Breast cancer patients with a negative axillary ultrasound may have clinically significant nodal metastasis

A near-infrared fluorescent probe with assembly/aggregation-induced retention effect for specific diagnosis of metastasis and image-guided surgery in breast cancer

Image-guided surgery is crucial for achieving complete tumor resection, reducing postoperative recurrence and improving patient survival. However, current clinical near-infrared fluorescent probes, such as indocyanine green (ICG), face two main limitations: 1) lack of active tumor targeting, and 2) short retention time in tumors, which restricts real-time imaging during surgery. To address these issues, we developed a near-infrared fluorescent probe capable of in situ nanofiber formation within tumor lesions. This probe actively targets the integrin αvβ3 receptors overexpressed on breast cancer cells and exhibits assembly/aggregation-induced retention effects at the tumor site, significantly extending the imaging time window. Additionally, we found that the probe's fluorescence intensity can be enhanced under receptor induction. Due to its excellent tumor specificity and sensitivity, 1FCG-FFGRGD not only identifies primary breast cancer but also precisely locates smaller lymph node metastases and detects sub-millimeter peritoneal metastases. In summary, this near-infrared probe, leveraging assembly/aggregation-induced retention effects, holds substantial potential for various biomedical applications.

Real-World Implications of the SOUND Trial

BACKGROUND

The SOUND trial demonstrated that omission of sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) is noninferior to axillary staging in patients with early-stage breast cancer (BC) and negative axillary ultrasound (AxUS). We examined the generalizability of these findings in patients with hormone receptor (HR)+HER2- disease.

METHODS

Patients with cT1N0M0, HR+HER2- BC and negative AxUS undergoing breast conservation with SLNB from 2016 to 2023 were identified from a prospectively maintained database. Clinicopathologic characteristics, disease burden, adjuvant treatment, and oncologic outcomes were examined and compared with the SLNB arm of the SOUND trial. In postmenopausal patients, the impact of nodal status and 21-gene recurrence score on chemotherapy recommendations were also examined.

RESULTS

Of 3972 patients with cT1N0M0 HR+HER2- breast cancer, 544 underwent AxUS; 312 met SOUND eligibility criteria. Median age was 57 (interquartile range [IQR] 48-64) years, and 199 (63.8%) were postmenopausal. Median (IQR) tumor size was 1.3 (0.9-1.7) cm, and 260 (83.3%) tumors were grade 1 or 2. Sentinel lymph node biopsy was positive in 38 (12.2%) patients. Only three (0.4%) had ≥ 4 positive lymph nodes. At a median follow-up of 26.2 (IQR 10.8-38.2) months, there were no axillary recurrences and one (0.3%) distant recurrence. Among postmenopausal women with recurrence score ≤ 25, chemotherapy recommendations were not associated with nodal status.

CONCLUSIONS

Examination of our real-world HR+ HER2- "SOUND-eligible" population suggests that nodal disease burden and oncologic outcomes are similar to the SOUND trial population, supporting careful implementation of trial results into multidisciplinary practice. In postmenopausal patients, omission of SLNB does not appear to impact adjuvant chemotherapy recommendations.

The Predictive Role of Radiomics in Breast Cancer Patients Imaged by [18F]FDG PET: Preliminary Results from a Prospective Cohort

BACKGROUND

Recently, radiomics has emerged as a possible image-derived biomarker, predominantly stemming from retrospective analyses. We aimed to prospectively assess the predictive role of [18F]FDG-PET radiomics in breast cancer (BC).

METHODS

Patients affected by stage I-III BC eligible for neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) staged with [18F]FDG-PET/CT were prospectively enrolled. The pathological response to NAC was assessed on surgical specimens. From each primary breast lesion, we extracted radiomic PET features and their predictive role with respect to pCR was assessed. Uni- and multivariate statistics were used for inference; principal component analysis (PCA) was used for dimensionality reduction.

RESULTS

We analysed 93 patients (53 HER2+ and 40 triple-negative (TNBC)). pCR was achieved in 44/93 cases (24/53 HER2+ and 20/40 TNBC). Age, molecular subtype, Ki67 percent, and stage could not predict pCR in multivariate analysis. In univariate analysis, 10 radiomic indices resulted in p < 0.1. We found that 3/22 radiomic principal components were discriminative for pCR. Using a cross-validation approach, radiomic principal components failed to discriminate pCR groups but predicted the stage (mean accuracy = 0.79 ± 0.08).

