Prognostic significance of occult axillary lymph node metastases after chemotherapy‐induced pathologic complete response of cytologically proven axillary lymph node metastases from breast cancer

BACKGROUND:

Primary systemic chemotherapy has been a standard of care for the management of locally advanced breast cancer (LABC) patients and has increasingly been used for patients with large operable breast cancer. Pathologic complete response (pCR) of axillary lymph node metastases predicted an excellent probability of long‐term disease‐free and overall survival. Although the clinical significance of occult lymph node metastases in patients with breast cancer was extensively studied, their prognostic value in patients with LABC after primary chemotherapy was not known. This study evaluated the detection rate and clinical significance of occult lymph node metastases in lymph nodes that contained metastatic carcinoma at the time of initial diagnosis and converted to negative based on routine pathologic examination after primary systemic chemotherapy.

METHODS:

Fifty‐one patients with LABC and cytologically involved axillary lymph nodes that converted to negative after preoperative chemotherapy were identified from 2 prospective clinical trials. All lymph node sections were reviewed, 1 deeper level hematoxylin and eosin‐stained section of each lymph node was obtained and immunohistochemical staining for cytokeratin (CK) was performed. A total of 762 lymph nodes were evaluated for occult metastases. Kaplan‐Meier survival curves were used for calculating disease‐free and overall survival times.

RESULTS:

Occult axillary lymph node metastases were identified in 8 of 51 (16%) patients. In 6 patients, occult metastases were found in only 1 lymph node. In 7 patients, only isolated CK‐positive cells were identified. In all cases, occult carcinoma cells were embedded within areas of fibrosis, foreign body giant cell reaction, and extensive histiocytosis. Patients with occult lymph node metastases tended to have a higher frequency of residual primary breast tumors than those without occult metastases (4 of 8 vs 7 of 43, respectively). There was no statistically significant difference in disease‐free or overall survival times between patients with and without occult metastases after a median follow‐up 63 months.

CONCLUSIONS:

Persistent occult axillary lymph node metastases were not uncommon in patients with axillary lymph node‐positive LABC who experienced a pCR in involved lymph nodes after preoperative chemotherapy. However, such occult metastases did not adversely affect the good prognosis associated with axillary lymph node pCR. Therefore, routine lymph node CK evaluation was not recommended after primary chemotherapy. Cancer 2009. © 2009 American Cancer Society.     

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.

     

Neoadjuvant Dual HER2‐Targeted Therapy With Lapatinib and Trastuzumab Improves Pathologic Complete Response in Patients With Early Stage HER2‐Positive Breast Cancer: A Meta‐Analysis of Randomized Prospective Clinical Trials

Background.

Randomized clinical trials (RCT) that evaluated the addition of lapatinib to trastuzumab plus neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) in patients with HER2-positive, operable breast cancer revealed a questionable improvement in pathologic complete response (pCR) rate. We performed a meta-analysis of prospective RCTs that examined the effect of adding lapatinib to trastuzumab and NAC on pCR rate.

Methods.

PubMed databases and abstracts from the proceedings of the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium were searched for RCTs that compared lapatinib plus trastuzumab and NAC with trastuzumab in combination with NAC and that included pCR as the primary outcome. Our main objective was to estimate the effect of adding lapatinib to trastuzumab plus NAC on pCR rate, defined as no residual invasive cancer in breast and axillary lymph nodes.

Results.

In total, 1,017 patients with early stage breast cancer from 5 trials were included. Four trials examined the addition of lapatinib to trastuzumab plus NAC; this resulted in statistically significant improvement in pCR, defined as no residual carcinoma in breast and lymph nodes. The pCR rate was 55.76% and 38.36% in the lapatinib plus trastuzumab and the trastuzumab plus NAC arms, respectively (odds ratio [OR]: 1.94; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.44–2.60). In three trials, the rates of pCR, defined as no residual invasive carcinoma in breast only, for the lapatinib plus trastuzumab and trastuzumab-alone groups were 55.01% and 40.70%, respectively, also resulting in significant improvement (OR: 1.78; 95% CI: 1.27–2.50).

Conclusion.

The addition of lapatinib to trastuzumab in combination with neoadjuvant chemotherapy significantly improves pCR rates in patients with HER2-positive breast cancer.     

