Is ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration cytology of adequate value in detecting breast cancer patients with three or more positive axillary lymph nodes?

This study evaluated the accuracy of ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration cytology of the sonographically most suspicious axillary lymph node (US/FNAC) to select early breast cancer patients with three or more tumour-positive axillary lymph nodes. Between 2004 and 2014, a total of 2130 patients with histologically proven early breast cancer were evaluated and treated in the Noordwest Clinics Alkmaar. US/FNAC was performed preoperatively in all these patients. We analysed the results of US/FNAC retrospectively. Pathological axillary node status (sentinel node biopsy and/or axillary lymph node dissection) was used as reference standard. A total of 634 (29.8 %) of 2130 patients had axillary lymph node metastases on final histology. 248 node positive patients (11.6 %) had three or more positive lymph nodes. The accuracy of US/FNAC to detect three or more positive lymph nodes was 89.8 %, sensitivity was 44.8 %, specificity was 95.7 %, PPV was 58.1 %, and NPV was 92.9 %. This study shows a more than adequate accuracy of preoperative US/FNAC to detect three or more positive lymph nodes (89.8 %). However, when US/FNAC was chosen as the only axillary staging method, 6.4 % of all patients (false negative group) would have been undertreated and 3.8 % of all patients (false positive group) would have been overtreated according to the ACOSOG Z0011 criteria.

Contralateral axillary lymph node metastases at the time of primary breast cancer diagnosis: curative or palliative intent?

Contralateral axillary lymph node metastases (CAMs) in breast cancer patients are uncommon. CAM can be found at the time of primary breast cancer diagnosis or following prior treatment of breast cancer as a recurrence. This distinction may have important implications for disease staging and treatment selection. We report the case of a premenopausal woman with synchronous CAM. Despite extensive multimodality treatment, a recurrence was found 27 months after primary surgery. We reviewed the literature on histopathological tumor characteristics associated with CAM, lymphatic drainage of the breast to other sites than the ipsilateral axilla, and outcome of cases with CAM. This case contradicts current conceptions that CAM only develops from tumors with poor histopathological features. Emerging evidence shows that altered lymphatics play a central role in development of synchronous CAM. It is precisely this etiology that supports the concept that synchronous CAM occurs by lymphatic spread and not by hematogenous spread. Although controversial, treatment of synchronous CAM (without evidence of distant metastases) should therefore be of curative intent.

Ultrasound and fine needle aspiration cytology of axillary lymph nodes in breast cancer. To do or not to do?

AIM: The purpose of our study was to evaluate the accuracy of axillary ultrasound and ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) in the preoperative diagnosis of axillary metastases. METHODS: Between 2004 and 2009, 1132 female patients were evaluated and treated in our clinic for histologically proven breast carcinoma. Preoperative axillary ultrasound with subsequent FNAC in case of suspicious lymph nodes was performed in 1150 axillae (18 bilateral breast carcinomas). We analyzed the results of axillary ultrasound and FNAC retrospectively. Pathological node status was used as the reference standard (based on axillary dissection or sentinel node biopsy). RESULTS: Axillary ultrasound showed suspicious lymph nodes in 327 axillae (28.4%). FNAC showed axillary metastases in 107 of these 327 axillae. Final histological analysis confirmed 106 metastases (one false positive). Histological analysis showed metastatic disease in 429 of 1150 axillae (37.3%). Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) of axillary ultrasound alone were 43.8% (188/429), 80.7% (582/721), 57.5% (188/327) and 70.7% (582/823), respectively. When combining axillary ultrasound with FNAC of suspicious lymph nodes, sensitivity was 24.7% (106/429), specificity was 99.9% (720/721), PPV was 99.1% (106/107) and NPV was 69.0% (720/1043). CONCLUSIONS: 106/429 (24.7%) Node-positive axillae were identified by ultrasound-guided FNAC and spared unnecessary sentinel node biopsy. Unfortunately, the percentage of false negative results of ultrasound-guided FNAC (28.1%, 323/1150) was very high.