Does Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Clinical T1-T2 N0 Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Increase the Extent of Axillary Surgery?

BACKGROUND

Current management strategies for early-stage triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) include upfront surgery to determine pathologic stage to guide chemotherapy recommendations, or neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) to de-escalate surgery, elucidate tumor response, and determine the role of adjuvant chemotherapy. However, patients who receive NAC with residual pathological nodal (pN) involvement require axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) as they are Z11/AMAROS ineligible. We aimed to evaluate the impact of NAC compared with upfront surgery on pN status and ALND rates in cT1-2N0 TNBC.

METHODS

The National Cancer Database (NCDB) was queried for women with operable cT1-2N0 TNBC from 2014 to 2019. Demographic, clinicopathologic, and treatment data were collected. Multivariable linear regression analysis was performed to assess the odds of pN+ disease and undergoing ALND.

RESULTS

Overall, 55,624 women were included: 26.9% (n = 14,942) underwent NAC and 73.1% (n = 40,682) underwent upfront surgery. The NAC cohort was younger (mean age 52.9 vs. 61.3 years; p < 0.001) with more cT2 tumors (71.6% vs. 31.0%; p < 0.001), and had lower ALND rates (4.3% vs. 5.5%; p < 0.001). The upfront surgery cohort was more likely to have one to three pathologically positive nodes (12.1% vs. 6.5%; odds ratio [OR] 2.37, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.17-2.58; p < 0.001) but there was no difference in the likelihood of ALND (OR 1.1, 95% CI 0.99-1.24; p = 0.08).

CONCLUSION

Patients who underwent upfront surgery were more likely to be pN+; however, ALND rates were similar between the two cohorts. Thus, the use of NAC does not result in a higher odds of ALND and the decision for NAC should be individualized and based on modern guidelines and systemic therapy benefits.

National trends in neoadjuvant chemotherapy utilization in patients with early-stage node-negative triple-negative breast cancer: the impact of the CREATE-X trial

PURPOSE

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) allows for assessment of tumor pathological response and has survival implications. In 2017, the CREATE-X trial demonstrated survival benefit with adjuvant capecitabine in patients TNBC and residual disease after NAC. We aimed to assess national rates of NAC for cT1-2N0M0 TNBC before and after CREATE-X and examine factors associated with receiving NAC vs adjuvant chemotherapy (AC).

METHODS

A retrospective cohort study of women with cT1-2N0M0 TNBC diagnosed from 2014 to 2019 in the National Cancer Database (NCDB) was performed. Variables were analyzed via ANOVA, Chi-squared, Fisher Exact tests, and a multivariate linear regression model was created.

RESULTS

55,633 women were included: 26.9% received NAC, 52.4% AC, and 20.7% received no chemotherapy (median ages 53, 59, and 71 years, p < 0.01). NAC utilization significantly increased over time: 19.5% in 2014-15 (n = 3,465 of 17,777), 27.1% in 2016-17 (n = 5,140 of 18,985), and 33.6% in 2018-19 (n = 6,337 of 18,871, p < 0.001). On multivariate analysis, increased NAC was associated with younger age (< 50), non-Hispanic white race/ethnicity, lack of comorbidities, cT2 tumors, care at an academic or integrated-network cancer program, and diagnosis post-2017 (p < 0.05 for all). Patients with government-provided insurance were less likely to receive NAC (p < 0.01). Women who traveled > 60 miles for treatment were more likely to receive NAC (p < 0.01).

CONCLUSION

From 2014 to 2019, NAC utilization increased for patients with cT1-2N0M0 TNBC. Racial, socioeconomic, and access disparities were observed in who received NAC vs AC and warrants interventions to ensure equitable care.

Long-term Oncologic Outcomes in Patients with Inflammatory Breast Cancer with Supraclavicular Nodal Involvement

BACKGROUND

Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is a rare and aggressive subtype of breast cancer characterized by rapid progression and early metastasis, often with advanced nodal locations, including the supraclavicular (SCV) nodal basin. Previously considered M1 disease, ipsilateral clinical supraclavicular node involvement (N3c) disease is now considered locally advanced disease and warrants treatment with intent to cure. The objective of this study was to evaluate the long-term outcomes of patients with IBC and N3c disease.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

This study was conducted using a prospectively collected database of all patients with IBC treated at a dedicated cancer center from 2007 to 2019. Surgical patients with SCV nodal involvement and complete follow-up were identified. Our primary outcome was 5-year overall survival (OS). Multivariate Cox proportional hazards models were used to determine predictors for survival. Event-free survival (EFS) and OS were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method.

