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Loonis AST, Chesebro AL, Bay CP, Portnow LH, Weiss A, Chikarmane SA, Giess CS. Positive predictive value of axillary lymph node cortical thickness and nodal, clinical, and tumor characteristics in newly diagnosed breast cancer patients. Breast Cancer Res Treat 2024; 203:511-521. [PMID: 37950089 DOI: 10.1007/s10549-023-07155-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2023] [Accepted: 09/30/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Axillary lymph nodes (LNs) with cortical thickness > 3 mm have a higher likelihood of malignancy. To examine the positive predictive value (PPV) of axillary LN cortical thickness in newly diagnosed breast cancer patients, and nodal, clinical, and tumor characteristics associated with axillary LN metastasis. METHODS Retrospective review of axillary LN fine needle aspirations (FNAs) performed 1/1/2018-12/31/2019 included 135 axillary FNAs in 134 patients who underwent axillary surgery. Patient demographics, clinical characteristics, histopathology, and imaging features were obtained from medical records. Hypothesis testing was performed to identify predictors of axillary LN metastasis. RESULTS Cytology was positive in 72/135 (53.3%), negative in 61/135 (45.2%), and non-diagnostic in 2/135 (1.5%). At surgery, histopathology was positive in 84 (62.2%) and negative in 51 (37.8%). LN cortices were thicker in metastatic compared to negative nodes (p < 0.0001). PPV of axillary LNs with cortical thickness ≥ 3 mm, ≥ 3.5 mm, ≥ 4 mm and, ≥ 4.25 mm was 0.62 [95% CI 0.53, 0.70], 0.63 [0.54, 0.72], 0.67 [0.57, 0.76] , and 0.74 [0.64, 0.83], respectively. At multivariable analysis, abnormal hilum (OR = 3.44, p = 0.016) and diffuse cortical thickening (OR = 2.86, p = 0.038) were associated with nodal metastasis. CONCLUSION In newly diagnosed breast cancer patients, increasing axillary LN cortical thickness, abnormal fatty hilum, and diffuse cortical thickening are associated with nodal metastasis. PPV of axillary LN cortical thickness ≥ 3 mm and ≥ 3.5 mm is similar but increases for cortical thickness ≥ 4 mm. FNA of axillary LNs with cortex < 4 mm may be unnecessary for some patients undergoing sentinel LN biopsy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne-Sophie T Loonis
- Division of Breast Imaging, Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 75 Francis St, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- Harvard Medical School, 25 Shattuck St, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Allyson L Chesebro
- Division of Breast Imaging, Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 75 Francis St, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
- Harvard Medical School, 25 Shattuck St, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
| | - Camden P Bay
- Division of Breast Imaging, Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 75 Francis St, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Leah H Portnow
- Division of Breast Imaging, Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 75 Francis St, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- Harvard Medical School, 25 Shattuck St, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Anna Weiss
- Division of Breast Imaging, Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 75 Francis St, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- Breast Oncology Program, Dana-Farber Brigham Cancer Center, Boston, MA, USA
- Division of Breast Surgery, Department of Surgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Sona A Chikarmane
- Division of Breast Imaging, Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 75 Francis St, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- Harvard Medical School, 25 Shattuck St, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Catherine S Giess
- Division of Breast Imaging, Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 75 Francis St, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- Harvard Medical School, 25 Shattuck St, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
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Man V, Luk WP, Fung LH, Kwong A. The role of pre-operative axillary ultrasound in assessment of axillary tumor burden in breast cancer patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Breast Cancer Res Treat 2022; 196:245-254. [PMID: 36138294 DOI: 10.1007/s10549-022-06699-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2022] [Accepted: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Recent studies have suggested that a significant proportion of patients with axillary nodal metastases diagnosed by pre-operative axillary ultrasound (AUS)-guided needle biopsy were over-treated with axillary lymph node dissection (ALND). The role of routine AUS and needle biopsy in early breast cancer was questioned. This review aims to determine if pre-operative AUS could predict the extent of axillary tumor burden and need of ALND. METHODS PubMed and Embase literature