Carbon tattooing of axillary lymph nodes in breast cancer patients before neoadjuvant chemotherapy: A retrospective analysis.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to investigate the feasibility and accuracy of tattooing suspicious axillary lymph nodes with carbon suspension at the time of breast cancer (BC) diagnosis and the intraoperative correspondence between tattooed lymph node (TLN) and sentinel lymph node (SLN) in patients who underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT). METHODS: In this retrospective study, we analyzed consecutive BC patients who underwent NACT, between April 2019 and May 2021, at the Breast Unit of Sant'Anna Hospital in Turin, Italy. Before NACT, all suspicious biopsied lymph nodes were marked with carbon suspension. All SLNs, TLNs, and axillary nodal dissection specimens were sent for histopathological examination. RESULTS: The study group included a total of 49 patients with BC. The overall identification rate of TLNs was 83.7% (41/49; 95%, confidence interval - CI 0.70-0.92). In patients who underwent target axillary dissection (TAD) the carbon tattooing had an intraoperative identification rate of 84.4% (27/32; 95% CI 0.67-0.95) while, in the case of axillary lymph node dissection, TLNs were detected in 82.3% (14/17; 95% CI 0.56-0.96) of patients. The correlation between TLN and SLN was 71.8% (23/32). CONCLUSIONS: These results confirmed that tattooing axillary lymph nodes has an acceptable identification rate. We also confirmed that this procedure, in addition to SLN biopsy, improves the accuracy of surgical axillary staging.

Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy vs No Axillary Surgery in Patients With Small Breast Cancer and Negative Results on Ultrasonography of Axillary Lymph Nodes: The SOUND Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) is the standard of care for axillary node staging of patients with early breast cancer (BC), but its necessity can be questioned since surgery for examination of axillary nodes is not performed with curative intent. Objective: To determine whether the omission of axillary surgery is noninferior to SLNB in patients with small BC and a negative result on preoperative axillary lymph node ultrasonography. Design, Setting, and Participants: The SOUND (Sentinel Node vs Observation After Axillary Ultra-Sound) trial was a prospective noninferiority phase 3 randomized clinical trial conducted in Italy, Switzerland, Spain, and Chile. A total of 1463 women of any age with BC up to 2 cm and a negative preoperative axillary ultrasonography result were enrolled and randomized between February 6, 2012, and June 30, 2017. Of those, 1405 were included in the intention-to-treat analysis. Data were analyzed from October 10, 2022, to January 13, 2023. Intervention: Eligible patients were randomized on a 1:1 ratio to receive SLNB (SLNB group) or no axillary surgery (no axillary surgery group). Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary end point of the study was distant disease-free survival (DDFS) at 5 years, analyzed as intention to treat. Secondary end points were the cumulative incidence of distant recurrences, the cumulative incidence of axillary recurrences, DFS, overall survival (OS), and the adjuvant treatment recommendations. Results: Among 1405 women (median [IQR] age, 60 [52-68] years) included in the intention-to-treat analysis, 708 were randomized to the SLNB group, and 697 were randomized to the no axillary surgery group. Overall, the median (IQR) tumor size was 1.1 (0.8-1.5) cm, and 1234 patients (87.8%) had estrogen receptor-positive ERBB2 (formerly HER2 or HER2/neu), nonoverexpressing BC. In the SLNB group, 97 patients (13.7%) had positive axillary nodes. The median (IQR) follow-up for disease assessment was 5.7 (5.0-6.8) years in the SLNB group and 5.7 (5.0-6.6) years in the no axillary surgery group. Five-year distant DDFS was 97.7% in the SLNB group and 98.0% in the no axillary surgery group (log-rank P = .67; hazard ratio, 0.84; 90% CI, 0.45-1.54; noninferiority P = .02). A total of 12 (1.7%) locoregional relapses, 13 (1.8%) distant metastases, and 21 (3.0%) deaths were observed in the SLNB group, and 11 (1.6%) locoregional relapses, 14 (2.0%) distant metastases, and 18 (2.6%) deaths were observed in the no axillary surgery group. Conclusions and Relevance: In this randomized clinical trial, omission of axillary surgery was noninferior to SLNB in patients with small BC and a negative result on ultrasonography of the axillary lymph nodes. These results suggest that patients with these features can be safely spared any axillary surgery whenever the lack of pathological information does not affect the postoperative treatment plan. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02167490.

SNP of Aromatase Predict Long-term Survival and Aromatase Inhibitor Toxicity in Patients with Early Breast Cancer: A Biomarker Analysis of the GIM4 and GIM5 Trials.

