Open AccessBreast cancer subtypes affect the nodal response after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in locally advanced breast cancer: Are we ready to endorse axillary conservation?
Author(s) -
Cerbelli Bruna,
Botticelli Andrea,
Pisano Annalinda,
Campagna Domenico,
De Vincentiis Ludovica,
Pernazza Angelina,
Frusone Federico,
Scavina Paola,
Monti Massimo,
Fortunato Lucio,
Costarelli Leopoldo,
d’Amati Giulia
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
the breast journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.533
H-Index - 72
eISSN - 1524-4741
pISSN - 1075-122X
DOI - 10.1111/tbj.13206
Subject(s) - medicine , breast cancer , axilla , axillary lymph node dissection , sentinel lymph node , oncology , biopsy , neoadjuvant therapy , stage (stratigraphy) , chemotherapy , nodal , lymph node , cancer , paleontology , biology
We evaluated the impact of breast cancer subtypes on pathologic complete response (pCR) in 181 patients with positive nodes undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). After NAC, patients underwent surgery, with sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) or axillary dissection (ALND). In 28.2% of cases a pCR was achieved, with the highest rate in Her2+ and triple negative tumors. Overall, nodal pCR was more frequent than breast pCR ( P = 0.003) with higher percentages in Her2+ and LLB‐Her2+ ( P < 0.05). In the Her2+ group, nodal pCR was observed only with breast pCR. Thus, in Her2+ tumors, breast pCR predicts node pCR, supporting the use of SLNB in this subgroup to stage the axilla avoiding ALND.