Feasibility and validation of the targeted axillary dissection technique in the axillary staging of breast cancer after neoadjuvant therapy: Definitive results.

AIM: to study the feasibility and value of "Targeted Axillary Dissection" (TAD) in cN1 breast cancer (BC) patients undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT), in order to avoid unnecessary axillary lymph node dissection (ALND). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Design: Prospective observational study. INCLUSION CRITERIA: Patients with histologically confirmed cN1 staging BC and treated with NACT between January 2016 and August 2019 who accomplished clinical response. METHOD: Fine-Needle Aspiration (FNA) positive axillary nodes were marked with a metallic clip prior to neoadjuvant treatment. All patients were summited to TAD and ALND. Analysis of data: We performed [1]: a feasibility analysis of clinical, radiological and pathological variables, as well as difficulties and complications of the TAD [2]; a diagnostic test study of the sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB), clipped lymph node biopsy (BCLIP) and their combination (TAD), using ALND as the Gold Standard. RESULTS: 60 patients were included. 43 patients (71.7%) had a complete clinical lymph node response to NACT. Neither limitations nor complications in clip placement were found. Intraoperative location of the clipped node was problematic in 7 cases (11.7%). The pathological complete response rate (pCR) was 30.5% (18 patients) and ypN0 staging rate was 38.3% (23 patients). Sensitivity values of each technique were: SLNB: 80.9% (95%CI: 61.8-100); BCLIP: 80.8% (95%CI: 63.7-97.8); TAD: 92.6% (95%CI: 80.9-100) with negative predictive values of: SLNB: 84.6% (95%CI: 68.8-100); BCLIP: 81.0% (95%CI: 63.7-97.8); TAD: 91.3% (95%CI: 77.6-100). CONCLUSION: TAD is feasible and valid to rule out axillary metastatic involvement in cN1 breast cancer patients who respond to NACT.

Development of a predictive score of axillary lymph node dissection based on targeted axillary dissection in patients with breast cancer diagnosis, affected lymph nodes, and neoadjuvant treatment.

AIM: To determine predictive factors of axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) results in breast cancer (BC) patients undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT), and subsequent staging using Targeted Axillary Dissection (TAD). MATERIAL AND METHOD: Case-control study between January 2016 and August 2019. Patients with BC, cN1 staging, marked with a metallic clip prior to NACT, and subsequently staged with TAD and ALND were included. They were divided into 2 groups: ALND patients with or without metastatic involvement (group 1 and group 2, respectively). We carried out a univariate analysis comparing clinical, radiological, surgical and pathological variables, and a logistic regression, (dependent variable: positive result of ALND; independent variables: number of suspicious lymph nodes in diagnostic ultrasound, positive hormone receptors, HER2 positive, complete clinical-radiological response to NACT, positive TAD, and biopsy of ≤2 nodes in TAD). A score for prediction of a metastatic ALND was proposed, with an internal validation study. RESULTS: 60 patients were included: Group 1: 33 (55.0%); Group 2: 27 (45.0%). Tumor size (Odds Ratio (OR) = 1.67; 95%CI 1.02-2.74), number of suspected nodes in ultrasound (OR = 2.20; 95%CI 1.01-4, 77), HER2 positive (OR 0.04; 95%CI 0.003-0.54), clinical-radiological response to NACT (OR = 0.07; 95%CI 0.01-0.75), and positive TAD (OR 15.48; 95%CI 1.68-142.78) were independent predictors of a positive result in ALND. We developed a "positive ALND predictive score", with good calibration (Hosmer-Lemeshow test: p = 0.65), and discrimination (AUC = 0.93; 95% CI 0, 87-0.99), with highest Youden index (0.7) at cut-off point of 17% risk of positive ALND (sensitivity = 100%; specificity = 70%). CONCLUSION: Tumor size, number of suspected nodes, positive HER2, response to NACT, and metastatic TAD are independent predictors of ALND. The predictive score for positive ALND would be a good indicator to safely omit ALND.

Validation of the targeted axillary dissection technique in the axillary staging of breast cancer after neoadjuvant therapy: Preliminary results.

AIM: To study the feasibility and validity of ultrasound-guided pre-chemotherapy marking of metastatic axillary lymph nodes followed by targeted axillary dissection (TAD), in breast cancer patients undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT). MATERIAL AND METHOD: Prospective diagnostic test study conducted between January 2016 and March 2018. Patients with breast cancer and indication for NACT, cN1 or cN2 axillary staging, were included. A clip was placed in the affected lymph node prior to NACT. A sentinel lymph-node biopsy (SLNB) and a clipped lymph-node biopsy (BCLIP) were conducted, followed by axillary lymph node dissection (ALND). Location rate (LR) and negative predictive value (NPV) were evaluated, taking SLNB, BCLIP and their combination (TAD) as evaluated tests and metastatic involvement in the ALND specimen as the gold standard. RESULTS: Twenty-three patients were included in the study. Sentinel lymph node could only be detected in 19 cases (LR = 80.61%), whereas BCLIP was successful in 22 (LR = 95.65%). The sentinel lymph node coincided with the marked lymph node in 14 patients (60.9%). We found a NPV for the SLNB of 0.85 (95%CI: 0.61-1.0), whereas for TAD it was 1.00 (95%CI: 0.74-1.0). CONCLUSION: TAD is a feasible test for axillary restaging after NACT, with a higher success rate than SLNB.

