR] 1.55; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.74‐3.24), metastases (OR 0.91; 95% CI, 0.65‐1.29), or ipsilateral breast recurrence (OR 1.11; 95% CI, 0.68‐1.83) associated with axillary treatment. A significantly lower rate of axillary recurrence was seen after lymphadenectomy (OR 0.28; 95% CI, 0.11‐0.73, P<.01).

CONCLUSIONS:

Axillary dissection does not confer a survival benefit in the setting of early stage clinically lymph node negative breast cancer. Although the rate of axillary failure was increased in the absence of dissection, the absolute risk was found to be extremely low. Cancer 2009. © 2009 American Cancer Society.     

腋窝良恶性淋巴结的MR弥散加权成像研究

目的评价MR弥散加权成像（diffusion—weighted imaging,DwI）对乳腺癌淋巴结转移的诊断价值。方法收集24例乳腺癌伴腋窝淋巴结肿大患者,行常规MR及MR弥散加权成像序列扫描,测量淋巴结的表观弥散系数（apparent diffusion coefficient,ADC）,结合术后病理结果进行对照分析。结果转移性淋巴结与良性增生淋巴结的ADC值分别为（0．796±0．171）×10^-3mm2／s和（1．058±0．234）×10^-3mm2／s,差异有统计学意义（P〈0．05）;以0．854×10^-3mm2／s作为ADC值诊断淋巴结转移的阈值,其灵敏度、特异度和准确度分别为73．91％、86．96％和80．43％。结论弥散加权成像对乳腺癌淋巴结转移灶的诊断具有重要价值。     

Disease-free and overall survival after pathologic complete disease remission of cytologically proven inflammatory breast carcinoma axillary lymph node metastases after primary systemic chemotherapy

BACKGROUND: Breast carcinoma axillary lymph node (ALN) pathologic complete response (pCR) after primary chemotherapy is associated with significantly higher recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) rates. The purpose of the current study was to determine long-term outcome in patients achieving a pCR of cytologically proven inflammatory breast carcinoma ALN metastases after primary chemotherapy. METHODS: Patients with cytologically documented ALN metastases from inflammatory breast carcinoma were treated in three prospective primary chemotherapy trials. After surgery, patients were subdivided into those patients with and those patients without residual ALN carcinoma. Survival was calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: Of 175 patients treated, 61 had cytologically confirmed ALN metastases. Fourteen patients (23%) achieved a pCR of the ALNs after primary chemotherapy. The 5-year OS and RFS rates were found to be improved in those patients achieving a pCR of the ALNs (82.5% [95% confidence interval (95% CI), 62.8-100%] and 78.6% [95%CI, 59.8-100%], respectively, vs. 37.1% [95%CI, 25.4-54.2%] and 25.4% [95%CI, 15.5-41.5%], respectively) (P = 0.01 [for OS] and P = 0.001 [for RFS]). Combination anthracycline and taxane-based primary chemotherapy resulted in significantly more patients achieving an ALN pCR (45% vs. 16%; P = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: pCR of ALN metastases is associated with an excellent prognosis in patients with inflammatory breast carcinoma. The rates of ALN pCR are nearly 50% in patients with inflammatory breast carcinoma who are treated with anthracyclines and weekly paclitaxel before surgery. However, those patients with residual ALN disease at the time of surgery greatly require the introduction of novel therapeutic strategies.     

Association of angiogenesis in lymph node metastases with outcome of breast cancer

BACKGROUND: Microvessel density (MVD) is a measure of the extent of new blood vessel growth or angiogenesis, which is required for tumor progression. Increased MVD in primary breast cancers appears to adversely affect disease-free survival and overall survival in patients with breast cancer. However, the clinical implications of angiogenesis in breast cancer metastases have not been well studied. The purpose of this study was to compare intratumoral MVD in primary breast cancer tissues with MVD in axillary lymph node metastases and to evaluate the relationships among primary- and metastatic-tumor MVD, disease-free survival, and overall survival in patients with lymph node-positive, stage II breast cancer who were treated with adjuvant chemotherapy in Cancer and Leukemia Group B Protocol 8082. METHODS: Immunostaining for factor VIII-related antigen was performed on tissue sections from 47 primary tumors and 91 axillary lymph nodes containing metastases from 110 patients with lymph node-positive breast cancer. Sections were examined for the presence or absence of focal areas of relatively intense neovascularization (vascular hot spots), and a quantitative assessment of intratumoral MVD was performed. RESULTS: The presence of vascular hot spots in axillary lymph node metastases, but not primary breast cancers, was associated with statistically significantly decreased disease-free survival (P =.006) and overall survival (P =.004) by univariate analysis. Similarly, increased MVD in metastases, but not in primary tumors, was statistically significantly associated with diminished overall survival in these patients (P =.02). In multivariate analysis, the number of positive axillary lymph nodes and the presence of vascular hot spots in axillary lymph node metastases predicted decreased disease-free survival (P =.0001 and.02, respectively) and overall survival (P =.0001 and.007, respectively). All P values were two-sided. CONCLUSION: This pilot study suggests that assessing neovascularization in axillary lymph node metastases may provide clinically useful information regarding survival in patients with primary breast cancer.     

