Selection for axillary clearance in breast cancer (ultrasound negative,sentinel node positive patients have low rates of further metastases)

Background

The aim of this study was to determine whether we could identify a subset of axillary clearance patients in whom the procedure yielded negative nodes and was therefore of no therapeutic benefit.

Methods

Over a three year period 138 patients underwent axillary clearance at our unit. The axillae of all patients were assessed preoperatively with clinical examination, ultrasound (USS) and FNAC if suspicious nodes identified. Patients with clinically malignant nodes or positive FNAC underwent axillary node clearance where appropriate, whilst completion axillary node clearance was performed in those who had no preoperative evidence of metastatic axillary disease but positive sentinel node biopsy (SNB)/axillary node sample (ANS).

Results

Of the 138 patients, the indications for axillary clearance were positive FNAC or clinically malignant nodes in 89 and positive SNB/ANS in the remaining 49. Patients with preoperative evidence of axillary metastases had significantly more positive nodes compared to those who underwent SNB and completion ANC 4.6 vs. 3.1 p = 0.037. Of the patients with ultrasonographically normal axillae but positive SNB, 8.7% had further nodal metastases at completion ANC. This was significantly less than in those with abnormal USS (negative FNAC) and positive SNB (41.7%); p = 0.033.

Conclusions

Preoperative ultrasound in conjunction with FNAC and clinical judgement identifies most patients with positive axillary nodes and such patients have more widespread disease. The additional value of completion axillary ANC in patients with ultrasonographically normal axillae but positive SNB appears small as sentinel node ‘biopsy’ serves to clear the axilla of metastases in most of these patients.     

Wire guided localisation for targeted axillary node dissection is accurate in axillary staging in node positive breast cancer following neoadjuvant chemotherapy

AimThis study investigated whether wire localisation of the histologically proven positive, clipped axillary lymph node (ALN) with subsequent targeted axillary dissection (TAD) following neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) improves axillary staging in breast cancer.Materials and methodsWe performed a retrospective review of patients with primary breast cancer and core biopsy proven metastatic ALNs, that had an excellent nodal radiological response following NACT, treated at our centre between January 2016 and December 2018. The initial cohort of patients (Group 1) underwent sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB), with a minimum of three nodes were sampled. The subsequent cohort (Group 2) had a marker clip inserted in the metastatic ALN prior to NACT. This cohort underwent wire guided excision of the clipped node in addition to SLNB, with a minimum of three nodes sampled.ResultsA total of 47 patients were identified. Group 1 comprised 22 patients with a sentinel lymph node (SLN) identification rate (IR) of 95%. 25 patients (Group 2) underwent wire guided clip location and the SLN IR was 100% with a 92% clipped node IR. Evidence of pathological complete response (pCR) in the clipped node was associated with pCR in other nodes.ConclusionTargeted axillary dissection is a feasible technique following excellent response to NACT in selected patients with limited volume ALN metastasis, at diagnosis. The identification of the positive ALN during surgery is vital and the IR can be improved by clipping the node prior to NACT and wire guided localisation at the time of surgery.     

Sentinel node biopsy after primary systemic therapy in node positive breast cancer patients: Time trend,imaging staging power and nodal downstaging according to molecular subtype

BackgroundThe management of axilla after Primary Systemic Therapy (PST) for breast cancer is a highly debated field. Despite the proven axillary downstaging occurring after PST, there is still some degree of reluctance in applying sentinel node biopsy (SNB) in the neoadjuvant setting.Patients and methodsWe performed a retrospective analysis on 181 PST patients with axillary positive nodes at presentation treated between 2005 and 2017 at San Raffaele Hospital in Milan. The aim was to observe the application time trend of SNB, to determine the imaging staging power and the axillary downstaging according to molecular subtypes.ResultsMedian follow-up after surgery was 32.5(IQR: 12–59) months. After PST, 119 (65.7%) patients had no clinically palpable nodes, 72 (39.7%) converted to N0 on final imaging and 34 (18.8%) underwent SNB with an increasing application trend. Axillary-US showed the highest accuracy (69.3%) in re-staging axilla after PST. Staging power of preoperative testing varied with tumour biology: Positive Predictive Value was higher in Luminal A (80% for clinical examination and 100% for axillary-US) and Luminal B (72% and 70.5%) tumours, whilst Negative Predictive Value was higher in HER2 positive (100% and 93.3%), and triple negative (71.4% and 93.3%) tumours. Ninety five (52.5%) patients experienced axillary downstaging after PST, by molecular subtype 15% (3/20) in Luminal A, 46.4% (45/97) in Luminal B, 90.9% (20/22) in HER2+ and 70.3% (26/37) in triple negative breast tumours.ConclusionSNB application after PST for breast cancer in node positive patients at presentation is increasing. Pre-operative axillary imaging and tumour biology help identify patients who might be candidates for SNB as a single staging procedure.     

