Axillary Nodal Metastases Conversion and Perioperative Complications with Neoadjuvant Pembrolizumab Therapy in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is known to portend a worse prognosis compared with same-stage, hormone receptor-positive disease. However, with the recent change in practice to include pembrolizumab in neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) for TNBC, an increase in pathologic complete responses (pCRs) has been reported. The perioperative repercussions of adding pembrolizumab to standard NAC regimens for TNBC are currently unknown. We aimed to explore the perioperative implications of adding pembrolizumab to standard NAC regimens for non-metastatic TNBC. METHODS: This was a retrospective review of the perioperative outcomes in patients with non-metastatic TNBC treated with pembrolizumab-NAC from January 2018 to October 2022 conducted at a high-volume cancer center. Patient demographics, comorbidities, clinical and pathological staging, NAC treatment regimen, initiation, and completion, as well as date of surgery and postoperative complications were analyzed. RESULTS: Of 87 patients, 67.8% had an overall pCR and 86% had an axillary pCR; 37.2% of cN+ patients were spared from axillary lymph node dissection. However, 24.1% of patients experienced surgical complications, 9% of patients were receiving steroids at the time of breast surgery secondary to adverse effects of pembrolizumab-NAC, and 7% underwent a change in the initial surgical plan such as omission of reconstruction. CONCLUSION: Pembrolizumab-NAC has not only significant oncologic benefit but also noteworthy perioperative implications in the surgical management of TNBC.

Self-Reported Management of Inflammatory Breast Cancer Among the American Society of Breast Surgeons Membership: Consensus and Opportunities.

BACKGROUND: Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is rare and biologically aggressive. We sought to assess diagnostic and management strategies among the American Society of Breast Surgeons (ASBrS) membership. PATIENTS AND METHODS: An anonymous survey was distributed to ASBrS members from March to May 2023. The survey included questions about respondents' demographics and information related to stage III and IV IBC management. Agreement was defined as a shared response by >80% of respondents. In areas of disagreement, responses were stratified by years in practice, fellowship training, and annual IBC patient volume. RESULTS: The survey was administered to 2337 members with 399 (17.1%) completing all questions and defining the study cohort. Distribution of years in practice was 26.0% 0-10 years, 26.6% 11-20 years and 47.4% > 20 years. Overall, 51.2% reported surgical oncology or breast fellowship training, 69.2% maintain a breast-only practice, and 73.5% treat < 5 IBC cases/year. Agreement was identified in diagnostic imaging, trimodal therapy, and mastectomy with wide skin excision for stage III IBC. Lack of agreement was identified in surgical management of the axilla; respondents with < 10 years in practice or fellowship training were more likely to perform axillary dissection for cN0-N2 stage III IBC. Locoregional management of stage IV IBC was variable. CONCLUSIONS: Among ASBrS members, there is consensus in diagnostic evaluation, treatment sequencing and surgical approach to the breast in stage III IBC. Differences exist in surgical management of the cN0-2 axilla with uptake of de-escalation strategies. Clinical trials are needed to evaluate oncologic safety of de-escalation in this high-risk population.

Predictors of Emergency Room Visits After Ambulatory Breast Cancer Surgery in the Medicare Population.

BACKGROUND: Emergency department (ED) overuse is a large contributor to healthcare spending in the USA. We examined the rate of and risk factors for ED visits following outpatient breast cancer surgery. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Using linked data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program and Medicare, we identified women who underwent curative breast cancer surgery between 2003 and 2015. Our outcome of interest was ED visits within 30 days of surgery. Multivariate regression was used to evaluate the odds of ED visit while controlling for clinical and socioeconomic variables. Secondary analyses assessed admission from the ED as well as costs. RESULTS: Of the 78,060 included patients, 5.1% returned to the ED, of which only 29.8% required hospital admission. Rate of ED visits increased with patient age. A higher percentage of Black patients returned to the ED compared with white patients (7.0% versus 5.0%, p < 0.001). Patients with higher income were less likely to visit the ED compared with those with lower income (OR 0.76, p < 0.001). Predictors of ED visits included: being unmarried (OR 1.18, p < 0.001), having stage 2 (OR 1.20, p < 0.001) or stage 3 cancer (OR 1.38, p < 0.001), and those with Charlson comorbidity score of 1 (OR 1.39, p < 0.001) or ≥ 2 (OR 2.29, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: While a substantial number of patients return to the ED following outpatient breast surgery, most do not require hospital admission, which indicates that a large proportion of these visits could have been avoided. We identified several clinical and socioeconomic predictors of postoperative ED visits, which will aid in the development of patient risk profiling tools.