CONCLUSIONS

This study shows the potential of PET radiomics for staging purposes in BC; the possible role of radiomics in predicting the pCR response to NAC in BC needs to be further investigated.

Does Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy Influence Subsequent Management Decisions in Women With Breast Cancer ≥ 70 Years Old?

BACKGROUND

There have been ongoing attempts to de-escalate surgical intervention in older breast cancer patients in recent years. However, there remains ongoing hesitancy amongst surgeons to de-implement axillary staging in this cohort. The supporting argument for performing a sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) is that it may guide subsequent management.

METHODS

A retrospective review was performed of 356 SLNBs, in 342 women ≥ 70 years of age with invasive breast cancer, between 2014 and 2022 in a single institution. Data were collected on patient and tumor characteristics and subsequent management for all patients and for patients with ER+/HER2-, early-stage disease.

RESULTS

Positive SLNB significantly increased likelihood of receiving adjuvant chemotherapy (CTh) in patients aged 70-75 in all clinical subtypes (OR 4.0, 95% CI, 1.6-10; P = .0035). Positive SLNB did not significantly increase likelihood of receiving adjuvant CTh in patients aged 75-80, however, an Oncotype Dx score of ≥ 26 did (OR 34.50, 95% CI, 3.00-455.2; P = .0103). Positive SLNB was significantly associated with receiving adjuvant radiotherapy (RTh) in all patients aged 70-75 (OR 4.5, 95% CI, 2.0-11; P = .0004) and 75-80 (OR 9.7, 95% CI, 2.7-46; P = .0015). In patients aged ≥ 80 years, positive SLNB did not have a significant influence on subsequent treatments.

CONCLUSION

In this study, SLNB did not significantly influence subsequent management decisions in patients over 80 and should rarely be performed in this cohort. However, SLNB still had a role in patients aged 70-80 and should be used selectively in this cohort.

Axillary ultrasonography for early-stage invasive breast cancer

BACKGROUND

Among women with early invasive breast cancer and 1-2 positive sentinel nodes, sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) is non-inferior to axillary lymph node dissection (ALND).1-3 However, preoperative axillary ultrasonography (AxUS) may not be sensitive enough to discriminate burden of nodal metastasis in these patients, potentially leading to overtreatment.4-6 This study compares axillary operation rates in patients who did and did not receive preoperative AxUS, assessing its utility and risks for overtreatment.

METHODS

This is a retrospective cohort study of patients with clinical T1/T2 breast tumors who were clinically node negative and underwent an axillary operation.

RESULTS

Patients who had preoperative AxUS received more ALND compared to patients who did not (5.6% vs. 1.4%, p ​< ​0.001). There was no significant difference in the number of additional axillary operations following SLNB (2.1% vs. 2.3%, p ​= ​0.77).

CONCLUSION

Eliminating preoperative AxUS is associated with fewer invasive ALND procedures, without increased rate of axillary reoperations.

Using MammaPrint on core needle biopsy to guide the need for axillary staging during breast surgery

BACKGROUND

At present, the only opportunity to omit axillary staging is with Choosing Wisely criteria for women ages >70 y with cT1 2N0 estrogen receptor-positive/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative breast cancer. However, many women are diagnosed when pathologic node status-negative, raising the question of additional opportunities to omit sentinel lymph node biopsy. We sought to investigate the association between MammaPrint, a genomic test that estimates estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer recurrence risk, and pathologic node status, with the aim that low-risk MammaPrint could be considered for omission of sentinel lymph node biopsy if associated with pathologic node status-negative.

METHODS

A single-institution database was queried for all women with cT1 2N0 estrogen receptor-positive/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative invasive breast cancer with breast surgery as their first treatment and MammaPrint performed from 2020 to 2021. Patient and tumor factors, including MammaPrint score, were compared with axillary node status for correlation.

