Does Breast Cancer Subtype Impact Margin Status in Patients Undergoing Partial Mastectomy?

Background Molecular subtype in invasive breast cancer guides systemic therapy. It is unknown whether molecular subtype should also be considered to tailor surgical therapy. The present investigation was designed to evaluate whether breast cancer subtype impacted surgical margins in patients with invasive breast cancer stage I through III undergoing breast-conserving therapy. Methods Data from 2 randomized trials evaluating cavity shave margins (CSM) on margin status in patients undergoing partial mastectomy (PM) were used for this analysis. Patients were included if invasive carcinoma was present in the PM specimen and data for all 3 receptors (ER, PR, and HER2) were known. Patients were classified as luminal if they were ER and/or PR positive; HER2 enriched if they were ER and PR negative but HER2 positive; and TN if they were negative for all 3 receptors. The impact of subtype on the margin status was evaluated at completion of standard PM, prior to randomization to CSM versus no CSM. Non-parametric statistical analyses were performed using SPSS Version 26. Results Molecular subtype was significantly correlated with race ( P = .011), palpability ( P = .007), and grade ( P < .001). Subtype did not correlate with Hispanic ethnicity ( P = .760) or lymphovascular invasion ( P = .756). In this cohort, the overall positive margin rate was 33.7%. This did not vary based on molecular subtype (positive margin rate 33.7% for patients with luminal tumors vs 36.4% for those with TN tumors, P = .425). Discussion Molecular subtype does not predict margin status. Therefore, molecular subtype should not, independent of other factors, influence surgical decision-making.

Intraoperative Near-Infrared Fluorescence Guided Surgery Using Indocyanine Green (ICG) for the Resection of Sarcomas May Reduce the Positive Margin Rate: An Extended Case Series

Background: Sarcomas are rare, aggressive cancers which can occur in any region of the body. Surgery is usually the cornerstone of curative treatment, with negative surgical margins associated with decreased local recurrence and improved overall survival. Indocyanine green (ICG) is a fluorescent dye which accumulates in sarcoma tissue and can be imaged intraoperatively using handheld near-infrared (NIR) cameras, theoretically helping guide the surgeon’s resection margins. Methods: Patients operated on between 20 February 2019 and 20 October 2021 for intermediate to high grade sarcomas at our centres received either conventional surgery, or were administered ICG pre-operatively followed by intra-operative NIR fluorescence guidance during the procedure. Differences between the unexpected positive margin rates were compared. Results: 115 suitable patients were identified, of which 39 received ICG + NIR fluorescence guided surgery, and 76 received conventional surgery. Of the patients given ICG, 37/39 tumours fluoresced, and surgeons felt the procedure was guided by the intra-operative images in 11 cases. Patients receiving ICG had a lower unexpected positive margin rate (5.1% vs. 25.0%, p = 0.01). Conclusions: The use of NIR fluorescence cameras in combination with ICG may reduce the unexpected positive margin rate for high grade sarcomas. A prospective, multi-centre randomised control trial is now needed to validate these results.

Esophagectomies for Malignancy Among General and Thoracic Surgeons: A Propensity Score Matched National Surgical Quality Improvement Program Analysis Stratified by Surgical Approach

Previous studies of esophagectomy outcomes by surgical specialty do not address malignancy or surgical approach. We sought to evaluate these cases using a national database. The National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP)–targeted esophagectomy data set was queried for esophagectomies for malignancy and grouped by surgeon specialty: thoracic surgery (TS) or general surgery (GS). 1:1 propensity score matching was performed. Associations of surgical specialty with outcomes of interest (30-day mortality, anastomotic leak, Clavien-Dindo grade ≥ 3, and positive margin rate) were assessed overall and in surgical approach subsets. 1463 patients met inclusion criteria (512 GS and 951 TS). Propensity score matching yielded matched groups of 512, with similar demographics, preoperative stage, and neoadjuvant therapy rates. All outcomes of interest were similar between TS and GS groups, both overall and when stratified by surgical approach. Esophagectomy for malignancy has a similar perioperative safety profile and positive margin rate among general and thoracic surgeons, regardless of surgical approach.

Esophagectomies for malignancy among general and thoracic surgeons: A propensity score-matched NSQIP analysis stratified by surgical approach.

