scholarly journals Is It Contralateral Axillary Metastasis or Occult Breast Cancer: A Confusing Case Report

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 498-502 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yong Gi Son ◽  
Woon Won Kim ◽  
Ki Hoon Kim ◽  
Jin Soo Kim

We report the case of a 43-year-old woman with primary left breast cancer presenting metastatic lymphadenopathy in the contralateral axilla. This patient represents a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge because primary breast cancer, occult contralateral breast cancer, and extra-mammary primary lesion can all be the source of the contralateral axillary metastasis. Left breast-conserving surgery, left sentinel lymph node biopsy, right breast mass excision, and right axillary lymph node dissection were performed. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that the left breast cancer specimen was positive for estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR), but negative for human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2). In contrast, the right axillary lymphadenopathy specimen was negative for ER and PR, but positive for HER2. Further investigation revealed no evidence of occult primary cancers or extra-mammary tumors. After surgical intervention, the patient was treated with adjuvant chemotherapy, adjuvant radiation therapy, and targeted therapy with trastuzumab. Two years after diagnosis, she is free of disease and presently being treated with tamoxifen.

Author(s):  
Julia Yoriko Shinzato ◽  
Katia Piton Serra ◽  
Caroline Eugeni ◽  
Cesar Cabello ◽  
Cassio Cardoso-Filho ◽  
...  

Abstract Objective To evaluate the number of patients with early-stage breast cancer who could benefit from the omission of axillary surgery following the application of the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology (ACOSOG) Z0011 trial criteria. Methods A retrospective cohort study conducted in the Hospital da Mulher da Universidade Estadual de Campinas. The study population included 384 women diagnosed with early-stage invasive breast cancer, clinically negative axilla, treated with breast-conserving surgery and sentinel lymph node biopsy, radiation therapy, chemotherapy and/or endocrine therapy, from January 2005 to December 2010. The ACOSOG Z0011 trial criteria were applied to this population and a statistical analysis was performed to make a comparison between populations. Results A total of 384 patients underwent breast-conserving surgery and sentinel lymph node biopsy. Of the total number of patients, 86 women underwent axillary lymph node dissection for metastatic sentinel lymph nodes (SNLs). One patient underwent axillary node dissection due to a suspicious SLN intraoperatively, thus, she was excluded from the study. Among these patients, 82/86 (95.3%) had one to two involved sentinel lymph nodes and met the criteria for the ACOSOG Z0011 trial with the omission of axillary lymph node dissection. Among the 82 eligible women, there were only 13 cases (15.9%) of lymphovascular invasion and 62 cases (75.6%) of tumors measuring up to 2 cm in diameter (T1). Conclusion The ACOSOG Z0011 trial criteria can be applied to a select group of SLN-positive patients, reducing the costs and morbidities of breast cancer surgery.


BJS Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
R V Dave ◽  
S Cheung ◽  
M Sibbering ◽  
O Kearins ◽  
J Jenkins ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Women with screen-detected invasive breast cancer who have macrometastatic disease on axillary sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) are usually offered either surgical axillary node clearance (ANC) or axillary radiotherapy. These treatments can lead to significant complications for patients. The aim of this study was to identify a group of patients who may not require completion ANC. Methods Data from the NHS Breast Screening Programme between 1 April 2012 and 31 March 2017 were interrogated to identify women with invasive breast carcinoma and a single sentinel lymph node (SLN) with macrometastatic disease who subsequently proceeded to completion ANC. Univariable and multivariable analyses were performed to identify patients with a single positive SLN who had no further lymph node metastasis on ANC. Results Of the 2401 women included in the cohort, the presence of non-sentinel node disease was significantly affected by: the number of nodes obtained at SLNB (odds ratio (OR) 0.49 for retrieval of more than 1 node), invasive size of tumour (OR 1.63 for size greater than 20 mm), surgical treatment (OR 1.34 for mastectomy), human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER) 2 status (OR 0.71 for HER2 positivity), and patient age (OR 1.10 for age less than 50 years; OR 1.46 for age greater than 70 years). Patients aged less than 70 years, with tumour size smaller than 2 cm, more than one node retrieved on SLNB, and who had breast-conserving surgery had a lower chance of positive non-sentinel nodes on completion ANC compared with other patients. Conclusion This study, of a purely screen-detected breast cancer cohort, identified a subset of patients who may be spared completion ANC in the event of a single axillary SLN with macrometastasis.


2015 ◽  
Vol 81 (5) ◽  
pp. 454-457 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael G. Mount ◽  
Nicholas R. White ◽  
Christophe L. Nguyen ◽  
Richard K. Orr ◽  
Robert B. Hird

Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) is used to detect axillary lymph node metastases in breast cancer. Preoperative radiocolloid injection with lymphoscintigraphy (PL) is performed before SLNB. Few comparisons between 1- and 2-day PL protocols exist. Opponents of a 2-day protocol have expressed concerns of radiotracer washout to nonsentinel nodes. Proponents cite lack of scheduling conflicts between PL and surgery. A total of 387 consecutive patients with clinically node-negative breast cancer underwent SLNB with PL. Lymphoscintigraphy images were obtained within 30 minutes of radio-colloid injection. Axillary lymph node dissection was performed if the sentinel lymph node (SLN) could not be identified. Data were collected regarding PL technique and results. In all, 212 patients were included in the 2-day PL group and 175 patients in the 1-day PL group. Lymphoscintigraphy identified an axillary sentinel node in 143/212 (67.5%) of patients in the 2-day group and 127/175 (72.5%) in the 1-day group ( P = 0.28). SLN was identified at surgery in 209/212 (98.6%) patients in the 2-day group and 174/175 (99.4%) in the 1-day group ( P = 0.41). An average of 3 SLN was found at surgery in the 2-day group compared with 3.15 in the 1-day group ( P = 0.43). SLN was positive for metastatic disease in 54/212 (25.5%) patients in the 2-day group compared with 40/175 (22.9%) in the 1-day group ( P = 0.55). A 2-day lymphoscintigraphy protocol allows reliable detection of the SLN, of positive SLN and equivalent SLN harvest compared with a 1-day protocol. The timing of radiocolloid injection before SLNB can be left at the discretion of the surgeon.


