Axillary Sentinel Lymph Node Research Articles

Prevention of Breast Cancer-Related Lymphedema Using the Lymphatic Microsurgical Preventive Healing Approach: A Case Report

Breast cancer-related lymphedema is a major complication of breast cancer surgery. The lymphatic microsurgical preventive healing approach, a surgical technique that can prevent breast cancer-related lymphedema, creates a lymphovenous bypass between the damaged axillary lymphatics during axillary lymph node dissection and the axillary vein. We report a case using the unilateral lymphatic microsurgical preventive healing approach in a patient with bilateral breast cancer. A 58-year-old woman diagnosed with bilateral invasive ductal carcinoma underwent a bilateral nipple-sparing mastectomy. The lymphatic microsurgical preventive healing approach was performed on the left side after axillary lymph node dissection; the lymphatic microsurgical preventive healing approach was not performed after axillary sentinel lymph node biopsy on the right side. Six months after the surgery, MD Anderson Cancer Center stage 2 lymphedema was observed in the lymphography images of the right arm, where the lymphatic microsurgical preventive healing approach had not been performed.

Diagnostic value of Platelet/lymphocyte Ratio (PLR) for predicting sentinel axillary lymph node positivity in early-stage breast cancer compared with ultrasonography.

In breast cancer, the most important prognostic factor is axillary lymph node metastasis. However, there is no method which can diagnose axillary lymph node metastasis preoperatively with high sensitivity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and sentinel lymph node metastasis in early-stage breast cancer. In total, 202 cases which were operated under early-stage breast cancer diagnosis in Ankara City Hospital General Surgery Department were evaluated in retrospectively. We separated the patients into two categories according to their PLR. PLR groups were evaluated for relationship with sentinel lymph node metastasis. At the last part, sentinel lymph node positive sensitivity was evaluated in PLR and preoperative USG groups. Results showed that patients above PLR cut-off value had 0.43 times more risk of having a positive SLN in comparison with patients who had a PLR lower than cut-off (OR=0.435, 95%CI:0.221-0.856, P<.016). When the PLR and USG were used in combination, sensitivity goes up to 75.5% and specificity 96%. The rate of success in diagnosing metastatic SLN in early-stage breast cancer is higher in PLR when compared with USG and other imaging methods.

Quality assurance review: Intra-operative evaluation of sentinel lymph nodes in breast cancer.

BackgroundIntraoperative consultation (IOC) of axillary sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy continues to play a role in selected breast cancer patients. The reported sensitivity rates for intraoperative SLN evaluation in breast cancer range from 47% to 80%. We study a center where the majority of SLN IOC is performed by imprint cytology, and a protocol was established to limit microscopic examination to three slides for a reporting TAT goal of 30 min.MethodsApproval to conduct this study was obtained from the REB. A retrospective review was performed on all consecutive SLN cases sent for IOC. Reported IOC assessments of all cases were compared with the final pathology.ResultsOf 164 patients, there were 22 (13%) false negative IOC events, including 15 missed macro‐metastasis and 7 missed micro‐metastasis. The overall sensitivity for touch imprint in detecting SLNs macro‐metastasis was 70.9%. Reporting total turnaround time was on average 3 min longer, whereas sensitivity and specificity were not significantly different in the two protocol periods.ConclusionImplementation of an IOC policy for a maximum of three slides for imprint cytology did not result in a significant impact on the sensitivity, specificity, or total turnaround time for SLN in breast cancer patients. False negative IOC events were mainly due to sampling error. Quality review was made difficult by limited documentation related to the gross handling of the specimens at IOC. System factors identified include insufficient space for the IOC report on the pathology requisition, and the lack of clearly communicated expectations for documentation.

Desmoid fibromatosis of the breast; a rare case report.