166 Background: Training of general and thoracic surgeons continues to diverge, especially with the increasing role for minimally invasive surgical (MIS) approaches. Previous studies of esophagectomy outcomes by specialty do not adequately address malignancy or surgical approach. We sought to evaluate perioperative outcomes of esophagectomy for malignancy stratified by surgical specialty and approach using a national database. Methods: The National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) Targeted Esophagectomy Dataset was queried for esophagectomies for malignancy and grouped by surgeon specialty: thoracic surgery (TS) or general surgery (GS). Those with missing data were excluded (n = 6). To account for confounding due to specialty selection bias, we performed propensity score matching (PSM) by age, body mass index, ethnicity, American Society of Anesthesiologists class ³ 3, and surgical approach in a 1:1 ratio. An absolute standardized difference of ≤ 0.1 was considered an appropriate balance. The primary outcome was mortality and secondary outcomes were anastomotic leak, Clavien-Dindo grade ≥ 3 and positive margin rate. Univariate logistic regression analysis was performed for these outcomes on the matched cohort, with stratification by surgical approach (open vs. MIS). Results: A total of 1463 patients met inclusion criteria (512 GS, 951 TS). After PSM each group was comprised of 512 patients with similar demographics, neoadjuvant chemotherapy and radiation rates, and preoperative stage. The TS group consisted of 169 (33.0%) open and 343 (67.0%) MIS cases, while the GS group consisted of 177 (34.6%) open and 335 (65.4%) MIS cases. Postoperative complications, including surgical site infection, pneumonia, pulmonary embolism, stroke, and myocardial infarction were similar between matched groups, and remained similar when stratified by surgical approach. Mortality rates were similar between the TS and GS groups, both overall (14 (2.7%) vs. 10 (2.0%)) and when stratified by surgical approach (MIS: 11 (3.2%) vs. 10 (3.0%), open: 3 (1.8%) vs. 0 (0%)). By univariate analysis of the matched cohort stratified by surgical approach, TS patients had similar odds as GS patients of anastomotic leak (open: adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 1.11, 95% confidence interval (95%CI) = 0.58 – 2.15, p = 0.75; MIS: AOR = 0.70, 95%CI = 0.47 – 1.04, p = 0.08), Clavien-Dindo grade ≥ 3 (open: AOR = 1.27, 95%CI = 0.79 – 2.06, p = 0.32; MIS: AOR = 1.01, 95%CI = 0.73 – 1.39, p = 0.97), positive surgical margins (open: AOR = 0.75, 95%CI = 0.33 – 1.68, p = 0.49; MIS: AOR = 0.62, 95%CI = 0.35 – 1.07, p = 0.09), and mortality (open: unable to be calculated due to 0 deaths in the GS group; MIS: AOR = 1.08, 95%CI = 0.45 – 2.62, p = 0.87). Conclusions: Esophagectomy for malignancy had a similar perioperative safety profile and positive margin rate among general and thoracic surgeons, regardless of surgical approach.

Can Radiologic Tumor Size Following Neoadjuvant Therapy Reliably Guide Tissue Resection in Breast Conserving Surgery in Patients with Invasive Breast Cancer?

Optimum tissue resection volume for patients with invasive breast cancer undergoing breast conserving surgery following neoadjuvant therapy (NAT) is not known. We compared positive margin and in-breast tumor recurrence (IBTR) between 2 groups that were created based on radiologic tumor size (RTS (cm3)) at diagnosis, RTS post-NAT, and volume of tissue resected (VTL): Pre-NAT group, patients with VTL closer to RTS at diagnosis, and post-NAT group, patients with VTL closer to post-NAT RTS. 82 patients with 84 breast cancers treated with NAT between 2007 and 2017 who had pre- and post-NAT imaging were identified from a prospectively maintained database. RTS at diagnosis, RTS post-NAT, and VTL were determined. Clinical and treatment characteristics, IBTR, and disease-free survival (DFS) were compared between pre-NAT (n = 51) and post-NAT (n = 33) groups. Compared to post-NAT patients, pre-NAT patients had smaller RTS at presentation (9.2 vs. 33.5 cm3, P < .001) and post-NAT (1.2 vs. 8.2 cm3, P = .024). At median follow-up of 4 years, there were no differences between groups in pathologic tumor size, positive margin rate, adjuvant therapy, IBTR, or DFS. Resection volumes that matched RTS on post-NAT imaging were not associated with increased positive margins or IBTR. It may be appropriate to use post-NAT imaging to guide lumpectomy volume.

