Prognostic value of metabolic tumour volume and total lesion glycolysis in 18F-FDG PET/CT scans in locally advanced breast cancer staging. / Papel pronóstico del volumen metabólico tumoral y de la glucólisis tumoral total en los estudios 18F-FDG PET/TC de estadificación del cáncer localmente avanzado de mama.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether metabolic tumour volume (MTV) and total lesion glycolysis (TLG) are able to predict recurrence risk in locally advanced breast cancer (LABC) patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Retrospective study of LABC patients who undertook neoadjuvant, local and adjuvant treatment and follow up. A 18F-FDG PET/CT study for initial staging was performed analysing in this study different metabolic parameters (MTV, TLG, SUVmax and SUVmed) both in the primary tumour (T) as well as in axillary nodes (N) and whole-body (WB). RESULTS: Forty females were included between January 2010-2011; follow up until January 2015 was completed. The average follow-up was 46 months. Twenty percent presented recurrence: local disease (n=2) and distant metastasis (n=6); 3 patients died (38% of the patients which recurred and 7.5% from the total). SUVmax, MTV and TLG, in T, N and WB, were higher in those patients with recurrence. The MTV and TLG parameters in the tumour (T) were related to the recurrence rate (P=.020 and P=.028, respectively); whereas SUVmax in the lymph nodes (N) was significantly related (P=.008) to the recurrence rate. The best cut-off points to predict recurrence where: MTV T ≥19.3cm3, TLG T≥74.4g and SUVmax N≥13.8, being 10-12 times more likely to recidivate when these thresholds where exceeded. Tumour grade was the only clinical-pathological variable which was related to recurrence probability (p=.035). CONCLUSIONS: In this study of LABC patients the metabolic parameters which have a better relationship with recurrence rate are: MTV and TLG in the primary tumour, SUVmax in the regional lymph node disease and whole-body PET data.

Superparamagnetic iron oxide as a tracer for sentinel node biopsy in breast cancer: A comparative non-inferiority study.

AIMS: The gold standard for detection of Sentinel Lymph Nodes (SLN) is a combined radioisotope and blue dye breast injection, using a gamma probe (GP). A new, non-radioactive method was developed, using a tracer (Sienna+(®)) of superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) nanoparticles and a manual magnetometer (SentiMag(®)) (SM). The IMAGINE study was designed to show the non-inferiority of SM compared to GP, for the detection of SLN in breast cancer patients with SLN biopsy indication. METHODS: From November 2013 to June 2014, 181 patients were recruited, and 321 nodes were excised and assessed ex-vivo. Readings from both SM and GP devices were recorded during transcutaneous, intraoperative, and ex-vivo detection attempts. RESULTS: At the patient level, ex-vivo detection rates (primary variable) with SM and GP were 97.8% and 98.3% (concordance rate 99.4%). Transcutaneous and intraoperative detection rates were 95.5% vs 97.2%, and 97.2% vs 97.8% for SM and GP respectively (concordance rates > 97%). At the node level, intraoperative and ex-vivo detection rates were 92.5% vs 89.3% and 91.0% vs 86.3% for SM and GP respectively. In all cases the non-inferiority of SM compared to SM was shown by ruling out a predefined non-inferiority margin of 5%. CONCLUSIONS: Our study showed the non-inferiority of SM as compared to GP. Moreover, the ex-vivo and intraoperative detection rates at the node level were slightly higher with SM.

[Axillary pathologic response after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in locally advanced breast cancer with axillary involvement]. / Respuesta patológica en la axila tras quimioterapia neoadyuvante en el cáncer de mama localmente avanzado con afectación axilar.