Perfil clínico y anatomopatológico de los tumores estromales gastrointestinales de un hospital de área: Estudio descriptivo y revisión de la literatura / Clinical and pathological features of gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) in a single institution: A descriptive study and review of the literature

Introducción: Describir las principales características clínicas, anatomopatológicas, terapéuticas y evolutivas de una serie amplia de tumores estromales gastrointestinales (GIST). Métodos: Estudio observacional de una serie de 66 casos de GIST tratados en nuestro hospital de 2002 a 2015. Seleccionamos variables relacionadas con los antecedentes personales, las manifestaciones clínicas, el tratamiento médico y quirúrgico, la anatomía patológica y la morbimortalidad. Añadimos una revisión de la literatura para correlacionarla con nuestros resultados. Resultados: La localización más frecuente fue el estómago (65,2%), en el que destacó como región predominante el fondo. La manifestación clínica más habitual fue la hemorragia digestiva (45,5%), seguida del hallazgo casual tras la realización de alguna prueba de imagen o procedimiento invasivo (33,3%). Recibieron cirugía 58 pacientes (90,6%), el 15,5% de carácter urgente. El 69% de los GIST tenían un tamaño entre 2 y 10 cm. La mortalidad al año debida al tumor fue de un 7,9% (5 casos), todos ellos relacionados con extensión local o a distancia, o complicación quirúrgica. Conclusiones: La variabilidad clínica de los GIST es muy amplia. El tratamiento de primera elección es la cirugía, que es factible en la mayoría de los casos y debe ser lo más conservadora posible. El pronóstico es variable, dependiendo del tamaño y del índice de proliferación, por lo que debe realizarse un seguimiento estrecho. No existe un marcador tumoral claramente asociado a un peor pronóstico, por lo que se necesitan nuevos estudios de biología molecular con el objetivo de encontrar dianas terapéuticas (AU)

Introduction: This study was aimed to assess the main clinical, pathological and therapeutic characteristics of a cohort of gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST). Methods: Observational study including 66 patients diagnosed with GIST admitted to our hospital between 2002 and 2015. Parameters related to medical history, clinical manifestations, medical and surgical treatment, histopathology, and morbi-mortality were studied. A review of the literature was included to correlate with the results. Results: The most frequent location of GIST in our patients was the stomach (65.2%), in which the gastric fondo was the predominant region. The most common clinical manifestation was gastrointestinal hemorrhage (45.5%), followed by incidental finding after imaging or invasive procedures (33.3%). 58 patients underwent surgery (90.6%), 15.5% were urgent. A total of 69% of the GISTs had a size between 2 and 10 cm. The one-year mortality was 7.9%, all cases related to local or remote extension, or surgical complications. Conclusion: There is a large clinical variability among GIST cases. The first choice of treatment is surgery, which is feasible in most cases and should be as conservative as possible. The prognosis varies depending on the size and proliferation index, thus close follow-up should be performed. No tumor marker is clearly associated with a poor prognosis. New molecular biology studies are needed in order to find therapeutic targets (AU)

[Clinical and pathological features of gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) in a single institution: A descriptive study and review of the literature]. / Perfil clínico y anatomopatológico de los tumores estromales gastrointestinales de un hospital de área: Estudio descriptivo y revisión de la literatura.

INTRODUCTION: This study was aimed to assess the main clinical, pathological and therapeutic characteristics of a cohort of gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST). METHODS: Observational study including 66 patients diagnosed with GIST admitted to our hospital between 2002 and 2015. Parameters related to medical history, clinical manifestations, medical and surgical treatment, histopathology, and morbi-mortality were studied. A review of the literature was included to correlate with the results. RESULTS: The most frequent location of GIST in our patients was the stomach (65.2%), in which the gastric fondo was the predominant region. The most common clinical manifestation was gastrointestinal hemorrhage (45.5%), followed by incidental finding after imaging or invasive procedures (33.3%). 58 patients underwent surgery (90.6%), 15.5% were urgent. A total of 69% of the GISTs had a size between 2 and 10cm. The one-year mortality was 7.9%, all cases related to local or remote extension, or surgical complications. CONCLUSION: There is a large clinical variability among GIST cases. The first choice of treatment is surgery, which is feasible in most cases and should be as conservative as possible. The prognosis varies depending on the size and proliferation index, thus close follow-up should be performed. No tumor marker is clearly associated with a poor prognosis. New molecular biology studies are needed in order to find therapeutic targets.