T1-2N1M0期乳腺癌新辅助化疗后疗效分析及放疗选择的探讨

目的 评价T_1-2N₁M₀期乳腺癌新辅助化疗后辅助放疗对LC率的影响及地位。方法收集2005—2010年间收治的新辅助化疗患者资料,筛选出T_1-2N₁M₀人群,并对其辅助放疗的临床结果进行分析。共入组T_1-2N₁M₀患者144例,中位年龄45岁(23~72岁)。结果 术后30例(21%)获得乳腺原发灶和腋窝淋巴结pCR者均接受了辅助放疗,45例仅腋窝淋巴结阳性转阴性者中10例未接受辅助放疗,69例腋窝淋巴结转移仍为阳性者中6例未接受放疗,其余患者均接受了辅助放疗。全组中位随访时间88个月,46例复发转移(32%),其中pCR者5年LR率为3.0%。5年LR率新辅助化疗后腋窝淋巴结阳性转阴性者放疗组为7%、未放疗组为16%(P=0.181),腋窝淋巴结仍为阳性者放疗组为15.9%、未放疗组为33%(P=0.267)。全组pCR者DFS时间较非pCR者延长(P=0.017)。结论 新辅助化疗后获pCR者DFS期优于未获pCR者,获pCR患接受辅助放疗的LR率较低,腋窝淋巴结阳性转阴性者未能从术后辅助放疗中获益,而腋窝淋巴结转移仍为阳性者的LR率高,辅助放疗有获益趋势。     

Predictors of recurrence in breast cancer patients with a pathologic complete response after neoadjuvant chemotherapy

Background:

Although a pathologic complete response (pCR) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy is associated with favourable outcomes, a small proportion of patients with pCR have recurrence. This study was designed to identify factors predictive of recurrence in patients with pCR.

Methods:

A total of 449 breast cancer patients received neoadjuvant chemotherapy, and 88 evaluable patients had a pCR, defined as no evidence of invasive carcinoma in the breast at surgery. The clinical stage was II in 61 patients (69%), III in 27 (31%). All patients received taxanes and 92% received anthracyclines. Among 43 patients with HER2-positive tumours, 27 received trastuzumab. Cox regression analyses were performed to identify predictors of recurrence.

Results:

Median follow-up was 46.0 months. There were 12 recurrences, including 8 distant metastases. The rate of locoregional recurrence was 10.4% after breast-conserving surgery, as compared with 2.5% after mastectomy. Multivariate analysis revealed that axillary metastases (hazard ratio (HR), 13.6; P<0.0001) and HER2-positive disease (HR, 5.0; P<0.019) were significant predictors of recurrence. Five of six patients with both factors had recurrence. Inclusion of trastuzumab was not an independent predictor among patients with HER2-positive breast cancer.

Conclusion:

Our study results suggest that HER2 status and axillary metastases are independent predictors of recurrence in patients with pCR.     

Treatment Outcome of Breast Cancer with Pathologically Proven Synchronous Ipsilateral Supraclavicular Lymph Node Metastases

Purpose

The aim of this study was to investigate the prognosis, patterns of failure, and prognostic factors for breast cancer patients with pathologically proven synchronous ipsilateral supraclavicular lymph node (ISCLN) metastases.

Methods

We reviewed the records of breast cancer patients with pathologically proven ISCLN metastases. Local aggressive treatment was defined as treatment including surgery, axillary lymph node dissection (ALND), ISCLN excision, radiotherapy (RT), and chemotherapy.

Results

A total of 111 patients were included. The 5-year overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) rates were 64.2% and 56.2%, respectively. On univariate analysis, RT, ALND, trastuzumab treatment, hormone receptor (HR) status, and local aggressive treatment were identified as significant factors for OS. The 5-year OS for 73 patients who received local aggressive treatment was superior to that of 38 patients who received nonaggressive treatment (70.9% vs. 49.3%, p=0.036). Multivariate analysis showed that RT, HR status, and trastuzumab were significant variables for the 5-year OS and DFS.

Conclusion

Multimodality treatment with surgery, taxane-based chemotherapy, hormone therapy, and RT is strongly recommended for breast cancer patients with synchronous ISCLN metastases.     

Sentinel lymph node biopsy in breast cancer patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy

BACKGROUND:

Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) is a widely used staging method for patients with early breast cancer. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy modifies the anatomical conditions in the breast and axilla, and thus SLNB remains controversial in patients treated preoperatively. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the reliability and accuracy of this procedure in this particular group of patients.

METHODS:

The retrospective study analyzed medical records of patients diagnosed with primary breast cancer between the years 2005 and 2009. Of the patients treated by neoadjuvant therapy, 343 underwent lymphatic mapping to identify sentinel lymph nodes, and these were included in the analysis.

