Adjuvant locoregional radiation therapy in breast cancer patients with pathologic complete response after neoadjuvant chemotherapy: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Utility of GATA-3 immunocytochemistry for the assessment of fine-needle aspiration in breast cancer patients with suspicious axillary lymph nodes at ultrasound

BACKGROUND

Ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) is a routine preoperative method for evaluating suspicious axillary lymph nodes (ALNs) in patients with breast cancer. However, a range of reasons such as morphological pitfalls, technical artifacts, and sampling errors restrict the sensitivity and accuracy of FNAC. This retrospective study investigated the diagnostic value of GATA-binding protein 3 (GATA-3) immunocytochemistry for FNAC.

METHODS

Breast cancer patients who underwent preoperative FNAC for suspicious ALNs, relevant GATA-3 immunocytochemistry, and postoperative status of ALNs were reviewed from the period of March 2020 to February 2022. Altogether, 102 patients were included in the study. FNAC material smears stained with hematoxylin and eosin was initially assessed by two cytopathologists and categorized into five groups: nondiagnostic, negative, atypical, suspicious, and positive for malignancy. Only group of cells positive for malignancy was considered positive. For each case, two selected slides were digitized (whole slide imaged) at ×40 magnification and decolored for GATA-3 immunocytochemistry. The expression of GATA-3 was scored ranging from 0 to 9 (Score ≥3: Positive, Score ≤2: Negative). If either FNAC or GATA-3 immunocytochemistry was positive or the combined test positive, then the case was considered positive. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of FNAC, GATA-3 immunocytochemistry, and combined FNAC/GATA-3 immunocytochemistry were analyzed by χ2 and Fisher's tests.

RESULTS

The mean age of the study participants was 50.62 (ranging: 30-73 years). Invasive breast carcinoma (not otherwise specified) accounted for most histological subtypes, and grade 2 was the leading Nottingham grade. Sixteen cases directly underwent mastectomy while the other 86 patients had neoadjuvant therapy. A more serious diagnosis was made based on GATA-3 detection in 22.5% (n = 23) of 102 cases. Of the 23 cases, metastasis was confirmed by GATA-3 detection in 21 cases, and an uncertain diagnosis was ascertained based on GATA-3 immunocytochemistry in 2 with nondiagnostic FNAC results. The sensitivity (77/87, 88.5%) of GATA-3 detection for distinguishing malignancies from benign lesions was higher than that of FNAC alone (62/87, 71.3%) (p < .05).

CONCLUSIONS

GATA-3 immunocytochemistry exhibited high diagnostic efficacy in distinguishing malignant breast cancer cells. Moreover, combined FNAC and GATA-3 immunocytochemistry achieved optimal results in terms of reducing the false-negative rate and promoting accuracy.

A dosimetric comparative study following RTOG and ESTRO contouring guidelines for breast radiation therapy

PURPOSE

To compare the dosimetric parameters considering the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) and European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO) guidelines for breast cancer radiotherapy. Two radiotherapy techniques, intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT), were considered.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Twenty-eight patients with left-sided medially-located TanyN2M0 tumors were contoured based on RTOG and ESTRO guidelines. 9-field IMRT, 10-field IMRT, 11-field IMRT, and VMAT treatment plans were applied as radiotherapy (RT) techniques for both contouring sets. The dosimetric parameters of the RT plans were extracted and compared.

RESULTS

Comparing dose-volume histogram (DVH) parameters, equivalent uniform dose (EUD), and normal tissue complication probability (NTCP) of OARs across the contouring guidelines and considering each RT technique showed that the only significant differences were higher Dmax, Dmean, V30, and V45, EUD, and NTCP of the thyroid in all treatment modalities when the RTOG guideline had been adopted. Using the VMAT technique, PTV's EUD and the tumor control probability (TCP) were considerably higher when the ESTRO guideline was adopted. Moreover, the conformity index (CI) of VMAT plans was significantly higher when the ESTRO guideline was used.

CONCLUSION

Unless having higher doses to thyroid when the RTOG guideline was adopted, the doses to other organs-at-risk (OAR) were similar between the two considering guidelines. Moreover, except for higher EUD, TCP, and CI for VMAT when the ESTRO guideline was used, no other significant differences were obtained between dosimetric parameters of target volumes considering the RT techniques and contouring guidelines.

Radiation therapy on the axilla after neoadjuvant chemotherapy

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

The introduction of primary systemic therapy has established a new treatment paradigm for breast cancer patients. However, recommendations for regional node irradiation after neoadjuvant chemotherapy are not supported by level I evidence, yet.

RECENT FINDINGS

In addition to strategies optimising systemic treatments and surgery, current discussions focus on tailoring radiation therapy for breast cancer. Especially in view of the increasingly pivotal role of neoadjuvant chemotherapy, gauging the extent of radiation therapy in the breast and nodal volumes.

SUMMARY

The current review focuses on recent evidence regarding radiation therapy of the breast and axilla in patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy for primary breast cancer based on a PubMed and EMBASE literature search for publication years 2020-2022.

Breast Cancer in Geriatric Patients: Current Landscape and Future Prospects

Breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed among women worldwide and more than half are diagnosed above the age of 60 years. Life expectancy is increasing and the number of breast cancer cases diagnosed among older women are expected to increase. Undertreatment, mostly due to unjustifiable fears of advanced-age and associated comorbidities, is commonly practiced in this group of patients who are under-represented in clinical trials and their management is not properly addressed in clinical practice guidelines. With modern surgery and anesthesia, breast surgeries are considered safe and is usually associated with very low complication rates, regardless of extent of surgery. However, oncoplastic surgery and management of the axilla can be tailored based on patients’- and disease-related factors. Most of chemotherapeutic agents, along with targeted therapy and anti-Human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2) drugs can be safely given for older patients, however, dose adjustment and close monitoring of potential adverse events might be needed. The recently introduced cyclin-D kinase (CDK) 4/6-inhibitors in combination with aromatase inhibitors (AI) or fulvestrant, which changed the landscape of breast cancer therapy, are both safe and effective in older patients and had substituted more aggressive and potentially toxic interventions. Despite its proven efficacy, adjusting or even omitting adjuvant radiation therapy, at least in low-risk older patients, is safe and frequently practiced. In this paper, we review existing data related to breast cancer management among older patients across the continuum; from resection of the primary tumor through adjuvant chemotherapy, radiation and endocrine therapy up to the management of recurrent and advanced-stage disease.