Pooled long-term outcomes from two randomized trials of axillary node sampling with axillary radiotherapy versus axillary node clearance in patients with operable node-positive breast cancer

Ten-Year Oncologic Outcomes in T1-3N1 Breast Cancer After Targeted Axillary Sampling: A Retrospective Study

BACKGROUND

Targeted axillary sampling (TAS) is a new surgical concept for the assessment of axillary lymph node status in breast cancer that is hypothesized to be more effective at minimizing postoperative morbidities than axillary lymph node dissection (ALND), provided the metastatic axillary lymph node can be accurately detected without missing data; however, the oncologic outcomes over long-term follow-up have not been sufficiently investigated. This was a retrospective analysis to evaluate the 10-year oncologic outcomes in T1-3N1 breast cancer after TAS.

METHODS

Between 2008 and 2013, 230 female patients with cT1-3N1 breast cancer underwent breast and axillary surgery (ALND, n = 171; TAS, n = 59) at our institute. After TAS was applied, additional axillary radiotherapy was performed. Various postoperative complications, including postoperative seroma, lymphedema, and 10-year oncological outcomes, were evaluated and compared between the ALND and TAS groups.

RESULTS

Although overall survival during the 10-year follow-up period was better in the TAS group, there was no statistically significant difference in oncologic outcomes, including locoregional recurrence, distant metastasis, and overall survival (p = 0.395, 0.818, and 0.555, respectively). Furthermore, the incidence of lymphedema on the ipsilateral arm was significantly higher in the ALND group (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

The 10-year oncological outcomes of TAS were not inferior to those of conventional ALND in T1-3N1 breast cancers; however, the incidence of lymphedema was significantly higher in the ALND group.

The value of sentinel lymph-node biopsy in women with node-positive breast cancer at diagnosis and node-negative tumour after neoadjuvant therapy: a systematic review

PURPOSE

To conduct a systematic review to analyse the performance of the sentinel lymph-node biopsy (SLNB) in women with node-positive breast cancer at diagnosis and node-negative tumour after neoadjuvant therapy, compared to axillary lymph-node dissection.

METHODS

The more relevant databases were searched. Main outcomes were false-negative rate (FNR), sentinel lymph-node identification rate (SLNIR), negative predictive value (NPV), and accuracy. We conducted meta-analyses when appropriate.

RESULTS

Twenty studies were included. The pooled FNR was 0.14 (95% CI 0.11-0.17), the pooled SLNIR was 0.89 (95% CI 0.86-0.92), NPV was 0.83 (95% CI 0.79-0.87), and summary accuracy was 0.92 (95% CI 0.90-0.94). SLNB performed better when more than one node was removed and double mapping was used.

CONCLUSIONS

SLNB can be performed in women with a node-negative tumour after neoadjuvant therapy. It has a better performance when used with previous marking of the affected node and with double tracer.

A novel nomogram and risk classification system for predicting lymph node metastasis of breast mucinous carcinoma: A SEER-based study

BACKGROUND

Mucinous breast cancer (MBC) is a rare disease, and patients with lymph node metastasis (LNM) have a poor prognosis. We aimed to explore the predictive factors of LNM and to construct a nomogram for predicting the risk of LNM and to identify the suitable axillary surgery for patients with diverse risks.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Data were extracted from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. Chi-square and rank-sum tests were used to analyze the differences between groups. Survival analysis was performed with Kaplan-Meier curves and log-rank tests. Independent factor identification and nomogram construction were performed with logistic regression analysis. The nomogram was qualified with a discrimination and calibration plot. Propensity score matching was performed to balance the disparities between groups.

RESULTS

Patients with metastatic lymph nodes have a worse prognosis. Univariate and multivariate analyses indicated that tumor size, grade, and age were independent risk factors for LNM. The nomogram constructed with these three factors can predict the risk of LNM with high accuracy (AUC: 0.767, 95% CI: 0.697-0.838) and good calibration. Based on the nomogram, a risk classification system satisfactorily stratified the patients into 3 groups with diverse risks of LNM. In the low-risk group, there were no significant differences between sentinel lymph node biopsy and no axillary surgery. In the middle- and high-risk groups, both SLNB and axillary lymph node dissection were superior to no axillary surgery, with similar survival benefits.

CONCLUSIONS

The nomogram based on tumor size, grade, and age could conveniently and accurately predict the risk of LNM in MBC and assist clinicians in optimizing surgical strategies.