RESULTS:

The overall detection rate of sentinel lymph nodes was 80.8%. It was strongly influenced by clinical lymph node status (significantly higher success rate in lymph node‐negative patients); higher detection rates were also associated with age <50 years, estrogen receptor positivity, lower proliferation index, and absent lymphovascular space invasion. The false‐negative rate was 19.5% and was only marginally significantly dependent on lymphovascular space invasion. The overall accuracy of the method was 91.5%.

CONCLUSIONS:

By using the present technique, sentinel lymph node biopsy cannot be recommended as a reliable predictor of axillary lymph node status when performed at the authors' institution after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Infrequent use of blue dye for lymphatic mapping, low number of resected sentinel lymph nodes, and absence of any selection among patients included in the study could be the main factors responsible for the low detection rate and high false‐negative rate. Cancer 2011;. © 2011 American Cancer Society.     

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...     

乳腺癌新辅助化疗后腋窝局部处理策略

近年来,新辅助化疗在乳腺癌整体治疗中的地位越来越重要,新辅助化疗可以使部分腋窝淋巴结阳性的乳腺癌患者实现病理完全缓解,降期保腋成为可能。但目前对于新辅助化疗后淋巴结转阴的患者能否行前哨淋巴结活检来评估腋窝淋巴结状态仍然存在争议。新辅助化疗患者如何更加合理的选择腋窝处理方式是临床医师常面对的难题。本文通过梳理相应的临床研究,就乳腺癌新辅助化疗后腋窝局部处理策略进行综述。     

Axillary sentinel lymph node biopsy after neoadjuvant chemotherapy for carcinoma of the breast

BACKGROUND:

The timing and accuracy of axillary sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) in patients who are receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) for breast cancer are controversial. To examine the accuracy of SLNB after NACT, the authors performed SLNB after chemotherapy on all of patients who received NACT at their institution starting in January 1997.

METHODS:

Seventy‐nine women who underwent NACT between 1997 and 2008 comprised this study and were divided as follows: 4 women had stage I disease, 60 women had stage II disease, and 15 women had stage III disease, including 10 women who had multicentric disease. Thirty‐nine women (49.4%) had clinical evidence of axillary metastasis (N1‐N2) at the time of diagnosis. The regimen, the duration of treatment, and the number of cycles of NACT depended on clinical response. The choice of breast conservation therapy or mastectomy was based on the patient's response to treatment and patient preference. All patients underwent SLNB after NACT.

RESULTS:

Seventy‐three patients underwent breast conservation therapy, and 6 patients underwent mastectomy. Sentinel lymph nodes were identified in 98.7% of patients (in 1 patient, SLNB failed to capture 1 proven axillary metastasis), and 29 patients underwent full axillary lymph node dissection. Fourteen patients (17.7%) had no residual carcinoma (invasive or ductal carcinoma in situ) in their breast, 5 patients (6.3%) had residual ductal carcinoma in situ (only), and 60 patients (75.9%) had residual invasive carcinoma. One false‐negative SLNB was reported in the group of 23 patients who underwent full axillary dissection after a negative SLNB. No patient had a subsequent axillary recurrence.

CONCLUSIONS:

SLNB after NACT was feasible in virtually all patients and accurately selected patients who required complete level I and II axillary dissection. NACT frequently downstaged the axilla, converting patients with N1‐N2 lymph node status to N0 status and also avoiding full axillary dissection in these patients. Cancer 2010. © 2010 American Cancer Society.     

Intraoperative sentinel node biopsy by one-step nucleic acid amplification (OSNA) avoids axillary lymphadenectomy in women with breast cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy

Background

There is no evidence that supports the recommendation of sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) in patients with breast cancer who have treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) to downsize tumors in order to allow breast conservation surgery, because NAC induces anatomical alterations of the lymphatic drainage. We evaluated the effectiveness of SLNB using intraoperative one-step nucleic acid amplification (OSNA) method to detect microscopic metastases or isolated tumor cells after NAC in patients with clinically negative axillary nodes at initial presentation.

Patients and methods

We evaluated in patients with breast cancer and clinically negative axilla at presentation, the effectiveness of SLNB by OSNA after NAC (71 patients) or prior to NAC (40 patients).