Population based study on sentinel node biopsy before or after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in clinically node negative breast cancer patients: Identification rate and influence on axillary treatment

The timing of the sentinel lymph node biopsy (SNB) is controversial in clinically node negative patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). We studied variation in the timing of axillary staging in breast cancer patients who received NAC and the subsequent axillary treatment in The Netherlands.Patients diagnosed with clinically node negative primary breast cancer between 1st January 2010 and 30th June 2013 who received NAC and SNB were selected from the Netherlands Cancer Registry. Data on patient and tumour characteristics, axillary staging and treatment were analysed. Two groups were defined: (1) patients with SNB before NAC (N = 980) and (2) patients with SNB after NAC (N = 203).Eighty-three percent of patients underwent SNB before NAC, with large regional variation (35–99%). The SN identification rate differed for SNBs conducted before and after NAC (98% versus 95%; p = 0.032). A lower proportion of patients had a negative SNB when assessed before NAC compared to after (54% versus 67%; p = 0.001). The proportion of patients receiving any axillary treatment was higher for those with SNB before NAC than after (45% versus 33%; p = 0.006).In conclusion, variation exists in the timing of SNB in clinical practice in The Netherlands for clinically node negative breast cancer patients receiving NAC. The post-NAC SN procedure is, despite some lower SN identification rate, associated with a significantly less frequent axillary treatment and thus with less expected morbidity. The effect on recurrence rate is not yet clear. Patients in this registry will be followed prospectively for long-term outcome.     

Clinical and pathological predictors of recurrence in breast cancer patients achieving pathological complete response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy

IntroductionDespite the excellent prognosis associated with pathological complete response (pCR) to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC), some patients still develop recurrence. Here, we investigated the outcomes of breast cancer patients with pCR, as well as the clinical and pathological predictors of cancer recurrence in these patients.Materials and methodsOf the 1599 breast cancer patients treated with NAC, we evaluated 394 patients who achieved pCR between January 2007 and December 2016. pCR was defined as no evidence of invasive cancer in breast. Residual in situ ductal and axillary lymph node diseases were not considered. We analyzed the outcomes using the Kaplan–Meier method. We assessed the association of clinical and pathological predictors with cancer recurrence using the cox proportional hazards regression model.ResultsThe median follow-up time was 63 months. The 5-year disease-free survival rate was 92.3%. Cancer recurrence was observed in 28 patients (7.1%): local recurrence 8 patients (2.0%), visceral metastasis 10 patients (2.5%), and brain metastasis 10 patients (2.5%). Brain metastases were found in patients with HER2 type breast cancer. The significant predictors of cancer recurrence were HER2 positivity (p = 0.04), clinical tumor size (p < 0.01), and lymph node metastasis (p < 0.01) before NAC on univariate analysis and only lymph node metastasis on multivariate analysis.ConclusionPatients achieving pCR to NAC showed excellent outcomes. Advanced clinical stage, large tumor size, presence of lymph node metastasis, and HER2 positivity before NAC were identified as significant predictors of cancer recurrence. Residual in situ ductal and lymph node diseases after NAC were not significant predictors.     