Low Rates of Local-Regional Recurrence Among Inflammatory Breast Cancer Patients After Contemporary Trimodal Therapy.

BACKGROUND: Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) represents a rare (2-3 %) but aggressive subset of breast cancer with a historically reported 5-year overall survival rate of 50 % and a 3-year local-regional recurrence (LRR) rate of 20 %. This study aimed to evaluate long-term LRR in a contemporary cohort of non-metastatic IBC patients undergoing trimodal therapy at a single institution and identify factors associated with local and distant failure. METHODS: The study identified 262 patients with non-metastatic IBC who received trimodal therapy (neoadjuvant chemotherapy, modified radical mastectomy, adjuvant radiation) from an institutional prospective database (2007-2019). Long-term outcomes of local-regional and distant metastasis were reported. Survival outcomes were analyzed using the Cox proportional hazards regression model. RESULTS: The median age at diagnosis was 52 years, and the median follow-up period was 5.1 years. In this cohort, 82 (31.3 %) patients achieved a pathologic complete response (pCR) in the breast and axilla. Local-regional recurrence was observed in 18 (6.9 %) patients (11 isolated to the chest wall, 4 isolated to regional nodes, and 3 involving chest wall and ipsilateral axillary nodes). Distant metastasis was observed in 92 (35.1 %) patients. During the follow-up period, 90 deaths occurred. In the multivariate analysis, pCR was associated with improved disease-free survival (hazard ratio [HR], 0.26; 95 % confidence interval [CI], 0.13-0.51; p = 0.001) and overall survival (HR, 0.31; 95 % CI, 0.15-0.65; p = 002). CONCLUSIONS: During a median follow-up period longer than 5 years, the local-regional relapse rate for the IBC patients treated with contemporary trimodal therapy was 6.9%, similar to that for the non-IBC patients. After chemotherapy, surgical resection with modified radical mastectomy to negative margins and postmastectomy radiation therapy resulted in excellent long-term local-regional control.

Extremely Low Incidence of Local-Regional Recurrences Observed Among T1-2 N1 (1 or 2 Positive SLNs) Breast Cancer Patients Receiving Upfront Mastectomy Without Completion Axillary Node Dissection.

BACKGROUND: Completion axillary node dissection (CLND) is routinely omitted in cT1-2 N0 breast cancer treated with upfront, breast-conserving therapy and sentinel node biopsy (SLNB) showing one to two positive sentinel nodes (SLNs). The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence and impact of axillary treatment among patients treated with mastectomy in a contemporary cohort. METHODS: A prospective, institutional database was reviewed from 2006 to 2015 to identify patients with T1-2 breast cancer treated with upfront mastectomy and SLNB found to have one to two positive SLNs. Patients were stratified by axillary therapy [including CLND and/or post-mastectomy radiation therapy (PMRT)], and clinicopathologic factors and incidence rates of local-regional and distant recurrence were analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 548 patients were identified, including 126 (23%) without CLND. Rates of PMRT were similar between those with and without CLND (35.3% vs. 28.6%, p = 0.16). On multivariate analysis, two rather than one positive SLN, larger SLN metastasis size, frozen-section analysis of the SLNB, and adjuvant chemotherapy were significantly associated with receipt of CLND. At a median follow-up of 7 years, there were only two local-regional recurrences in the no-CLND group, of which only one was an axillary recurrence. The 5-years incidence rate of LRR was not significantly different for those with and without CLND (1.3% vs. 1.8%, p = 0.93). CONCLUSIONS: We found extremely low rates of local-regional recurrence among those with T1-2 breast cancer undergoing upfront mastectomy with 1-2 positive SLNs. Further axillary surgery may not be indicated in selected patients treated with a multidisciplinary approach, including adjuvant therapies.

Long-term Oncologic Outcomes in Patients with Inflammatory Breast Cancer with Supraclavicular Nodal Involvement.