RESULTS

There were 70 patients who met inclusion criteria. All patients underwent comprehensive trimodality therapy. The majority of patients had complete (66.2%) radiologic response in the SCV nodal basins following neoadjuvant therapy. Six patients (8.6%) had a locoregional recurrence, with two (2.9%) occurring in the supraclavicular fossa. The 5-year OS was 60.2% [95% confidence interval (CI) 47.7-72.7%]. Increasing age (hazard ratio 2.7; p = 0.03) and triple-negative subtype (hazard ratio 4.9; p = 0.03) were associated with poor OS. The 5-year EFS was 56.1% (95% CI 40.9-68.8%). The presence of more than ten positive axillary nodes on final surgical pathology (hazard ratio 5.5; p = 0.01) predicted poor EFS.

CONCLUSIONS

With comprehensive trimodality therapy and multidisciplinary team approach, patients with IBC with supraclavicular nodal involvement experience excellent locoregional control and favorable survival.

Big Data Solutions for Controversies in Breast Cancer Treatment

The digital world of data is expanding with an annual growth rate of 40%, and health care is among the fastest growing sector of the digital world with an annual growth rate of 48%. Rapid growth in technology has augmented data generation; for example, electronic health records produce huge amounts of patient-level data, whereas national registries capture information on numerous factors affecting health care delivery and patient outcomes. This big data can be utilized to improve health care outcomes. This review discusses relevant applications in breast cancer treatment.

Predictors of Death in Necrotizing Skin and Soft Tissue Infection

BACKGROUND

Necrotizing skin and soft tissue infection (NSTI) is a surgical emergency that is associated with high morbidity and mortality. This study aims to identify predictors of in-hospital death following a NSTI.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

We queried the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) State Inpatient Database (SID) for California between 2006 and 2011. We used conventional and advanced statistical methods to identify predictors of in-hospital mortality, which included: logistic regression, stepwise logistic regression, decision trees, and K-nearest neighbor (KNN) algorithms.

RESULTS

A total of 10,158 patients had a NSTI. The full and stepwise logistic regression models had a ROC AUC in the validation dataset of 0.83 (95% CI [0.80, 0.86]) and 0.81 (95% CI [0.78, 0.83]), respectively. The KNN and decision tree model had a ROC AUC of 0.84 (95% CI [0.81, 0.85]) and 0.69 (95% CI [0.65, 0.72]), respectively. The top predictors of in-hospital mortality in the KNN and stepwise logistic model included: (1) the presence of in-hospital coagulopathy, (2) having an infectious or parasitic diagnoses, (3) electrolyte disturbances, (4) advanced age, and (5) the total number of beds in a hospital.

CONCLUSION

Patients with a NSTI have high rates of in-hospital mortality. This study highlights the important factors in managing patients with a NSTI which include: correcting coagulopathy and electrolyte imbalances, treating underlying infectious processes, providing adequate resources to the elderly population, and managing patients in high-volume centers.

Non-Hispanic Blacks undergoing distal pancreatectomy have higher risk-adjusted rates of morbidity and are more likely to be high-cost outliers

BACKGROUND

Few studies evaluate racial disparities in costs and clinical outcomes for patients undergoing distal pancreatectomy (DP).

METHODS

We queried the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project State Inpatient Databases to identify patients undergoing DP. Multivariable regression (MVR) was used to evaluate the association between race and postoperative outcomes.

RESULTS

2,493 patients underwent DP; 265 (10%) were black, and 221 (8%) were of Hispanic ethnicity. On MVR, black and Hispanic patients were less likely than whites to undergo surgery in high volume centers (OR 0.53, 95% CI [0.40, 0.71]; OR 0.45, 95% CI [0.32, 0.62]). Black patients had a greater risk of postoperative complication (OR 1.40, 95% CI [1.07, 1.83]), 90-day readmission (OR 1.53, 95% CI [1.15, 2.02]), prolonged length of stay (OR 1.74, 95% CI [1.25-2.44]), and of being a high cost outliers (OR 1.40, 95% CI [1.02, 1.91]) compared to white patients.