The prognostic impact of mode of detection of axillary metastases for women with invasive breast cancer: A retrospective observational study

AimTo identify the breast cancer specific survival (BCSS) associated with nodal metastasis identified by axillary core biopsy (ACB), and by sentinel node biopsy (SNB) compared with node negative patients. A further aim was to assess the prognostic effects of axillary ultrasound (US) features and amount of tumour in ACB specimens.MethodsConsecutive patients with cancer were identified from a database of US lesions undergoing breast biopsy. The three study groups were: a) those with metastasis identified by ACB, b) those undergoing immediate surgery with positive SNB and c) those undergoing immediate surgery with a negative SNB. US features and the amount of tumour in the ACB specimen were assessed by review of US images and pathological reports. BCSS was assessed using Kaplan Meier survival curves.Results967 patients were included, with mean follow-up of 6.0 yrs. There were 90 breast cancer deaths: 26% of those with a positive ACB, 11% with a positive SNB and 4% of those with a negative SNB. BCSS was significantly different between the groups (p < 0.001) with hazard ratio, compared with the negative SNB group, of 7.8 (95% CI 4.4–13.7) for patients with positive ACB and 2.5 (95% CI 1.3–4.6) for positive SNB. Axillary US findings and assessment of the amount of tumour in the ACB did not influence survival.ConclusionThis study suggests that women with a positive ACB have a worse BCSS compared to those with a positive SNB. This should be borne in mind when systemic therapy is being considered.     

Sentinel Node Biopsy After Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Cytologically Proven Node-Positive Breast Cancer

IntroductionSeveral studies have assessed the feasibility of sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) after NAC in patients with breast cancer, but diagnostic accuracy has varied. We prospectively evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of SLNB in detecting axillary lymph node (ALN) metastases after NAC in patients with cytologically proven positive nodes before chemotherapy.Patients and MethodsWe studied 95 breast cancer patients with cytologically proven positive nodes and a partial or complete clinical response to NAC in the breast lesions confirmed using magnetic resonance imaging. Patients then underwent SLNB followed by ALN dissection. The identification rate of sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) and the false negative rate of nodal metastases were assessed. Subgroup analysis was conducted according to several clinical factors.ResultsSLNs were successfully identified in 81 (85.3%) of the 95 patients. Among these 81 patients, 51 (63.0%) had ALN metastases on final pathologic examination after NAC. Eight of the 51 patients with ALN metastases had negative results on SLNB (false negative rate, 15.7%). Univariate analysis indicated that the false negative rate was significantly lower only in the HER2-negative group (P = .003).ConclusionSLNB after NAC did not correctly predict the presence or absence of axillary node metastases in patients with breast cancer who had cytologically proven positive nodes before NAC. However, the diagnostic accuracy might be different in cancer subtypes, therapeutic effect of chemotherapy, or sentinel lymph node status after chemotherapy. Well-powered studies are needed to confirm diagnostic accuracy of SLNB after NAC according to subgroup in patients with breast cancer.     

Characterization of Weakly Hormone Receptor (HR)-Positive,HER2-Negative Breast Cancer and Current Treatment Strategies

BackgroundHormone receptor (HR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2) status is critical for determining management of breast cancer. Previous reports of small cohorts with weak HR-positive (HR+)/HER2-negative (HER2-) disease showed similar rates of pathologic complete response (pCR) following neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) as triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). This study aims to further characterize this group, focusing on pCR rates following NAC.Patients and MethodsPatients with stage I-III, HR+/HER2- breast cancer were identified using the University of Wisconsin Hospital Cancer Registry. Medical records were reviewed for demographics, tumor characteristics with quantification level of estrogen and progesterone receptor (≤33%), treatment, and follow-up data.ResultsData was reviewed from 2,900 patients and a total of 64 patients met inclusion criteria. Eighty percent received chemotherapy, about half with NAC (n = 30, 48%). Of 28 patients who received NAC followed by breast and axillary surgery, 12 (43%; 95% CI 25%-63%) had pCR (ypT0/Tis/ypN0). Of the 11 patients who had biopsyproven nodal disease at diagnosis and NAC followed by axillary surgery, 7 (64%, 95% CI 31%-89%) patients had pCR at the axilla. Only one patient with pCR developed recurrent disease. For those that recurred, median time to recurrence was 13.6 (5.6-48.7) months.ConclusionsBreast cancers that are HER2- and weakly HR+ treated with NAC demonstrated pCR rate more similar to TNBC than breast cancers that are strong HR+. Neoadjuvant approaches may improve pCR rates, which provides important prognostic information. Clinical trials should be developed to focus on this unique patient cohort.     

