18F-FDG Uptake by Metastatic Axillary Lymph Nodes on Pretreatment PET/CT as a Prognostic Factor for Recurrence in Patients with Invasive Ductal Breast Cancer

Context.—The appropriate staging of breast cancers includes an evaluation of tumor size and nodal status. Histologic grade in breast cancer, though important and assessed for all tumors, is not integrated within tumor staging. Objective.—To determine whether the histologic grade remains a prognostic factor for breast cancer regardless of tumor size and the number of involved axillary lymph nodes. Design.—By using a new clustering algorithm, the 10-year survival for every combination of T, N, and the histologic grade was determined for cases of breast cancer obtained from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program of the National Cancer Institute. There were 36 combinations of TN, defined according to the American Joint Committee on Cancer, and grade. Results.—For each combination of T and N, a categorical increase in the histologic grade was associated with a progressive decrease in 10-year survival regardless of the number of involved axillary lymph nodes or size of the primary tumor. Absolute survival differences between high and low grade persisted despite larger tumor sizes and greater nodal involvement, though trends were apparent with increasing breast cancer stage. Statistical significance depended on the number of cases for each combination. Conclusions.—Histologic grade continues to be of prognostic importance for overall survival despite tumor size and nodal status. Furthermore, these results seem to indicate that the assignment of the histologic grade has been consistent among pathologists when evaluated in a large data set of patients with breast cancer. The incorporation of histologic grade in TNM staging for breast cancer provides important prognostic information.

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Preoperative Staging of Large Primary Breast Cancer With [18F]Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography Compared With Conventional Imaging Procedures

Journal of Clinical Oncology ◽

10.1200/jco.2008.17.1496 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 26 (29) ◽

pp. 4746-4751 ◽

Cited By ~ 175

Author(s):

David Fuster ◽

Joan Duch ◽

Pilar Paredes ◽

Martín Velasco ◽

Montserrat Muñoz ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Lymph Node ◽

Lymph Nodes ◽

Sensitivity And Specificity ◽

Primary Breast Cancer ◽

Distant Metastases ◽

Axillary Lymph Nodes ◽

Axillary Lymph ◽

Pet Ct ◽

Large Primary

Purpose To evaluate the utility of positron emission tomography (PET) and [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose in the initial staging of large primary breast tumors. Patients and Methods This prospective study was approved by the ethics committee, and all patients gave their informed consent before enrollment. Sixty consecutive patients with large (> 3 cm) primary breast cancer diagnosed by clinical examination and breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were entered onto the study. The mean age was 57 ± 13 years. Chest computed tomography (CT), liver ultrasonography, bone scan, and PET/CT were performed in all patients. All findings were histologically confirmed, and/or at least 1 year of follow-up was required. Correlation between parameters was calculated using Pearson's correlation coefficient. P < .05 was considered statistically significant. Results Primary tumor was identified by both PET/CT and MRI in all patients. Multifocal and/or multicentric tumors were found in 19 patients by MRI. Axillary lymph node metastases were found in 20 of 52 patients. Extra-axillary metastatic lymph nodes were also found in three patients. One patient showed an infiltrated lymph node in the contralateral axilla. The sensitivity and specificity for PET/CT to detect axillary lymph nodes metastases were 70% and 100%, respectively. PET/CT diagnosed all extra-axillary lymph nodes. The overall sensitivity and specificity of PET/CT in detecting distant metastases were 100% and 98%, respectively; whereas the sensitivity and specificity of conventional imaging were 60% and 83%, respectively. PET led to a change in the initial staging in 42% of patients. Conclusion PET/CT underestimates locoregional lymph node staging in large primary breast cancer patients. PET/CT is a valuable tool to discard unsuspected extra-axillary lymph nodes and distant metastases.

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Positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) as a biomarker of pathologic response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast carcinoma.

Journal of Clinical Oncology ◽

10.1200/jco.2012.30.15_suppl.e21147 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 30 (15_suppl) ◽

pp. e21147-e21147

Author(s):

Catherine M. Kelly ◽

Clare Smith ◽

Susan Conlon ◽

Reem Salman ◽

John McCaffrey ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Breast Carcinoma ◽

Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy ◽

Lymph Nodes ◽

Breast Cancer Subtype ◽

Standardized Uptake Value ◽

Predictive Biomarkers ◽

Axillary Lymph Nodes ◽

Axillary Lymph ◽

Pet Ct

e21147 Background: Pathological complete response (pCR) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) in breast carcinoma is prognostic. Predictive biomarkers for pCR include early response to NAC, estrogen receptor (ER) negativity, HER2 positivity, and high Ki67. We assessed whether absence of fluoro-deoxy glucose (FDG) uptake measured by standardized uptake value (SUV) after NAC would predict pCR. Methods: We identified 23 patients (pts) who had PET/CT scanning pre and post NAC. We examined breast cancer subtype, chemotherapy (CT) regimen, number of cycles of CT given, clinical and pathological staging data and changes in SUV in the breasts and lymph nodes pre and post NAC. pCR was defined as no residual cancer in the breast or axillary lymph nodes. Results: Median age at diagnosis was 46 years (IQR; 37 to 56). Median tumor size at diagnosis was 30mm (IQR; 25 to 43) and 19 pts (83%) had node positive breast cancer. Most tumors were ductal (n=22) with 1 lobular cancer. Preoperatively 95% received all CT. All HER2+ pts received Trastuzumab. Anthracycline/taxane based regimens were most frequently given in 22 cases, 1 received lapatinib/trastuzumab. Five tumors (21.7%) were ER+/HER2+; 14 (60.9%) ER+/HER2-; 2 (8.7%) ER-/HER2+ and 2 (8.7%) were ER-/HER2-. All tumors were high (n=9, 39.1%) or intermediate grade (n=14, 61%). SUV was significantly lower post NAC (p=0.035). We observed no SUV uptake in breast or lymph nodes in 15 cases (65.2%) post NAC, these corresponded to; ER+HER2+ 4/5 (80%); ER+HER2- 7/15 (46.7%); ER-HER2- 2/2(100%), ER-HER2+ 2/2(100%). Absent SUV uptake post NAC was associated with a pCR (breast and lymph nodes) in 5/15 (33%) of pts (ER+HER2+ n=1, ER+HER2- n=1, ER-HER2- n=2, ER-HER2+ n=1). Ten of 15 tumors (67%) had no SUV uptake in the breast post NAC and 7 (47%) were associated with a pCR. There was a trend toward increased odds of pCR with no SUV uptake post NAC (OR 2.76; 95% CI 0.85 to 8.94: P= 0.09). Overall rate of pCR was 21.7% (n=5). Conclusions: A non-statistically significant trend toward increased odds of pCR with no SUV uptake post NAC was observed. Larger subtype-specific breast cancer cohorts will be required to determine the value of PET/CT as a predictive biomarker for pCR.

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