RESULTS

A total of 668 women met inclusion criteria, with a median age of 66 y. MammaPrint was low-risk luminal A in 481 (72%) and high-risk luminal B in 187 (28%). At the time of breast surgery, 588 (88%) had sentinel lymph node biopsy, 27 (4%) had axillary lymph node dissection, and 53 (7.9%) had no axillary staging. Most women in both the pathologic node status-negative and pathologic node status-positive cohorts had low-risk MammaPrint (355 [73.3%] pathologic node status-negative vs 91 [69.5%] pathologic node status-positive), and women with low-risk MammaPrint did not have a significantly lower risk of pathologic node status-positive (P = .377).

CONCLUSION

Low-risk MammaPrint does not predict lower risk of pathologic node status-positive breast cancer. Based on our results, genomic testing does not appear to provide additional personalization for the ability to omit sentinel lymph node biopsy for patients outside of the Choosing Wisely guidelines.

Retrospective validation study of an artificial neural network-based preoperative decision-support tool for noninvasive lymph node staging (NILS) in women with primary breast cancer (ISRCTN14341750)

BACKGROUND

Surgical sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) is routinely used to reliably stage axillary lymph nodes in early breast cancer (BC). However, SLNB may be associated with postoperative arm morbidities. For most patients with BC undergoing SLNB, the findings are benign, and the procedure is currently questioned. A decision-support tool for the prediction of benign sentinel lymph nodes based on preoperatively available data has been developed using artificial neural network modelling.

METHODS

This was a retrospective geographical and temporal validation study of the noninvasive lymph node staging (NILS) model, based on preoperatively available data from 586 women consecutively diagnosed with primary BC at two sites. Ten preoperative clinicopathological characteristics from each patient were entered into the web-based calculator, and the probability of benign lymph nodes was predicted. The performance of the NILS model was assessed in terms of discrimination with the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and calibration, that is, comparison of the observed and predicted event rates of benign axillary nodal status (N0) using calibration slope and intercept. The primary endpoint was axillary nodal status (discrimination, benign [N0] vs. metastatic axillary nodal status [N+]) determined by the NILS model compared to nodal status by definitive pathology.

RESULTS

The mean age of the women in the cohort was 65 years, and most of them (93%) had luminal cancers. Approximately three-fourths of the patients had no metastases in SLNB (N0 74% and 73%, respectively). The AUC for the predicted probabilities for the whole cohort was 0.6741 (95% confidence interval: 0.6255-0.7227). More than one in four patients (n = 151, 26%) were identified as candidates for SLNB omission when applying the predefined cut-off for lymph node-negative status from the development cohort. The NILS model showed the best calibration in patients with a predicted high probability of healthy axilla.

CONCLUSION

The performance of the NILS model was satisfactory. In approximately every fourth patient, SLNB could potentially be omitted. Considering the shift from postoperatively to preoperatively available predictors in this validation study, we have demonstrated the robustness of the NILS model. The clinical usability of the web interface will be evaluated before its clinical implementation.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Registered in the ISRCTN registry with study ID ISRCTN14341750. Date of registration 23/11/2018.

The Ongoing Necessity of Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy for cT1-2N0 Breast Cancer Patients

Background

Recent clinical trials attempt to determine whether it is appropriate to omit axillary lymph node surgery in patients with cT1-2N0 breast cancer. The study aimed to investigate the true extent of axillary node disease in patients with clinically negative nodes and explore the differences between negative axillary ultrasound (AUS-cN0) and suspicious axillary ultrasound with negative fine-needle aspiration (FNA-cN0).

Methods

Pathologically identified T1-2 invasive breast cancer patients with clinically negative nodes were retrospectively analyzed at our center between January 2019 and December 2022. Patients who received any systematic treatment before surgery were excluded from this study.

Results

A total of 538 patients were enrolled in this study. 134 (24.9%) patients had pathologically positive nodes, and 404 (75.1%) patients had negative nodes. Univariate analysis revealed that tumor size, T stage, Ki67 level, and vascular invasion (VI) were strongly associated with pathological axillary lymph node positivity. In multivariate analysis, VI was the only independent risk factor for node positivity in patients with cT1-2N0 disease (OR: 3.723, confidence interval [CI]: 2.380-5.824, p < 0.001). Otherwise, pathological node positivity was not significantly different between AUS-cN0 and FNA-cN0 groups (23.4% vs. 28.8%, p = 0.193). However, the rate of high nodal burden (≥3 positive nodes) was significantly higher in FNA-cN0 group. Further investigation revealed that FNA-cN0 and VI were independently associated with a high nodal burden (OR: 2.650, CI: 1.081-6.496, p = 0.033; OR: 3.521, CI: 1.249-9.931, p = 0.017, respectively).