Assessing the Impact of Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy on the Management of the Breast and Axilla in Breast Cancer

BackgroundNodal status is a sensitive prognostic indicator in breast cancer. Axillary metastases may be an indication for neoadjuvant systemic therapy. The aims of this study were to compare pathologic response rates to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) in the breast and axilla across different molecular subtypes of breast cancer and to compare the predictive value of axillary assessment before and after chemotherapy in determining final nodal status in this cohort of patients.Patients and MethodsThe cohort comprised patients undergoing NAC from 2003 to November 2012. Data regarding patient and tumor characteristics, management, and outcomes were obtained from a prospectively maintained database and analyzed using PASW Statistics, version 18 (SPSS Inc, Chicago, IL).ResultsTwo hundred two cancers were identified in 196 patients. One hundred thirty-one (65%) diagnostic axillary procedures were performed, 105 (80%) before NAC, of which 93 (89%) were positive. In 28 (30%), downstaging was noted before NAC. Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) subtypes had the highest rate of complete pathologic response (n = 11 [61%]) and negative axillary clearance (AXCn) (n = 11 [69%]). Of 177 AXCns, 68 (38%) were negative before NAC.ConclusionAXCn in patients undergoing NAC remains controversial. HER2 subtypes are less likely to have axillary involvement after NAC and may demand different management.     

Favorable outcome with sentinel lymph node biopsy alone after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in clinically node positive breast cancer at diagnosis: Turkish Multicentric NEOSENTI-TURK MF-18-02-study

PurposeFactors affecting local outcome were evaluated in patients with clinically node-positive (cN+) breast cancer at diagnosis, who underwent sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) alone after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC).MethodsBetween 2004 and 2018, 303 cytopathology-proven cN (+) patients in a multicentric registry, who received NAC and underwent SLNB alone were analysed. All patients had regional nodal irradiation.ResultsMedian age was 46 (23–70). Of those, 211 patients had ypN0 disease (69.6%), whereas 92 patients had ypN (+) disease including 19 (20.6%) isolated tumor cells (ITC), 33 micrometastases (35.9%) and 40 macrometastases (43.5%). At a median follow-up of 36 months (24–172), one patient (0.3%) with macrometastatic SLN was found to have locoregional recurrence as chest wall and supraclavicular LN metastases at the 60th month. Five-year disease-free survival (DFS) and disease specific survival (DSS) rates were 87% and 95%, respectively. Patients with cT3/4 (HR = 2.41, 95% CI; 1.14–5.07), non-luminal molecular pathology (HR = 2.60, 95% CI, 1.16–5.82), and non-pCR in the breast (HR = 2.11, 95% CI, 0.89–5.01) were found to have an increased HR compared to others in 5-year DFS. However, no difference could be found between ypN0 and ypN ITC and micrometastasis (HR = 1.23, 95% CI, 0.44–3.47), whereas there was a slight increase in HR of patients with ypN macrometastasis versus ypN0 (HR = 1.91, 95% CI, 0.63–5.79).ConclusionALND could be avoided in meticulously selected cN (+) patients who underwent SLNB after NAC having breast and/or nodal pCR, cT1-2, or low volume residual nodal disease with luminal pathology, as long as axillary radiotherapy is provided.     

Sentinel node biopsy is not sensible in breast cancer patients with large primary tumours.

AIMS: We aimed to evaluate the outcome of sentinel node biopsy (SNB) in breast cancer patients with large primary tumours. METHODS: Nine hundred and eighty-four patients with invasive breast cancer and SNB were studied. The histological tumour size was larger than 3 cm in 70 patients. The advantages of SNB like avoiding axillary clearance (AC) or more accurate staging by detecting micrometastases or parasternal sentinel node metastases were evaluated in relation to the tumour size. RESULTS: Axillary metastases were detected in 351/914 patients with a tumour size of 3 cm or smaller and in 50/70 patients with larger tumours (p<0.0001). Micrometastases or isolated tumour cells only, were observed in 134/351 node positive patients with tumours not larger than 3 cm and in 10/50 cases with larger tumours (p=0.022). Parasternal sentinel node metastases were detected in 17/914 patients with a tumour size of 3 cm or smaller and 2/70 patients with larger tumours (p=ns). AC was omitted because of tumour negative sentinel node findings 168 of the 232 patients with stage T1 a-b tumours and 281 of those 489 with T1c tumours. Twenty of the 70 patients with tumours larger than 3 cm avoided AC. CONCLUSIONS: SNB is not sensible in breast cancer patients with tumours larger than 3 cm, because of the small proportion avoiding AC after SNB.     

