Octavi Córdoba

Can we predict local recurrence in breast conserving surgery after neoadjuvant chemotherapy

BACKGROUND One of the benefits of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) is its ability to convert patients ineligible for breast conservative treatment (BCT) to be candidates for this treatment, although questions have been raised regarding the effectiveness of BCT in terms of loco-regional recurrence (LRR). The objective of this study is to evaluate LRR in this group and the influence of tumor characteristics in recurrence. MATERIAL AND METHODS Between 1996 and 2007, 137 patients were treated with BCT after NAC at our Service. After completion of NAC a multidisciplinary team evaluated the cases eligible for BCT. All patients treated with BCT had negative margins and received radiation therapy. Risk factors associated with local recurrence were analyzed using Kaplan-Meier survival curves and long-rang test. RESULTS Information was obtained in 121 patients. Median age was 54 years old (SD: 12 years). At a median follow-up of 35 months (range, 18-87 months), 6 (4.95%) patients developed an LRR, with an accumulative incidence at 5 years of 7.3% (95% CI: 0.4-14.1%) and at 10 years of 11.5% (95% CI: 2.8-20.1%). Overall survival at 5 and 10 years was 94.8% (95% CI: 90.9-98.6%) and 82.3% (95% CI: 67.3-97.2%) respectively. Tumor size (T3) (p < 0.001) and pathological stage (Stage III) (p = 0.001) after surgery were strongly associated with LRR. CONCLUSIONS The results of this study confirm that BCT is an effective treatment in patients with NAC. Tumor size and pathological stage after systemic treatment influence loco-regional recurrence in patients with BCT.

Electrothermal bipolar vessel sealing system in axillary dissection: A prospective randomized clinical study

We assessed whether axillary dissection using the electrothermal bipolar vessel sealing system (LigaSure) improved perioperative outcome when compared with conventional axillary dissection, in a prospective randomized study of 100 women with breast cancer. Those needing axillary dissection were randomized to the use of LigaSure or to conventional axillary dissection (with 50 patients in each group, all of whom had a closed suction drain in the axilla). The LigaSure patients had less intraoperative blood loss (exceeding 199 mL in 30.8% vs. 69.2%, P < 0.001), quicker axillary dissection (mean 48 vs. 63.2 min, P = 0.004), fewer days of suction drainage (4.3 vs. 5.7 days, P = 0.012), and shorter hospitalization (5.1 vs. 6.5 days, P = 0.021). No difference was found in the rate of hematomas, reoperations or infection. The use of LigaSure in axillary surgery reduced the surgical time and length of hospital stay, favoring early drain removal without increasing postoperative complications.

Extensive nodal involvement increases the positivity of blue nodes in the axillary reverse mapping procedure in patients with breast cancer.

The axillary reverse mapping (ARM) technique has been proposed to prevent arm lymphedema. We conducted this study to assess the feasibility of the technique and the outcomes of patients with neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC).

Multidisciplinary approach to breast cancer diagnosed during pregnancy: maternal and neonatal outcomes.

AIM We assessed maternal and neonatal outcome in women diagnosed with breast cancer during pregnancy. PATIENTS AND METHODS Retrospective single-centre cohort study of 25 consecutive pregnant women (mean age 36 years) diagnosed and treated for breast cancer between 2000 and 2011. Management was individualized according to type of tumor and time of gestation at diagnosis. RESULTS Twelve patients were diagnosed during the second trimester. BI-RADS category <3 mammographic lesions were diagnosed in 7 patients. A suspicious area was detected by ultrasound in 20 of 21 women who underwent ultrasound studies. Nineteen patients had positive hormone receptors and 7 sobreexpressed HER2. One patient was in stage 0, 8 in stage I, 8 in stage II, 3 in stage III and 5 in stage IV. Four patients decided voluntarily to legally terminate their pregnancies, one had a spontaneous miscarriage and in three patients, pregnancy was interrupted at the end of the third trimester before oncological treatment. Eleven patients were treated with chemotherapy during pregnancy after the second trimester using anthracycline-based regimens. In five patients the pregnancy was ended before 34 weeks of gestation. Nine patients had gestation-related complications, including preterm labor, pneumonia, increase in velocity of the middle cerebral artery, oligohydramnios, preeclampsia, extreme prematurity, intrauterine growth restriction, dyspnea, spontaneous miscarriage and chemotherapy-related granulocytopenia. Betamethasone to stimulate fetal lung maturation was used in 6 patients. CONCLUSION Breast cancer women diagnosed during pregnancy presented a high number of complications unrelated to antineoplastic treatment. A multidisciplinary team approach is necessary for satisfactory neonatal results.

