Sentinel node biopsy after neoadjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer with axillary node metastasis: A survey of clinical practice.

BACKGROUND

A survey of breast surgeons was conducted to evaluate changes in clinical practice regarding sentinel node biopsy (SNB) among clinically node-negative patients after neoadjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer with axillary node metastasis.

METHODS

We conducted two surveys among 252 members of the Korean Breast Cancer Society. The questionnaire comprised a case presentation and two associated questions. The case outlined a woman diagnosed with right breast cancer; core needle biopsy had confirmed invasive ductal carcinoma and tumor size was 4 cm on imaging examination. Fine needle aspiration examination for axillary lymph node enlargement showed metastatic carcinoma. The patient underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy and tumor size was decreased by 2 cm; axillary lymph node enlargement was not observed on palpitation or imaging examination. Finally, the patient underwent breast conserving surgery. Survey recipients were asked: 1. Would you perform SNB in this patient? 2. If you perform SNB and no axillary node metastasis is seen, would you perform additional axillary lymph node dissection (ALND)?

RESULTS

The response rate was 28.2% (71/252) and 15.1% (38/252) in 2013 and 2017, respectively. For the first question, the SNB to ALND ratio increased significantly from 54% versus 46% in 2013 to 92% versus 8% in 2017 (p < 0.001). The proportion of surgeons performing no additional ALND versus additional ALND increased from 38% versus 54% in 2013 to 53% versus 37% in 2017, but did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.1).

CONCLUSIONS

These data show that application of SNB among clinically node-negative patients after neoadjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer with node metastasis has increased among surgeons in Korea.