Axillary lymph node clearance in patients with positive sentinel lymph node biopsy.

INTRODUCTION: The use of adjuvant radiotherapy is standard practice following breast conserving surgery and mastectomy in selected patients. Prospective clinical trials are currently being designed to assess the effect of omitting axillary lymph node clearance (ALNC) in selected patients. The aim of this study was to identify the percentage of patients understaged and not considered for postmastectomy radiotherapy (PMRT) and/or supraclavicular fossa radiotherapy (SCFRT) with positive sentinel lymph node (SLN) macrometastasis if the proposed prospective trial inclusion/exclusion protocols are followed. METHODS: A total of 38 women who were found negative for axillary metastases preoperatively but positive at SLN biopsy and who had ALNC were analysed. PMRT or SCFRT was offered to patients if ≥4 positive lymph nodes (including sentinel nodes) were positive for macrometastasis and/or a tumour size of ≥5cm was detected. Fisher's exact test was used to determine the statistical significance of omitting ALNC. RESULTS: The mean age of the 38 patients was 55 years. A fifth (21.1%) of patients had T1, 76.3% had T2 and 2.6% had T3 disease. The percentage of positive SLNs was 52.6% (1 node), 34.2% (2 nodes) and 13.1% (3 nodes). The number of positive nodes at clearance was 0-3. If the inclusion criteria for trials that consider omitting ALNC are followed (eg POSNOC trial), 23.7% of patients (p=0.0001) with ≥4 positive nodes (including SLNs) would not be offered SCFRT and PMRT. Similarly, if multicentric disease were to be excluded from the trial criteria, the proportion of undertreated patients would reduce by 15.7%. CONCLUSIONS: Our study has shown a significant risk of missing patients for PMRT or SCFRT if no ALNC is offered in the presence of SLN macrometastasis. Tumour multicentricity is an important factor in predicting high axillary nodal involvement. Consequently, exclusion of T2 tumours with multicentric involvement in trials considering omitting ALNC may be more appropriate.

Differentiation of benign from malignant breast disease associated with screening detected microcalcifications using dynamic contrast enhanced magnetic resonance imaging.

Dynamic Contrast Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging (DCE-MRI) is an effective diagnostic modality for symptomatic breast disease. However, its role in evaluating clinically occult disease associated with mammographically detected microcalcification remains unclear. Women recalled following screening mammography with microcalcification had DCE-MRI examination of the breast. The data were evaluated subjectively and objectively using both empirical and 2-compartment pharmacokinetic modelling techniques to evaluate signal intensity parameters. Eighty-eight patients aged 50-75 years (median 58) were recruited. Comparing malignant and benign lesions, the mean values in arbitrary units for the enhancement index at 1 min in the most enhancing 9-pixel square +/-1 standard deviation were 0.61+/-0.40 vs. 0.22+/-0.26 p=<0.001 with sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV and accuracy of 80.0%, 82.4%, 57.1%, 93.3% and 81.8%, respectively. The corresponding values attained by the radiologist were 75.0%, 89.7%, 68.2%, 92.4% and 86.4%. DCE-MRI is able to differentiate malignant from benign clinically occult lesions associated with microcalcification and may therefore offer an alternative to open surgical biopsy for women with equivocal findings following initial triple assessment for microcalcification in the breast.

MRI and conservative treatment of locally advanced breast cancer.

AIMS: The objectives of this study were to compare the efficacy of dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) in assessing the response of primary breast carcinoma to neoadjuvant chemotherapy compared to conventional imaging modalities, and to see how surgical outcome was influenced as a result of these findings. METHODS: Thirty-four patients with locally advanced primary breast cancer underwent conventional imaging and DCE-MRI following six cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy prior to surgery. Changes in surgical management based on the post-chemotherapy DCE-MRI findings were recorded. RESULTS: Prior to neoadjuvant chemotherapy, 22 of the 34 patients were assessed as requiring mastectomy and the remaining 12 were considered inoperable. Following chemotherapy two patients were still considered inoperable. In 11 of the 34 patients, the final decision to proceed to either mastectomy or non-surgical management was based primarily on pre-treatment disease status or patient choice. DCE-MRI findings, therefore, contributed to the operative decision in 21 of 34 patients. Two of these 21 patients were spared surgery as DCE-MRI demonstrated complete response to chemotherapy and one declined surgery. The remaining 18 were able to undergo wide local excision, with only two patients subsequently requiring mastectomy for involved margins. CONCLUSIONS: DCE-MRI is able to accurately predict those patients suitable for breast conserving surgery following neoadjuvant chemotherapy and should be the imaging modality of choice in assessing the response of patients with primary breast carcinoma to neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Gynaecomastia and the plant product "Tribulis terrestris".