IntroductionDesmoid tumor is an uncommon tumor with variable spectrum ranged from being a locally lesion to an aggressive and destructive one. The current case aims to report a rare condition of desmoid type fibromatosis of the breast.Presentation of caseA 59-year-old female presented with a right breast mass for 9-months. Mammography showed a small speculated iso-hyper dense mass, just anterior to the pectoralis muscle measuring about 15 mm (M5) in longest axis. Ultrasound examination revealed an irregular mass with internal vascularity and posterior shadowing in the right breast with a single borderline lymph node (25 ∗ 14 mm of 4 mm cortex). Wide local excision with sentinel axillary lymph nodes biopsy was performed. Histopathological examination of the specimen confirmed the diagnosis of desmoid type fibromatosis of the breast.DiscussionThe etiology of this tumor is unknown, however, physical, hormonal and genetic factors have a significant role in the development of desmoid tumor.ConclusionDesmid type fibromatosis of the breast is an uncommon, benign, locally aggressive fibroblastic tumor with lack of metastatic potential, it may present with features of malignancy.

Macrometastasis at selective lymph node biopsy: A practical going-for-the-one clinical scoring system to personalize decision making.

BACKGROUNDAxillary sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) is standard treatment for patients with clinically and pathological negative lymph nodes. However, the role of completion axillary lymph node dissection (cALND) following positive sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) is debated.AIMTo identify a subgroup of women with high axillary tumor burden undergoing SLNB in whom cALND can be safely omitted in order to reduce the risk of long-term complications and create a Preoperative Clinical Risk Index (PCRI) that helps us in our clinical practice to optimize the selection of these patients.METHODSPatients with positive SLNB who underwent a cALND were included in this study. Univariate and multivariate analysis of prognostic and predictive factors were used to create a PCRI for safely omitting cALND.RESULTSFrom May 2007 to April 2014, we performed 1140 SLN biopsies, of which 125 were positive for tumor and justified to practice a posterior cALND. Pathologic findings at SLNB were micrometastases (mic) in 29 cases (23.4%) and macrometastasis (MAC) in 95 cases (76.6%). On univariate analysis of the 95 patients with MAC, statistically significant factors included: age, grade, phenotype, histology, lymphovascular invasion, lymph-node tumor size, and number of positive SLN. On multivariate analysis, only lymph-node tumor size (≤ 20 mm) and number of positive SLN (> 1) retained significance. A numerical tool was created giving each of the parameters a value to predict preoperatively which patients would not benefit from cALND. Patients with a PCRI ≤ 15 has low probability (< 10%) of having additional lymph node involvement, a PRCI between 15-17.6 has a probability of 43%, and the probability increases to 69% in patients with a PCRI > 17.6.CONCLUSIONThe PCRI seems to be a useful tool to prospectively estimate the risk of nodal involvement after positive SLN and to identify those patients who could omit cALND. Further prospective studies are necessary to validate PCRI clinical generalization.

Surgical Management of theAxilla of HER2+ Breast Cancer in the Z1071 Era: A Propensity-Score-Matched Analysis of the NCDB.

We aim to analyze survival outcomes for sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) versus axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) in human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER2)+ infiltrative ductal carcinoma (IDC) that demonstrate complete clinical response (cCR) to neoadjuvant systemic therapy (NAST) after initial presentation with clinical N1 (cN1) disease. NCDB 2004-2017 was utilized for the analysis. Female patients with unilateral HER2+ IDC, stage cT1-T4 cN1, who demonstrated cCR to NAST with reported definitive axillary surgical management were included. Patients were propensity score matched, and overall survival (OS) was compared. Cox regression analysis was used to identify survival predictors. 6453 patients were selected, of whom 2461 (38.1%) had SLNB and 3992 (69.1%) had ALND as definitive axillary surgical management. The trend of SLNB utilization increased from 20% in 2012 to 50% in 2017. A total of 2454 patients were matched from each group with adequate adjustment for all variables. There was no difference in OS between SLNB versus ALND (84.03 ± 0.36 versus 84.62 ± 0.42 months; p = 0.522). Cox regression identified age, cT stage, primary tumor response to NAST, ypN+, and endocrine therapy as significant OS predictors. In subgroup analysis of patients with ypN+ who had SLNB as a definitive procedure, primary tumor response to NAST and continuation of adjuvant chemotherapy were associated with improved OS. In cN1 HER2+ IDC patients who demonstrate cCR to NAST, SLNB is a reasonable definitive procedure for axillary management with comparable OS outcomes to ALND. However, higher-level data are required to determine the appropriate management in the case of ypN+.