Prospective Feasibility Trial of Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy in the Setting of Inflammatory Breast Cancer

Background

Most inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) patients have axillary disease at presentation. Current standard is axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT). Advances in NACT have improved pathologic complete response (pCR) rates increasing interest in performing sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy (SLNB). Previous studies on SLNB for IBC patients did not assess nodal response with imaging or use dual tracer mapping. We sought to prospectively determine false negative rates of SLNB in IBC patients using dual tracer mapping, and to correlate pathology with preoperative axillary imaging.

Can sentinel node biopsy be safely omitted in thin melanoma? Risk factor analysis of 1272 multicenter prospective cases

BackgroundThe indication to sentinel node biopsy (SNB) for thin melanomas (Breslow <1 mm) is still subject to controversies. The aim of this paper is to review all SNB performed for thin melanoma and to analyze factors related to lymphatic metastasis. Moreover, the diagnostic performance of the 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th AJCC classifications for cutaneous melanoma were investigated.MethodsAll sentinel node biopsies performed for thin melanomas were selected from a multicentre prospectively-collected database. For each patient the following was collected: age, sex, date of treatment, site of primary melanoma, histopathologic features (Breslow, Clark, number of mitoses/mm², presence of ulceration) and the results of the sentinel node biopsy.ResultsFrom 1998 to 2017 were performed a total of 1272 SNB for thin melanoma. Mean age was 51years with 48.7% of male patients. Overall, 5.6% positive SNB were found. At univariate and multivariate analyses, Breslow thickness and ulceration were related to the presence of lymphatic metastasis. We compared the four versions of the AJCC classification: among pT1a patients there were respectively 5.32%, 5.63%, 3.72% and 3.49% of positive SNB.Conclusionsin thin melanoma Breslow thickness and ulceration were the only factors related to a positive SNB. Although convincing improvements resulted from the implementation of AJCC classifications with a reduction of positive biopsies among pT1a, a 10.71% rate among all positive nodes remains in the low-risk group. No recommendations can be drawn from this research and adjunctive evidences are needed to better identify patients at risk of nodal metastasis.     

Reliability of Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy after Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Breast Cancer Patients

Purpose

Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) is an accurate and effective means of axillary nodal staging in early breast cancer. However its indication after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) is under constant debate. The present study evaluates the reliability of SLNB in assessing axillary nodal status after NAC.

Methods

Data from 281 patients who had received NAC and subsequent SLNB were reviewed. The identification and false negative rates of SLNB were determined and the clinicopathologic factors associated with false negative results were investigated using univariate analysis.

Results

The identification rate of SLNB after NAC was 93.6% and the false negative rate was 10.4%. Hormone receptor status, especially progesterone receptor positivity, was significantly associated with false negative results. The accuracy of intraoperative frozen section examination of sentinel lymph nodes was 91.2%.

Conclusion

The identification rate of SLNB and the accuracy of intraoperative frozen section examination after NAC are comparable to the results without NAC in patients with early breast cancer. However considering the high false negative rates, general application of SLNB after NAC should be avoided. Patients with progesterone-positive tumors and non-triple-negative breast cancers may be a select group of patients in whom SLNB can be employed safely after NAC, but further studies are necessary.     