BACKGROUND: Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is a rare and aggressive subtype of breast cancer characterized by rapid progression and early metastasis, often with advanced nodal locations, including the supraclavicular (SCV) nodal basin. Previously considered M1 disease, ipsilateral clinical supraclavicular node involvement (N3c) disease is now considered locally advanced disease and warrants treatment with intent to cure. The objective of this study was to evaluate the long-term outcomes of patients with IBC and N3c disease. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This study was conducted using a prospectively collected database of all patients with IBC treated at a dedicated cancer center from 2007 to 2019. Surgical patients with SCV nodal involvement and complete follow-up were identified. Our primary outcome was 5-year overall survival (OS). Multivariate Cox proportional hazards models were used to determine predictors for survival. Event-free survival (EFS) and OS were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: There were 70 patients who met inclusion criteria. All patients underwent comprehensive trimodality therapy. The majority of patients had complete (66.2%) radiologic response in the SCV nodal basins following neoadjuvant therapy. Six patients (8.6%) had a locoregional recurrence, with two (2.9%) occurring in the supraclavicular fossa. The 5-year OS was 60.2% [95% confidence interval (CI) 47.7-72.7%]. Increasing age (hazard ratio 2.7; p = 0.03) and triple-negative subtype (hazard ratio 4.9; p = 0.03) were associated with poor OS. The 5-year EFS was 56.1% (95% CI 40.9-68.8%). The presence of more than ten positive axillary nodes on final surgical pathology (hazard ratio 5.5; p = 0.01) predicted poor EFS. CONCLUSIONS: With comprehensive trimodality therapy and multidisciplinary team approach, patients with IBC with supraclavicular nodal involvement experience excellent locoregional control and favorable survival.

Lymphedema in Inflammatory Breast Cancer Patients Following Trimodal Treatment.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL) is a debilitating sequela of breast cancer treatment and is becoming a greater concern in light of improved long-term survival. Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is a rare and aggressive malignancy for which systemic therapy, surgery, and radiotherapy remain the standard of care, thereby making IBC patients highly susceptible to developing BCRL. This study evaluated BCRL in IBC following trimodal therapy. METHODS: IBC patients treated from 2016 to 2019 were identified from an institutional database. Patients were excluded if they presented with recurrent disease, underwent bilateral axillary surgery, did not complete trimodal therapy, or were lost to follow-up. Demographic, clinicopathologic factors, oncologic outcomes, and perometer measurements were recorded. BCRL was defined by clinician diagnosis and/or objective perometer measurements when available. Time to development of BCRL and treatment received were captured. RESULTS: Eighty-three patients were included. Median follow-up was 33 months. The incidence of BCRL was 50.6% (n = 42). Mean time to BCRL from surgery was 13 (range 2-24) months. Demographic and clinicopathologic features were similar between patients with and without BCRL with exception of higher proportion receiving delayed reconstruction in the BCRL group (38.1% vs. 14.6%, p = 0.03). Forty patients (95.2%) underwent BCRL treatment, which included physical therapy (n = 39), compression (n = 38), therapeutic lymphovenous bypass (n = 13), and/or vascularized lymph node transfer (n = 12). CONCLUSIONS: IBC patients are at high-risk for BCRL after treatment, impacting 51% of patients in this cohort. Strategies to reduce or prevent BCRL and improve real-time diagnosis should be implemented to better direct early management in this patient population.

Inflammatory Breast Cancer at the Extremes of Age.

BACKGROUND: Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is a rare breast malignancy with poor outcomes compared with non-IBC. Age-related differences in tumor biology, treatment, and clinical outcomes have been described in non-IBC. This study evaluated age-related differences in IBC. METHODS: From an institutional prospective database, patients with an IBC diagnosed from 2010 to 2019 were identified. Age was categorized as 40 years or younger, 41 to 64 years, and 65 years or older. Demographics, clinicopathologic features, and treatment received were compared. Recurrence and survival outcomes were analyzed using the log-rank test and the Cox proportional hazards model. RESULTS: Of 523 IBC patients, 113 (21.6%) were age 40 years or younger, and 72 (13.8%) were age 65 years or older. The groups did not differ statistically by race/ethnicity, N stage, clinical stage, or tumor subtype. The younger patients included a higher proportion of Hispanic and Asian patients, triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), and clinical N2/N3. Trimodality therapy was received by 92% of the stage 3 patients, with no difference in pathologic complete response (pCR) by age (23.3% vs 28.6%; p = 0.46). During a median follow-up period of 40 months, 17% of the patients experienced locoregional recurrence and 42.8% had distant metastasis. No difference in 3-year recurrence-free survival (57.9% vs 42.6% vs 54%; p = 0.42, log rank) or overall survival (OS) (75.6% vs 77.1% vs 64.4%; p = 0.31, log rank) by age was observed, and no difference in OS by age in de novo stage 4 disease was observed. In the multivariate analysis, worse OS was associated with TNBC (hazard ratio [HR], 1.99, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.31-3.05) and no pCR (HR, 4.45; 95% CI, 2.16-9.18). CONCLUSION: No significant differences were observed in demographics, treatment patterns, or clinical outcomes for IBC patients age 40 years or younger compared with those age 65 years or older treated by a specialized multidisciplinary team. These findings do not support age-related treatment de-escalation in IBC.

