Sentinel lymph node biopsy in the treatment of breast cancer. Experience in 527 cases.

AIM: Knowledge of axillary lymph node status is a key aid to staging and prognosis and it represents a guideline for adjuvant therapy in breast cancer. Despite the morbidity it causes, complete axillary dissection was long the mainstay of treatment. Sentinel lymph node biopsy has proved so reliable in the evaluation of node involvement that axillary node dissection is now generally performed when sentinel node biopsy tests negative. METHODS: In this 3-phase study, 50 patients were enrolled to evaluate the learning curve of sentinel node biopsy (phase 1, September 1997-January 1998); 256 patients (age range 27-81 years) with infiltrative breast cancer (T <3 cm, clinical N0) underwent level 1 lymph node dissection when the sentinel node tested negative at histopathology (phase 2, February 1998-March 2001); 221 patients with T <3 cm underwent dissection of the sentinel node when it tested negative for metastasis (phase 3, April 2001-March 2005). RESULTS: The sentinel node was preoperatively detected in 98.6% of cases after peritumoral and intradermic injection of the radionuclide tracer and intraoperatively in 99% (90% with radio-guided surgery, 10% with vital staining). The sentinel node was positive in 15% of patients with T1 and metastatic in 65%. CONCLUSIONS: Our results are in line with the published data; therefore, the study will go forward to examine the role of the micrometastasis in the sentinel node and of in-transit tumoral cells.

[Ductal carcinoma in situ of the breast]. / Il carcinoma duttale in situ della mammella.

The Authors report their experience about 127 ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) of the breast. Guidelines for surgical treatment are: radiological or clinical diagnosis, tumor's extension, histological classification, grading and margin status. At the present the Authors prefer breast conserving surgery with tumor margin's study. They report their experience in the last seven years about sentinel node biopsy. Radiotherapy and endocrine therapy are indicated for selected patients; local recurrence after DCIS therapy is 8,1% on a 6,1 years follow-up.

[Direct experience in the treatment of unusual, primary, and secondary malignant tumors of the stomach]. / Esperienza diretta nel trattamento di tumori maligni rari, primitivi e secondari dello stomaco.

The reduced incidence of gastric cancer, due to a better patients surveillance and more accurate understanding of prophylactic measure, has allowed a detection of early stages as well as cancers with different origin cells. Either the difficulty of differential diagnosis or the various surgical and integrated approaches, make these neoplasm hard to enroll in standard treatment protocols. Our experience consists of 5 clinical cases with four different histology: lymphoma, leiomioma, carcinoid and gastrinoma. A rare case of secondary involvement of the stomach by an adrenal adenocarcinoma is also described. Lymphomas benefit of the surgical therapy only in early stages (IE, IIE), eventually associated to chemio- and radiotherapy, in relationship with local diffusion of the disease; gastric resection is more supported than gastrectomy. Polychemotherapy, with or without radiotherapy, is used for advanced stages (IIIE and IVE), leaving to surgery the role of controlling hemorrhagic or occlusion compliances. GIST have a different therapeutic approach: surgery represents the only choice since chemio- and radiotherapy have no benefits for the biological characteristics of such neoplasm. Surgery is the ideal choice for the carcinoids with some indications for chemio radiotherapy in the palliative surgery or in the relapsing. We emphasize the rarity of the secondary gastric neoplasm coming from the suprarenal glands. We analyze our diagnostic and therapeutic protocols, comparing them with the current literature.

[Modulation of the axillary lymph node dissection in breast cancer]. / La modulazione della dissezione linfonodale dell'ascella nel carcinoma mammario. Nostra esperienza.