Impact of Histological Type and Grade on the Diagnostic Accuracy of Intraoperative Frozen Section for Detecting Breast Cancer Metastasis to Axillary Sentinel Lymph Nodes.

IntroductionIntraoperative sentinel lymph node (SLN) evaluation is the standard of care in patients with clinically node-negative breast cancer. The most common histological subtype of breast carcinoma is invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC), followed by invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC). Alternatively, histological grades vary from grades G1 to G3. Therefore, in this study, we evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of frozen section (FS) for detecting breast cancer metastasis to SLNs with respect to histological subtypes and grades.MethodsA retrospective observational study was conducted in the Department of Histopathology at Liaquat National Hospital and Medical College, Pakistan, from January 2013 till December 2020, over a duration of eight years. A total of 540 cases of primary breast cancer, undergoing upfront breast surgery were included in the study. Intraoperatively, SLNs were identified and sent for FS. After FS reporting, the remaining tissue was submitted for final (paraffin) section examination after formalin fixation, and results of FS and final (paraffin) sections were compared.ResultsThe mean age of the patients included in the study was 52.05±12.42 years, and the median number of SLNs was three (ranging from one to 14). The overall sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and diagnostic accuracy of intraoperative FS were 88.2%, 100%, 100%, 92.5%, and 95.2%, respectively. The sensitivity of FS for IDC was 88.3%, whereas it was 85.7% for ILC. Alternatively, the sensitivity of FS for grade G1, G2, and G3 tumors was 78.3%, 91.5%, and 90.2%, respectively. The false-negative rate for grade G1 tumors was 21.7%, which was higher than G2 and G3 tumors (8.5% and 9.8%, respectively). Similarly, the false-negative rate for cases where the number of SLNs was more than three was only 5.4%, which was lower than cases with a single and two to three SLNs sent on FS (23.1 and 14.7%, respectively).ConclusionThe sensitivity of intraoperative FS for detecting ILC metastasis to axillary SLNs was not substantially different from IDC; however, histological grade affects the sensitivity of FS diagnosis, with lower-grade tumors having low sensitivity. Moreover, increasing the number of SLNs sent intraoperatively on FS improves the sensitivity of FS for detecting breast cancer metastasis to axillary SLNs.

Subclinical Lymphedema After Treatment for Breast Cancer: Risk of Progression and Considerations for Early Intervention.

Breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL) is a devastating complication of breast cancer (BC) treatment. The authors hypothesized that identifying subclinical lymphedema (SCL) presents an opportunity to prevent BCRL development. They aimed to assess rates of SCL progression (relative volume change [RVC], 5-10%) to BCRL (RVC, ≥10%) in women undergoing axillary surgery for BC via axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) or sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB). Patients treated for BC were prospectively screened at preoperative baseline and throughout the follow-up period using the perometer. The cohort was stratified according to nodal surgery (ALND or SLNB) to analyze rates of progression to BCRL. The study cohort included 1790 patients. Of the 1359 patients who underwent SLNB, 331 (24.4%) experienced SCL, with 38 (11.5%) of these patients progressing to BCRL. Of the 431 patients who underwent ALND, 171 (39.7%) experienced SCL, with 67 (39.2%) of these patients progressing to BCRL. Relative to the patients without SCL, those more likely to experience BCRL were the ALND patients with early SCL (<3 months postoperatively; hazard ratio [HR], 2.60; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.58-4.27;p = 0.0002) or late SCL (≥3 months postoperatively; HR, 3.14; 95% CI, 1.95-5.05;p < 0.0001) and the SLNB patients with early SCL (HR, 6.75; 95% CI, 3.8-11.98;p < 0.0001 or late SCL (HR, 3.02; 95% CI, 1.65-5.50;p = 0.0003). The study suggests that patients with SCL after axillary nodal surgery for BC are more likely to progress to BCRL than those who do not experience SCL. This presents a tremendous opportunity for early intervention to prevent BCRL and improve the quality of life for women treated for BC.

