Redefining Criteria to Ensure Adequate Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy With Dual Tracer for Breast Cancer.

BACKGROUND: For sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) in patients with breast cancer, the dual tracer of blue dye and radioisotope with the 10% rule that all nodes with radioactive count of 10% or more of the hottest node ex vivo should be removed is widely accepted. However, the cut-off point of radioactivity is being questioned for possibly excessive removal of negative nodes. METHODS: To compare different percentile rules and optimize the criteria for identifying SLNs, we established a database which prospectively collected the radioactivity, status of blue dye and the pathological results of each SLN in breast cancer patients who successfully underwent SLNB with a combination of methylene blue and radioisotope. RESULTS: A total of 2,529 SLNs from 1,039 patients were identified from August 2010 to August 2019. 16.4% (414/2,529) positive nodes were removed at a cost of 83.6% (2115/2,529) negative nodes removed excessively. Up to 17.9% (375/2,115) negative nodes were removed as radioactively hot nodes without blue staining. By gradually increasing the threshold by each 10%, the number of negative nodes identified reduced by 18.2% (385/2,115) with only three node-positive patients (1.0%) missed to be identified using the "40% + blue" rule. In patients with ≥ 2 SLNs removed, 12.3% (238/1,942) negative nodes avoided unnecessary removal with only 0.8% (2/239) positive patients missed with the "hottest two + blue" rule. CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicated that the "40% + blue" rule or the "hottest two + blue" rule for SLNB with the dual tracer of blue dye and radioisotope may be considered as a potential alternative rule to minimize extra nodes resected. Nonetheless, it should be validated by prospective trials with long-term follow-up.

Accuracy of Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy in Breast Cancer: Pitfalls in the Application of Single Tracers.

BACKGROUND: Radioisotopes and blue dyes are used as dual tracers in the current gold standard procedure of sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy (SLNB) performed for breast cancer. However, the blue dye or the radioisotope as a single tracer is also being applied in some institutes. We aimed to explore the risk factors for the miss-detection of SLNs with the radioisotope and the blue dye and to describe the distribution of SLNs missed by each tracer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients undergoing SLNB with radioisotope and blue dye as dual mapping agents were enrolled between August 2010 and August 2018. Radioactivity count, blue dye staining status, and size and location of each SLN were prospectively documented. RESULTS: In total, 2382 SLNs from 1010 patients were included for statistical analyses. The sentinel node identification rate was 100% for dual tracers, 99.4% for radioisotope, and 89.1% for blue dye. SLN identification using the blue dye was more likely to fail in patients undergoing breast-conserving surgery (p < 0.001) and mastectomy with reconstruction (p = 0.005). Furthermore, miss-detection was significantly more frequent in smaller and uninvolved nodes. Among all SLNs, 8.2% were located in level II and one was in level III. Notably, single tracer of blue dye tended to fail in the detection of lymph nodes in higher levels (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: This study explored the association between features and the incidence of the failure to detect SLNs using radioisotope and blue dye. The locations of the miss-detected SLNs are demonstrated to provide a reference for SLNBs conducted using blue dye or radioisotope as a single tracer.

Weekly taxane-anthracycline combination regimen versus tri-weekly anthracycline-based regimen for the treatment of locally advanced breast cancer: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Extensive studies have confirmed the efficacy of taxanes in combination with anthracycline-based chemotherapy on breast cancer. However, few studies have assessed the efficacy of weekly taxane-anthracycline regimens on locally advanced breast cancer. This study was to compare the efficacy and safety of a weekly taxane-anthracycline regimen with those of tri-weekly anthracycline-based regimen in patients with locally advanced breast cancer. METHODS: Patients with locally advanced breast cancer were randomized to receive 4-6 cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy with tri-weekly 5-fluorouracil-epirubicin-cyclophosphamide (FEC) regimen or weekly paclitaxel-epirubicin (PE) regimen. The primary endpoint was the pathologic complete response (pCR) rate. Other endpoints included the clinical tumor response, breast-conserving surgery rate, and adverse events. RESULTS: Between March 2010 and September 2013, 293 patients were randomized to the FEC (n = 151) and PE (n = 142) arms. The overall clinical response rate was significantly higher in the PE arm than in the FEC arm (76.06% vs. 59.95%, P = 0.001). Consistently, the post-chemotherapy pathologic T and N stages were significantly lower in the PE arm than in the FEC arm (P < 0.001). However, the pCR rate was similar in the two arms (10.61% vs. 12.31%, P = 0.665). Overall, 36 (27.27%) patients in the FEC arm and 6 (35.28%) in the PE arm were qualified for breast-conserving surgery. Most adverse events were comparable in both arms, with more severe neutropenia in the PE arm than in the FEC arm (11.97% vs. 5.96%, P = 0.031). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with locally advanced breast cancer, weekly PE was not superior to FEC in terms of pCR. However, weekly PE has a higher response rate and superior down-staging effects. On this account, the PE regimen may be considered an alternative option for locally advanced breast cancer. Long-term follow-up data are needed to confirm the efficacy of this regimen on locally advanced breast cancer. Trial registration Chinese clinical trial registry, ChiCTR-TRC-10001043, September 21, 2014.

