Axillary Reverse Mapping in Patients Undergoing Axillary Lymph Node Dissection: A Single Institution Experience From India.

Introduction Axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) remains the gold standard for clinically node-positive and sentinel node biopsy (SLNB) positive breast cancer patients, but it is associated with the debilitating morbidity of lymphedema. Recently, a new technique of axillary reverse mapping (ARM) has been described which helps in differentiating arm lymphatics from breast lymphatics. Aim To evaluate the applicability of the ARM technique with blue dye and the incidence of metastases in ARM nodes in the Indian population. Method A total of 120 patients underwent ARM during ALND. Blue lymphatic channels and lymph nodes were noted. All axillary nodes along with ARM nodes were dissected and sent separately for pathological evaluation for metastases. Results ARM nodes or lymphatics were identified in 65 (54.17%) out of 120 patients. The mean ARM lymph node yield was 1.4. The patients in whom ARM lymph nodes or lymphatics were not identified had significantly higher T stage and N stage (p <0.00001) than in whom it was identified. There was no significant correlation between ARM identification with BMI, estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2/neu), and neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) status. ARM nodes were found metastatic in three patients (7.5%). All these patients had clinically N2 disease and all had pathologically more than ten nodes involved in the axilla. Conclusion The identification rate of ARM nodes and lymphatics with blue dye is lower in Indian patients who present with higher clinical T and N stage disease. Other clinicopathological parameters were not associated with the identification rate. The rate of metastasis in ARM nodes is high in patients with a high axillary tumor burden. Hence, preserving ARM nodes may not be oncologically safe in higher N stage disease.

Use of Lateral Oncoplasty for Multiquadrant Giant Fibroadenoma: A Novel Approach.

Giant fibroadenomas are uncommon benign lesions, defined as fibroadenomas of >5 cm in size and/or weighing more than 500 g. They can distort the shape of the breast and cause asymmetry, so they should be excised. Here, we report two cases of giant fibroadenoma, where wide local excision and reconstruction with lateral oncoplasty were done. Compared to all previous reports of patients with giant fibroadenoma, where the lump was excised either through a submammary incision or by round block technique depending on the location of the tumour, we used the lateral oncoplasty technique in both patients. Lateral oncoplasty is a new reconstructive option to maintain cosmesis and symmetry after the excision of giant fibroadenomas in the outer and central quadrants of the breast. It is a good option for reconstruction in cases where the defect is very large and facilities for conventional flap surgeries are not available.