Conventional suture with prolonged timing of drainage is as good as quilting suture in preventing seroma formation at pectoral area after mastectomy

BackgroundThe aim of this study was to compare conventional suture with prolonged timing of drainage with quilting suture on the formation of seroma at pectoral area after mastectomy (ME) with sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLN) or axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) for breast cancer.MethodsThree hundred and eighty-eight consecutive breast cancer patients were retrospectively analyzed and categorized into three groups. Patients in group 1 were with quilting suture, group 2 with conventional suture and 13–15 days drainage in situ, and group 3 with conventional suture and 20–22 days drainage. The primary outcome was the incidence of grades 2 and 3 seroma at anterior pectoral area within 1 month postoperatively. Cox regression was used for analysis.ResultsThe incidence of grades 2 and 3 seroma was comparable among groups (9.5% vs. 7.9% vs. 5.3%, p = 0.437), as well as late grades 2 and 3 seroma among groups (4.3% vs. 2.9% vs. 1.5%, p = 0.412). Old age, high body mass index, and hypertension were independent risk factors for grades 2 and 3 seroma.ConclusionsProlonged timing of drainage to 13–15 days in conventional suture was long enough to decrease the incidence of grades 2 and 3 seroma as lower as that in quilting suture group at pectoral area within 1 month after mastectomy.

164P Usefulness of positron emission tomography for determination of axillary metastasis of breast cancer

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancer types for women worldwide. Metastatic status of axillary lymph nodes in breast cancer staging is very important. Axillary dissection and sentinel lymph node biopsies are currently the gold standard methods for axillary evaluation. In this study, the use of positron emission tomography as an alternative or as an adjunct to invasive methods for the detection of axillary metastasis of breast cancer has been evaluated.

Near-infrared laparoscopy with indocyanine green for axillary sentinel lymph node biopsy in early breast cancer: preliminary experience of a single unit.

A sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) is a routine procedure for axillary staging in cN0 breast cancer (BC) patients. Indocyanine green (ICG) fluorescence can detect sentinel lymph nodes with higher sensitivity than carbon nanoparticle suspension (CNS). The present study investigated the availability and benefits of a near-infrared (NIR) laparoscopy-assisted SLNB using ICG and carbon nanoparticle suspension as tracers. Forty patients with invasive BC, who had clinically negative axillary lymph nodes, participated in this observational study. ICG and CNS tracers were injected into the periareolar region simultaneously or sequentially. In the endoscopy-assisted group (n=20), the patients were given NIR laparoscopic SLNB based on ICG fluorescence and CNS staining. In the open-surgery group, the patients were given traditional SLNB using an open incision, and CNS tracers were injected into the same region as that in the endoscopy-assisted group. In the endoscopy-assisted group, lymphatic vessels and sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) were successfully identified using ICG fluorescence imaging in most patients (19/20). The average number of SLNs removed was 2.85 (range, 1-4) in the endoscopy-assisted group, and 3.40 (range, 1-7) in the open-surgery group. There was no significant difference between the number of detected nodes (P=0.30). The patients who underwent endoscopy-assisted SLNBs had similar operating times, blood loss and hospital-stay lengths, but lower postoperative drainage volumes and higher satisfaction scores, as they did not have axillary incisions. The NIR laparoscopy-assisted ICG-guided technique is a feasible and surgeon-friendly method for SLNB with good efficacy and acceptable safety. When combined with CNS, more SLNs can be detected and dissected.

