Iatrogenic displacement of tumor cells to the sentinel node after surgical excision in primary breast cancer

Less is more: Exploring neoadjuvant immunotherapy as a de-escalation strategy in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma treatment

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) constitutes a significant global cancer burden, given its high prevalence and associated mortality. Despite substantial progress in survival rates due to the enhanced multidisciplinary approach to treatment, these methods often lead to severe tissue damage, compromised function, and potential toxicity. Thus, there is an imperative need for novel, effective, and minimally damaging treatment modalities. Neoadjuvant treatment, an emerging therapeutic strategy, is designed to reduce tumor size and curtail distant metastasis prior to definitive intervention. Currently, neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) has optimized the treatment approach for a subset of HNSCC patients, yet it has not produced a noticeable enhancement in overall survival (OS). In the contemporary cancer therapeutics landscape, immunotherapy is gaining traction at an accelerated pace. Notably, neoadjuvant immunotherapy (NAIT) has shown promising radiological and pathological responses, coupled with encouraging efficacy in several clinical trials. This potentially paves the way for a myriad of possibilities in treatment de-escalation of HNSCC, which warrants further exploration. This paper reviews the existing strategies and efficacies of neoadjuvant immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), along with potential de-escalation strategies. Furthermore, the challenges encountered in the context of the de-escalation strategies of NAIT are explored. The aim is to inform future research directions that strive to improve the quality of life (QoL) for patients battling HNSCC.

Anaesthesia in Veterinary Oncology: The Effects of Surgery, Volatile and Intravenous Anaesthetics on the Immune System and Tumour Spread

Throughout the course of oncological disease, the majority of patients require surgical, anaesthetic and analgesic intervention. However, during the perioperative period, anaesthetic agents and techniques, surgical tissue trauma, adjuvant drugs for local pain and inflammation and other non-pharmacological factors, such as blood transfusions, hydration, temperature and nutrition, may influence the prognosis of the disease. These factors significantly impact the oncologic patient's immune response, which is the primary barrier to tumour progress, promoting a window of vulnerability for its dissemination and recurrence. More research is required to ascertain which anaesthetics and techniques have immunoprotective and anti-tumour effects, which will contribute to developing novel anaesthetic strategies in veterinary medicine.

Influence of Perioperative Anesthesia on Cancer Recurrence: from Basic Science to Clinical Practice

PURPOSEOF REVIEW

In this review, we will summarize the effects of these perioperative anesthetics and anesthetic interventions on the immune system and tumorigenesis as well as address the related clinical evidence on cancer-related mortality and recurrence.

RECENT FINDINGS

Cancer remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. For many solid tumors, surgery is one of the major therapies. Unfortunately, surgery promotes angiogenesis, shedding of circulating cancer cells, and suppresses immunity. Hence, the perioperative period has a close relationship with cancer metastases or recurrence. In the perioperative period, patients require multiple anesthetic management including anesthetics, anesthetic techniques, and body temperature control. Preclinical and retrospective studies have found that these anesthetic agents and interventions have complex effects on cancer outcomes. Therefore, well-planned, prospective, randomized controlled trials are required to explore the effects of different anesthetics and techniques on long-term outcomes after cancer surgery. Due to the conflicting effects of anesthetic management on cancer recurrence, further preclinical and clinical trials are required and beneficial to the development of systemic cancer therapies.

Anesthesia and cancer recurrence: an overview

Several perioperative factors are responsible for the dysregulation or suppression of the immune system with a possible impact on cancer cell growth and the development of new metastasis. These factors have the potential to directly suppress the immune system and activate hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and the sympathetic nervous system with a consequent further immunosuppressive effect.Anesthetics and analgesics used during the perioperative period may modulate the innate and adaptive immune system, inflammatory system, and angiogenesis, with a possible impact on cancer recurrence and long-term outcome. Even if the current data are controversial and contrasting, it is crucial to increase awareness about this topic among healthcare professionals for a future better and conscious choice of anesthetic techniques.In this article, we aimed to provide an overview regarding the relationship between anesthesia and cancer recurrence. We reviewed the effects of surgery, perioperative factors, and anesthetic agents on tumor cell survival and tumor recurrence.