Comparison of Core Needle Biopsy and Excision Specimens for the Accurate Evaluation of Breast Cancer Molecular Markers: a Report of 1003 Cases.

In this study, we compared the accuracy of marker evaluation in core needle biopsy (CNB) specimens versus excision specimens (ESs) from breast cancer patients. This retrospective study used data collected from the breast cancer database at the West China Hospital, China. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) results from CNB specimens and ESs were compared, using estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), and Ki-67 as markers. Molecular subtyping and endocrine therapy usage correlations based on CNB samples and ESs were evaluated. The results obtained from CNB samples and ESs exhibited substantial agreement for the detection of ER (κ = 0.522), PR (κ = 0.441), and HER2 (κ = 0.451), and also influenced endocrine therapy usage. Fair and poor correlations were observed for Ki-67 staining and molecular subtyping (κ = 0.195), respectively. This disagreement might be attributable to a combination of heterogeneity and large tumor size. This study indicates that the discordance rate in molecular marker staining between CNB specimens and ESs is significant enough that results obtained with CNB specimens should be used cautiously or verified using ESs.

[Breast reconstruction after skin-sparing mastectomy or nipple-sparing mastectomy for breast cancer].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the feasibility, oncological safety, and aesthetic result of skin-spring mastectomy (SSM) or nipple-spring mastectomy (NSM) in breast reconstruction of implant (permanent gel or expander) for breast cancer patients who were not fit for the breast conserving surgery (BCS). METHODS: Between October 2005 and July 2011, 89 women with breast caner underwent SSM or NSM, with an average age of 42.4 years (range, 19-55 years) and an average disease duration of 5.7 months (range, 1-24 months). The pathological examination revealed invasive ductal carcinoma in 55 cases, ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) in 15 cases, invasive ductal carcinoma + DCIS in 8 cases, DCIS with infiltration in 10 cases, and occult breast cancer in 1 case. According to tumor staging criterion of American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC), 15 cases were rated as stage 0, 51 cases as stage I, 22 cases as stage II, and 1 case as unclear. Finally, 33 patients underwent SSM and 56 patients underwent NSM according to the location and diameter of tumor and the infiltration of tumor to nipple. Secondary breast reconstruction was performed with permanent gel replacement after axillary lymph node dissection in 9 patients with positive sentinel lymph node and 1 patient with occult breast cancer; immediate breast reconstruction was performed with permanent gel in the other patients. All the patients received the chemotherapy or/and radiotherapy according to the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guideline. RESULTS: Complications occurred in 5 patients undergoing breast reconstruction of permanent gel after NSM, including 1 case of haemorrhage, 2 cases of infection, and 2 cases of local skin necrosis. Primary healing of incision was obtained in the others. No nipple necrosis was observed in patients undergoing NSM. All the patients were followed up 14-88 months (median, 40 months). At 10 months after operation, the aesthetic results were excellent in 40 cases, good in 33 cases, fair in 14 cases, and poor in 2 cases, with an excellent and good rate of 82%. No recurrence or metastasis was found during follow-up. CONCLUSION: The SSM or NSM is feasible and oncological safe for patients who are not fit for BCS, with satisfactory aesthetic result.