CONCLUSION

Black patients have increased risk of having a postoperative complication, prolonged hospitalization, and of being a high-cost outlier than non-Hispanic whites.

Risk factors for infection and evaluation of Sepsis-3 in patients with trauma

BACKGROUND

We aim to examine the risk factors associated with infection in trauma patients and the Sepsis-3 definition.

METHODS

This was a retrospective cohort study of adult trauma patients admitted to a Level I trauma center between January 2014 and January 2016.

RESULTS

A total of 1499 trauma patients met inclusion criteria and 15% (n = 232) had an infection. Only 19.8% (n = 46) of infected patients met criteria for Sepsis-3, with the majority (43%) of infected cases having a Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score greater on admission compared to the time of suspected infection. In-hospital death was 7% vs 9% (p = 0.65) between Sepsis-3 and infected patients, respectively. Risk factors associated with infection were female sex, admission SOFA score, Elixhauser score, and severe injury (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Patients with trauma often arrive with organ dysfunction, which adds complexity and inaccuracy to the operational definition of Sepsis-3 using changes in SOFA scores. Injury severity score, comorbidities, SOFA score, and sex are risk factors associated with developing an infection after trauma.

Put Me in the Game Coach! Resident Participation in High-risk Surgery in the Era of Big Data

BACKGROUND

With the emphasis on quality metrics guiding reimbursement, concerns have emerged regarding resident participation in patient care. This study aimed to evaluate whether resident participation in high-risk elective general surgery procedures is safe.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database (2005-2012) was used to identify patients undergoing one of five high-risk general surgery procedures. Resident and nonresident groups were created using a 2:1 propensity score match. Postoperative outcomes were calculated using univariate statistics and multivariable logistic regression for the two groups. Predictors of mortality and morbidity were identified using machine learning in the form of decision trees.

RESULTS

Twenty-five thousand three hundred sixty three patients met our inclusion criteria. Following matching, each group contained 500 patients and was comparable for matched characteristics. Thirty-day mortality was similar between the groups (2.4% versus 2.6%; P = 0.839). Deep surgical site infection (0% versus 1.6%; P = 0.005), urinary tract infection (5% versus 2.5%; P = 0.029), and operative time (275.6 min versus 250 min; P = 0.0064) were significantly higher with resident participation. Resident participation was not predictive of mortality or complications, while age, American society of anesthesiologists class, and functional status were leading predictors of both.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite growing time constraints and pressure to perform, surgical resident participation remains safe. Residents should be given active roles in the operating room, even in the most challenging cases.

Big data: More than big data sets

The term big data has been popularized over the past decade and is often used to refer to data sets that are too large or complex to be analyzed by traditional means. Although the term has been utilized for some time in business and engineering, the concept of big data is relatively new to medicine. The reception from the medical community has been mixed; however, the widespread utilization of electronic health records in the United States, the creation of large clinical data sets and national registries that capture information on numerous vectors affecting healthcare delivery and patient outcomes, and the sequencing of the human genome are all opportunities to leverage big data. This review was inspired by a lively panel discussion on big data that took place at the 75th Central Surgical Association Annual Meeting. The authors' aim was to describe big data, the methodologies used to analyze big data, and their practical clinical application.

Predicting burn patient mortality with electronic medical records

BACKGROUND

Although there exists robust literature on mortality-associated factors in burn patients, it is not known how electronic medical records affect outcomes. Using burn injury as a surgical care model of information and communication, we hypothesized that functionality and interoperability of the electronic medical record could serve as determinants of outcome.

METHODS

We used the state inpatient databases for New York, Washington, California, and Florida for the years 2009 and 2010 for all states, with the additional years of 2012 and 2013 for New York (n = 6,002), and the respective data from the American Hospital Association Information Technology survey. Using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, codes, we included burn patients and characterized total body surface area burned. We summed the binary answers to questions 1 and 2 and question 3 from the American Hospital Association Information Technology survey to make continuous functionality and interoperability scores. Mortality was predicted using extreme gradient boosting in Python.

RESULTS

In each state in which our models had an accuracy and area under the curve of more than 0.90, electronic medical record functionality but not interoperability was a significant predictor in New York, California, and Florida. Important predictors in each state were, age, duration of stay, total body surface area burned/severity, and total charges. Electronic medical record functionality was more important than all comorbidities except for coagulopathies and electrolyte disorders. Higher functionality scores were associated with mortality (P < .01).