The Impact of Perioperative Events on Cancer Recurrence and Metastasis in Patients after Radical Gastrectomy: A Review

Radical gastrectomy is a mainstay therapy for patients with locally resectable gastric cancer (GC). GC patients who are candidates for radical gastrectomy will experience at least part of the following perioperative events: surgery, anesthesia, pain, intraoperative blood loss, allogeneic blood transfusion, postoperative complications, and their related anxiety, depression and stress response. Considerable clinical studies have shown that these perioperative events can promote recurrence and decrease the long-term survival of GC patients. The mechanisms include activation of neural signaling and the inflammatory response, suppression of antimetastatic immunity, increased release of cancer cells into circulation, and delayed adjuvant therapy, which are involved in every step of the invasion-metastasis cascade. Having appreciated these perioperative events and their influence on the risk of GC recurrence, we can now use this knowledge to find strategies that might substantially prevent the deleterious recurrence-promoting effects of perioperative events, potentially increasing cancer-free survival in GC patients.

17-Year Follow-up of Comparing Mastoscopic and Conventional Axillary Dissection in Breast Cancer: A Multicenter, Randomized Controlled Trial

INTRODUCTION

Longer follow-up was necessary to determine the exact value of mastoscopic axillary lymph node dissection (MALND).

METHODS

From January 1, 2003, to December 31, 2005, 1027 patients with breast cancer were randomly assigned to two groups: MALND and CALND (conventional axillary lymph node dissection); 996 eligible patients were enrolled.

RESULTS

The final cohort of 996 patients was followed for an average of 198 months. Events other than death differed significantly between the two cohorts (p = 0.0311; 46.3% in MALND and 53.2% in CALND, respectively). The sum of events other than death and deaths from other causes was much higher in the CALND (59.6%) than MALND (53.4%) group (p = 0.0494). The 17-year disease-free survival DFS rates were 36.7% for the MALND and 33.6% for the CALND group, respectively. There was a significant difference between the groups (p = 0.0306). Overall survival (OS) rates were 53.2% after MALND and 46.0% after CALND (p = 0.0119). MALND patients had much less axillary pain (p = 0.0000), numbness or paresthesia (p = 0.0000), arm mobility (p = 0.0000) and arm swelling on the operated side (p = 0.0000). Aesthetic appearance of the axilla was much better in the MALND than CALND group (p = 0.0000) at an average follow-up of 17 years.

CONCLUSIONS

The use of MALND in breast cancer surgery not only decreases the relapse and arm complications but also improves long-term survival of patients. Therefore, MALND should be one of the preferred approaches for breast cancer surgery when ALND is needed.

TRIAL REGISTRATION INFORMATION

The comparison of long-term outcomes of mastoscopic and conventional axillary lymph node dissection in breast cancer: a multicenter randomized control trial. ChiCTR-TRC-11001477, CHiCTR. First registration 08/14/2011.

Ductal Carcinoma in situ: Underestimation of Percutaneous Biopsy and Positivity of Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy in a Brazilian Public Hospital

Background

Mammography screening has become widely spread and provided a marked increase in ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) diagnosis. In DCIS, the ductal epithelium proliferates without invasion through the basal cell membrane. However, histologic underestimation can happen in some cases.

Objective

To analyze the rate of histologic underestimation (histopathologic results upgraded to invasive carcinoma after surgery) and the rate of positive results of sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) in patients diagnosed with DCIS in a Brazilian public hospital.

Methods

We reviewed medical records of all consecutive patients admitted between 2009 and 2013 whose initial diagnosis was DCIS through core needle biopsy. DCIS cases with a high risk of invasion underwent SLNB. We excluded cases with invasion or micro-invasion components in the first biopsy.

Results

A total of 86 women were included, most with microcalcifications as the primary radiological lesion (73.2%), and underwent preoperative biopsy, with an invasive component in 21 (24.4%) in the final pathology report. Most had invasive carcinoma of no special type (NST): 52.3% (n = 11) and microinvasive tumors (7 cases, 33.3%). The main factors associated with histologic underestimation were nodular lesion (61.9%, p<0.001) and an ultra-sonography-guided biopsy (71.4%, p=0.0005). The positivity rate of SLNB was 4.3%. All these patients underwent mastectomy, and the initial histologic pattern was solid DCIS.

Conclusion

The “histologic underestimation” rate among patients with DCIS was not low, and less than 5% of patients who underwent SLNB had axillary positivity. This result suggests that patients who have DCIS and a high risk of invasion and undergoing mastectomy should have SLNB. As to the patients who will undergo lumpectomy, SLNB could be omitted and could be performed if patients have upgraded to invasive breast cancer.