Gynaecomastia is the commonest benign breast condition seen in men. It is well recognised that certain drugs that alter the normal sex hormonal profile in the body can induce gynaecomastia. Recently, an increasing use of androgenic-anabolic steroids among young men especially body-builders has increased the incidence of gynaecomastia. We report a case of a young weight-trainer who developed gynaecomastia due to oral intake of a herbal tablet which he used as a steroid alternative for body-building.

Differentiation of benign and malignant sub-1 cm breast lesions using dynamic contrast enhanced MRI.

The purpose of this work is to assess the additional benefit of MRI-based morphology and quantification of contrast enhancement in the differential diagnosis of sub-1cm breast lesions. Forty-three women with suspected breast cancer were examined using X-ray mammography, ultrasound mammography, and MRI. Dynamic contrast imaging was performed and relative enhancement at various time-points was calculated. The dynamic data was also processed using a two-compartment pharmacokinetic model. Radiological interpretation of high-resolution post-contrast images revealed a similar accuracy (69%) compared to X-ray mammography (69%) and ultrasound mammography (67%). The best individual parameter calculated from the dynamic images was found to be the exchange rate constant which revealed a diagnostic accuracy of 0.74 +/- 0.08. When information from the post-contrast images and dynamic data was combined in a logistic regression model a diagnostic accuracy of 0.92 +/- 0.03 was achieved. In conclusion, MR imaging of small breast lesions is feasible and the incorporation of quantitative MR derived parameters is beneficial.

Dynamic contrast enhanced magnetic resonance imaging aids the surgical management of invasive lobular breast cancer.

AIMS: Infiltrating Lobular Carcinoma (ILC) accounts for 5-10% of all breast cancers and is associated with subtle clinical and mammographic changes. It is also frequently multifocal and traditional diagnostic methods are unable to reliably detect this preoperatively. The aim of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of current imaging modalities compared with dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) in the evaluation of ILC. METHODS: Data from women with ILC treated between 1996 and 2000 who had undergone preoperative triple assessment and DCE-MRI was analysed. The diagnostic accuracy and the detection of multifocal disease for each modality was assessed and any changes in clinical management following DCE-MRI were recorded. RESULTS: Twenty-one women (mean age 57, range 43-72 years) were recruited. The sensitivity of X-ray mammography, ultrasound, clinical assessment, fine needle aspiration cytology or core biopsy and DCE-MRI was 90.5, 87.5, 76.2, 85.7 and 95.2% respectively. DCE-MRI identified all the patients with subsequently histologically proven multifocal disease (n=11) with PPV and NPV of 100 and 95.2% respectively. X-ray mammography and ultrasound combined identified only 27% (n=3/11) with PPV and NPV of 100 and 55.6% respectively. Management was changed in 24% (5/21) of the cases following DCE-MRI. CONCLUSION: DCE-MRI has a higher sensitivity than other imaging modalities and is able to accurately delineate multifocal disease not evident on conventional imaging. DCE-MRI should therefore be used for accurate staging prior to surgery for invasive lobular breast cancer.

Current applications and future direction of MR mammography.

Compared with triple assessment for symptomatic and occult breast disease, magnetic resonance mammography (MRM) offers higher sensitivity for the detection of multifocal cancer, which is important in selecting patients appropriately for breast-conserving surgery. It is an ideal tool for the screening of patients with a high risk of breast cancer or where there is axillary disease or nipple discharge and conventional imaging has not revealed the primary focus. Techniques are now available to biopsy lesions only apparent on MRM. MRM can differentiate scar tissue from tumour; therefore, it is useful in patients in which there is possible recurrent disease. Clinical and X-ray mammographic assessment of response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy may be unreliable because of replacement of the tumour with scar tissue. MRM can identify responders and nonresponders with more accuracy. It is the modality of choice for the assessment of breast implants for rupture with accuracy higher than X-ray mammography and ultrasound. Advances in both spatial and temporal resolutions, the imaging sequences employed, pharmacokinetic modelling of contrast uptake, the use of dedicated and now phased-array breast coils, and gadolinium-based contrast agents have all played their part in the advancement of this imaging technique. Despite the limitations of patient compliance, scan-time and cost, this review describes how MRM has become a valuable tool in breast disease, especially in cases of diagnostic uncertainty. However, MRM must make the transition from research institutions into routine clinical practice.