The value of sentinel lymph-node biopsy after neoadjuvant therapy: an overview

PURPOSE

We conducted a systematic review to analyse the performance of the sentinel lymph-node biopsy (SLNB) after the neoadjuvant chemotherapy, compared to axillary lymph-node dissection, in terms of false-negative rate (FNR) and sentinel lymph-node identification rate (SLNIR), sensitivity, negative predictive value (NPV), need for axillary lymph-node dissection (ALND), morbidity, preferences, and costs.

METHODS

MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, and The Cochrane Library were searched. We assessed the quality of the included systematic reviews using AMSTAR2 tool, and estimated the degree of overlapping of the individual studies on the included reviews.

RESULTS

Six systematic reviews with variable quality were selected. We observed a very high overlapping degree across the included reviews. The FNR and the SLNIR were quite consistent (FNR 13-14%; SLNIR ~ 90% or higher). In women with initially clinically node-negative breast cancer, the FNR was better (6%), with similar SLNIR (96%). The included reviews did not consider the other prespecified outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

It would be reasonable to suggest performing an SLNB in patients treated with NACT, adjusting the procedure to the previous marking of the affected lymph node, using double tracer, and biopsy of at least three sentinel lymph nodes. More well-designed research is needed. PROSPERO registration number: CRD42020114403.

Tailored axillary surgery in patients with clinically node-positive breast cancer: Pre-planned feasibility substudy of TAXIS (OPBC-03, SAKK 23/16, IBCSG 57-18, ABCSG-53, GBG 101)

Aim

We developed tailored axillary surgery (TAS) to reduce the axillary tumor volume in patients with clinically node-positive breast cancer to the point where radiotherapy can control it. The aim of this study was to quantify the extent of tumor load reduction achieved by TAS.

Methods

International multicenter prospective study embedded in a randomized trial. TAS is a novel pragmatic concept for axillary surgery de-escalation that combines palpation-guided removal of suspicious nodes with the sentinel procedure and, optionally, imaging-guided localization. Pre-specified study endpoints quantified surgical extent and reduction of tumor load.

Results

A total of 296 patients were included at 28 sites in four European countries, 125 (42.2%) of whom underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) and 71 (24.0%) achieved nodal pathologic complete response. Axillary metastases were detectable only by imaging in 145 (49.0%) patients. They were palpable in 151 (51.0%) patients, of whom 63 underwent NACT and 21 had residual palpable disease after NACT. TAS removed the biopsied and clipped node in 279 (94.3%) patients. In 225 patients with nodal disease at the time of surgery, TAS removed a median of five (IQR 3–7) nodes, two (IQR 1–4) of which were positive. Of these 225 patients, 100 underwent ALND after TAS, which removed a median of 14 (IQR 10–17) additional nodes and revealed additional positive nodes in 70/100 (70%) of patients. False-negative rate of TAS in patients who underwent subsequent ALND was 2.6%.

Conclusions

TAS selectively reduced the tumor load in the axilla and remained much less radical than ALND.

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Tailored axillary surgery is a novel concept for clinically node-positive breast cancer

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Tailored axillary surgery selectively removes positive lymph nodes

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Tailored axillary surgery is much less radical than axillary dissection

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Tailored axillary surgery removes the clipped node in the vast majority of patients

Objective Assessment of Postoperative Morbidity After Breast Cancer Treatments with Wearable Activity Monitors: The "BRACELET" Study

Background

Current validated tools to measure upper limb dysfunction after breast cancer treatment, such as questionnaires, are prone to recall bias and do not enable comparisons between patients. This study aimed to test the feasibility of wearable activity monitors (WAMs) for achieving a continuous, objective assessment of functional recovery by measuring peri-operative physical activity (PA).

Methods

A prospective, single-center, non-randomized, observational study was conducted. Patients undergoing breast and axillary surgery were invited to wear WAMs on both wrists in the peri-operative period and then complete upper limb function (DASH) and quality-of-life (EQ-5D-5L) questionnaires. Statistical analyses were performed to determine the construct validity and concurrent validity of WAMs.

Results

The analysis included 39 patients with a mean age of 55 ± 13.2 years. Regain of function on the surgically treated side was observed to be an increase of arm activity as a percentage of preoperative levels, with the greatest increase observed between the postoperative days 1 and 2. The PA was significantly greater on the side not treated by surgery than on the surgically treated side after week 1 (mean PA, 75.8% vs. 62.3%; p < 0.0005) and week 2 (mean PA, 91.6% vs. 77.4%; p < 0.005). Subgroup analyses showed differences in recovery trends between different surgical procedures. Concurrent validity was demonstrated by a significant negative moderate correlation between the PA and DASH questionnaires (R = −0.506; p < 0.05).

