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Clinical Trial
. 2015 Oct 20;33(30):3386-93.
doi: 10.1200/JCO.2014.57.8401. Epub 2015 Feb 2.

Axillary Ultrasound After Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy and Its Impact on Sentinel Lymph Node Surgery: Results From the American College of Surgeons Oncology Group Z1071 Trial (Alliance)

Judy C Boughey  1 , Karla V Ballman  2 , Kelly K Hunt  2 , Linda M McCall  2 , Elizabeth A Mittendorf  2 , Gretchen M Ahrendt  2 , Lee G Wilke  2 , Huong T Le-Petross  2
Affiliations
Clinical Trial

Axillary Ultrasound After Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy and Its Impact on Sentinel Lymph Node Surgery: Results From the American College of Surgeons Oncology Group Z1071 Trial (Alliance)

Judy C Boughey et al. J Clin Oncol. .

Abstract

Purpose: The American College of Surgeons Oncology Group Z1071 trial reported a 12.6% false-negative rate (FNR) for sentinel lymph node (SLN) surgery after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) in cN1 disease. Patients were not selected for surgery based on response, but a secondary end point was to determine whether axillary ultrasound (AUS) after NAC after fine-needle aspiration cytology can identify abnormal nodes and guide patient selection for SLN surgery.

Patients and methods: Patients with T0-4, N1-2, M0 breast cancer underwent AUS after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. AUS images were centrally reviewed and classified as normal or suspicious lymph nodes. AUS findings were tested for association with pathologic nodal status and SLN FNR. The impact of AUS results to select patients for SLN surgery to reduce the FNR was assessed.

Results: Postchemotherapy AUS images were reviewed for 611 patients. One hundred thirty (71.8%) of 181 AUS-suspicious patients were node positive at surgery compared with 243 (56.5%) of 430 AUS-normal patients (P < .001). Patients with AUS-suspicious nodes had a greater number of positive nodes and greater metastasis size (P < .001). The SLN FNR was not different based on AUS results; however, using a strategy where only patients with normal AUS undergo SLN surgery would potentially reduce the FNR in Z1071 patients with ≥ two SLNs removed from 12.6% to 9.8% when preoperative AUS results are considered as part of SLN surgery.

Conclusion: AUS is recommended after chemotherapy to guide axillary surgery. An FNR of 9.8% with the combination of AUS and SLN surgery would be acceptable for the adoption of SLN surgery for women with node-positive breast cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

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Conflict of interest statement

Authors' disclosures of potential conflicts of interest are found in the article online at www.jco.org. Author contributions are found at the end of this article.

Figures

Fig 1.
Fig 1.
(A) Illustration of normal lymph nodes on ultrasound. Ultrasound image of a morphologically normal lymph node with uniform thin hypoechoic cortex (white arrows) less than 3 mm in thickness. (B) Illustration of abnormal lymph nodes on ultrasound. Ultrasound image of a metastatic axillary lymph node with diffuse hypoechoic cortical thickness and deformity of the echogenic fatty hilum (small white arrowheads).
Fig 2.
Fig 2.
Comparison of false-negative rates (FNRs) when using (A) sentinel lymph node (SLN) surgery irrespective of axillary ultrasound (AUS) imaging findings or (B) using AUS imaging results for selective use of SLN surgery. The study participants from the American College of Surgeons Oncology Group Z1071 trial were used with the observed rates in our study. ALND, axillary lymph node dissection.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

References

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