Abstract P2-12-09: Long-term follow-up of nipple-sparing mastectomy for early-stage breast cancer without radiotherapy: A single-center study at a Japanese institution

Introduction: Achievement of a good cosmetic outcome is one of the most important goals of surgical treatment of breast cancer. However, most patients must undergo a mastectomy if the outcome of breast-conserving surgery is discordant. All potential techniques that maintain oncological safety should be considered to maximize the cosmetic outcome for patients who require a mastectomy. We began performing nipple-sparing mastectomy (NSM) in 1978. Recent reports have suggested that NSM is oncologically as safe as mastectomy and affords a better cosmetic outcome. Conversely, the surgical complications and recurrence associated with NSM remain controversial.

Objective: In the present study, we review the safety of the NSM surgical technique, discuss nipple–areola recurrence and skin flap recurrence after NSM, and compare recurrence and prognosis between NSM and mastectomy based on our long-term follow-up data.

Patients and Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 723 patients with early-stage breast cancer who underwent NSM from 1985 to 2007. The patients' median age, tumor size, and tumor–areola distance were 50 y, 2.1 cm, and 1.5 cm, respectively. We used a thick skin flap method to avoid surgical complications including nipple and skin flap necrosis. We analyzed nipple–areola recurrence and skin flap recurrence after NSM. We also analyzed 100 patients who underwent mastectomy for early-stage breast cancer during the same period as those who underwent NSM. We compared the local recurrence rate (LRR), disease-free survival (DFS) rate, and overall survival (OS) rate among all 723 patients who underwent NSM and 100 patients who underwent mastectomy. No patients in either group received radiotherapy.

Results: Among all patients who underwent NSM, stage 0, 1, 2A, and 2B disease was present in 21, 320, 253, and 129 patients, respectively. Notably, no nipple necrosis occurred during the average 114-month follow-up period. Local recurrence developed in 49 patients (6.7%), including recurrence at the nipple–areola complex in 24 (3.3%) and recurrence at the skin flap in 25 (3.4%). The average disease-free interval in patients with nipple–areola recurrence was 50 months, and that in patients with skin flap recurrence was 68 months. The clinical features of nipple–areola recurrence were a low rate of ER positivity (27%), high rate of Her2/neu positivity (60%), Paget type recurrence rate of 52%, and small tumor–areola distance (0.5 cm). The clinical features of skin flap recurrence were a relatively high rate of ER positivity (55%), solitary type recurrence rate of 88%, and diffuse type recurrence rate of 12%. The prognosis of diffuse type skin flap recurrence was significantly worse than that of solitary type recurrence (p = 0.01). There were no significant differences between the NSM and mastectomy groups in the LLR (6.7% vs. 4.0%, respectively), 10-y DFS rate (88% vs. 90%, respectively), or 10-y OS rate (92% vs. 91%, respectively).

Conclusion: Our long-term follow-up data show that NSM should be considered as an alternative option for mastectomy when the outcome of breast-conserving surgery is discordant in patients with early-stage breast cancer.

Citation Format: Sakurai T, Suzuma T, Yoshimura G, Jinta E, Umemura T, Sakurai T. Long-term follow-up of nipple-sparing mastectomy for early-stage breast cancer without radiotherapy: A single-center study at a Japanese institution. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirty-Eighth Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2015 Dec 8-12; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P2-12-09.

P2-15-03: Nipple-Sparing Mastectomy for Breast Cancer in Japanese Experience: An Assessment from Long Follow-Up Data of Complication and Cancer Control in 806 Patients

[Introduction] Mastectomy has been conducted in general for cases in which breast conservation is inapplicable. Since Nipple-sparing Mastectomy (NSM) conserves nipple-areola, it is not only more advantageous in an aspect that nipple-areola reconstruction isn't required in case of breast reconstruction compared with mastectomy but also significantly meaningful because the sensation of nipple-areola is preserved in about 70% cases by skin flap preparation based on thick flap method we have adopted. On the other hand, NSM is controversial relating to complication of surgery and recurrence as well.

[Objective] We've made (1) review of safety in NSM surgical technique, (2) discussion over recurrence and prognosis comparing with those in mastectomy, and (3) consideration of performance in immediate reconstructions.