Contralateral Axillary Metastasis in Patients with Inflammatory Breast Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Nearly one-third of patients with inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) present with de novo stage IV disease. There are limited data on frequency and clinical outcomes of contralateral axillary metastasis (CAM) in IBC with no consensus diagnostic and treatment guidelines. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Frequency of synchronous CAM was calculated in unilateral IBC patients at a single center (10/2004-6/2019). Clinicopathologic variables, diagnostic evaluation, treatment received, and overall survival (OS) were assessed and compared. RESULTS: Of 588 unilateral IBC patients, 49 (8.3%) had synchronous CAM. Of these, 32 (65.3%) also presented with metastatic disease at another distant site. CAM was not associated with age, tumor laterality, breast cancer subtype, grade, or cN stage (p > 0.05). The sensitivity/specificity to detect CAM was as follows: mammography (18.2%/99.2%), ultrasound (92.3%/95.5%), PET (90.1/99.1%), and MRI (76.0%/98.6%). Following systemic therapy, 22 patients had contralateral axillary surgery, and 18 received adjuvant contralateral nodal radiation. On multivariable analysis including tumor receptor subtypes, patients with stage IV-isolated CAM has statistically similar survival to stage III patients (HR 1.37, 95% CI 0.70-2.69, p = 0.36). Patients with Stage IV non-CAM (HR 2.18, 95% CI 1.66-2.85, p < 0.001) and stage IV-CAM plus other distant metastasis (HR 2.57, 95% CI 1.59-4.16, p < 0.001) had higher risk of death (reference: stage III disease). CONCLUSIONS: CAM in IBC was diagnosed in 8.3% of patients at presentation and was best identified by ultrasound and PET. We recommend routine contralateral axillary ultrasound as part of staging for all IBC patients. Diagnosis of CAM is a key first step toward much-needed prospective clinical trials evaluating management and outcomes of CAM in IBC.

Imaging-Based Approach to Axillary Lymph Node Staging and Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy in Patients With Breast Cancer.

OBJECTIVE. This review provides historical and current data to support the role of imaging-based axillary lymph node staging and sentinel lymph node biopsy as the standard of care for axillary management in women with a diagnosis of breast cancer, before and after neoadjuvant systemic therapy. CONCLUSION. The implications of surgical trials (American College of Surgeons Oncology Group [ACOSOG] Z011 and ACOSOG Z1071) on imaging protocols for the axilla are reviewed, in conjunction with the American Joint Committee on Cancer nodal staging guidelines.

Aligning perceptions of mistreatment among incoming medical trainees.

BACKGROUND: Learner mistreatment has been a long-standing example of unprofessional behavior in medical training. Alignment of perceptions of professional behavior is a critical component of developing a defined organizational culture. Clinical vignettes addressing learner mistreatment can help to achieve this goal. Our aim was to determine whether using clinical vignettes to address learner mistreatment during onboarding can reduce variability in the perceptions of mistreatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: External experts in the field of labor and employment relations embedded in the clinical learning environment identified six thematic areas of potential mistreatment. Corresponding clinical case vignettes were developed and presented to incoming trainees during the onboarding process, followed by facilitated discussion. Perceptions of mistreatment before and after discussion were assessed on a Likert scale, with results compared using F-test and t-test. RESULTS: There were 145 participants. Most participants reported previously witnessing or experiencing episodes of mistreatment before matriculation (84%), with the majority reporting multiple events. The most common offenders were faculty (57%), residents/fellows (49%), and nurses (33%). Only 10% of incoming trainees reported a previous incident of mistreatment. Postintervention scores demonstrated decreased variability (P < 0.05) in perceptions of mistreatment in all but one vignette (withholding learning opportunities). Two vignettes demonstrated higher perception of mistreatment after intervention (noneducational tasks and gender or racial discrimination, P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Mistreatment remains a prevalent phenomenon in medical training involving a wide cross-section of healthcare providers. Trainees arrive with discordant definitions of mistreatment. Alignment of individuals' definitions can be achieved through the use of carefully crafted clinical vignettes and facilitated discussion.