Detection of sentinel lymph node in breast cancer recurrence may change adjuvant treatment decision in patients with breast cancer recurrence and previous axillary surgery.

Use of sentinel lymph node dissection in patients with ipsilateral breast cancer recurrence is still controversial. The objective of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of the sentinel lymph node in breast cancer recurrence (SLNBR) and whether the positivity had impact in the adjuvant treatment. Between 2008 and 2012 we performed SLNBR in patients with ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence. We included 53 patients in a prospective study. Forty-three patients (81%) had a previous axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) and ten (19%) had a previous sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB). Identification rate after SLNB was 50% and after ALND was 60.5% (p = 0.4). Nine patients (26%) had a positive SLNBR. Adjuvant systemic treatment was given to all the patients with a positive SLNBR and to 23 (85%) with a negative SLNBR (p = 0.29). Six patients (66%) with positive SLNBR and 4 patients (14%) with negative SLNBR underwent radiation therapy (p < 0.01). As conclusions of our study we conclude that sentinel lymph node biopsy in breast tumor recurrence is feasible and significant differences were found in the use of radiation therapy in patients with a positive SLNBR.

Pregnancy after treatment of breast cancer in young women does not adversely affect the prognosis

We assessed whether pregnancy after breast cancer in patients younger than 36 years of age affects the prognosis. Of 115 women with breast cancer followed for a mean of 6 years, 18 became pregnant (median time between diagnosis and the first pregnancy 44.5 months). Voluntary interruption of pregnancy was decided by 8 (44.4%) women. Significant differences in prognostic factors between pregnant and non-pregnant women were not observed. Pregnant women showed a lower frequency of positive estrogen receptors (41%) than non-pregnant (64%) (P=0.06). At 5 years of follow-up, 100% of women in the pregnant group and 80% in the non-pregnant group were alive. The percentages of disease-free women were 94% and 64%, respectively (P=0.009). Breast cancer patients presented a high number of unwanted pregnancies. Pregnancy after breast cancer not only did not adversely affect prognosis of the neoplasm but also may have a protective effect.

Intraoperative Ultrasound-Guided Excision of Axillary Clip in Patients with Node-Positive Breast Cancer Treated with Neoadjuvant Therapy (ILINA Trial)

BackgroundThe accuracy of sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) after neoadjuvant therapy (NAT) has been improved with the placement of a clip in the positive node prior to treatment. Several methods have been described for clipped node excision during SLNB after NAT. We assessed the feasibility of intraoperative ultrasound (IOUS)-guided excision of the clipped node during SLNB and investigated whether the accuracy of SLNB is improved.MethodsAfter approval by the Institutional Ethics Committee, all breast cancer patients undergoing NAT had an US-visible clip placed in the positive node. The ILINA trial consisted of IOUS-guided excision of the clipped node along with SLNB and axillary lymph node dissection (ALND).ResultsForty-six patients had a clip placed in the positive node. In two (4.3%) cases, the clip could not be seen prior to surgery and the patient underwent ALND; however, the clipped node was successfully removed by IOUS-guided excision in 44 patients. Thirty-five patients (79.5%) underwent SLNB along with IOUS-guided excision of the clipped node and ALND, and were subsequently included in the ILINA trial. Nine patients were not included (five patients with SLNB only and four patients with ALND without SLNB). SLNB matched the clipped node in 27 (77%) patients. The false negative rate for the ILINA protocol was 4.1% (95% confidence interval 0.1–21.1%).ConclusionsIOUS-guided excision of the axillary clipped node after NAT was feasible, safe, and successful in 100% of cases. The ILINA trial is accurate in predicting axillary nodal status after NAT.