SummaryBackground-Sentinel node surgery was designed to minimize side effects of lymph node surgery but still offer outcomes equivalent to axillary dissection. The aims of NSABP Protocol B-32 were to determine whether sentinel node resection in breast cancer patients achieves the same survival and regional control as axillary dissection but with fewer side effects.
This study examined the efficacy of a couple-focused group intervention on psychological adaptation of women with early stage breast cancer and evaluated whether perceived partner unsupportive behavior or patient functional impairment moderated intervention effects. Two hundred thirty-eight women were randomly assigned to receive either 6 sessions of a couple-focused group intervention or usual care. Intent-to-treat growth curve analyses indicated that participants assigned to the couples' group reported lower depressive symptoms. Women rating their partners as more unsupportive benefited more from the intervention than did women with less unsupportive partners, and women with more physical impairment benefited more from the intervention group than did women with less impairment. Subgroup analyses comparing women attending the couple-focused group intervention with women not attending groups and with usual care participants indicated that women attending sessions reported significantly less distress than did women receiving usual care and women who dropped out of the intervention.
BackgroundThe presence of tumor cells at the margins of breast lumpectomy specimens is associated with an increased risk of ipsilateral tumor recurrence. Twenty to 30 % of patients undergoing breast-conserving surgery require second procedures to achieve negative margins. This study evaluated the adjunctive use of the MarginProbe device (Dune Medical Devices Ltd, Caesarea, Israel) in providing real-time intraoperative assessment of lumpectomy margins.MethodsThis multicenter randomized trial enrolled patients with nonpalpable breast malignancies. The study evaluated MarginProbe use in addition to standard intraoperative methods for margin assessment. After specimen removal and inspection, patients were randomized to device or control arms. In the device arm, MarginProbe was used to examine the main lumpectomy specimens and direct additional excision of positive margins. Intraoperative imaging was used in both arms; no intraoperative pathology assessment was permitted.Results
In total, 596 patients were enrolled. False-negative rates were 24.8 and 66.1 % and false-positive rates were 53.6 and 16.6 % in the device and control arms, respectively. All positive margins on positive main specimens were resected in 62 % (101 of 163) of cases in the device arm, versus 22 % (33 of 147) in the control arm (p < 0.001). A total of 19.8 % (59 of 298) of patients in the device arm underwent a reexcision procedure compared with 25.8 % (77 of 298) in the control arm (6 % absolute, 23 % relative reduction). The difference in tissue volume removed was not significant.ConclusionsAdjunctive use of the MarginProbe device during breast-conserving surgery improved surgeons’ ability to identify and resect positive lumpectomy margins in the absence of intraoperative pathology assessment, reducing the number of patients requiring reexcision. MarginProbe may aid performance of breast-conserving surgery by reducing the burden of reexcision procedures for patients and the health care system.
BackgroundSentinel lymph node (SLN) surgery is used worldwide for staging breast cancer patients and helps limit axillary lymph node dissection. [99mTc]Tilmanocept is a novel receptor-targeted radiopharmaceutical evaluated in 2 open-label, nonrandomized, within-patient, phase 3 trials designed to assess the lymphatic mapping performance.MethodsA total of 13 centers contributed 148 patients with breast cancer. Each patient received [99mTc]tilmanocept and vital blue dye (VBD). Lymph nodes identified intraoperatively as radioactive and/or blue stained were excised and histologically examined. The primary endpoint, concordance (lower boundary set point at 90 %), was the proportion of nodes detected by VBD and [99mTc]tilmanocept.ResultsA total of 13 centers contributed 148 patients who were injected with both agents. Intraoperatively, 207 of 209 nodes detected by VBD were also detected by [99mTc]tilmanocept for a concordance rate of 99.04 % (p < 0.0001). [99mTc]tilmanocept detected a total of 320 nodes, of which 207 (64.7 %) were detected by VBD. [99mTc]Tilmanocept detected at least 1 SLN in more patients (146) than did VBD (131, p < 0.0001). In 129 of 131 patients with ≥1 blue node, all blue nodes were radioactive. Of 33 pathology-positive nodes (18.2 % patient pathology rate), [99mTc]tilmanocept detected 31 of 33, whereas VBD detected only 25 of 33 (p = 0.0312). No pathology-positive SLNs were detected exclusively by VBD. No serious adverse events were attributed to [99mTc]tilmanocept.Conclusion[99mTc]Tilmanocept demonstrated success in detecting a SLN while meeting the primary endpoint. Interestingly, [99mTc]tilmanocept was additionally noted to identify more SLNs in more patients. This localization represented a higher number of metastatic breast cancer lymph nodes than that of VBD.
BACKGROUND
Although volume displacement (VD) is considered the gold standard for diagnosing breast cancer (BC)-related lymphedema, it is inconvenient. We compared bioimpedance (L-Dex) and VD measurements in a prospective cohort of BC patients at risk for lymphedema.
METHODS
Between 2010–2014, 223 BC patients were enrolled. Following exclusions (n=37), 186 received baseline VD and L-Dex; follow-up measurements were performed at 3–6 month intervals for 3 years. At each visit, patients fit into one of three categories: normal (normal VD and L-Dex); abnormal L-Dex (L-Dex>10 or increase in 10 from baseline and normal VD); or lymphedema (relative arm volume difference of >10% by VD +/− abnormal L-Dex). Change in L-Dex was plotted against change in VD; correlation was assessed using Pearson correlation.
RESULTS
At a median follow-up of 18.2mos, 152 patients were normal; 25 had an abnormal L-Dex; and 9 developed lymphedema without a prior L-Dex abnormality. Of 25 abnormal L-Dex patients, 4 progressed to lymphedema for a total of 13 patients with lymphedema. Evaluating all time points, 186 patients had 829 follow-up measurements. Sensitivity and specificity of L-Dex compared to VD were 75% and 93%, respectively. There was no correlation between change in VD and change in L-Dex at 3mos (R=0.31) or 6mos (R=0.21).
CONCLUSIONS
VD and bioimpedance demonstrated poor correlation with inconsistent overlap of measurements considered abnormal. Of patients with an abnormal L-Dex, few progressed to lymphedema; most with lymphedema did not have a prior L-Dex abnormality. Further studies are needed to understand the clinical significance of bioimpedance.
The goal of this pilot study was to determine in patients with operable breast cancer the incidence of breast cancer cells present in the blood, the clearance rate after surgical resection of the primary tumor, and the incidence of patients with persistent cancer cells in the blood after the primary tumor was removed. Twenty-one patients with operable breast cancer had 15 ml venous blood obtained twice prior to surgery and after surgery at 2, 4, 8, 12, 24, and 48 hours and also on days 7 and 14. Immunomagnetic selection of malignant cells was performed on each sample. Cells were then fixed on slides and immunocytochemistry performed on the collected cells. Cells that had a rosette of magnetic beads, cytoplasmic staining for keratin, and malignant morphology were counted as breast cancer cells. Eighteen of 19 of patients had cancer cells detected in at least one of the two blood samples preceding surgical removal of the primary tumor. The incidence of cancer cells in the blood of patients rapidly declined during the 48 hours postsurgery. The incidence of cancer cells in the blood remained stable in approximately 30% of patients to 14 days. The majority of breast cancer patients in this pilot study (even with small tumors and negative nodes) had detectable cancer cells in the blood prior to resection of the primary tumor. These findings justify further investigation. Successful application of this methodology may serve as a powerful indicator of which patients need systemic adjuvant therapy, the effectiveness of systemic adjuvant therapy, tumor recurrence, and early detection of breast cancer.
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