Timed Ang2-Targeted Therapy Identifies the Angiopoietin-Tie Pathway as Key Regulator of Fatal Lymphogenous Metastasis

Recent clinical and preclinical advances have highlighted the existence of a previously hypothesized lymphogenous route of metastasis. However, due to a lack of suitable preclinical modeling tools, its contribution to long-term disease outcome and relevance for therapy remain controversial. Here, we established a genetically engineered mouse model (GEMM) fragment-based tumor model uniquely sustaining a functional network of intratumoral lymphatics that facilitates seeding of fatal peripheral metastases. Multiregimen survival studies and correlative patient data identified primary tumor-derived Angiopoietin-2 (Ang2) as a potent therapeutic target to restrict lymphogenous tumor cell dissemination. Mechanistically, tumor-associated lymphatic endothelial cells (EC), in contrast to blood vascular EC, were found to be critically addicted to the Angiopoietin-Tie pathway. Genetic manipulation experiments in combination with single-cell mapping revealed agonistically acting Ang2-Tie2 signaling as key regulator of lymphatic maintenance. Correspondingly, acute presurgical Ang2 neutralization was sufficient to prolong survival by regressing established intratumoral lymphatics, hence identifying a therapeutic regimen that warrants further clinical evaluation. SIGNIFICANCE: Exploiting multiple mouse tumor models including a unique GEMM-derived allograft system in combination with preclinical therapy designs closely matching the human situation, this study provides fundamental insight into the biology of tumor-associated lymphatic EC and defines an innovative presurgical therapeutic window of migrastatic Ang2 neutralization to restrict lymphogenous metastasis.This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 211.

Surgical stress and cancer progression: the twisted tango

Surgical resection is an important avenue for cancer treatment, which, in most cases, can effectively alleviate the patient symptoms. However, accumulating evidence has documented that surgical resection potentially enhances metastatic seeding of tumor cells. In this review, we revisit the literature on surgical stress, and outline the mechanisms by which surgical stress, including ischemia/reperfusion injury, activation of sympathetic nervous system, inflammation, systemically hypercoagulable state, immune suppression and effects of anesthetic agents, promotes tumor metastasis. We also propose preventive strategies or resolution of tumor metastasis caused by surgical stress.

Prognostic impact and possible pathogenesis of lymph node metastasis in ductal carcinoma in situ of the breast

PURPOSE

Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS)-preinvasive breast cancer-with lymph node metastasis can clinically be treated as different stages: occult invasive cancer with true metastasis (T1N1) or pure DCIS with iatrogenic dissemination (TisN0). In this retrospective cohort study, we aimed to elucidate the prognostic impact and possible pathogenesis of nodal metastasis in DCIS to improve clinical management.

METHODS

Subjects were comprised of 427 patients with routine postoperative diagnosis of DCIS who underwent sentinel node (SN) biopsy using molecular whole-lymph-node analysis. Clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis were compared between SN-positive and -negative patients. Primary tumour tissues of SN-positive patients were exhaustively step-sectioned to detect occult invasions, and predictive factors for occult invasion were investigated. Median follow-up time was 73.6 months.

RESULTS

Of the 427 patients, 19 (4.4%) were SN-positive and 408 (95.6%) were SN-negative. More SN-positive patients received adjuvant systemic therapy than SN-negative patients (84.2% vs. 5.4%). Seven-year distant disease-free survivals were favourable for both cohorts (SN-positive, 100%; SN-negative, 99.7%). By examining 1421 slides, occult invasion was identified in 9 (47.4%) of the 19 SN-positive patients. Tumour burdens in SN and incidence of non-SN metastasis were similar between patients with and without occult invasion, and no predictive factor for occult invasion was found.

CONCLUSIONS

Node-positive DCIS has favourable prognosis with adjuvant systemic therapy. Half of the cases may be occult invasive cancer with true metastasis. In practical settings, clinicians may have to treat these tumours as node-positive small invasive cancers because it is difficult to predict the pathogenesis without exhaustive primary tumour sectioning.

Risk factors of sentinel and non-sentinel lymph node metastases in patients with ductal carcinoma in situ of the breast: A nationwide study

OBJECTIVES

Unexplained axillary metastases have been detected in some patients with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), possibly because of occult invasion or iatrogenic tumor cell displacement. The significance of these metastases is unknown and brings into questions the need for upstaging and axillary surgery. What are the risk factors for sentinel lymph node (SN) and non-SN metastases, including the risk of iatrogenic displacement of tumor cells in relation to an excisional biopsy, in patients diagnosed with DCIS?

METHODS

Nationwide data on 1787 women diagnosed with DCIS between 2001 and 2015 were retrieved from the Danish Breast Cancer Group database. The association of clinicopathological variables with a positive SN (isolated tumor cells (ITCs), micro- or macrometastases) was evaluated using univariate and multivariate analyses.