AIM: To compare axillary involvement (N+) at initial staging in locally advanced breast cancer (LABC) with axillary lymphadenectomy histologic results after neoadjuvant chemotherapy treatment (NeoChemo). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Retrospective study between November 2011 and September 2013 of LABC cases treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy based on docetaxel (associated with trastuzumab in HER2 positive cases and carboplatin/adriamycin in HER2 negative cases). Those clinically or radiologically suspected cases of axillary involvement were histologically confirmed. When there was no suspicion of axillary involvement, sentinel lymph node radioguided biopsy (SLNRB) was performed using intradermal injection of (99m)Tc-nanocolloid albumin prior to neoadjuvant treatment. Axillary lymphadenectomy after NeoChemo was undertaken in all cases with positive axilla. Final pathologic response was classified as complete (pCR) when there was no evidence of tumoral disease and as non-pathologic complete response (no pCR) in the opposite case. RESULTS: A total of 346 patients treated with docetaxel were reviewed, identifying 105 LABC. Axillary involvement at initial staging was detected in 70 (67%) before starting NeoChemo. From these 70, 73% (n=51) were N+ (fine needle biopsy and/or biopsy) and the remaining 19 (27%) were occult N+ detected by SLNRB. Axillary lymphadenectomy detected pCR in 56% (39/70), increasing up to 84% pCR when initial N+ status was reached using SNLB. On the other hand, when N+ was detected using fine needle biopsy/lymph biopsy, pCR was only 45%. CONCLUSION: More than 50% of women affected by locally advanced breast cancer with tumoral axillary involvement at initial diagnosis present free metastatic axilla after therapeutic neoadjuvant chemotherapy effect. This increases up to almost 90% in case of occult metastatic axilla detected with sentinel node biopsy prior starting neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Contribution of the portable gamma camera to detect the sentinel node in breast cancer during surgery.

AIM: To show our experience using the portable gamma camera during surgery in the detection of the sentinel node in breast cancer. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 46 women diagnosed with breast cancer were included. This study was carried out by means of the periareolar intradermal injection. Planar images and SPECT/CT were acquired. On the following day, the sentinel nodes were localized intraoperatively with a portable gamma camera and a gamma probe. Images of the anterior axillary line projection and lateral axillary line projection were acquired before and after extraction of all the sentinel nodes. RESULTS: The images acquired with the portable gamma-camera during the operation showed no activity in all of the patients after the removal of the sentinel nodes. In four out of the 46 cases, the portable gamma camera provided relevant information during the procedure (it detected a sentinel node in two cases in which it had not been detected prior to the surgery and it oriented the surgeon in the localization of low activity nodes when the probe screening had been negative). CONCLUSIONS: The use of the intraoperative portable gamma camera to detect the sentinel node in breast cancer patients is useful in order to ensure, independently of the surgeon, that all the sentinel nodes have been removed. It can also help guide the surgeon in the event of a single low activity sentinel node.

[SPECT-CT: a new tool for localisation of sentinel lymph nodes in breast cancer patients]. / SPECT-TAC: una nueva herramienta para la localización del ganglio centinela en pacientes con cáncer de mama.

INTRODUCTION: Sentinel lymph node biopsy has become a widely accepted procedure for axillary lymph node staging in patients with breast cancer. AIM: The aim of this study was to determine the advantages of using SPECT-CT instead of planar scintigraphy in the presurgical localisation of sentinel lymph nodes. METHODS: We prospectively included 25 consecutive patients with breast cancer who were admitted to our department for SLN localisation. Patients were divided into two groups, depending on whether neoadjuvant chemotherapy had been received (B, n = 6) or not (A, n = 19). Four doses (1.0 mCi each) of 99mTc-nanocolloid were injected intradermallly in all patients, and SPECT-CT and planar images were acquired. All patients underwent surgery and SLN localisation with a hand-held gamma probe. Any axillary "hot spots" were resected. The kappa index (ki) was calculated using surgical findings as the gold standard. RESULTS: In group A, the SLN was correctly detected in 17/19 patients (89.5 %) with SPECT-CT and in 12/19 (63.2 %) with planar images. The correlation between SPECT-CT and surgical findings (ki 0.91) was better than between planar images and surgical findings (ki 0.57). In group B, the results of SPECT-CT and planar images were identical, with accurate localisation of the SLN in 5/6 patients (ki 0.76). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study suggest that SPECT-CT may be useful for locating the SLN in breast cancer patients, as it provides accurate localization of the SLN with useful anatomical information. This may allow the surgeon to search exclusively for SLN viewed on SPECT-CT, and avoid false negative and false positive results.

[A specialty that deals with breast cancer. Breast pathology hospital units]. / La sénologie en tant que spécialité. Les unités hospitalières de pathologie mammaire.

Breast cancer has become a veritable "plague" on Western European civilization to the point where one in ten women will likely develop a mammary gland neoplasia in the future. From a medical and health policy perspective, we must be prepared to deal with this problem. Undergraduate and post-graduate education of professionals and the creation of specific units are some of the solutions for fighting this epidemic.