databases were searched systematically for abnormal AUS characteristics and axillary nodal burden. Studies were eligible if they correlated the sonographic abnormalities in AUS with the resultant axillary nodal burden in ALND according to the ACOSOG Z0011 criteria. RESULTS Eleven retrospective studies and one prospective study with 1658 patients were included. Sixty-five percent of patients with one abnormal lymph node in AUS and 56% of those with two had low axillary nodal burden. Using one abnormal lymph node as the cut-off, the pooled sensitivity and specificity in prediction of axillary nodal burden were 66% (95%CI 63-69%) and 73% (95% CI 70-76%), respectively. Across the six studies that evaluated suspicious nodal characteristics, increased nodal cortical thickness may be associated with high axillary nodal burden. CONCLUSION More than half of the patients with pre-operative positive AUS and biopsy proven axillary nodal metastases were over-treated by ALND. Quantification of suspicious nodes and extent of cortical morphological changes in AUS may help identify suitable patients for sentinel lymph node biopsy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vivian Man
- Division of Breast Surgery, Department of Surgery, The University of Hong Kong Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, Queen Mary Hospital, K1401, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR
| | - Wing-Pan Luk
- Medical Physics and Research Department, Hong Kong Sanatorium and Hospital, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR
| | - Ling-Hiu Fung
- Medical Physics and Research Department, Hong Kong Sanatorium and Hospital, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR
| | - Ava Kwong
- Chief of Breast Surgery Division, Department of Surgery,, Daniel CK Yu Professor in Breast Cancer Research, The University of Hong Kong Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, Queen Mary Hospital, K1401, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR.
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Vasigh M, Meshkati Yazd SM, Karoobi M, Hajebi R, Yazdankhah Kenari A. Does ultrasound evaluation of the axilla increase the rate of axillary lymph node dissection in early stage clinically node negative breast cancer patients? BMC Surg 2022; 22:80. [PMID: 35241059 PMCID: PMC8895764 DOI: 10.1186/s12893-022-01530-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2021] [Accepted: 02/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Management and axillary staging of breast cancer has become less invasive and more conservative, over the decades. Considering Z011, axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) can be avoided in T1-2 N0-1 breast cancers with one or two positive sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs), if they are candidates for breast conserving surgery and radiotherapy. The aim of this study was to recognize if pre-operative axillary US evaluation in early-stage breast cancer could lead to more ALND in post Z011 era. Method 463 breast cancer patients were evaluated. 368 early-stage breast cancer patients (T1-2 N0) were included. We did not perform axillary US in early stage clinically node negative patients; however, 97 patients had axillary US prior to our visit. If axillary US could detect more than two suspicious LNs, US guided biopsy was performed. The remaining clinically node negative patients underwent upfront SLNB. ALND was performed if more than two SLNs were metastatic, or US-guided ALN biopsy proved metastatic involvement. Results 97 patients had axillary US evaluation before the surgery. 67 patients (69.2%) did not have any suspicious US detected axillary LNs, 17 patients (17.5%) had one, 7 patients (7.2%) had two, and 6 patients (6.2%) had more than two suspicious LNs according to their axillary US evaluation. Those with more than two suspicious LNs underwent ALN US-guided biopsy. Metastatic involvement of the LNs was proved in all of them and they underwent upfront ALND. ALND revealed more than 2 metastatic LNs in 2/6 patients (33.3%). 91 patients who were evaluated by axillary US, had less than two US detected suspicious LNs and underwent SLNB. Amongst 24 patients with one or two US detected suspicious LNs, 1/24 patient had more than two positive SLNs and underwent ALND. In this group 15.6% underwent ALND and 5.2% of them were unnecessary according to the recent guidelines. Axillary US had a false positive rate of 36.6%. The sensitivity of axillary US in distinguishing patients with more than two suspicious LNs in clinically node negative patients was 25%. In the second group (without pre-operative axillary US evaluation), SLNB was performed. 204/272 patients (75%) did not have LN metastasis. 54/272 patients (19.9%) had one or two metastatic SLNs and according to Z011, ALND was omitted. 5.1% had more than two metastatic SLNs and underwent ALND. Conclusion US evaluation of the axilla in early stage, clinically node negative breast cancer patients, is not sensitive enough to recognize more than two metastatic ALNs. It leads to more unnecessary ALND. Despite the small number of patients in this study, these results question the rationale of axillary US guided biopsy in low burden (less than two) suspicious LNs. looking for an imaging modality with a higher sensitivity in detecting the Burdon of axillary metastatic involvement is mandatory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahtab Vasigh