Implementation of sentinel node biopsy in breast cancer patients in the Netherlands

BackgroundThis population-based study describes the implementation of the sentinel node biopsy (SNB) in breast cancer patients in the Netherlands. We examined the extent of use over time of SNB in women who were considered eligible for SNB on the basis of their clinical status.MethodsThe study included a total of 35,465 breast cancer patients who were diagnosed with T1–2 tumours (⩽5.0 cm), negative axillary lymph node status and no distant metastases upon clinical examination between 1st January 1998 and 31st December 2003 in six Comprehensive Cancer Centre regions in the Netherlands. Information on axillary surgery was classified as SNB alone, SNB+axillary lymph node dissection (ALND), ALND alone or none. Patterns of use of axillary surgery were summarised as the proportion of patients receiving each surgery type.ResultsOverall, 25.7% of patients underwent SNB alone, 19.1% underwent SNB+ALND, 50.0% had ALND alone and 5.2% did not have axillary surgery. SNB was more common in women who had breast-conserving surgery: 50.5% of patients who received breast-conserving surgery underwent SNB compared to 40.7% of patients who had mastectomy (p < 0.0001). Amongst patients receiving breast-conserving treatment, 31.7% had SNB as final axillary surgery, whilst 20.5% of patients who had mastectomy had SNB alone (p < 0.0001). The proportion of women who underwent a SNB alone or in combination with ALND increased over the period 1998–2003, from 2.1% to 45.8% and from 6.7% to 24.8%, respectively. There were marked differences in the patterns of dissemination of the use of SNB between regions: by 2003, the difference between the regions with the highest and lowest proportion of use was 25%.ConclusionsSNB has become the standard-of-care for the treatment of breast cancer patients clinically diagnosed with T1–2 tumours, clinically negative lymph nodes and without distant metastases. In 2003, 70.6% of patients with early breast cancer in the Netherlands received SNB, and within this group, 64.9% of patients had SNB as the final axillary treatment. Implementation of SNB may depend on factors associated with regional organisation of care.     

Computed tomography for preoperative evaluation of axillary nodal status in Breast Cancer

Background  We prospectively evaluated axillary lymph node metastasis by preoperative thin-slice computed tomography (CT) and compared those results with the results of dye-guided sentinel lymph node biopsy (SNB). Patients and Methods  Fifty-one breast cancer cases were examined. Preoperative axillary CT, dye-guided SNB and complete axillary lymph node dissection were performed. We prospectively diagnosed lymph node metastasis in the whole axillary region and qualitatively predicted the sentinel lymph node (SN) status with the preoperative CT images. Based on the results of SNB and the pathological nodal status as revealed by complete axillary dissection, we evaluated the usefulness of preoperative axillary CT as a predictor of axillary node metastasis, and we also investigated the qualitative diagnostic value of the SN predicted by CT. Results  For the whole axillary region, the results of CT diagnosis showed an accuracy of 71% and a sensitivity of 60%. The SN predicted by CT correlated with the SN identified by the dye-guided method in 86% of all cases. The SN status predicted by CT had an accuracy of 81%, a sensitivity of 78%, and a negative predictive value of 79%. The dye-guided methods resulted in three false-negative SN cases, however, CT predicted one of those cases as positive. Conclusions  Diagnosis of axillary lymph node metastasis by CT alone is inadequate. However, CT achieves a comparatively high rate of identification of axillary SN. The combined use of dye-guided SNB and preoperative CT will facilitate identification of the SN and also lower the false-negative rate.     

Omission of axillary lymph node dissection in patients with ypN+ breast cancer after neoadjuvant chemotherapy: A retrospective multicenter study (KROG 21-06)

BackgroundWe evaluated the impact of omitting axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) on oncological outcomes in breast cancer patients with residual nodal disease after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC).MethodsThe medical records of patients who underwent NAC followed by surgical resection and had residual nodal disease were retrospectively reviewed. In total, 1273 patients from 12 institutions were included; all underwent postoperative radiotherapy. Axillary surgery consisted of ALND in 1103 patients (86.6%) and sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNBx) alone in 170 (13.4%). Univariate and multivariate analyses of disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were performed before and after propensity score matching (PSM).ResultsThe median follow-up was 75.3 months (range, 2.5–182.7). Axillary recurrence rates were 4.8% in the ALND group (n = 53) and 4.7% in the SLNBx group (n = 8). Before PSM, univariate analysis indicated that the 5-year OS rate was inferior in the ALND group compared to the SLNBx group (86.6% vs. 93.3%, respectively; P = 0.002); multivariate analysis did not show a difference between groups (P = 0.325). After PSM, 258 and 136 patients were included in the ALND and SLNBx groups, respectively. There were no significant differences between the ALND and SLNBx groups in DFS (5-year rate, 75.8% vs. 76.9%, respectively; P = 0.406) or OS (5-year rate, 88.7% vs. 93.1%, respectively; P = 0.083).ConclusionsSLNBx alone did not compromise oncological outcomes in patients with residual nodal disease after NAC. The omission of ALND might be a possible option for axillary management in patients treated with NAC and postoperative radiotherapy.     

