Intra-operative sonography: a valuable aid during breast-conserving surgery for occult breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is increasingly detected during an early non-palpable stage. Together with pre-operative marking of the mass, intra-operative imaging provides invaluable clues. This study was designed to evaluate the usefulness of intra-operative sonography in the hands of the surgeon. METHODS: Between July 2001 and October 2006, 567 patients underwent treatment for operable breast cancer at the landeskrankenhaus (LHK) Feldkirch. Three hundred and sixty lesions were not palpable. Two hundred and ninety-nine patients with poorly definable or non-definable lesions well seen by ultrasound imaging underwent intra-operative sonography (group 1), while 61 patients with non-palpable lesions only seen on mammography (group 2) were subjected to pre-operative needle localization. The study was non-randomized with prospective data acquisition RESULTS: All lesions were identified by both sonography and pre-operative needle localization. In the ultrasound group (group 1) 81% of the lesions were successfully removed by primary intention without metachronous secondary surgery versus 62% in group 2 (p < 0.00228). Eighty-eight percent of the lesions in group 1 were eligible for breast-conserving surgery versus 75% in group 2. The mean clear margin in group 1 was substantially smaller (4.8 mm) than in group 2 (7.2 mm) (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: Intra-operative sonography proved to be a reliable and helpful tool in the hands of the surgeon, not only for tumor localization, but also for orientation during tumor excision. It simplifies organizational work and spares the patient the discomfort of pre-operative needle localization.

[Sentinel node biopsy in breast cancer: techniques and indications]. / Sentinel Node Biopsie beim Mammakarzinom: Technik und Indikation.

Sentinel node biopsy (SNB) has proved to be a useful and accurate procedure for lymph node staging in breast cancer and melanoma and should be standard of care in the treatment of these tumors. In other malignancies (colon, rectum, stomach, esophagus, head and neck and thyroid, cervix uteri) it is still under investigation. SNB in breast cancer was accepted as a sole and reliable diagnostic method in breast cancer from the panel of distinguished experts at the 8th international conference of primary therapy of early breast cancer 2003 in St. Gallen. Combination of the current techniques with radiocolloids and blue dye, applicated superficially (intradermal, subdermal, peri- and subareolar) and deeply (peritumoral, intratumoral, subtumoral) enables high identification rates and negative predictive values. It should be performed by teams consisting of surgeons, pathologists and nuclear medicine specialists with appropriate training and experience. Accepted indications are uni- and multifocal tumors smaller than 3 cm without suspicious findings in the axilla, furthermore SNB is indicated in patients with large ductal carcinoma in situ (>2cm) and/or with assumed microinvasion. Albeit SNB could be shown to be safe after preoperative chemotherapy and in multicentric breast cancer, due to lack of sufficient data it is still under discussion in these cases. Expedience of this procedure in other lymph node basins, along the mammaria interna vessels or in the infra- and supraclavicular region is considered to be at an investigative stage as well. SNB allows the pathologist to focus on a small number of nodes most likely to contain metastases. Application of serial sectioning and immunhistochemistry results in a more accurate staging than routine examination. Detection of additional micrometastases that are found in 10-15% leads to an upgrading from N0 to N1. Broad application and refurbishment led to scientific discussion of prognostic importance of micrometastases and its relevance according axillary dissection and adjuvant systemic treatment. Although many unicentric and multicentric observational studies validated by complete axillary dissection could demonstrate that SNB is accurate and suitable for all operable clinically node-negative breast cancers, longterm results and especially the incidence of axillary recurrence and its sequelae are outstanding. Findings of ongoing large prospective randomized trials like NSABP 32, Z0010 and Z0011 of the American College of Surgeons (ACOSOG), the AMAROS-Trial of the European Organisation of Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) and the ALMANAC-Trial of the British Association of Surgical Oncology (BASO) will give a conclusive answer. Significant improvement in morbidity and quality of life measurements could be revealed several times in unicentric and even in muticentric studies like ALMANAC. Sentinel node biopsy is a team approach, requirements are good cooperation and well-defined stuctures of quality indicators and documentation. Participation in national clinical studies is recommended.

Morbidity of breast cancer patients following complete axillary dissection or sentinel node biopsy only: a comparative evaluation.

INTRODUCTION: The usefulness of routine axillary dissection (AD) at levels I-II in breast cancer patients has been questioned for years because of the high postoperative morbidity in the shoulder and arm region, and the increasing number of patients with negative nodes. Sentinel node biopsy (SNB) was hoped both to reduce morbidity and to improve the reliability of staging. This study was designed to provide more evidence in this matter by comparing the follow-up data of patients with AD and those with SNB only. METHOD: One hundred forty patients who had undergone AD between 1993 and 1996 were questioned for their subjective and objective symptoms using a questionnaire and subsequently subjected to a clinical examination. Their data were compared with those of 57 patients who had undergone SNB only between 1998 and 2000. RESULTS: Local recurrences have not been seen to date. The difference between the two groups in terms of a loss of quality of life was negligible. The differences in overall complaints, number of symptoms, pain, limited range of motion of the operated upper extremity, numbness, paresthesias, and arm swelling as well as perceived disability in activities of daily living were significantly in favor of SNB. The length of hospital stay was significantly shorter for SNB patients. CONCLUSION: SNB appears to be an accurate procedure for axillary nodal staging in breast cancer patients and is associated with reduced postoperative morbidity and length of hospital stay. But it is still investigational and should not be implemented as therapeutical standard before results of randomized trials are published.