Conclusions

cT1-2 breast cancer patients with clinically negative axillary lymph nodes may have pathologically positive lymph nodes and even a high nodal burden. False negatives in AUS and AUS-guided FNA should not be ignored, and sentinel lymph node biopsy remains an ongoing necessity for cT1-2N0 breast cancer patients.

Is Axillary Staging Obsolete in Early Breast Cancer?

This article reviews the incidence of nodal metastases in early-stage breast cancer and the need for axillary staging to maintain local control in the axilla or to determine the need for adjuvant systemic therapy across the spectrum of patients with breast cancer, and reviews clinical trials addressing this question. At present, sentinel lymph node biopsy should be omitted in women age ≥70 years with cT1-2 N0, HR+/HER2- cancers. The importance of nodal status in selecting patients for radiotherapy remains the main reason for axillary staging in younger postmenopausal women with cT1-2N0, HR+/HER2- cancers.

Value of Breast MRI and Nomogram After Negative Axillary Ultrasound for Predicting Axillary Lymph Node Metastasis in Patients With Clinically T1-2 N0 Breast Cancer

BACKGROUND

There are increasing concerns about that sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) could be omitted in patients with clinically T1-2 N0 breast cancers who has negative axillary ultrasound (AUS). This study aims to assess the false negative result (FNR) of AUS, the rate of high nodal burden (HNB) in clinically T1-2 N0 breast cancer patients, and the diagnostic performance of breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and nomogram.

METHODS

We identified 948 consecutive patients with clinically T1-2 N0 cancers who had negative AUS, subsequent MRI, and breast conserving therapy between 2013 and 2020 from two tertiary medical centers. Patients from two centers were assigned to development and validation sets, respectively. Among 948 patients, 402 (mean age ± standard deviation, 57.61 ± 11.58) were within development cohort and 546 (54.43 ± 10.02) within validation cohort. Using logistic regression analyses, clinical-imaging factors associated with lymph node (LN) metastasis were analyzed in the development set from which nomogram was created. The performance of MRI and nomogram was assessed. HNB was defined as ≥ 3 positive LNs.

RESULTS

The FNR of AUS was 20.1% (81 of 402) and 19.2% (105 of 546) and the rates of HNB were 1.2% (5/402) and 2.2% (12/546), respectively. Clinical and imaging features associated with LN metastasis were progesterone receptor positivity, outer tumor location on mammography, breast imaging reporting and data system category 5 assessment of cancer on ultrasound, and positive axilla on MRI. In validation cohorts, the positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) of MRI and clinical-imaging nomogram was 58.5% and 86.5%, and 56.0% and 82.0%, respectively.

CONCLUSION

The FNR of AUS was approximately 20% but the rate of HNB was low. The diagnostic performance of MRI was not satisfactory with low PPV but MRI had merit in reaffirming negative AUS with high NPV. Patients who had low probability scores from our clinical-imaging nomogram might be possible candidates for the omission of SLNB.

Optimal treatment strategy for hormone receptor-positive human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative breast cancer patients with 1-2 suspicious axillary lymph node metastases on breast magnetic resonance imaging: upfront surgery vs. neoadjuvant chemotherapy

Background

It is unclear whether upfront surgery or neoadjuvant chemotherapy is appropriate for first treatment in hormone receptor (HR)-positive human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative breast cancer patients with 1-2 suspicious axillary lymph node (ALN) metastases on preoperative breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Method

We identified 282 patients with HR+HER2- breast cancer and 1-2 suspicious ALN metastases on baseline breast MRI (147 received upfront surgery; 135 received neoadjuvant chemotherapy). We evaluated the predictive clinicopathological factors for pN2-3 in the adjuvant setting and axillary pathologic complete response (pCR) in the neoadjuvant setting.