CONCLUSION

Our data support our hypothesis that electronic medical records may be associated with mortality in burn patients; however, electronic medical records are not having the intended impact on outcomes, and further research needs to elucidate exactly how electronic medical records are being used in clinical settings.

Racial and Ethnic Postoperative Outcomes After Surgery: The Hispanic Paradox

BACKGROUND

The Hispanic population in the United States have previously been shown to have, in some cases, better health outcomes than non-Hispanic whites (NHWs) despite having lower socioeconomic status and higher frequency of comorbidities. This epidemiologic finding is coined as the Hispanic Paradox (HP). Few studies have evaluated if the HP exists in surgical patients. Our study aimed to examine postoperative complications between Hispanic and NHW patients undergoing low- to high-risk procedures.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We conducted a retrospective cohort study analyzing adult patients who underwent high-, intermediate-, and low-risk procedures. The Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project California State Inpatient Database between 2006 and 2011 was used to identify the patient cohort. Candidate variables for the adjusted model were determined a priori and included patient demographics with the ethnic group as the exposure of interest.

RESULTS

The median age for Hispanics was 52 (SD 19.3) y, and 38.8% were male (n = 87,837). A higher proportion of Hispanics had Medicaid insurance (23.9% versus 3.8%) or were self-pay (14.2% versus 4.5%) compared with NHWs. In adjusted analysis, Hispanics had a higher odds risk for postoperative complications across all risk categories combined (OR 1.06, 95% CI 1.04-1.09). They also had an increased in-hospital (OR 1.38, 95% CI 1.14-1.30) and 30-d mortality in high-risk procedures (OR 1.34, 95% CI 1.19-1.51).

CONCLUSIONS

Hispanics undergoing low- to high-risk surgery have worse outcomes compared with NHWs. These results do not support the hypothesis of an HP in surgical outcomes.

Alcohol enhances symptoms and propensity for infection in inflammatory bowel disease patients and a murine model of DSS-induced colitis

Over 1.4 million Americans have been diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and ulcerative colitis (UC) makes up approximately half of those diagnoses. As a disease, UC cycles between periods of remission and flare, which is characterized by intense abdominal pain, increased weight loss, intestinal inflammation, rectal bleeding, and dehydration. Interestingly, a widespread recommendation to IBD patients for avoidance of a flare period is "Don't Drink Alcohol" as recent work correlated alcohol consumption with increased GI symptoms in patients with IBD. Alcohol alone not only induces a systemic pro-inflammatory response, but can also be directly harmful to gut barrier integrity. However, how alcohol could result in the exacerbation of UC in both patients and murine models of colitis has yet to be elucidated. Therefore, we conducted a retrospective analysis of patients admitted for IBD with a documented history of alcohol use in conjunction with a newly developed mouse model of binge alcohol consumption following dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis. We found that alcohol negatively impacts clinical outcomes of patients with IBD, specifically increased intestinal infections, antibiotic injections, abdomen CT scans, and large intestine biopsies. Furthermore, in our mouse model of binge alcohol consumption following an induced colitis flare, we found alcohol exacerbates weight loss, clinical scores, colonic shortening and inflammation, and propensity to infection. These findings highlight alcohol's ability to potentiate symptoms and susceptibility to infection in UC and suggest alcohol as an underlying factor in perpetuating symptoms of IBD.

Seeing the forest beyond the trees: Predicting survival in burn patients with machine learning

BACKGROUND

This study aims to identify predictors of survival for burn patients at the patient and hospital level using machine learning techniques.

METHODS

The HCUP SID for California, Florida and New York were used to identify patients admitted with a burn diagnosis and merged with hospital data from the AHA Annual Survey. Random forest and stochastic gradient boosting (SGB) were used to identify predictors of survival at the patient and hospital level from the top performing model.

RESULTS

We analyzed 31,350 patients from 670 hospitals. SGB (AUC 0.93) and random forest (AUC 0.82) best identified patient factors such as age and absence of renal failure (p < 0.001) and hospital factors such as full time residents (p < 0.001) and nurses (p = 0.004) to be associated with increased survival.

CONCLUSIONS

Patient and hospital factors are predictive of survival in burn patients. It is difficult to control patient factors, but hospital factors can inform decisions about where burn patients should be treated.

