• Tae-Kyung Yoo, Bong Joo Kang, Sung Hun Kim, Byung Joo Song, Juneyoung Ahn, Woo-Chan Park, and Byung Joo Chae.
• Department of Surgery, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, 222 Banpo-daero, Seocho-gu, Seoul, 06591, Republic of Korea.
• Breast Cancer Res. Treat. 2020 Jun 1; 181 (2): 403-409.

PurposeThe ACOSOG Z0011 trial demonstrated that axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) is unnecessary in select patients with cT1-2N0 tumors undergoing breast-conserving therapy with 1-2 positive sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs). However, patients with preoperatively confirmed ALN metastasis were not included and may be subjected to unnecessary ALND. The aim of this study is to identify patients who can be considered for ALND omission when the preoperative ALN biopsy results are positive.MethodsBreast cancer patients who underwent preoperative ALN biopsy and primary surgery were retrospectively reviewed. Among patients with positive ALN biopsy results, clinicopathological and imaging characteristics were compared according to LN disease burden (1-2 positive LNs vs. ≥ 3 positive LNs).ResultsA total of 542 patients were included in the analysis. Among them, 225 (41.5%) patients had a preoperative positive ALN biopsy. More than 40% of the patients (n = 99, 44.0%) with a positive biopsy had only 1-2 positive ALNs. The association between nodal burden and imaging factors was strongest when ≥ 2 suspicious LNs were identified on PET/CT images (HR 8.795, 95% CI 4.756 to 13.262). More than one imaging modality showing ≥ 2 suspicious LNs was also strongly correlated with ≥ 3 positive ALNs (HR 5.148, 95% CI 2.881 to 9.200).ConclusionsNearly half of patients with a preoperative biopsy-proven ALN metastasis had only 1-2 positive LNs on ALND. Patients meeting ACOSOG Z0011 criteria with only one suspicious LN on PET/CT or those presenting with few abnormal ALNs on only one imaging modality appear appropriate for SLNB and consideration of ALND omission.

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