Results

Lymphovascular invasion (LVI)-positive and clinical tumors >3 cm were significantly associated with pN2-3 in patients who received upfront surgery. The pN2-3 rate was 9.3% in patients with a clinical tumor ≤ 3 cm and LVI-negative versus 34.7% in the others (p < 0.001). The pN2-3 rate in patients with a clinical tumor ≤ 3 cm and LVI-negative and in the others were 9.3% versus 34.7% in all patients (p < 0.001), 10.7% versus 40.0% (p = 0.033) in patients aged < 50 years, and 8.5% versus 31.0% in patients aged ≥ 50 years (p < 0.001), respectively. In the neoadjuvant setting, patients with tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) ≥ 20% had a higher axillary pCR than those with TILs < 20% (46.7% vs. 15.3%, p < 0.001). A similar significant finding was also observed in patients < 50 years.

Conclusions

Upfront surgery may be preferable for patients aged ≥ 50 years with a clinical tumor < 3 cm and LVI-negative, while neoadjuvant chemotherapy may be preferable for those aged < 50 years with TILs ≥ 20%.

The implementation of NILS: A web-based artificial neural network decision support tool for noninvasive lymph node staging in breast cancer

Objective

To implement artificial neural network (ANN) algorithms for noninvasive lymph node staging (NILS) to a decision support tool and facilitate the option to omit surgical axillary staging in breast cancer patients with low-risk of nodal metastasis.

Methods

The NILS tool is a further development of an ANN prototype for the prediction of nodal status. Training and internal validation of the original algorithm included 15 clinical and tumor-related variables from a consecutive cohort of 800 breast cancer cases. The updated NILS tool included 10 top-ranked input variables from the original prototype. A workflow with four ANN pathways was additionally developed to allow different combinations of missing preoperative input values. Predictive performances were assessed by area under the receiver operating characteristics curves (AUC) and sensitivity/specificity values at defined cut-points. Clinical utility was presented by estimating possible sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) reduction rates. The principles of user-centered design were applied to develop an interactive web-interface to predict the patient's probability of healthy lymph nodes. A technical validation of the interface was performed using data from 100 test patients selected to cover all combinations of missing histopathological input values.

Results

ANN algorithms for the prediction of nodal status have been implemented into the web-based NILS tool for personalized, noninvasive nodal staging in breast cancer. The estimated probability of healthy lymph nodes using the interface showed a complete concordance with estimations from the reference algorithm except in two cases that had been wrongly included (ineligible for the technical validation). NILS predictive performance to distinguish node-negative from node-positive disease, also with missing values, displayed AUC ranged from 0.718 (95% CI, 0.687-0.748) to 0.735 (95% CI, 0.704-0.764), with good calibration. Sensitivity 90% and specificity 34% were demonstrated. The potential to abstain from axillary surgery was observed in 26% of patients using the NILS tool, acknowledging a false negative rate of 10%, which is clinically accepted for the standard SLNB technique.

Conclusions

The implementation of NILS into a web-interface are expected to provide the health care with decision support and facilitate preoperative identification of patients who could be good candidates to avoid unnecessary surgical axillary staging.

Efficacy of digital breast tomosynthesis combined with magnetic resonance imaging in the diagnosis of early breast cancer

BACKGROUND

The incidence and mortality rate of breast cancer in China rank 120^th and 163^rd, worldwide, respectively. The incidence of breast cancer is on the rise; the risk increases with age but is slightly reduced after menopause. Early screening, diagnosis, and timely determination of the best treatment plan can ensure clinical efficacy and prognosis.

AIM

To evaluate the clinical value of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) combined with digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) in diagnosing early breast cancer and the effect of breast-conserving surgery by arc incision.

METHODS

This study was divided into two parts. Firstly, 110 patients with early breast cancer confirmed by pathological examination and 110 with benign breast diseases diagnosed simultaneously in Changzhi People’s Hospital of Shanxi Province and Shanxi Dayi Hospital from May 2019 to September 2020 were included in the breast cancer group and the benign group, respectively. Both groups underwent DBT and MRI examination, and the pathological results were used as the gold standard to evaluate the effectiveness of the combined application of DBT and MRI in the diagnosis of early breast cancer. Secondly, according to the operation method, 110 patients with breast cancer were divided into either a breast-conserving group (69 patients) or a modified radical mastectomy group (41 patients). The surgical effect, cosmetic effect, and quality of life of the two groups were compared.