Carotid Body Tumor Resection: Just as Safe without Preoperative Embolization

BACKGROUND

Carotid body tumors (CBTs) are rare entities for which surgical resection remains the gold standard. Given their hypervascularity, preoperative embolization is often used; however, controversy exists over whether a benefit is associated. Proponents of embolization argue that it minimizes blood loss and complications. Critics argue that cost and stroke outweigh benefits. This study aimed to investigate the impact of embolization on outcomes following CBT resection.

METHODS

Patients undergoing CBT resection were identified using the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project State Inpatient Database for 5 states between 2006 and 2013. Patients were divided into 2 groups: carotid body tumor resection alone (CBTR) and carotid body tumor resection with preoperative arterial embolization (CBETR). Descriptive statistics were calculated using arithmetic means with standard deviations for continuous variables and proportions for categorical variables. Patients were propensity score matched on the basis of sex, age, race, insurance, and comorbidity prior to analysis. Risk-adjusted odds of mortality, stroke, nerve injury, blood loss, and length of stay (LOS) were calculated using mixed-effects regression models with fixed effects for age, race, sex, and comorbidities.

RESULTS

A total of 547 patients were identified. Of these, 472 patients underwent CBTR and 75 underwent CBETR. Mean age was 54.7 ± 16 years. Mean number of days between embolization and resection was 0.65 ± 0.72 days (range 0-3). When compared with CBTR, there were no significant differences in mortality for CBETR (1.35% vs. 0%, P = 0.316), cranial nerve injury (2.7% vs. 0%, P = 0.48), and blood loss (2.7% vs. 6.8%, P = 0.245). Following risk adjustment, CBETR increased the odds of prolonged LOS (odds ratio 5.3, 95% confidence interval 2.1-13.3).

CONCLUSIONS

CBT resection is a relatively rare procedure. The utility of preoperative tumor embolization has been questioned. This study demonstrates no benefit of preoperative tumor embolization.

Age at Time of Craniosynostosis Repair Predicts Increased Complication Rate

OBJECTIVE

This study uses administrative data to assess the optimal timing for surgical repair of craniosynostosis and to identify factors associated with risk of perioperative complications.

DESIGN

Statistical analysis of the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Kids' Inpatient Database (2006, 2009, 2012).

SETTING

KID-participating hospitals in 44 states.

PATIENTS

Children 0 to 3 years of age with ICD-9 codes for surgical correction of craniosynostosis (756 and 0124, 0125, 0201, 0203, 0204, or 0206).

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE

Age-based cohorts were assessed for perioperative complications. We performed a multivariable analysis to determine characteristics associated with increased risk of complications.

RESULTS

21 million admissions were screened and 8417 visits met criteria for inclusion. Seventy-five percent of procedures occurred before age 1. Complications occurred in 8.6% of patients: 6.6% of patients at age 0 to 6 months, 10.3% of patients aged 7 to 12 months, and 13.9% of patients 12 to 36 months. Patients with acrocephalosyndactyly or associated congenital anomalies experienced complications in 22.9% of cases (OR = 3.07, 95% CI = 2.33, 4.03).

CONCLUSION

Craniosynostosis repair is safe; however, the risk of complications increases with age at intervention. Presence of a syndromic congenital deformity at any age carries the greatest increased risk of perioperative complications. This suggests that optimal timing of intervention is within the first year of life, especially in those cases with additional factors increasing perioperative risk. These data support the importance of counseling patients of the increased risk associated with delaying craniosynostosis repair.

Considerations for sentinel lymph node biopsy in breast cancer patients with biopsy proven axillary disease prior to neoadjuvant treatment

BACKGROUND

Axillary disease can be downstaged with neoadjuvant treatment for breast cancer. We attempted to identify factors to consider in determining whether to perform a sentinel lymph node biopsy in patients with biopsy proven axillary metastases (cN+) prior to neoadjuvant treatment.

METHODS

A retrospective chart review was conducted on patients at a single tertiary care center who underwent neoadjuvant treatment followed by surgery between 9/2013 and 2/2017.

RESULTS

47% of patients with node positive disease prior to neoadjuvant treatment were downstaged to node negative (ypN0) disease. These patients were more likely to have triple negative or Her2 positive disease than those patients who remained node positive (ypN+) as these were more likely to have hormone receptor positive disease. These patients were also more likely to demonstrate complete clinical imaging response of the primary tumor and axilla on preoperative breast MRI.