- Department of General Surgery, Sina Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, 14176-13151, Tehran, Iran
| | - Seyed Mostafa Meshkati Yazd
- Department of General Surgery, Sina Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, 14176-13151, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mohammadreza Karoobi
- Department of General Surgery, Sina Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, 14176-13151, Tehran, Iran
| | - Reza Hajebi
- Department of General Surgery, Sina Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, 14176-13151, Tehran, Iran
| | - Adel Yazdankhah Kenari
- Department of General Surgery, Sina Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, 14176-13151, Tehran, Iran.
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Peng Y, Liu M, Li X, Tong F, Cao Y, Liu P, Zhou B, Liu H, Cheng L, Guo J, Xie F, Yang H, Wang S, Wang C, Chen Y, Wang S. Application of the ACOSOG Z0011 criteria to Chinese patients with breast cancer: a prospective study. World J Surg Oncol 2021; 19:128. [PMID: 33879180 PMCID: PMC8059271 DOI: 10.1186/s12957-021-02242-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2021] [Accepted: 04/14/2021] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Although the ACOSOG Z0011 study showed that axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) could be avoided in a specific population of sentinel lymph node-positive patients, it is not widely accepted by Chinese surgeons. We conducted a prospective single-arm study to confirm whether or not the results of Z0011 are applicable to Chinese patients. Methods Patients conforming to the Z0011 criteria were prospectively enrolled at the Peking University People’s Hospital Breast Center from November 2014 to June 2019. The clinicopathological features of the study group were compared with those of the Z0011 study group. Lymphedema after surgery, the incidence of local-regional recurrence, and survival were analyzed. Results One hundred forty-two patients who met the Z0011 eligibility criteria were enrolled in this study; 115 underwent sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) alone. Compared with the Z0011 trial, younger patients were included (median age, 52 [26–82] years vs 54 [25–90] years; P = 0.03). For clinical T stage, tumor histology, hormone status, lymphovascular invasion, and the number of positive sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs), no statistically significant differences were observed. More patients received adjuvant chemotherapy and endocrine therapy in this study (90.85% vs 58.0% and 80.99% vs 46.6% respectively, P <0.001). A similar percentage of patients received radiotherapy, but more nodal radiotherapy procedures were carried out in our study (54.5% vs 16.9%). After a median follow-up of 29 months, only 1 patient (0.9%) had ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence, and no regional recurrence occurred. Conclusion Our study showed that it is achievable to avoid ALND in patients eligible for Z0011 in China. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov. Registration number NCT03606616. Retrospectively registered on 31 July 2018.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan Peng
- Breast Center, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Miao Liu
- Breast Center, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Xianan Li
- Radiotherapy Department, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Fuzhong Tong
- Breast Center, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Yingming Cao
- Breast Center, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Peng Liu
- Breast Center, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Bo Zhou
- Breast Center, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Hongjun Liu
- Breast Center, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Lin Cheng
- Breast Center, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Jiajia Guo
- Breast Center, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Fei Xie
- Breast Center, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Houpu Yang
- Breast Center, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Siyuan Wang
- Breast Center, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Chaobin Wang
- Breast Center, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Yalin Chen
- Radiotherapy Department, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Shu Wang
- Breast Center, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China.
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