Breast cancer larger than 2.5 cm with tumor-free radioisotope-hot sentinel nodes has higher risk of non-hot axillary lymph node metastasis

BackgroundSentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) is the standard axillary staging approach for early breast cancer with clinically negative axillary involvement. Adequate SLNB should include the removal of not only radioactive tracer-labeled lymph nodes (hot nodes or SLNs) but also suspicious unlabeled nodes (non-hot nodes or non-SLNs). However, the biopsy of non-hot nodes is highly dependent on the surgeons' experiences. This article aims to facilitate the surgeon's decision making by elucidating parameters that correlate with non-hot node metastasis. MethodsFrom 2013 to 2016, clinically node-negative (cN0) breast cancer patients receiving axillary SLNB using single Tc-99m tracer method at our institute were recruited. Patients were excluded if they had received prior neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Among them, cases that have at least one non-isotope-hot node biopsied were retrospectively reviewed with a particular focus on patients with pathologically negative isotope-hot SLNs. The correlation of clinicopathological data with metastasis to axillary lymph nodes and sentinel lymph nodes was analyzed with the Chi-squared test, Fisher's exact test, and multivariate logistic regression. Receiver operating curve (ROC) was applied for continuous variables that predicted non-hot node metastasis; relapse-free survival (RFS) and locoregional relapse-free survival (LRRFS) were compared by Kaplan–Meier analysis. ResultsIn 632 isotope-hot SLN negative patients, T stage showed a correlation with non-isotope-hot SLN metastasis (p = 0.035, odds ratio (OR) 9.65). Tumors larger than 2.5 cm best predict non-isotope-hot SLN metastasis (area under curve (AUC) = 0.71). With a median follow up of 41.80 months, locoregional relapse-free survival was significantly worse in cases with non-hot node metastasis (66.2% vs. 69.0%, p = 0.001). ConclusionIn the setting of SLNB using single radioisotope tracer, non-hot node metastasis in cases with negative hot SLN still carries a higher locoregional recurrence rate (13.3%). For early breast cancer larger than 2.5 cm, removal of suspicious non-hot nodes should be included for a precision therapy.

Synchronous Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma and Breast Ductal Carcinoma: A Case Report

Breast cancer was the most frequent cause of cancer-induced death among middle-aged (20- 59) women in the last decade. In contrast, the incidence rates of thyroid cancer have begun to stabilize in recent years. The synchronous neoplasms of thyroid and breast cancers are very rare in clinical settings. The current study presented a case of synchronous Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma (PTC) and breast ductal carcinoma in a 37-year-old woman. It is proposed that the mechanism of these synchronous primary tumors is associated with an interaction between the breast and thyroid hormonal responses. It is essential to examine breast tissue in patients with thyroid carcinoma or vice versa. In our case, although axillary sentinel lymph node was free from the tumor, cervical lymph nodes were involved by breast carcinoma; suggesting the importance of cervical examination in breast cancer patients.

Atlas of sentinel lymph nodes in early breast cancer using single-photon emission computed tomography: implication for lymphatic contouring.

PurposeTo determine the localization of sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) in a large cohort of patients with breast cancer and validate the European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ESTRO), Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG), and Radiotherapy Comparative Effectiveness (RADCOMP) guidelines on regional lymph node clinical target volume (CTV-LN) delineation.Materials and MethodsA total of 254 women with cT1-3N0-1M0 breast cancer underwent single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT-CT) visualization of SLNs after intra- and peritumoral injection of 99mTc-radiocolloids. All SPECT-CT images were fused with reference simulation computed tomography. A 3D atlas of SLNs was created and used for evaluation of CTV-LN defined by contouring guidelines.ResultsSPECT-CT visualized 532 SLNs that were localized in axillary level I in 67.5%, level II in 15.4%, level III in 7.3%, internal mammary in 8.5%, and supraclavicular in 1.3% cases. The majority of level II–IV and internal mammary SLNs were inside the recommended CTV-LN. Axillary level I SLNs were covered by ESTRO and RTOG contours in 85% and 85% cases, respectively. “Out of contours” SLNs were mostly detected in lateral subgroup of level I LN (18.5%), while 98%–99% of anterior pectoral and central axillary SLNs were covered by CTV-LN. Internal mammary SLNs were visualized in 33 cases and were outside ESTRO and RTOG contours in 3 and 6 observations, respectively.ConclusionSPECT-CT atlas of SLNs demonstrated that in most cases ESTRO and RTOG guidelines correctly represented CTV-LNs with the exception of lateral subgroup of SLNs.