[Result] (1) Of all cases of NSM, the number of cases in stage 0, 1, 2A, 2B, 3 and 4 was 21, 305, 239, 123, 112 and 6 respectively. During 104 months of follow-up period in average, total of seven complication cases (0.9%) were observed, including two flap necrosis cases and five postoperative bleeding cases, but no nipple necrosis case was recorded. Although nipple-areola recurrence rate (%) in stage 0, 1, 2A, 2B and 3A was 0, 2.9, 4.6, 2.4 and 5.3 respectively, prognosis of nipple-areola recurrence cases was good showing no difference between stages (OS: 60M; 93%, 100M; 84%). Skin flap recurrence rate (%) in stage 0, 1, 2A, 2B and 3 was 0, 3.2, 3.3, 4.0 and 14.2 respectively, and prognosis of skin flap recurrence cases was significantly worse in stage 2B and 3 compared with that in stage 1 and 2A (p < 0.001).

(2) We analyzed local recurrence rate, recurrent free survival and overall survival between 806 of NSM cases and 200 of mastectomy cases which had been performed during the same period, and the result showed no significant difference in those rates between NSM and mastectomy cases.

(3) Infectious complication was observed in one out of 18 immediate reconstruction cases using free dermal fat graft. Among 124 immediate reconstruction cases using implant, complications were observed in five postoperative bleeding.

[Conclusion] NSM was excellent in cosmetic aspect showing equivalent results in local recurrence rate and prognosis compared with those in mastectomy cases. Besides, patient's satisfaction was also higher in those who had had NSM alone without reconstruction. Our long term follow-up data shows that NSM may be considered as an alternative option for mastectomy in cases in which breast-conserving surgery is inapplicable in breast cancer patients.

Citation Information: Cancer Res 2011;71(24 Suppl):Abstract nr P2-15-03.

Can nipple-areola-sparing mastectomy be an alternative to mastectomy? Over 10 years of follow up at a Japanese institution

Abstract #22

Introduction: Cosmetic outcome is one of the most important aspects of surgical treatment of breast cancer. Therefore, to maximize the cosmetic outcome for patients who require a mastectomy, what can be done from an oncologically safe perspective must be considered. Recent reports have suggested that nipple-areola-sparing mastectomy (NSM) is oncologically as safe as a classical mastectomy (MT) and provides a better cosmetic outcome than MT. However, little is known about the long-term outcome of NSM.
 Aim: To determine the oncological and technical outcomes of NSM compared with MT using long term follow-up data.
 Patients and Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 788 patients, median age 51 years, with primary breast cancer who underwent NSM from 1985 to 2004. The indication of NSM in this study was defined as being for any stage, any tumor size and any tumor-areola distance. Briefly, NAC was preserved when palpation and the outlook of the nipple was normal. Median tumor size and tumor-areola distance were 2.5cm (0-10.0) and 1.8cm (0-9.0), respectively. Our surgical notes for NSM were; (1) a thin flap (approximately 5 mm thick subcutaneous adipose tissue) was placed close to the tumor, and a thick flap (more than 1cm thick subcutaneous adipose tissue) was created more than 2cm away from the tumor to conserve breast volume using subcutaneous fat, and (2) tissue under the NAC was left at 5 mm in thickness, but the major ducts were removed from within its lumen. Eighty-one patients (10%) underwent immediate breast reconstruction (IBR) using implants. We also analyzed 144 patients with breast cancer who underwent MT in the same period as those who underwent NSM. No patient received radiotherapy. We compared the local recurrence rate (LRR), disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) between 788 NSM and 144 MT cases.
 Results: Median follow-up of NSM and MT was 92 (10-252) and 87 (0-231) months, respectively. To our surprise, no complications of NSM including nipple and areola necrosis were recorded (0/788). For NSM, there were 70 patients (8.9%) with local recurrence, including 23 (2.9%) at the nipple, 4 (0.5%) at the areola, 4 (0.5%) at both nipple and areola, and 39 at the skin flap (4.9%). This suggested that the rate of NAC relapse was quite low. There were no significant differences in LLR between NSM and MT, (10y, 8.9% vs. 7.6%, p=0.62), DFS (10y, 83% vs. 83%, p=0.34) and OS (10y, 88% vs. 86%, p=0.34), respectively. Cosmetic outcome of NSM was better than that of MT in the majority of patients.
 Conclusion: These results suggested that NSM provides a good cosmetic outcome and is as safe oncologically as MT. Our long term follow-up data shows that NSM is a possible alternative to mastectomy.

Citation Information: Cancer Res 2009;69(2 Suppl):Abstract nr 22.