2004 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 449-454 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lionel Perrier ◽  
Karima Nessah ◽  
Magali Morelle ◽  
Hervé Mignotte ◽  
Marie-Odile Carrère ◽  
...  

Objectives: The feasibility and accuracy of sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) in the treatment of breast cancer is widely acknowledged today. The aim of our study was to compare the hospital-related costs of this strategy with those of conventional axillary lymph node dissection (ALND).Methods: A retrospective study was carried out to determine the total direct medical costs for each of the two medical strategies. Two patient samples (n=43 for ALND; n=48 for SLNB) were selected at random among breast cancer patients at the Centre Léon Bérard, a comprehensive cancer treatment center in Lyon, France. Costs related to ALND carried out after SLNB (either immediately or at a later date) were included in SLNB costs (n=18 of 48 patients).Results: Total direct medical costs were significantly different in the two groups (median 1,965.86€ versus 1,429.93€, p=0.0076, Mann-Whitney U-test). The total cost for SLNB decreased even further for patients who underwent SLNB alone (median, 1,301€). Despite the high cost of anatomic pathology examinations and nuclear medicine (both favorable to ALND), the difference in direct medical costs for the two strategies was primarily due to the length of hospitalization, which differs significantly depending on the technique used (9-day median for ALND versus 3 days for SLNB, p<0.0001).Conclusions: A lower morbidity rate is favorable to the generalization of SLNB, when the patient's clinical state allows for it. From an economic point of view, SLNB also seems to be preferred, particularly because our results confirm those found in two published studies concerning the cost of SLNB.


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.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hazem Assi ◽  
Eman Sbaity ◽  
Mahmoud Abdelsalam ◽  
Ali Shamseddine

Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) emerged in the 1990s as a new technique in the surgical management of the axilla for patients with early breast cancer, resulting in lower complication rates and better quality of life than axillary lymph node dissection (ALND). Today SLNB is firmly established in the armamentarium of clinicians treating breast cancer, but several questions remain. The goal of this paper is to review recent work addressing 4 questions that have been the subject of debate in the use of SLNB in the past few years: (a) What is the implication of finding micrometastases in the sentinel nodes? (b) Is ALND necessary in all patients who have a positive SLNB? (c) How accurate is SLNB after neoadjuvant therapy? (d) Can SLNB be used to stage the axilla in locally recurrent breast cancer following breast surgery with or without prior axillary surgery?


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Kuritzky ◽  
Laila Khazai ◽  
Roberto Diaz ◽  
Christine Laronga

The identification of an axillary metastasis in the absence of a primary breast cancer can pose a diagnostic and therapeutic dilemma. The clinician should first use more sensitive imaging modalities, such as breast magnetic resonance imaging, to attempt to find the primary index lesion. If the primary cancer remains occult and the molecular markers are consistent with a breast origin, then the recommended treatment includes multimodality therapy including surgery, chemotherapy/endocrine treatment, and radiation. Historically, the modified radical mastectomy was the standard of practice. Recently, in the era of improved adjuvant therapies, breast-conserving surgery with irradiation is also being considered. Multiple retrospective reviews have shown no difference in survival or recurrence with these two surgical pathways. However, due to the rare nature of this clinical presentation, no multiinstitutional or prospective clinical trial data are available.  Key words: axillary lymph node dissection, axillary metastasis, breast cancer, breast conservation, local recurrence, occult primary tumor, radiotherapy 


2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 375-383 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peng-Fei Qiu ◽  
Rong-Rong Zhao ◽  
Wei Wang ◽  
Xiao Sun ◽  
Peng Chen ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Routine performance of internal mammary sentinel lymph node biopsy (IM-SLNB) remains a subject of debate due to no clinical relevance in breast cancer, because it was performed only in clinically axillary lymph node (ALN)-negative patients. In this study, IM-SLNB was performed in clinically ALN-positive patients, and its impact on nodal staging and therapeutic strategy were subsequently analyzed. Methods Clinically ALN-positive patients who underwent IM-SLNB were enrolled in this prospective study. Statistical analysis was performed using Chi square test, Mann–Whitney U and logistic regression models with a significance level of 0.05. Results Among the 352 recruited patients, the internal mammary sentinel lymph node (IMSLN) visualization rate of patients who received initial surgery and neoadjuvant systemic therapy (NST) was 71.9% (123/171) and 33.1% (60/181), respectively. The 183 patients who underwent IM-SLNB successfully had the average time duration of 7 min and the median IMSLN number of 2. There were 87 positive IMSLNs in all the 347 removed IMSLNs, which were mainly concentrated in the second (50.6%) and third (34.5%) intercostal space. The IMSLN metastasis rate was 39.8% (initial surgery) and 13.3% (NST), respectively. All of the 183 IM-SLNB patients received more accurate nodal staging, 57 of whom had stage elevated, which might have prompted modifications to the therapeutic strategy. Conclusions IM-SLNB should be routinely performed in clinically ALN-positive patients, and thus more accurate nodal staging and perfect pathologic complete response definition could be put forward. The identification of IMLN metastases by IM-SLNB might potentially influence therapeutic strategies.


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