Minimally invasive surgery for gastric cancer: the American experience.

BACKGROUND: Minimally invasive surgical techniques are increasingly being implemented in oncologic care. This study assesses the impact of minimally invasive surgery on oncologic and perioperative outcomes in the management of gastric cancer in the USA. METHODS: From the American College of Surgeons and American Cancer Society National Cancer Data Base, we identified 6427 patients who underwent gastrectomy for cancer from 2010 to 2012. Treatment groups were categorized with an intention-to-treat paradigm as robotic, laparoscopic, and open surgery. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to estimate the impact of the surgical approach on oncologic and perioperative outcomes. RESULTS: Of patients undergoing definitive surgical intervention, 3.5 % (n = 223) underwent robotic gastrectomy, 23.1 % (n = 1487) underwent laparoscopic gastrectomy, and 73.4 % (n = 4717) underwent open surgery. Minimally invasive gastrectomy was more frequently performed on white (P = 0.018), privately insured patients (P = 0.049) treated at academic centers (P < 0.0001) in the eastern USA (P < 0.0001). After demographics, comorbidities, and tumor-related factors had been controlled for, patients who underwent laparoscopic gastrectomy had the postoperative length of stay decreased by 1.08 days (P < 0.0001) and greater odds of having at least 15 lymph nodes resected (odds ratio 1.16, P = 0.023). Use of robotic surgery did not have a statistically significant effect on the postoperative length of stay relative to open surgery (P = 0.222) but the patients so treated had greater odds of having at least 15 lymph nodes resected (odds ratio 1.51, P = 0.005). There were no differences in R0 resection rates or perioperative mortality on the basis of the surgical approach alone. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that use of minimally invasive surgery for gastric cancer in the USA is impacting the adequacy of oncologic resection but is not yet having a clinically significant impact on perioperative outcomes relative to a conventional open approach.

Perceptions of mistreatment among trainees vary at different stages of clinical training.

BACKGROUND: Mistreatment of trainees remains a frequently reported phenomenon in medical education. One barrier to creating an educational culture of respect and professionalism may be a lack of alignment in the perceptions of mistreatment among different learners. Through the use of clinical vignettes, our aim was to assess the perceptions of trainees toward themes of potential mistreatment at different stages of training. METHODS: Based on observations from external experts embedded in the clinical learning environment, six thematic areas of potential mistreatment were identified: verbal abuse, specialty-choice discrimination, non-educational tasks, withholding/denying learning opportunities, neglect and gender/racial insensitivity. Corresponding clinical vignettes were created and distributed to 1) medical students, 2) incoming interns, 3) residents/fellows. Perceptions of the appropriateness of the interactions depicted in the vignettes were measured on a 5-point Likert scale. Scores were categorized into neutral or appropriate (≤3) or inappropriate (i.e. mistreatment) (>3) and compared using chi-squared tests. RESULTS: Four hundred twenty seven trainees participated (182 students, 120 interns, 125 residents/fellows). Proportions of students perceiving mistreatment differed significantly from those of interns and residents/fellows in domains of verbal abuse, specialty discrimination and gender/racial insensitivity (p < 0.05). In scenarios comparing interns to residents/fellows, no significant differences were noted in perceptions of mistreatment in the domains of non-educational tasks, withholding learning and neglect. CONCLUSIONS: Perceptions of mistreatment differ at different developmental stages of medical training. After exposure to the clinical learning environment, perceptions of incoming interns did not differ from those of residents/fellows, implicating clinical rotations as a key period in indoctrinating students into the prevailing culture. More longitudinal studies are needed to confirm or better examine this phenomenon.