RESULTS

Among the 110 cases of breast cancer, 66 were of invasive ductal carcinoma (60.00%), and 22 were of ductal carcinoma in situ (20.00%). Among the 110 cases of benign breast tumors, 55 were of breast fibromas (50.00%), and 27 were of breast adenosis (24.55%). The sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve (AUC) of DBT in the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant breast tumors were 73.64%, 84.55%, and 0.791, respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, and AUC of MRI in the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant breast tumors were 84.55%, 85.45%, and 0.850, respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, and AUC of DBT combined with MRI in the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant breast tumors were 97.27%, 93.64%, and 0.955, respectively. The blood loss, operation time and hospitalization time of the breast-conserving group were significantly lower than those of the modified radical treatment group, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). After 3 mo of observation, the breast cosmetic effect of the breast-conserving group was better than that of the modified radical group, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). Before surgery, the quality-of-life scores of the breast-conserving and modified radical mastectomy groups did not differ (P > 0.05). Three months after surgery, the quality-of-life scores in both groups were higher than those before surgery (P < 0.05), and the quality-of-life score of the breast-conserving group was higher than that of the modified radical group (P < 0.05). In the observation of tumor recurrence rate two years after the operation, four patients in the breast-conserving group and one in the modified radical treatment group had a postoperative recurrence. There was no significant difference in the recurrence rate between the two groups (χ² = 0.668, P = 0.414 > 0.05).

CONCLUSION

MRI combined with DBT in diagnosing early breast cancer can significantly improve the diagnostic efficacy compared with the two alone. Breast-conserving surgery leads to better cosmetic breast effects and reduces the impact of surgery on postoperative quality of life.

Correlation Analysis of Pathological Features and Axillary Lymph Node Metastasis in Patients with Invasive Breast Cancer

Objective

To investigate the risk factors of axillary lymph node metastasis in patients with invasive breast cancer.

Methods

This study retrospectively included 122 cases of invasive breast cancer patients admitted to the First Medical Center of PLA General Hospital from January 2019 to September 2020. According to postoperative pathological results, axillary lymph node metastasis was divided into axillary lymph node metastasis (ALNM) group (n =40) and non-axillary lymph node metastasis (NALNM) group (n =82). General demographic information was collected and compared between the two groups. Collected pathological results included lymphovascular invasion (LVI) and the expression of estrogen receptor (ER), progestogen receptor (PR), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2), and Ki-67 detected by immunohistochemistry. Imaging parameters of dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) including apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), early enhanced rate, and time-intensity curve (TIC) were also included into univariate analysis. The variables with differences between the two groups were compared by univariate analysis, and the related factors of axillary lymph node metastasis were analyzed by logistic regression model.

Results

There was no significant difference in general demographic information between the two groups. No significant differences were found in the positive rates of HER-2, ER, PR, Ki-67, pathological types, and clavicular lymph node metastasis and skin chest wall invasion between the two groups (P > 0.05). The proportion of LVI in ALNM group was significantly higher than that in NALNM group (37.50% vs. 6.10%, P < 0.001). The proportion of breast cancer on the left side in the ALNM group was higher than that in the NALNM group, and the difference was statistically significant (70.00% vs. 47.56%, P = 0.019). There were no significant differences in the imaging parameters obtained by DCE-MRI between the two groups. Binary logistics regression analysis showed that LVI (OR =12.258, 95% CI =3.681-40.812, P < 0.001) and left breast cancer (OR =3.598, 95% CI =1.404-9.219, P = 0.008) were risk factors for axillary lymph node metastasis in patients with invasive breast cancer.

Conclusion

The formation of vascular tumor thrombi in breast cancer tissue and left breast cancer are risk factors for axillary lymph node metastasis in invasive breast cancer and might be helpful for preoperative detailed assessment of the patient's condition.