Results

The rate of SLN identification was 100% in both groups. 17 women with SLNB prior to systemic treatment showed positive nodes (14 macrometastases and 3 micrometastases), and positive SLNB were detected in 15 women with SLNB after NAC, which were 14 macrometastases and 1 micrometastase. The negative predictive value of ultrasonography was 57.5% in patients with SLNB prior to neoadjuvant therapy and 78.9% in patients with chemotherapy followed by SLNB.

Conclusions

Intraoperative SLNB using OSNA in women with clinically negative axillary lymph nodes at initial presentation who received NAC could predict axillary status with high accuracy. Also it allows us to take decisions about the indication or not to perform an axillary dissection at the moment, thus avoiding delay in the administration of chemotherapy and benefiting the patients from a single surgical procedure.     

A central review of histopathology reports after breast cancer neoadjuvant chemotherapy in the neo-tango trial

Background:

Neo-tAnGo, a National Cancer Research Network (NCRN) multicentre randomised neoadjuvant chemotherapy trial in early breast cancer, enroled 831 patients in the United Kingdom. We report a central review of post-chemotherapy histopathology reports on the surgical specimens, to assess the presence and degree of response.

Methods:

A central independent two-reader review (EP and HME) of histopathology reports from post-treatment surgical specimens was performed. The quality and completeness of pathology reporting across all centres was assessed. The reviews included pathological response to chemotherapy (pathological complete response (pCR); minimal residual disease (MRD); and lesser degrees of response), laterality, the number of axillary metastases and axillary nodes, and the type of surgery. A consensus was reached after discussion.

Results:

In all, 825 surgical reports from 816 patients were available for review. Out of 4125 data items there were 347 discrepant results (8.4% of classifications), which involved 281 patients. These involved grading of breast response (169 but only 9 involving pCR vs MRD); laterality (6); presence of axillary metastasis (35); lymph node counts (108); and type of axillary surgery (29). Excluding cases with pCR, only 45% of reports included any comment regarding response in the breast and 30% in the axillary lymph nodes.

Conclusion:

We found considerable variability in the completeness of reporting of surgical specimens within this national neoadjuvant breast cancer trial. This highlights the need for consensus guidelines among trial groups on histopathology reporting, and the participation of histopathologists throughout the development and analysis of neoadjuvant trials.     

Use of Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy to Select Patients for Local–Regional Therapy After Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy

Use of sentinel lymph node biopsy for axillary staging of patients with breast cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy has been widely debated. Questions arise regarding the accuracy of sentinel lymph node biopsy in axillary staging for these patients and its use to determine further local–regional therapy, including surgery and radiation therapy. For patients who are clinically node-negative at presentation, sentinel lymph node biopsy enables accurate staging of the axilla after neoadjuvant chemotherapy, and determination of which patients should go on to further axillary surgery and regional nodal radiation therapy. Importantly, performing axillary staging after completion of chemotherapy, rather than before chemotherapy, enables assessment of response to chemotherapy and the extent of residual disease. This information can assist the planning of adjuvant treatment. Recent data indicate that sentinel node biopsy can also be used to assess disease response after neoadjuvant chemotherapy for patients with clinical N1 disease at presentation.     

Pathological complete response and prognosis after neoadjuvant chemotherapy for HER2-positive breast cancers before and after trastuzumab era: results from a real-life cohort

Background:

Trastuzumab was introduced a decade ago and has improved outcomes for HER2-positive breast cancer. We investigated the factors predictive of pathological complete response (pCR), prognostic factors for disease-free survival (DFS), and interactions between pCR and DFS after neoadjuvant treatment.

Methods:

We identified 287 patients with primary HER2-positive breast cancers given neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) between 2002 and 2011. Univariate and multivariate analyses of clinical and pathological factors associated with pCR and DFS were performed.

Results:

pCR rates differed between patients receiving neoadjuvant trastuzumab treatment or not (47.7% versus 19.3%, P<0.0001). DFS also differed significantly between patients receiving adjuvant trastuzumab or not (hazard ratio=4.84, 95% CI (2.52; 9.31), P<0.001). We analysed 199 patients given neoadjuvant and adjuvant trastuzumab. Multivariate analysis identified older age and hormone receptor-negative tumours as independent predictors of pCR. T stage (hazard ratio=2.55, 95% CI (1.01; 6.48), P=0.05) and strict pCR (hazard ratio=9.15, 95% CI (1.22; 68.83), P=0.03) were independent predictors of DFS. The latter association was significant in the HR-negative subgroup (P=0.02) but not in the HR-positive subgroup (P=0.12).

