Treatment plan for breast cancer with sentinel node metastasis

A multivariable model of ultrasound and clinicopathological features for predicting axillary nodal burden of breast cancer: potential to prevent unnecessary axillary lymph node dissection

BACKGROUND

To develop a clinical model for predicting high axillary nodal burden in patients with early breast cancer by integrating ultrasound (US) and clinicopathological features.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

Patients with breast cancer who underwent preoperative US examination and breast surgery at the Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University (centre 1, n = 250) and at the Affiliated Hospital of Jiangsu University (centre 2, n = 97) between January 2012 and December 2016 and between January 2020 and March 2022, respectively, were deemed eligible for this study (n = 347). According to the number of lymph node (LN) metastasis based on pathology, patients were divided into two groups: limited nodal burden (0-2 metastatic LNs) and heavy nodal burden (≥ 3 metastatic LNs). In addition, US features combined with clinicopathological variables were compared between these two groups. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis were conducted to identify the most valuable variables for predicting ≥ 3 LNs in breast cancer. A nomogram was then developed based on these independent factors.

RESULTS

Univariate logistic regression analysis revealed that the cortical thickness (p < 0.001), longitudinal to transverse ratio (p = 0.001), absence of hilum (p < 0.001), T stage (p = 0.002) and Ki-67 (p = 0.039) were significantly associated with heavy nodal burden. In the multivariate logistic regression analysis, cortical thickness (p = 0.001), absence of hilum (p = 0.042) and T stage (p = 0.012) were considered independent predictors of high-burden node. The area under curve (AUC) of the nomogram was 0.749.

CONCLUSION

Our model based on US variables and clinicopathological characteristics demonstrates that can help select patients with ≥ 3 LNs, which can in turn be helpful to predict high axillary nodal burden in early breast cancer patients and prevent unnecessary axillary lymph node dissection.

Metastatic and triple-negative breast cancer: challenges and treatment options

The major current conventional types of metastatic breast cancer (MBC) treatments include surgery, radiation, hormonal therapy, chemotherapy, or immunotherapy. Introducing biological drugs, targeted treatment and gene therapy can potentially reduce the mortality and improve the quality of life in patients with MBC. However, combination of several types of treatment is usually recommended. Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) accounts for 10-20% of all cases of breast carcinoma and is characterized by the low expression of progesterone receptor (PR), estrogen receptor (ER), and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2). Consequently, convenient treatments used for MBC that target these receptors are not effective for TNBC which therefore requires special treatment approaches. This review discusses the occurrence of MBC, the prognosis and predictive biomarkers of MBC, and focuses on the novel advanced tactics for treatment of MBC and TNBC. Nanotechnology-based combinatorial approach for the suppression of EGFR by siRNA and gifitinib is described.

Use of axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) in patients with micrometastatic breast cancer

BACKGROUND

Sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy is the current prognostic tool for clinically node-negative breast cancer patients. If the SLN reveals macrometastasis, axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) is recommended. However, the use of ALND in patients with micrometastasis is debated. The objective of this study was to assess the utilization of ALND in the treatment of micrometastatic breast cancer.

METHODS

An IRB approved, retrospective study of a pooled dataset of breast cancer patients with micrometastatic disease on SLN biopsy was performed. Patients diagnosed from 1999-2016 were identified via query of a single-institution National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) breast cancer database as well as a prospective tumor board.

RESULTS

A total of 91 patients were diagnosed with micrometastatic nodal disease. The median age at diagnosis was 56 y (range: 31-85); median follow-up time was 47 mo (range: 0-203 mo). 42/91(46.2%) patients had ALND of which 37/42 (88.1%) were a second operation; 3/42(7.1%) patients had additional positive nodes found at ALND. 44/91 (48.4%) patients received radiation. 7/91 (7.7%) patients had a recurrence, 5/7 local, including one axillary (2.1%; patient declined ALND).

CONCLUSIONS

Given that the risk of lymphedema after ALND ranges between 20%-53%, the morbidity of ALND may far exceed the likelihood of detecting further nodal involvement in women with micrometastatic disease: 7.1% in this series.

Changes in glycoprotein expression between primary breast tumour and synchronous lymph node metastases or asynchronous distant metastases

Background

Breast cancer is a very heterogeneous disease and some patients are cured by the surgical removal of the primary tumour whilst other patients suffer from metastasis and spreading of the disease, despite adjuvant therapy. A number of prognostic and treatment predictive factors have been identified such as tumour size, oestrogen (ER) and progesterone (PgR) receptor status, human epidermal growth factor receptor type 2 (HER2) status, histological grade, Ki67 and age. Lymph node involvement is also assessed during surgery to determine if the tumour has spread which requires dissection of the axilla and adjuvant treatment. The prognostic and treatment predictive factors assessing the nature of the tumour are all routinely based on the status of the primary tumour.

Results

We have analysed a unique tumour set of fourteen primary breast cancer tumours with matched synchronous axillary lymph node metastases and a set of nine primary tumours with, later developed, matched distant metastases from different sites in the body. We used a pairwise tumour analysis (from the same individual) since the difference between the same tumour-type in different patients was greater. Glycopeptide capture was used in this study to selectively isolate and quantify N-linked glycopeptides from tumours mixtures and the captured glycopeptides were subjected to label-free quantitative tandem mass spectrometry analysis. Differentially expressed proteins between primary tumours and matched lymph node metastasis and distant metastasis were identified. Two of the top hits, ATPIF1 and tubulin β-chain were validated by immunohistochemistry to be differentially regulated.

Conclusions

We show that the expression of a large number of glycosylated proteins change between primary tumours and matched lymph node metastases and distant metastases, confirming that cancer cells undergo a molecular transformation during the spread to a secondary site. The proteins are part of important pathways such as cell adhesion, migration pathways and immune response giving insight into molecular changes needed for the tumour to spread. The large difference between primary tumours and lymph node and distant metastases also suggest that treatment should be based on the phenotype of the lymph node and distant metastases.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12014-015-9084-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.