Quality of Life in Women Subjected to Surgical Treatment of Breast Cancer Depending on the Procedure Performed within the Breast and Axillary Fossa-A Single-Center, One Year Prospective Analysis.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality of life of patients undergoing surgical treatment of breast cancer depending on the type of procedure involving the breast (mastectomy vs. breast conserving treatment) and axillary fossa (sentinel lymph node biopsy vs. axillary lymph node dissection). The prospective study was carried out in a group of 338 females undergoing breast cancer treatment. Study variables were assessed by means of a diagnostic survey using standardized QLQ C30 and BR23 questionnaires as well as the Acceptance of Illness Scale and Mini-MAC scales. The quality of life was assessed at threetime points: on the day before the surgical procedure (I assessment) as well as three and 12 months after surgery (II and III assessment). Statistically significant differences between study groups were observed in the overall quality of life subscale (I, II, III—p < 0.0001), physical functioning (I—p < 0.0001; II—p = 0.0413; III—p < 0.0001), role functioning (I—p = 0.0002; III—p < 0.0001), emotional functioning (III—p = 0.0082), cognitive functioning (I—p = 0.0112; III—p < 0.0001), social functioning (III—p < 0.0001), body image (I, II, III—p < 0.0001), and sexual functioning (I—p = 0.0233; III—p = 0.0011). In most symptomatic scales, significant (p < 0.05) differences were also noted. Mastectomy and limfadenectomy patients were significantly (p < 0.0001) more prone to present with destructive coping strategies one year after surgery. Breast conserving therapy is associated with better quality of life outcomes as compared to mastectomy. Sentinel lymph node biopsy is associated with a lower intensity of adverse changes in multiple dimensions of patients’ functioning.

Management of Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma of the Breast: A Single-Institution Study.

ObjectiveThe purpose of our study was to analyze the clinicopathologic features and surgical and oncological outcomes of adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) of the breast and to provide the basis for a clinical therapeutic schedule.MethodsA total of 14 patients with primary breast adenoid cystic carcinoma treated at Cancer Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences from January 2000 to December 2017 were included. Data on clinical presentation, treatment strategy, and outcome, as well as the pathological features of ACC, were reviewed and analyzed.ResultsFourteen patients were diagnosed with ACC of the breast, out of 23205 total patients treated for breast cancer (0.06%). All but three patients were postmenopausal, with a median age at diagnosis of 60.5 years (range, 39–73 years). The most common clinical presentation was a palpable mass (85.7%), and the imaging characteristics of all patients on color Doppler ultrasound and mammography were nonspecific. Six patients (42.9%) were suspected of having ACC by fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) and were confirmed by postoperative histology and immunohistochemistry. All 14 patients underwent surgery, and no patient had a positive lymph node status. Median tumor size was 1.75 cm (range, 1–3 cm). Eight/14 (57.1%) patients were hormone receptor negative (HR−) and HER-2/neu (−) (HER2−). The remaining patients were hormone receptor positive (HR+). There was no significant difference in clinicopathological characteristics between the HR+ group and the HR- group (P>0.05). The mean follow-up period was 57 months. Local recurrence occurred in 14.3% of patients, 1.7% of patients had distant metastasis, all patients with local recurrence or distant metastasis were in the HR (-) group, and all patients were alive at the last follow-up.ConclusionACC of the breast cannot be simply summarized as triple-negative breast cancer because it also includes a small number of hormone receptor-positive breast cancers. Establishing a preoperative diagnosis is difficult on the basis of clinical imaging examination, FNAC may be useful tool in the diagnosis. the final diagnosis can only be assessed based on the results of the histopathological and immunohistochemical examination. Breast-conserving surgery may be an alternative treatment strategy, and axillary lymph node dissection or sentinel node biopsy may not be necessary in some cases.