Conclusion

This study demonstrated the feasibility and validity of WAMs to objectively measure postoperative recovery of upper limb function after breast surgery, providing a starting point for personalized rehabilitation through early detection of upper limb physical morbidity.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1245/s10434-021-10458-4.

Prevention of Breast Cancer-Related Lymphedema

Tremendous progress has been made over the past several decades in the treatment of breast cancer. Mortality and recurrence rates continue to decline. Our ability to tailor patient- and tumor-specific treatments has rapidly advanced. The vast majority of our patients can safely have breast conservation. Unfortunately, for many patients, survivorship is burdened by ongoing quality-of-life issues. Most breast cancer patients are asymptomatic at presentation, and the onus is on us to preserve this. Surgery, radiation, and systemic therapy can result in long-term toxicities that can be amplified with multimodality approaches. We must strive to apply minimally effective therapies rather than a maximally tolerated approach. Breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL) is a particularly dreaded chronic complication. This review strives to give the reader a better understanding of BCRL and shed light on wisely choosing an integration of treatment modalities that minimizes BCRL risk. Key literature on emerging concepts is highlighted.

Factors affecting the number of sentinel lymph nodes removed in patients having surgery for breast cancer

Purpose

The goal of sentinel lymph node biopsy is to establish the presence or absence of cancer cells in regional axillary nodes. The number of sentinel nodes harvested from each patient varies. The aim of this study was to determine what factors influence the number of sentinel nodes excised at sentinel node biopsy.

Methods

Data from 426 patients with breast cancer who underwent sentinel lymph node biopsy at the Edinburgh Breast Unit by 10 different experienced breast surgeons were included in this analysis. Univariate and multivariable statistical analysis was performed.

Results

In the multivariate analysis the number of sentinel nodes biopsied varied significantly between operating surgeon (p < 0.0001) and was also statistically associated with the use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (p < 0.0001) and with the number of involved lymph nodes (p < 0.0001). More nodes were removed in patients who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy and had metastases in sentinel lymph nodes.

Conclusions

This study shows that the surgeon plays a pivotal and significant role in determining the numbers of sentinel nodes removed by sentinel lymph node biopsy. Surgeons should monitor their own data on the average numbers of sentinel nodes they remove. Some surgeons may not be removing sufficient numbers of sentinel nodes to maintain a low false negative rate for this procedure.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1007/s10549-020-05843-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The regulatory roles of lncRNAs in the process of breast cancer invasion and metastasis

Breast cancer (BC) is the most common cancer and principal cause of death among females worldwide. Invasion and metastasis are major causes which influence the survival and prognosis of BC. Therefore, to understand the molecule mechanism underlying invasion and metastasis is paramount for developing strategies to improve survival and prognosis in BC patients. Recent studies have reported that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play critical roles in the regulation of BC invasion and metastasis through a variety of molecule mechanisms that endow cells with an aggressive phenotype. In this article, we focused on the function of lncRNAs on BC invasion and metastasis through participating in epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, strengthening cancer stem cells generation, serving as competing endogenous lncRNAs, influencing multiple signaling pathways as well as regulating expressions of invasion-metastasis related factors, including cells adhesion molecules, extracellular matrix, and matrix metallo-proteinases. The published work described has provided a better understanding of the mechanisms underpinning the contribution of lncRNAs to BC invasion and metastasis, which may lay the foundation for the development of new strategies to prevent BC invasion and metastasis.

Axillary Management in Breast Cancer Patients: A Comprehensive Review of the Key Trials

Optimal regional management in breast cancer patients has yet to be established. In patients who are clinically node-negative, but sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB)-positive, the treatment paradigm has shifted toward the de-escalation of further axillary management. In patients with 2 or fewer positive sentinel nodes, the standard of practice has shifted away from complete axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) as a result of the ACOSOG Z0011 trial. The role of regional nodal irradiation (RNI) to the axilla, supraclavicular and internal mammary regions has also been investigated in the setting of positive SLNB in trials such as the MA20 and EORTC 22922. Having shown evidence of benefit in locoregional control, efforts are now focused on comparing ALND with RNI in patients with limited nodal disease. Results of early trials such as AMAROS suggest noninferiority of radiotherapy. In patients with node-positive or locally advanced disease, neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) is often used to downsize or downstage the disease. The utility of SLNB after NAC has been investigated, with discordant results reported from a number of trials. Current trials in progress seek to validate the noninferiority of RNI compared with ALND in patients with limited nodal disease, or in some trials, the complete omission of further axillary management. There is a global paradigm shift toward de-escalation of axillary management on the basis of recent evidence suggesting lack of benefit from overaggressive treatment. In this review we aim to summarize the seminal trials addressing regional management in breast cancer to illustrate this fact.