CONCLUSIONS

Tumor biology and clinical response noted on breast MRI can help guide the decision to perform sentinel lymph node biopsy in patients with axillary node positive disease prior to neoadjuvant treatment.

Perioperative support, not volume, is necessary to optimize outcomes in surgical management of necrotizing enterocolitis

BACKGROUND

This study examines the relationship between hospital volume of surgical cases for necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) and patient outcomes.

METHODS

A retrospective cross-sectional review was performed using the HCUP SID for California from 2007 to 2011. Patients with NEC who underwent surgery were identified using ICD-9CM codes. Risk-adjusted models were constructed with mixed-effects logistic regression using patient and demographic covariates.

RESULTS

23 hospitals with 618 patients undergoing NEC-related surgical intervention were included. Overall mortality rate was 22.5%. There were no significant differences in the number of NICU beds (p = 0.135) or NICU intensivists (p = 0.469) between high and low volume hospitals. Following risk adjustment, no difference in mortality rate was observed between high and low volume hospitals respectively (24.0% vs. 20.3%, p = 0.555).

CONCLUSIONS

Our observation that neonates with NEC treated at low-volume centers have no increased risk of mortality may be explained by similar availability of NICU and intensivists resources across hospitals.

Abstract P1-10-04: Post-operative imaging after atypical ductal hyperplasia excision: The findings and costs

Introduction: With a reported incidence of 2-12% in breast biopsy specimens, the appropriate management of atypical ductal hyperplasia (ADH) remains in evolution. At present, the optimal screening guidelines for patients with high-risk breast lesions such as ADH remain unclear. Current practices often parallel the surveillance of cancer patients and include a 6 month interval mammogram prior to resuming annual screening, which may result in unnecessary procedures and financial costs. This interval mammogram is typically a diagnostic study, which is an additional cost to the patient and healthcare system. The purpose of this study was to identify interval pathology following initial surgical resection and review associated costs.

Methods: Following institutional review board approval, the pathology database from a single institution was queried for patients who underwent surgical excision for ‘atypical ductal hyperplasia’ from 2008 to 2013. Those who did not have follow-up data available were excluded. Subsequent clinical care was reviewed, including interval imaging and need for additional intervention. Based on a review of hospital charges from 2013, the average charge for a unilateral diagnostic mammogram (out-patient, digital) was $382.

Results: There were 55 patients who underwent an excisional biopsy that were diagnosed with ADH and had subsequent follow-up. The median age was 57 years (range 38-82 years), and the median breast cancer risk assessment score was 2.3% at 5 years (range 0.5-17.9%) and 12.5% lifetime risk (range 2.2-37.6%). Pathology included concurrent lobular carcinoma in situ (n=1), atypical lobular hyperplasia (n=3), flat epithelial atypia (n=14), and papillary lesions (n=19). In addition to a routine clinical breast exam, a short-term follow-up diagnostic (ipsilateral) mammogram was performed in 35 patients. Of the 35 interval mammograms obtained, 31 yielded benign findings on initial imaging, while 4 patients required additional imaging that ultimately resulted in benign findings. The overall hospital charges for the 35 short interval mammograms alone during this 6 year period were roughly $13,370. For the patients that resumed annual surveillance, 3 had abnormal mammograms requiring additional imaging, and no malignancies were identified in this subset of patients. To date, the median physician follow-up is 3 years, and 52 patients have undergone at least one mammogram since their initial imaging; all subsequent findings have been benign for all patients. When extrapolated to national data, cost savings to the healthcare system from eliminating short interval mammograms would exceed $12 million annually without compromising clinical outcomes.

Conclusions: Based on our findings, a 6 month follow-up mammogram is not recommended and incurs unnecessary costs to the patient and healthcare system. In the post-surgical breast, imaging may be misleading and result in additional procedures and significant charges that ultimately do not affect clinical outcomes. Although a clinical exam is still recommended at 6 months following surgical excision for a diagnosis of ADH, patients should forego short interval (6 month) imaging and resume annual mammogram surveillance.

Citation Format: Jennifer K Plichta, Adrienne N Cobb, Gerard J Abood, Constantine Godellas, Claudia B Perez. Post-operative imaging after atypical ductal hyperplasia excision: The findings and costs [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirty-Seventh Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2014 Dec 9-13; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(9 Suppl):Abstract nr P1-10-04.