Malgorzata Banys-Paluchowski1, Ines Verena Gruber2, Andreas Hartkopf2, Peter Paluchowski3, Natalia Krawczyk4, Mario Marx2,5, Sara Brucker2, Markus Hahn2. 1. Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Asklepios Klinik Barmbek, Rübenkamp 220, 22307, Hamburg, Germany. m.banys@outlook.com. 2. Department for Women's Health, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany. 3. Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Regio Klinikum Pinneberg, Pinneberg, Germany. 4. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany. 5. Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Breast Surgery, Elblandklinikum Radebeul, Radebeul, Germany.
Abstract
PURPOSE: Data on the optimal treatment strategy for patients undergoing neoadjuvant therapy (NAT) who initially presented with metastatic nodes and convert to node-negative disease (cN+ → ycN0) are limited. Since NAT leads to axillary downstaging in 20-60% of patients, the question arises whether these patients might be offered less-invasive procedures than axillary dissection, such as sentinel node biopsy or targeted removal of lymph nodes marked before therapy. METHODS: We performed a systematic review of clinical studies on the use of axillary ultrasound for prediction of response to NAT and ultrasound-guided marking of metastatic nodes for targeted axillary dissection. RESULTS: The sensitivity of ultrasound for prediction of residual node metastasis was higher than that of clinical examination and MRI/PET in most studies; specificity ranged in large trials from 37 to 92%. The diagnostic performance of ultrasound after NAT seems to be associated with tumor subtype: the positive predictive value was highest in luminal, the negative in triple-negative tumors. Several trials evaluated the usefulness of ultrasound for targeted axillary dissection. Before NAT, nodes were most commonly marked using ultrasound-guided clip placement, followed by ultrasound-guided placement of a radioactive seed. After chemotherapy, the clip was detected on ultrasound in 72-83% of patients; a comparison of sonographic visibility of different clips is lacking. Detection rate after radioactive seed placement was ca. 97%. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, ultrasound improves prediction of axillary response to treatment in comparison to physical examination and serves as a reliable guiding tool for marking of target lymph nodes before the start of treatment. High quality and standardization of the examination is crucial for selection of patients for less-invasive surgery.
PURPOSE: Data on the optimal treatment strategy for patients undergoing neoadjuvant therapy (NAT) who initially presented with metastatic nodes and convert to node-negative disease (cN+ → ycN0) are limited. Since NAT leads to axillary downstaging in 20-60% of patients, the question arises whether these patients might be offered less-invasive procedures than axillary dissection, such as sentinel node biopsy or targeted removal of lymph nodes marked before therapy. METHODS: We performed a systematic review of clinical studies on the use of axillary ultrasound for prediction of response to NAT and ultrasound-guided marking of metastatic nodes for targeted axillary dissection. RESULTS: The sensitivity of ultrasound for prediction of residual node metastasis was higher than that of clinical examination and MRI/PET in most studies; specificity ranged in large trials from 37 to 92%. The diagnostic performance of ultrasound after NAT seems to be associated with tumor subtype: the positive predictive value was highest in luminal, the negative in triple-negative tumors. Several trials evaluated the usefulness of ultrasound for targeted axillary dissection. Before NAT, nodes were most commonly marked using ultrasound-guided clip placement, followed by ultrasound-guided placement of a radioactive seed. After chemotherapy, the clip was detected on ultrasound in 72-83% of patients; a comparison of sonographic visibility of different clips is lacking. Detection rate after radioactive seed placement was ca. 97%. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, ultrasound improves prediction of axillary response to treatment in comparison to physical examination and serves as a reliable guiding tool for marking of target lymph nodes before the start of treatment. High quality and standardization of the examination is crucial for selection of patients for less-invasive surgery.
Authors: Maggie Banys-Paluchowski; Maria Luisa Gasparri; Jana de Boniface; Oreste Gentilini; Elmar Stickeler; Steffi Hartmann; Marc Thill; Isabel T Rubio; Rosa Di Micco; Eduard-Alexandru Bonci; Laura Niinikoski; Michalis Kontos; Guldeniz Karadeniz Cakmak; Michael Hauptmann; Florentia Peintinger; David Pinto; Zoltan Matrai; Dawid Murawa; Geeta Kadayaprath; Lukas Dostalek; Helidon Nina; Petr Krivorotko; Jean-Marc Classe; Ellen Schlichting; Matilda Appelgren; Peter Paluchowski; Christine Solbach; Jens-Uwe Blohmer; Thorsten Kühn Journal: Cancers (Basel) Date: 2021-03-29 Impact factor: 6.639