Conclusions:

Major pCR and DFS gains in HER2-positive BC were observed since ‘trastuzumab'' era. Further improvements rely on the enrollment of accurately selected patients into clinical trials.     

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.     

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.

A prospective validation study of sentinel lymph node biopsy in multicentric breast cancer: SMMaC trial

Background

Multicentric breast cancer is often considered a contra-indication for sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy due to concerns with sensitivity and false negative rate. To assess SLN feasibility and accuracy in multicentric breast cancer, the multi-institutional SMMaC trial was conducted.

Methods

In this study 30 patients with multicentric breast cancer and a clinically negative axilla were prospectively included. Periareolar injection of radioisotope and blue dye was administered. In all patients SLN biopsy was validated by back-up completion axillary lymph node dissection.

Results

the SLN was successfully identified in 30 of 30 patients (identification rate 100%). The incidence of axillary metastases was 66.7% (20/30). The false negative rate was 0% (0/20) and the sensitivity was 100% (20/20). The negative predictive value was 100% (10/10).

Conclusion

SLN biopsy in multicentric breast cancer seems feasible and accurate and should therefore be considered in patients with multicentric breast cancer and clinically negative axilla.     

Accuracy of clinical evaluation of locally advanced breast cancer in patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy

BACKGROUND:

Physical examination (PE), mammography (MG), breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (PET), and pathologic evaluation are used to assess primary breast cancer. To the authors' knowledge, their accuracy has not been well studied in patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Accuracies of each modality in tumor and lymph node assessment in patients with T3/T4 tumors receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy were compared.

METHODS:

Forty‐five patients of a prospective clinical trial studying T3‐T4M0 tumors were included. Patients received neoadjuvant chemotherapy: docetaxel/carboplatin with or without trastuzumab before and/or after surgery (depending on HER‐2/neu status and randomization). Tumor measurements by PE, MG, and MRI and lymph node status by PE and PET were obtained before and after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Concordance among different clinical measurements was assessed and compared with the tumor and lymph node staging by pathology. Spearman correlation (r) and root mean square error (RMSE) were used to measure the accuracy of measurements among all modalities and between modalities and pathologic tumor size.

RESULTS:

Compared with the tumor size measured by PE, MRI was more accurate than MG at baseline (r = 0.559, RMSE = 35.4% vs r = 0.046, RMSE = 66.1%). After neoadjuvant chemotherapy, PE correlated better with pathology than MG or MRI (r = 0.655, RMSE = 88.6% vs r = 0.146, RMSE = 147.1% and r = 0.364, RMSE = 92.6%). Axillary lymph node assessment after neoadjuvant chemotherapy demonstrated high specificity but low sensitivity by PET and PE.

CONCLUSIONS:

Findings suggested that MRI was a more accurate imaging study at baseline for T3/T4 tumor, and PE correlated best with pathology finding. PET and PE both correctly predicted positive axillary lymph nodes but not negative lymph nodes. Cancer 2009. © 2009 American Cancer Society.     

Conservation of the axilla: an audit of sentinel lymph node biopsy after a new start

Background

Four hundred twenty-eight patients with a diagnosis of breast cancer were assessed. All patients underwent axillary ultrasonographic scanning preoperatively or at the time of initial breast imaging. Suspicious axillary glands underwent core needle biopsy under ultrasonographic guidance.

Patients and Methods

The majority of patients were in the age range of 40 to 80 years. Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) was performed in 360 patients.

Results

Sixty-eight patients had axillary clearance as a first axillary procedure. Of these patients, 55 had a preoperative diagnosis of a positive axillary gland in the axilla on ultrasonographically guided core needle biopsy, and 13 had clinically palpable axillary lymph glands. Seventy-one patients (21%) had a positive sentinel lymph node on histopathologic examination after hematoxylin and eosin (H & E) staining. Preoperative scans of the axilla had been reported as normal in these patients. In 68 patients, further axillary surgery was performed to clear the axilla; 24 of these patients (35%) had more positive glands in the axilla. In 44 patients (65%) the sentinel lymph glands were the only positive glands. Of 224 patients with a tumor size ≤ 20 mm, there were 30 patients (14%) who had a positive sentinel node. Of 136 patients with a tumor size > 20 mm, there were 41 patients (33%) with positive sentinel nodes.

Conclusions

Sentinel lymph node biopsy in breast cancer allowed conservation of the axilla in 80% (289/360) of patients with negative sentinel lymph nodes in this study. Preoperative ultrasonographically guided core needle biopsy reduced the need for a second operation in 55 patients (13%).