Frozen section analysis for organ-conserving surgery in penile cancer: Assessing oncological outcomes and trends of local recurrence

Introduction and objectives: The local recurrence rate of penile cancer following surgical excision is reported in many series to be between 6 and 29%. Intra-operative frozen section (FS) is a useful tool to ensure safe microscopic margins in organ-sparing procedures in penile cancer. In this series, we assessed the rates of positive margins and patterns of local recurrence in a multicentre cohort of patients undergoing penile-preserving surgery assisted by intra-operative FS analysis. Materials and methods: We reviewed all those patients for whom intra-operative FS was employed during penile-preserving surgery in three tertiary referral centres between 2003 and 2016. We assessed whether the use of FS altered the surgical technique and what affect it had on positive margins and recurrence rates. Results: A total of 169 patients were identified. Of these, intra-operative FS examination of the surgical margin was positive in 21 (12%) cases. Final histological examination confirmed cancer-free margins in all but one patient (99.4%). Overall, 9 patients developed local recurrence (5.3%). Conclusions: In this series, intra-operative FS contributed to a very low rate (5.3%) of local recurrence. We noted an extremely low positive margin rate (0.6%) which highlights the benefit of incorporating FS analysis into organ-preserving surgery for penile cancer. Level of evidence: Not applicable for this multicentre audit.

Margins in Laryngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Treated with Transoral Laser Microsurgery: A National Database Study

Objectives To determine national positive margin rates in transoral laser microsurgery, to compare patients with positive and negative margins, and to identify factors associated with positive margins. Study Design Retrospective review of the National Cancer Database. Setting Population based. Subjects/Methods Patients included those with TIS-T3 laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (2004-2014). Univariable and multivariable logistic regression were used to identify predictors. Results A total of 1959 patients met inclusion criteria. The national positive margin rate was 22.3%. Sixty-five percent of patients had T1 disease; 94.3% were N-negative; and 74.0% had glottic tumors. Fifty-eight percent of patients were treated at academic centers, and 60.6% were treated at facilities performing <2 cases per year. On multivariable analysis, factors associated with margin status included facility volume (odds ratio [95% CI]; in cases per year: 0.93 [0.89-0.97], P = .001), academic status (vs nonacademic; academic: 0.70 [0.54-0.90], P = .008), T-stage (vs T1; T2: 2.74 [2.05-3.65], T3: 5.53 [3.55-8.63], TIS: 0.59 [0.38-0.92], P < .001), and N-stage (vs N0; N1: 3.42 [1.79-6.54], N2: 2.01 [1.09-3.69], P < .001). Tumor subsite was not associated with margin status. Conclusion The national positive margin rate for laryngeal laser surgery is 22%, which is concerning given the equivalent survival benefit offered by surgery and primary radiation and the increased likelihood of bimodal therapy in the situation of positive margins. Cases treated at nonacademic centers and those with lower caseloads had a higher likelihood of positive margins. There was a linear association between T-stage and likelihood of positive margins, with T3 tumors being 5 times as likely as T1 to yield positive margins. This study highlights the importance of proper patient selection for transoral laser microsurgery resections.

Positive Surgical Margins in Submandibular Malignancies: Facility and Practice Variation

Objectives Identify positive margin rate in a national cohort of patients with submandibular carcinoma, identify predictors of positive margins, and associate margins with overall survival. Study Design Retrospective cohort. Setting Commission on Cancer–accredited hospitals. Subjects and Methods We included patients in the National Cancer Database from 2004 to 2014 who were diagnosed with submandibular carcinoma and underwent primary surgical resection. We determined the rate of positive surgical margins and associated patient, tumor, and treatment factors with positive margins via univariable and multivariable logistic regression analysis. We associated margin status with overall survival by Kaplan-Meier curve and Cox proportional hazards regression. Results We identified 1150 patients with submandibular malignancy undergoing surgical resection. Positive margin rate was 41.0%. Increased odds of positive margins were seen in patients with advanced T stage (vs T1, T3: odds ratio [OR] = 3.04, P < .001; T4a: OR = 2.89, P < .001), adenoid cystic carcinoma histology (OR = 1.54, P = .020), and those treated at nonacademic facilities (OR = 1.41, P = .008). Patients who underwent a preoperative diagnostic biopsy had decreased odds of positive margins (OR = 0.72, P = .014). Positive margins were associated with reduced overall survival (58% vs 69% 5-year overall survival, P < .001; hazard ratio = 1.49, P = .001) when controlling for patient, tumor, and management factors. Conclusions The national positive margin rate of submandibular carcinoma is 41.0%. Preoperative biopsy and treatment at academic institutions independently decreased the risk of positive margins, and positive margins were independently associated with diminished overall survival. Positive margin rate for submandibular carcinoma may be considered a benchmark for quality of care.