RESULTS

Of the 1787 patients, 71 (4.0%) had a positive SN: 15 (0.8%) had macrometastases, 42 (2.4%) had micrometastases, and 14 (0.8%) had ITCs. Five patients with a positive SN also had a positive non-SN. In adjusted analysis, a positive SN was associated with younger age (P = 0.036), increased size (P = 0.002), palpability (P = 0.0004) and surgical excisional biopsy (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

The overall risk of a positive SN in patients with DCIS on final pathology is low and less than 9% of these patients had positive non-SNs. This argues against using axillary lymph node dissection in this group. The odds of positive SN after surgical excisional biopsies showed more than a four-fold increase, indicating iatrogenic tumor cell displacement. It is questioned whether these patients should be upstaged and classified as having invasive carcinoma.

Perioperative events influence cancer recurrence risk after surgery

Surgery is a mainstay treatment for patients with solid tumours. However, despite surgical resection with a curative intent and numerous advances in the effectiveness of (neo)adjuvant therapies, metastatic disease remains common and carries a high risk of mortality. The biological perturbations that accompany the surgical stress response and the pharmacological effects of anaesthetic drugs, paradoxically, might also promote disease recurrence or the progression of metastatic disease. When cancer cells persist after surgery, either locally or at undiagnosed distant sites, neuroendocrine, immune, and metabolic pathways activated in response to surgery and/or anaesthesia might promote their survival and proliferation. A consequence of this effect is that minimal residual disease might then escape equilibrium and progress to metastatic disease. Herein, we discuss the most promising proposals for the refinement of perioperative care that might address these challenges. We outline the rationale and early evidence for the adaptation of anaesthetic techniques and the strategic use of anti-adrenergic, anti-inflammatory, and/or antithrombotic therapies. Many of these strategies are currently under evaluation in large-cohort trials and hold promise as affordable, readily available interventions that will improve the postoperative recurrence-free survival of patients with cancer.

Is Sentinel Lymph Node Dissection Warranted for Patients with a Diagnosis of Ductal Carcinoma In Situ?

BACKGROUND

Positive sentinel lymph node (SLN) findings in ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) range from 1 to 22 % but have unknown biologic significance. This study sought to identify predictors of positive SLNs and to assess their clinical significance for patients with an initial diagnosis of DCIS.

METHODS

The study identified 1234 patients with an initial diagnosis of DCIS who underwent SLN dissection (SLND) at our institution from 1997 through 2011. Positive SLN findings were categorized as isolated tumor cells (ITCs) (≤0.2 mm), micrometastases (>0.2-2 mm), or macrometastases (>2 mm). Predictors of positive SLNs were analyzed, and survival outcomes were examined.

RESULTS

Positive SLN findings were identified in 132 patients (10.7 %): 66 patients with ITCs (5.4 %), 36 patients with micrometastases (2.9 %), and 30 patients with macrometastases (2.4 %). Upstaging to microinvasive (n = 68, 5.5 %) or invasive (n = 259, 21.0 %) cancer occurred for 327 patients (26.5 %). Factors predicting positive SLNs included diagnosis by excisional biopsy (odds ratio [OR] 1.90; P = 0.007), papillary histology (OR 1.77; P = 0.006), DCIS larger than 2 cm (OR 1.55; P = 0.030), more than three interventions before SLND (4 interventions: OR 2.04; P = 0.022; ≥5 interventions: OR 3.87; P < 0.001), and occult invasion (microinvasive: OR 3.44; P = 0.001; invasive: OR 6.21; P < 0.001). The median follow-up period was 61.7 months. Patients who had pure DCIS with and without positive SLNs had equivalent survival rates (100.0 vs 99.7 %; P = 0.679). Patients with occult invasion and positive SLNs had the worst survival rate (91.7 %; P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Occult invasion and more than three total interventions were the strongest predictors of positive SLN findings in patients with an initial diagnosis of DCIS. This supports the theory of benign mechanical transport of breast epithelial cells. Except for patients at high risk for invasive disease, routine use of SLND in DCIS is not warranted.

Perioperative epidural analgesia reduces cancer recurrence after gastro-oesophageal surgery

BACKGROUND

Recent interest has focused on the role of perioperative epidural analgesia in improving cancer outcomes. The heterogeneity of studies (tumour type, stage and outcome endpoints) has produced inconsistent results. Clinical practice also highlights the variability in epidural effectiveness. We considered the novel hypothesis that effective epidural analgesia improves cancer outcomes following gastro-oesophageal cancer surgery in patients with grouped pathological staging.