PURPOSE: In estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer, single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in the aromatase gene might affect aromatase inhibitors (AI) metabolism and efficacy. Here, we assessed the impact of SNP on prognosis and toxicity of patients receiving adjuvant letrozole. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: We enrolled 886 postmenopausal patients in the study. They were treated with letrozole for 2 to 5 years after taking tamoxifen for 2 to 6 years, continuing until they completed 5 to 10 years of therapy. Germline DNA was genotyped for SNP rs4646, rs10046, rs749292, and rs727479. Log-rank test and Cox model were used for disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS). Cumulative incidence (CI) of breast cancer metastasis was assessed through competing risk analysis, with contralateral breast cancer, second malignancies and non-breast cancer death as competing events. CI of skeletal and cardiovascular events were assessed using DFS events as competing events. Subdistribution HR (sHR) with 95% confidence intervals were calculated through Fine-Gray method. RESULTS: No SNP was associated with DFS. Variants rs10046 [sHR 2.03, (1.04-2.94)], rs749292 [sHR 2.11, (1.12-3.94)], and rs727479 [sHR 2.62, (1.17-5.83)] were associated with breast cancer metastasis. Three groups were identified on the basis of the number of these variants (0, 1, >1). Variant-based groups were associated with breast cancer metastasis (10-year CI 2.5%, 7.6%, 10.7%, P = 0.035) and OS (10-year estimates 96.5%, 93.0%, 89.6%, P = 0.030). Co-occurrence of rs10046 and rs749292 was negatively associated with 10-year CI of skeletal events (3.2% vs. 10%, P = 0.033). A similar association emerged between rs727479 and cardiovascular events (0.3% vs. 2.1%, P = 0.026). CONCLUSIONS: SNP of aromatase gene predict risk of metastasis and AI-related toxicity in ER+ early breast cancer, opening an opportunity for better treatment individualization.

Is There Still a Role for Endocrine Therapy Alone in HR+/HER2- Advanced Breast Cancer Patients? Results from the Analysis of Two Data Sets of Patients Treated with High-Dose Fulvestrant as First-Line Therapy in the Real-World Setting: The EVA and GIM-13 AMBRA Studies.

BACKGROUND: Different studies suggest that fulvestrant 500 mg every 28 days (HD-FUL) could be an active treatment in HR+ advanced breast cancer (ABC) patients even treated with aromatase inhibitors in the adjuvant setting. The aim of this analysis is to describe the outcome of ABC patients treated with HD-FUL as first-line treatment in terms of median duration of treatment and the overall response rate in a real-world setting. METHODS: For the purpose of the present analysis, we considered two data sets of HR+ ABC patients collected in Italy between 2012 and 2015 (EVA and GIM-13 AMBRA studies). RESULTS: Eighty-one and 91 patients have been identified from the two data sets. The median age was 63 years (range 35-82) for the EVA and 57.8 years (range 35.0-82.3) for the AMBRA patients. ORRs were 23.5 and 24.3% in the whole population, 26.9% in the patients with bone only, and 21.8 and 21.4% in those with visceral metastases. The median duration of HD-FUL was 11.6 months (range 1-48) and 12.4 months (range 2.9-70.0) in the two data sets, respectively. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that HD-FUL should still continue to play a significant role as first-line therapy in HR+ ABC patients.

Axillary Dissection vs. no Axillary Dissection in Breast Cancer Patients With Positive Sentinel Lymph Node: A Single Institution Experience.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Axillary surgery of breast cancer patients is undergoing a paradigm shift, as axillary lymph node dissection's (ALND) usefulness is being questioned in the treatment of patients with tumor-positive sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB). The aim of this study was to investigate the overall survival (OS) and relapse-free survival (RFS) of patients with positive SLNB treated with ALND or not. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We investigated 617 consecutive patients with cN0 operable breast cancer with positive SLNB undergoing mastectomy or conservative surgery. A total of 406 patients underwent ALND and 211 were managed expectantly. RESULTS: No significant difference in OS and RFS was found between the two groups. The incidence of loco-regional recurrence in the SLNB-only group and the ALND group was low and not significant. CONCLUSION: The type of breast cancer surgery and the omission of ALND does not improve OS or RSF rate in cases with metastatic SLN.

A multiparametric panel for ovarian cancer diagnosis, prognosis, and response to chemotherapy.

PURPOSE: Our goal was to examine a panel of 11 biochemical variables, measured in cytosolic extracts of ovarian tissues (normal, benign, and malignant) by quantitative ELISAs for their ability to diagnose, prognose, and predict response to chemotherapy of ovarian cancer patients. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Eleven proteins were measured (9 kallikreins, B7-H4, and CA125) in cytosolic extracts of 259 ovarian tumor tissues, 50 tissues from benign conditions, 35 normal tissues, and 44 tissues from nonovarian tumors that metastasized to the ovary. Odds ratios and hazard ratios and their 95% confidence interval were calculated. Time-dependent receiver operating characteristic curves for censored survival data were used to evaluate the performance of the biomarkers. Resampling was used to validate the performance. RESULTS: Most biomarkers effectively separated cancer from noncancer groups. A composite marker provided an area under the curve of 0.97 (95% confidence interval, 0.95-0.99) for discriminating normal and cancer groups. Univariately, hK5 and hK6 were positively associated with progression. After adjusting for clinical variables in multivariate analysis, both hK10 and hK11 significantly predicted time to progression. Increasing levels of hK13 were associated with chemotherapy response, and the predictive power of hK13 to chemotherapy response was improved by a panel of five biomarkers. CONCLUSIONS: The evidence shows that a group of kallikreins and multiparametric combinations with other biomarkers and clinical variables can significantly assist with ovarian cancer classification, prognosis, and response to platinum-based chemotherapy. In particular, we developed a multiparametric strategy for predicting ovarian cancer response to chemotherapy, comprising several biomarkers and clinical features.