A Model to Predict Pathologic Complete Response of Axillary Lymph Nodes to Neoadjuvant Chemo(Immuno)Therapy in Patients With Clinically Node-Positive Breast Cancer

BackgroundBetween 20% and 42% of patients with clinically node-positive breast cancer achieve a pathologic complete response (pCR) of axillary lymph nodes after neoadjuvant chemotherapy or immunotherapy, or both, (chemo[immuno]therapy). Hypothetically, axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) may be safely omitted in these patients. This study aimed to develop a model for predicting axillary pCR in these patients.Patients and MethodsWe retrospectively identified patients with clinically node-positive breast cancer who were treated with neoadjuvant chemo(immuno)therapy and ALND between 2005 and 2012 in 5 hospitals. Patient and tumor characteristics, neoadjuvant chemo(immuno)therapy regimens, and pathology reports were extracted. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to predict axillary pCR with the following variables: age, tumor stage and type, hormone receptor and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) status, and administration of taxane and trastuzumab. The model was internally validated by bootstrap resampling. The overall performance of the model was assessed by the Brier score and the discriminative performance by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis.ResultsA model was developed based on 291 patients and was internally validated with a scaled Brier score of 0.14. The area under the ROC curve of this model was 0.77 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.71-0.82). At a cutoff value of predicted probability ≥ 0.50, the model demonstrated specificity of 88%, sensitivity of 43%, positive predictive value (PPV) of 65%, and negative predictive value (NPV) of 75%.ConclusionThis prediction model shows reasonable accuracy for predicting axillary pCR. However, omitting axillary treatment based solely on the nomogram score is not justified. Further research is warranted to noninvasively identify patients with axillary pCR.     

Patterns of Failure in Women Who Have Residual Nodal Disease After Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy for Breast Cancer According to Extent of Lymph Node Surgery

BackgroundOptimal surgical management of limited axillary nodal disease following neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) for breast cancer is evolving. Concerns exist with respect to leaving residual disease in the axilla when omitting axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) in this setting. We sought to determine whether extent of nodal surgery altered patterns of failure and patient outcomes.Patients and MethodsWe identified 70 patients with breast cancer who were confirmed cN0 after NAC yet had residual nodal disease (ypN1) on sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB). Twenty-eight patients underwent SLNB alone and 42 underwent SLNB+completion (c)ALND in a non-randomized fashion. Most (n = 65) patients underwent adjuvant regional nodal irradiation (RNI). Detailed patterns of failure data were obtained for each patient.ResultsThe median follow-up was 43.5 months. There were 30 (43%) recurrences. Of these, 5 were isolated locoregional failures, and 24 were distant failures. There were no significant differences in local (P = .13), regional (P = .62), or distant (P = .47) failure between patients who underwent SLNB alone versus SLNB+cALND. Seventeen (24%) patients died. Overall survival was similar in both groups with median overall survival not reached for those who underwent SLNB and 109 months for those who underwent SLNB+cALND (P = .45).ConclusionsThere were no differences in patterns of recurrence among patients with 1 to 3 involved lymph nodes after NAC who underwent SLNB alone versus SLNB+cALND in the setting of RNI. We await the results of ongoing, prospective clinical trials to confirm the relative merits of RNI in lieu of cALND in these patients.     

Risk scoring system for predicting axillary response after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in initially node-positive women with breast cancer

Background

One of the current therapeutic challenges for women with breast cancer receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) is distinguishing women with complete axillary nodal response from those with axillary residual disease to promote a personalized therapeutic strategy including sparing axillary surgery.This study set out to develop a risk scoring system (RSS) for predicting probability of nodal pathological complete response (pCR) in women presenting with cN1 breast cancer who received NAC.