METHODS

Following institutional approval, a database analysis identified 140 patients, with 2-year minimum follow-up after gastro-oesophageal cancer surgery. All patients were operated on by a single surgeon (2005-2010). Information pertaining to cancer and survival outcomes was extracted.

RESULTS

Univariate analysis demonstrated a 1-year 14% vs. 33% (P = 0.01) and 2-year 27% vs. 40% [hazard ratio (HR)=0.59; 95% CI, 0.32-1.09, P = 0.087] incidence of cancer recurrence in patients with (vs. without) effective (> 36 h duration) epidural analgesia, respectively. Multivariate analysis demonstrated increased time to cancer recurrence (HR = 0.33; 95% CI: 0.17-0.63, P < 0.0001) and overall survival benefit (HR = 0.42; 95% CI: 0.21-0.83, P < 0.0001) at 2-year follow-up following effective epidural analgesia. Subgroup analysis identified epidural-related cancer recurrence benefit in patients with oesophageal cancer (HR = 0.34; 95% CI: 0.16-0.75, P = 0.005) and in patients with tumour lymphovascular space infiltration (LVSI), (HR = 0.49; 95% CI: 0.26-0.94, P = 0.03). Effective epidural analgesia improved estimated median time to death (2.9 vs. 1.8 years, P = 0.029) in patients with tumour LVSI.

CONCLUSIONS

This study found an association between effective post-operative epidural analgesia and medium-term benefit on cancer recurrence and survival following oesophageal surgery. A prospective study that controls for disease type, stage and epidural effectiveness is warranted.

Detection of occult invasion in ductal carcinoma in situ of the breast with sentinel node metastasis

By definition, ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) - pre-invasive breast cancer - does not metastasize to the lymph nodes. However, since the introduction of molecular whole-node analysis using the one-step nucleic acid amplification assay for sentinel node (SN) biopsies, the number of patients with DCIS and SN metastasis has increased. The pathogenesis and clinical management of DCIS with SN metastasis remain controversial. In this case-control study, in order to elucidate the pathogenesis of SN metastasis in DCIS, we compared occult invasions between the SN-positive and SN-negative DCIS and investigated predictive factors of occult invasion. The subjects were 24 patients selected from 285 patients with a routine postoperative diagnosis of DCIS who had undergone SN biopsy using the one-step nucleic acid amplification whole-node assay between 2009 and 2011. Of these 24 patients, 12 were SN-positive, and 12 were SN-negative. The 12 SN-negative patients make up the control group and were selected from the 273 SN-negative patients based on patient characteristics. All paraffin blocks of the primary tumor from each patient were step-sectioned with 500-μm intervals until the block was exhausted and histopathologically examined. We analyzed 1830 step-sectioned slides and found occult invasions were more frequent in the SN-positive group (7/12, 58.3%) than in the SN-negative group (3/12, 25.0%). All occult invasions were <5 mm. There was no correlation between occult invasion and SN tumor burden, non-SN metastasis, or patient characteristics. Our results suggest true metastasis from occult invasion may be a potent pathogenesis indicating nodal metastasis in postoperatively diagnosed DCIS. Patient follow-up is required to elucidate the prognostic impact of nodal metastasis and occult invasion.

Incidence and possible pathogenesis of sentinel node micrometastases in ductal carcinoma in situ of the breast detected using molecular whole lymph node assay

Background:

The pathogenesis of lymph node metastases in preinvasive breast cancer – ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) – remains controversial. The one-step nucleic acid amplification (OSNA) assay is a novel molecular method that can assess a whole node and detect clinically relevant metastases. In this retrospective cohort study, we determined the performance of the OSNA assay in DCIS and the pathogenesis of node-positive DCIS.

Methods:

The subjects consisted of 623 patients with DCIS who underwent sentinel lymph node (SN) biopsy. Of these, 2-mm-sectioned nodes were examined using frozen-section (FS) histology in 338 patients between 2007 and 2009, while 285 underwent OSNA whole node assays between 2009 and 2011. The SN-positivity rate was compared between cohorts, and the characteristics of OSNA-positive DCIS were investigated.

Results:

The OSNA detected more cases of SN metastases than FS histology (12 out of 285, 4.2% vs 1 out of 338, 0.3%). Most of the metastases were micrometastases. The characteristics of high-risk DCIS (i.e., mass formation, size, grade, and comedo) and preoperative breast biopsy (i.e., methods or time to surgery) were not valid for OSNA assay–positive DCIS.

Conclusion:

The OSNA detects more SN metastases in DCIS than FS histology. Further examination of the primary tumours and follow-up of node-positive DCIS are needed to elucidate the pathogenesis.