Is Sialyl Lewis x antigen expression a prognostic factor in patients with breast cancer?

Sialyl Lewis x (sLex) carbohydrate antigen acts as an adhesion molecule expressed on the surface of cancer cells and is the most important ligand of the selectins present on endothelial cells. sLex expression was correlated to the metastatic potential of breast cancer. The aim of the present work was to evaluate the prognostic value of sLex in a series of breast carcinomas with long-term follow-up. A total of 127 consecutive patients with primary breast cancer were enrolled and followed for a median of 140 months. Tumor grade, mitotic index, histotype, vascular invasion, and tumor extension and sLex were recorded and used in multivariate analysis. sLex antigen was expressed in 37 specimens (21%). Survival was similar for sLex-positive and sLex-negative tumors (62% vs 60%) for overall survival and for disease-free survival (59% vs 56%). Expression of sLex antigen in breast cancer is not associated with breast cancer survival.

Switching to anastrozole versus continued tamoxifen treatment of early breast cancer: preliminary results of the Italian Tamoxifen Anastrozole Trial.

PURPOSE: Tamoxifen, which is actually the gold standard adjuvant treatment in estrogen receptor-positive early breast cancer, is associated with an increased risk of endometrial cancer and other life-threatening events. Moreover, many women relapse during or after tamoxifen therapy because of the development of resistance. Therefore new approaches are required. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We conducted a prospective randomized trial to test the efficacy of switching postmenopausal patients who were already receiving tamoxifen to the aromatase inhibitor anastrozole. After 2 to 3 years of tamoxifen treatment, patients were randomly assigned either to receive anastrozole 1 mg/d or to continue receiving tamoxifen 20 mg/d, for a total duration of treatment of 5 years. Disease-free survival was the primary end point. Event-free survival, overall survival, and safety were secondary end points. RESULTS: Four hundred forty-eight patients were enrolled. All women had node-positive, estrogen receptor-positive tumors. At a median follow-up time of 36 months, 45 events had been reported in the tamoxifen group compared with 17 events in the anastrozole group (P = .0002). Disease-free and local recurrence-free survival were also significantly longer in the anastrozole group (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.35; 95% CI, 0.18 to 0.68; P = .001 and HR = 0.15; 95% CI, 0.03 to 0.65; P = .003, respectively). Overall, more adverse events were recorded in the anastrozole group compared with the tamoxifen group (203 v 150, respectively; P = .04). However, more events were life threatening or required hospitalization in the tamoxifen group than in the anastrozole group (33 of 150 events v 28 of 203 events, P = .04). CONCLUSION: Switching to anastrozole after the first 2 to 3 years of treatment is well tolerated and significantly improves event-free and recurrence-free survival in postmenopausal patients with early breast cancer.

Switching to an aromatase inhibitor provides mortality benefit in early breast carcinoma: pooled analysis of 2 consecutive trials.

BACKGROUND: The superiority of new generation aromatase inhibitors over tamoxifen in the adjuvant treatment of early breast carcinoma has emerged from several randomized trials. However, until now not all previous studies have shown a mortality benefit. METHODS: A pooled analysis of 2 prospective multicentric trials, sharing the same study design and nearly identical inclusion criteria, was performed. In both trials, women treated previously with tamoxifen for 2 or 3 years were randomly assigned to either continuing tamoxifen for an additional 2 or 3 years or to having their treatment switched to aminoglutethimide or anastrozole for a comparable time period. Mortality was analyzed according to allocated treatment and other patient and tumor variables. RESULTS: In all, 828 postmenopausal women, mostly with estrogen receptor (ER)-positive and node-positive tumors who had been monitored for a median time of 78 months (range, 6-141 months) were analyzed. Of these women, 415 were randomly selected to continue tamoxifen and 413 switched to aminoglutethimide or anastrozole. All-cause mortality and breast cancer-specific mortality were significantly improved by the switch: all-cause mortality: hazard ratio (HR) = 0.61 (0.42-0.88) P = .007; breast cancer-specific mortality: HR = 0.61 (0.39-0.94) P = .025. No increase was recorded in breast cancer-unrelated mortality in women after switching. Multivariate analysis showed that patient age, tumor size, allocated treatment, and nodal status, in that order, were independent mortality predictors. CONCLUSIONS: Switching to an aromatase inhibitor after 2 or 3 years of tamoxifen therapy significantly improves survival compared with continuing 2 or 3 years of additional tamoxifen treatment.