P147 - Use of indocyanine green (ICG) in detection of axillary sentinel lymph nodes for breast cancer

P147 - Use of indocyanine green (ICG) in detection of axillary sentinel lymph nodes for breast cancer

Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound in Locating Axillary Sentinel Lymph Nodes in Patients with Breast Cancer: A Prospective Study

The objective was to explore the clinical value of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in locating the sentinel lymph node (SLN) in patients with early breast cancer. We screened 143 consecutive patients with breast cancer between July 2017 and August 2019. The number of SLNs identified by CEUS and dual labeling (blue dye and radiolabeled colloid) were recorded. The accuracy of CEUS plus fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) was assessed. The rate of identification of SLNs with CEUS was 84.0% (121/144), and that of dual labeling was 97.92% (141/144). There was no significant association between non-enhancement (p = 0.060) or inhomogeneous enhancement (p = 0.468) and lymph node metastasis. The sensitivity and specificity of CEUS-SLNs plus FNAC was 78.38% and 100%, respectively. The technique of CEUS is a promising method for locating the axillary SLN. But it is hard to identify lymph node metastasis with CEUS alone. CEUS-SLNs plus FNAC is a sound technique for diagnosis of the metastasis of SLN.

The influence of preoperative biopsy on the surgical method in breast cancer patients: a single-center experience of 3,966 cases in China.

The National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP) B32 trial reported that the detection rate of sentinel lymph nodes by core needle biopsy (CNB) is higher than that by segmental resection. However, there are few reports regarding the detection rate of sentinel lymph nodes by vacuum-assisted breast biopsy (VABB). Therefore, we analyzed the impact of preoperative biopsy methods on the surgical modes of 3,966 patients with breast cancer in our center. In total, 3,966 female breast cancer patients [clinical tumor node metastasis (TNM) stage I-III] were enrolled in this study. Preoperative pathological diagnosis methods included fine needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy, CNB, excision biopsy, and VABB. According to the time of diagnosis. The data were analysis by chi square test, variance analysis and the Kaplan-Meier time series in SPSS 22.0. There was a decrease in the number of patients that underwent excision biopsy (7.3% to 2.7%) and intraoperative freezing (89.4% to 28.9%) over time, while CNB exhibited an increasing trend (1.6% to 55.3%). The positive rates of VABB, CNB, excision biopsy, and FNA were 99.5%, 97.1%, 97.9%, and 82.2%, respectively, and the false negative rates were 0%, 1.8%, 0.34%, and 8.9%, respectively. The overall breast-conserving rate was 36.7%, while the breast-conserving rate for VABB was 57.1%. The axillary sentinel lymph node biopsy rate of cN0 patients was 48.3%, and the intraoperative frozen group (36.7%) and excision biopsy group (39.5%) were lower than the CNB (57.1%) and VABB (77.9%) groups. Until December 2019, there were 350 cases with tumor recurrence or metastasis. The methods of biopsy were not correlated to the cumulative survival time. Changes to the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer has a profound impact on the method of tumor biopsy. VABB biopsy offers advantages such as accurate diagnosis, a greater volume of tissue taken at one time, minimally invasive and repeatable, and does not affect the surgical approach and prognosis of patients. It will gradually become the primary method of preoperative pathological evaluation of breast cancer.