乳腺癌腋淋巴结转移超声诊断的多因素分析

目的：通过分析乳腺癌癌肿及其腋淋巴结的声像图表现,探讨癌肿及腋淋巴结声像图特征与病理学腋淋巴结转移的相关性。方法：回顾性分析应用超声检出的145例乳腺癌患者及其278枚腋淋巴结的声像图表现,采用单因素分析、多因素logistic回归及ROC曲线分析的方法,分别检验乳腺癌癌肿内血流特征及癌肿最大直径、腋淋巴结血流特征、径线比及最大皮质厚度与病理学腋淋巴结转移的相关性。结果：依据单因素分析,乳腺癌癌肿血流≥Ⅱ级者、癌肿直径较长者,对应病理学腋淋巴结转移率较高（P〈0．05）;周边型或混合型血流分布、径线比较小、皮质厚度较厚的腋淋巴结,其病理学淋巴结转移率较高（P〈0．05）。依据多因素分析,乳腺癌癌肿直径、淋巴结径线比和皮质最大厚度与病理学腋淋巴结转移明显相关。经ROC曲线分析,腋淋巴结最大皮质厚度是判定腋淋巴结转移的较佳指标。结论：依据乳腺癌癌肿及腋淋巴结超声影像学特征评价腋淋巴结转移,具有明显的临床实用价值。     

T1 breast cancer: identification of patients at low risk of axillary lymph node metastases

Objective. The status of the axillary lymph nodes is one of the most important prognostic factors in patients with breast cancer. A panel of molecular markers of tumor aggressiveness in addition to conventional clinical and histopathologic features were analyzed in an attempt to identify a subgroup of patients with a low risk of axillary lymph node metastases. Material and methods. Data from 358 patients with T1 breast cancer who underwent level I/II axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) were investigated. Hormone receptor status, Ki-67, S-phase fraction, DNA ploidy, HER-2/neu, p53, epidermal growth factor receptor, urokinase type plasminogen activator, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, bone marrow micrometastases as well as patient age, menopausal status, tumor site, tumor size, histologic type, tumor grade, carcinoma in situ, multifocality, and lymph vascular invasion (LVI) were studied to predict axillary lymph node status. Results. In a multivariate logistic regression analysis LVI (present v.s. not present), Ki-67 (18% v.s. <18%), tumor size (1.1–2 cm v.s. 1 cm), and histologic grade (G3 v.s. G1/2) were identified as independent predictive factors of axillary lymph node metastases. Approximately 13% of patients (n = 47) with well or moderately differentiated tumors less than or equal to 1 cm, no lymph vascular invasion, and a low Ki-67 staining were identified as having a low risk of axillary lymph node metastases of 4.3%. However, 20 patients with all four unfavorable predictive factors had a 75% incidence of axillary lymph node involvement. Conclusion. Primary tumor characteristics can be used to identify a subgroup of patients with a low risk of axillary lymph node metastases in T1 breast cancer. Preoperative risk assessment might be used to omit routine ALND in those patients at low risk of axillary lymph node metastases.     

早期乳腺癌腋淋巴结转移的多因素分析

目的：探讨早期乳腺癌腋淋巴结转移（ALNM）的相关因素,并对阴性腋淋巴结行角蛋白19（CK19）检测以发现微转移癌.方法：收集乳腺癌病例138例,建立数据库,用Logistic回归进行单因素和多因素分析,并对有意义的指标进行相关分析,对40例患者441枚阴性腋淋巴结再切片,用CK19行免疫组织化学染色.结果：多因素分析显示肿瘤大小、肿瘤部位、癌抗原153（CA153）、人类表皮生长因子受体-2（HER2）4个指标进入Logistic回归方程,40例患者中有3例患者的腋窝淋巴结CK19免疫组织化学染色阳性.结论：肿瘤大小、肿瘤部位、CA153和HER2为乳腺癌患者ALNM的高危因素;CK19免疫组织化学染色可发现乳腺癌腋淋巴结微转移癌.     