UNLABELLED: Several studies showed the reliability of the sentinel lymph node (SN) technique in the evaluation of the N parameter in breast cancer so much to induce surgeons to limit the axillary dissection to the biopsy of the SN alone (SNB) in case this is negative to the extemporaneous examination. After a period of focusing on the identification technique, biopsy and histological examination of the SN (October 97-January 98) always followed by a complete dissection of the three axillary node levels (ALND), we started a study to evaluate the reliability of a limited dissection of the 1st level of the axilla (FLND) in women with T < 3 cm, N0-1a, M0, that did not undergo any neoadjuvant treatment and in which the SN resulted free from metastases. We started this phase of the study in February 1998 till May 2001. In the present paper we show the results related to this period. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We enrolled 256 women with T < 3 cm, N0-1a, M0. In 49 cases we used vital dye, in 23 dye + radioguided surgery (RGS) and in 184 RGS only. The extemporaneous histological examination of the SN has been performed with thin sections, dyed with EE. When SN was negative to the intraoperative examination, we limited the dissection to the 1st level of the axilla, except that in 3 patients, with SN located to the 2nd level, in which we did an ALND. The FLND has been performed in 17 cases with a minimally invasive technique. The definitive histological examination of the SN always included the immunohistochemistry. If the SN was positive, usually underestimated to the intraoperative examination, the patients had an adjuvant chemotherapy. RESULTS: In 203/207 patients (98.1%) SN was found to the pre-operative lymphoscintigraphy. During surgery the SN was identified in 46/49 (94%) using the vital dye, in 22/23 (96%) using the vital dye + RGS and in 176/179 (98.3%) using RGS. To the extemporaneous histological examination SN was negative in 140, metastatic in 101; to the histological definitive results of the SN we noticed 6 false negative, since others lymph nodes than SN were positive (4 cases) or for evidence of micrometastases at the immunohistochemistry which were not detected at the extemporaneous examination (2 cases). On 107 cases of N+ the SN was the only metastatic lymph node in 42 (39.3%). The false negative percentage was 5.6% and the diagnostic accuracy of the SNB was 97.5%. In the group treated with FLND we only noticed two cases of light lymphedema (1.4%). CONCLUSIONS: Our results are in concordance with the international literature and they induced us, from June 2001, to begin a new phase of the study in which we limit the dissection of the axilla to the SN only, if not metastatic, in women with T1 breast carcinoma.

[Intraoperative cholangiography in videolaparoscopic cholecystectomy: indications, advantages, and limitations]. / Colangiografia intraoperatoria in corso di colecistectomia videolaparoscopica: indicazioni, vantaggi, limiti.

Consensus doesn't exist about the intraoperative cholangiography specially if is need in every one laparoscopic cholecystectomy either exclusively in case of anatomical doubts or suspect of injures or stones of the common duct. We have considered 450 patient subjected to laparoscopic cholecystectomy during 1992-2000. Patients suspicious to be affected by common duct lithiasis (28 cases) are subjected to ERCP with cleaning of the biliary tree. In 18 patients (4%) it has been necessary the laparotomic conversion; 176 patients (39%) have been subjected to intraoperative cholangiography, selected on anatomical regional disposition or anamnesis and biochemical and instrumental results (history of jaundice or gallstones pancreatitis, abnormal serum level of the biliary stasis biochemistry, common bile duct major of 8 mm, michrolitiasis of the gallbladder). In 7 cases (4%) we have discovered common bile duct stones. We don't attempt intraoperative cholangiography in every one laparoscopic cholecystectomy, but only in cases where we suspect presence of common bile duct stones either iatrogenic injuries or when we retain it necessary to clarify the regional anatomy. Unlikely just in patients where would be more useful, causes major risk of intra- and post-operative complications, it is very difficult, often impossible, to attempt the intraoperative cholangiography. Routinary employing of the intraoperative cholangiography could be useful just for a little number of patients, while selective employing reduce 60% the X-ray. Collaboration with the radiologist is able to reduce the mistaken on the interpretation of the radiograms.

[Septic complications of gallbladder lacerations during laparoscopic cholecystectomy]. / Complicanze settiche da lacerazione della colecisti in corso di colecistectomia laparoscopica.

The iatrogenic gallbladder perforation with bile and, eventually, gallstones loss in the peritoneal cavity happens in the laparoscopic cholecystectomies more frequently than in the laparotomic ones. The authors have reviewed their experience and recent bibliography with the aim to clarify factors that increase risks for this adverse effect; 579 patients subjected to laparoscopic cholecistectomy: in 81 cases (13.98%) the intra-peritoneal perforation of the gallbladder wall has happened, in 26 associated to gallstones loss; 12 of these last have developed abdominal wall infections. No case of intra-peritoneal abscess was observed. The Authors believe to be proper to select patients with the clinical and instrumental evaluation. They identify emergency and flogosis as risk factors for the perforations, as well the systemic illnesses for sepsis. They emphasize the role of antibiotic prophylaxis in the high risk subjects.