Predictive value of combining clinicopathological, multimodal ultrasonic characteristics in axillary lymph nodal metastasis burden of patients with cT1-2N0 breast cancer

OBJECTIVE

Since the ACOSOG Z0011 trial, the clinical examination of axillary lymph node-negative early breast cancer patients (cT1-2N0) can be used to predict the burden of axillary lymph nodes (ALNs) by axillary ultrasound (AUS). To improving diagnosis of axillary lymph node metastasis (ALNM), we assessed the value of combining clinicopathological, conventional ultrasound, SWE features in the cT1-2N0 breast cancer patients.

METHODS

Retrospective analysis of 285 patients with cT1-2N0 breast cancer who underwent preoperative ultrasound examination of the lesion and axillary, with shear wave elastography (SWE) of the lesions. According to the postoperative pathological results, they were divided into ≤2 metastatic ALNs group (low nodal burden, LNB) and >  2 metastatic ALNs group (high nodal burden, HNB). Binary logistic regression analysis was used to screen independent risk factors and establish prediction models. The best cut-off value of continuous variables is determined by the receiver operating characteristic curve, and the performance of the prediction model is evaluated.

RESULTS

Presence of lymphovascular invasion (OR = 7.966, P = 0.010), tumor size (OR = 2.485, P = 0.019), Emean of intratumor (OR = 0.939, P = 0.002) and cortical thickness of lymph node (OR = 9.277, P <  0.001) were independent risk predictors for HNB of cT1-2N0 Group. The predictive model of combined method had better performance in predicting HNB of cT1-2N0 compared with models based on SWE and conventional ultrasound alone (area under the curve: 0.824 vs 0.658, P <  0.001; 0.824 vs 0.789, P = 0.035).

CONCLUSIONS

The predictive models of combined method obtained from significant clinicopathological and ultrasonographic features can potentially improve the diagnosis and individual treatment of ALNM in patients with cT1-2N0 breast cancer.

The NILS Study Protocol: A Retrospective Validation Study of an Artificial Neural Network Based Preoperative Decision-Making Tool for Noninvasive Lymph Node Staging in Women with Primary Breast Cancer (ISRCTN14341750)

Newly diagnosed breast cancer (BC) patients with clinical T1–T2 N0 disease undergo sentinel-lymph-node (SLN) biopsy, although most of them have a benign SLN. The pilot noninvasive lymph node staging (NILS) artificial neural network (ANN) model to predict nodal status was published in 2019, showing the potential to identify patients with a low risk of SLN metastasis. The aim of this study is to assess the performance measures of the model after a web-based implementation for the prediction of a healthy SLN in clinically N0 BC patients. This retrospective study was designed to validate the NILS prediction model for SLN status using preoperatively available clinicopathological and radiological data. The model results in an estimated probability of a healthy SLN for each study participant. Our primary endpoint is to report on the performance of the NILS prediction model to distinguish between healthy and metastatic SLNs (N0 vs. N+) and compare the observed and predicted event rates of benign SLNs. After validation, the prediction model may assist medical professionals and BC patients in shared decision making on omitting SLN biopsies in patients predicted to be node-negative by the NILS model. This study was prospectively registered in the ISRCTN registry (identification number: 14341750).

Evolving Trends in Surgical Management of Breast Cancer: An Analysis of 30 Years of Practice Changing Papers

The management of breast cancer has evolved into a multidisciplinary evidence-based surgical speciality, with emphasis on conservative surgery. A number of landmark trials have established lumpectomy followed by radiation as the standard of care for many patients. The aim of this study is to construct a narrative review of recent developments in the surgical management of breast cancer and how such developments have impacted surgical practice. A comprehensive literature search of Pubmed was conducted. The latest search was performed on October 31^st, 2020. Search terms “breast cancer” were used in combinations with specific key words and Boolean operators relating to surgical management. The reference lists of retrieved articles were comprehensively screened for additional eligible publications. Articles were selected and reviewed based on relevance. We selected publications in the past 10 years but did not exclude commonly referenced and highly regarded previous publications. Review articles and book chapters were also cited to provide reference on details not discussed in the academic literature. This article reviews the current evidence in surgical management of early-stage breast cancer, discusses recent trends in surgical practice for therapeutic and prophylactic procedures and provides commentary on implications and factors associated with these trends.