Abstract PS1-01: Combined analysis of the WORTH 1 and WORTH 2 studies of ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence after breast conservative surgery without radiotherapyusing the “5-mm thick slice and 5-mm free margin method”

Abstract Background: Breast conserving surgery with radiotherapy is one of the standard treatment methods for early breast cancer. However, it is regarded as an option to treat elderly patients with small hormone receptor positive breast cancer with breast conserving surgery and hormone therapy without radiotherapy. Two sequential prospective studies were conducted to examine the efficacy of breast conserving surgery without radiotherapy from 2002. Patients and Methods: Primary breast cancer patients were divided into the WORTH 1 (n=123) group (Oct. 2002 and Mar. 2005) and the WORTH 2 (n=198) group (Dec. 2006 and Nov. 2011) and the data was retrospectively combined and analyzed. The eligibility criteria of the two sequential studies were a tumor ≥3cm determined by palpation, pathologically node negative by axillary dissection or sentinel node biopsy and M0, no preoperative treatment, postmenopausal patients ≥50 years of age at surgery, no tumor cells within 5 mm from the margins, no lymphatic invasion around the primary tumor, and estrogen receptor positive. The surgical specimens were sliced at 5 mm intervals and all the slices were examined microscopically. Postoperative radiotherapy was not conducted and adjuvant chemotherapy was optional. The patients were treated with tamoxifen or anastrozole in WORTH 1 and anastrozole in WORTH 2 for 5 years. Ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence (IBTR)-free survival and distant relapse-free survival (DRFS) were recorded as the interval from initial surgery until IRTR or distant relapse. The factors related to IBTR were evaluated using the proportional hazard model. Patients who did not develop IBTR or distant relapse were statistically censored at the time of the last follow-up or death. Survival rates were calculated using the Kaplan-Mayer method. Statistical analyses were conducted using the log rank test. Values &amp;lt; 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results: The median age at surgery was 65 (range 50-84). The median tumor size was 1.5 cm (range 0-4.0 cm). The median follow-up period for IBTR was 95 months (range 4-192 months). Only 3 patients were treated with adjuvant chemotherapy. The 5- and 10-year overall survival rates were 98.7% and 95.1%, respectively and the 5- and 10-year distant DRFS rates were 99.3% and 96.3%, respectively. The 5- and 10-year IBTR free rates were 97.0% and 89.7%, respectively. Older patients had significantly less IBTR rates (5-year IBTR free rates: 95.8% for ≤64 vs. 98.1% for ≥65, p=0.019). There was no difference in IBTR rates between the large and small tumors (5-year IBTR free rates: 96.9% ≤1.4 cm vs. 96.8% for ≥1.5 cm, p=0.094). PR positivity had a significantly lower IBTR free rates (5-year IBTR free rates: 98.3% for PR positive vs. 91.5% for PR negative, p=0.009). The age at surgery (≤64, p=0.017, Hazard ratio 3.07, 95% CI 1.22-7.70) and the PR status (PR negative, p=0.024, Hazard ratio 2.54, 95% Cl 1.13-5.69) independently affected the IBTR rates. Both the 5- and 10-year IBTR free rates of the patients who were ≥65 at surgery and had PR positive tumors (n=136) were 98.4%. Conclusions: The findings suggest that the “5-mm thick slice and 5-mm free margin” method may be effective in selecting patients who can be treated with breast conserving surgery and hormone therapy without radiotherapy. Citation Format: Norikazu Masuda, Shozo Ohsumi, Reiki Nishimura, Sadako Akashi-Tanaka, Kimito Suemasu, Hideko Yamauchi, Eriko Tokunaga, Tadashi Ikeda, Tsunehiro Nishi, Hiroto Hayashi, Yuichi Iino, Yuichi Takatsuka, Hideo Inaji. Combined analysis of the WORTH 1 and WORTH 2 studies of ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence after breast conservative surgery without radiotherapyusing the “5-mm thick slice and 5-mm free margin method” [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2020 San Antonio Breast Cancer Virtual Symposium; 2020 Dec 8-11; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(4 Suppl):Abstract nr PS1-01.