Metachronous secondary primary occult breast cancer initially presenting with metastases to the contralateral axillary lymph nodes: report of a case

We report a rare case of a 64-year-old female with metachronous secondary primary left occult breast cancer initially presenting right axillary lymph node metastases. The patient, who had received breast-conserving therapy for left breast cancer at another hospital about 4.5 years ago, came to our hospital complaining of right axillary node swelling. After both breast and systemic examination, she received complete right axillary lymph node dissection. Just after the operation, she was diagnosed with right occult breast cancer by a review of the right axillary lymph nodes and previous left breast cancer. She was followed by radiation and systemic chemoendocrine therapies. One year after axillary lymph node dissection, mammography and ultrasonography showed a new lesion in her left breast. Core needle biopsy revealed similar findings to right axillary lymph node metastasis. After salvage surgery, the diagnosis was revised. We recommend that patients without clinical findings except for axillary lymph node metastasis, especially post-breast-conserving surgery followed by radiation therapy, should be considered not only as having ipsilateral but also contralateral occult breast cancer. If there is no evidence of a primary lesion, axillary lymph node dissection needs to be carried out, and the patient should be offered the choice of radiation therapy or mastectomy followed by proper systemic therapy.     

Predicting axillary lymph node metastases in breast carcinoma patients

Routine axillary dissection is primarily used as a means of assessing prognosis to establish appropriate treatment plans for patients with primary breast carcinoma. However, axillary dissection offers no therapeutic benefit to node negative patients and patients may incur unnecessary morbidity, including mild to severe impairment of arm motion and lymphedema, as a result. This paper outlines a method of evaluating the probability of harbouring lymph node metastases at the time of initial surgery by assessment of tumour based parameters, in order to provide an objective basis for further selection of patients for treatment or investigation. The novel aspect of this study is the use of Maximum Entropy Estimation (MEE) to construct probabilistic models of the relationship between the risk factors and the outcome. Two hundred and seventeen patients with invasive breast carcinoma were studied. Surgical treatment included axillary clearance in all cases, so that the pathologic status of the nodes was known. Tumour size was found to be significantly correlated (P < 0.001) to the axillary lymph node status in the multivariate analysis with age (P = 0.089) and vascular invasion (P = 0.08) marginally correlated. Using the multivariate model constructed, 38 patients were predicted to have risk of nodal metastases lower than 20%, of these only 4 (10%) patients had lymph node metastases. A comparison with the Multivariate Logistic Regression (MLR) was carried out. It was found that the predictive quality of the MEE model was better than that of the MLR model. In view of the small sample size, further verification of this model is required in assessing its practical application to a larger population.     

Immunolymphscintigraphy of axillary lymph node metastases in breast cancer patients using monoclonal antibodies: first clinical findings

The results of preliminary investigations into the immunolymphscintigraphic (ILS) detection of axillary lymph node metastases in nine breast cancer patients by means of the 3C6F9 monoclonal antibody (MAs) are presented. The IgG2a monoclonal antibody detects a 37 KD antigen, consistently found on the surface of primary and metastatic breast tumors. Each patient received 1 mCi of I-123 (specific activity, 2 mCi per mg of antibody) as a subcutaneous injection between the 2nd and the 3rd finger of both hands, i.e., the healthy side serving as a control for the affected side. Clear images of lymph node metastases were visible 4 to 8 hours after injection of the antibody. Seven of the nine patients studied were positive by scanning and six showed positive lymph node involvement by histopathology (6/7; true positive = 86%). Two patients did not show any iodine uptake in the axilla and were subsequently found to be free of metastases (2/2; true negative = 100%). These data give an overall accuracy of ILS of 89% and demonstrate that 3C6F9 localizes preferentially in affected axillary lymph nodes compared to normal lymph nodes.     

乳腺癌腋窝淋巴结声像图联合免疫组织化学与淋巴结转移的相关性研究

背景与目的：乳腺癌腋窝淋巴结转移对于乳腺癌患者的预后及治疗方案的选择有重要的指导意义。本研究旨在探讨乳腺癌腋窝淋巴结声像图表现联合免疫组织化学与腋窝淋巴结转移的相关性。方法：回顾性分析应用超声检出的366例乳腺癌患者共计728枚腋窝淋巴结的声像图表现,采用单因素分析、多因素logistic回归及受试者工作特征(receiver operating characteristic,ROC)曲线分析的方法,分别检验乳腺癌腋窝淋巴结皮质最大厚度、长短径之比、皮髓质之比和淋巴结血流特征,联合乳腺癌术后免疫组织化学结果,研究其与病理学腋窝淋巴结转移的相关性。结果：依据单因素分析,腋窝淋巴结皮质最大厚度、长短径之比、血流特征以及乳腺癌病灶p53的阳性表达率与淋巴结转移有关(P<0.05)。依据多因素分析及ROC分析,腋窝淋巴结皮质最大厚度是判定腋窝淋巴结转移的最佳指标。腋窝淋巴结皮质最大厚度大于3 mm的患者,其乳腺癌病灶的p53阳性表达率(42.78%)明显高于皮质最大厚度小于等于3 mm的患者(25.82%),差异有统计学意义(P<0.01)。结论：乳腺癌腋窝淋巴结声像图表现联合免疫组织化学评价腋窝淋巴结转移,对乳腺癌的临床诊疗方法选择具有重要价值。