scholarly journals Nodal micrometastases in early stage breast cancer: two case reports

2009 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Reeder ◽  
S. Puhalla ◽  
V. Vogel

AbstractThe most important predictor of outcome for women with early stage breast cancer is the presence or absence of metastases in the axillary lymph nodes. In the era of sentinel lymph node biopsies and improved pathology techniques, micrometastatic disease can be diagnosed. The question of whether or not to treat these women as if they have nodal disease remains in doubt. In order to further explore this topic, we identified two cases of women with nodal micrometastases at our institution. A literature review of PUBMED and SABCS abstracts was then performed. In this article, we discuss our results and the emerging clinical debate about the management of nodal micrometastases.

2005 ◽  
Vol 23 (30) ◽  
pp. 7703-7720 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary H. Lyman ◽  
Armando E. Giuliano ◽  
Mark R. Somerfield ◽  
Al B. Benson ◽  
Diane C. Bodurka ◽  
...  

Purpose To develop a guideline for the use of sentinel node biopsy (SNB) in early stage breast cancer. Methods An American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Expert Panel conducted a systematic review of the literature available through February 2004 on the use of SNB in early-stage breast cancer. The panel developed a guideline for clinicians and patients regarding the appropriate use of a sentinel lymph node identification and sampling procedure from hereon referred to as SNB. The guideline was reviewed by selected experts in the field and the ASCO Health Services Committee and was approved by the ASCO Board of Directors. Results The literature review identified one published prospective randomized controlled trial in which SNB was compared with axillary lymph node dissection (ALND), four limited meta-analyses, and 69 published single-institution and multicenter trials in which the test performance of SNB was evaluated with respect to the results of ALND (completion axillary dissection). There are currently no data on the effect of SLN biopsy on long-term survival of patients with breast cancer. However, a review of the available evidence demonstrates that, when performed by experienced clinicians, SNB appears to be a safe and acceptably accurate method for identifying early-stage breast cancer without involvement of the axillary lymph nodes. Conclusion SNB is an appropriate initial alternative to routine staging ALND for patients with early-stage breast cancer with clinically negative axillary nodes. Completion ALND remains standard treatment for patients with axillary metastases identified on SNB. Appropriately identified patients with negative results of SNB, when done under the direction of an experienced surgeon, need not have completion ALND. Isolated cancer cells detected by pathologic examination of the SLN with use of specialized techniques are currently of unknown clinical significance. Although such specialized techniques are often used, they are not a required part of SLN evaluation for breast cancer at this time. Data suggest that SNB is associated with less morbidity than ALND, but the comparative effects of these two approaches on tumor recurrence or patient survival are unknown.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xi’E Hu ◽  
Jingyi Xue ◽  
Shujia Peng ◽  
Ping Yang ◽  
Zhenyu Yang ◽  
...  

BackgroundSentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy is feasible for breast cancer (BC) patients with clinically negative axillary lymph nodes; however, complications develop in some patients after surgery, although SLN metastasis is rarely found. Previous predictive models contained parameters that relied on postoperative data, thus limiting their application in the preoperative setting. Therefore, it is necessary to find a new model for preoperative risk prediction for SLN metastasis to help clinicians facilitate individualized clinical decisions.Materials and MethodsBC patients who underwent SLN biopsy in two different institutions were included in the training and validation cohorts. Demographic characteristics, preoperative tumor pathological features, and ultrasound findings were evaluated. Multivariate logistic regression was used to develop the nomogram. The discrimination, accuracy, and clinical usefulness of the nomogram were assessed using Harrell’s C-statistic and ROC analysis, the calibration curve, and the decision curve analysis, respectively.ResultsA total of 624 patients who met the inclusion criteria were enrolled, including 444 in the training cohort and 180 in the validation cohort. Young age, high BMI, high Ki67, large tumor size, indistinct tumor margins, calcifications, and an aspect ratio ≥1 were independent predictive factors for SLN metastasis of BC. Incorporating these parameters, the nomogram achieved a robust predictive performance with a C-index and accuracy of 0.92 and 0.85, and 0.82 and 0.80 in the training and validation cohorts, respectively. The calibration curves also fit well, and the decision curve analysis revealed that the nomogram was clinically useful.ConclusionsWe established a nomogram to preoperatively predict the risk of SLN metastasis in BC patients, providing a non-invasive approach in clinical practice and serving as a potential tool to identify BC patients who may omit unnecessary SLN biopsy.


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