Abstract:
Objective To determine the optimal time to perform sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) in patients with clinically nodenegative disease and assess clinically node-positive patients who would acquire greater benefits from axillary downstaging surgery after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC).
Methods From October 2010 to November 2017, 206 patients with breast cancer who underwent surgery after NAC were included in this retrospective study in Shandong Cancer Hospital Breast Cancer Center. Their clinicopathologic data were collected to discuss the correlation between axillary node pathologic complete response (apCR) and different molecular subtypes.
Results Among 206 patients who received NAC, 183 patients had clinically node-positive disease. The frequency of apCR after NAC was 33.3% (61/183), which was significantly higher in patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2)-positive subtype with targeted therapy, 62.1% (18/29); without targeted therapy, 34.5% (10/29) and triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) (41.0%) (16/39) than in patients with HER-2-negative luminal subtype breast cancer 19.8%(17/86)(P < 0.001). Among 23 patients with cN0 tumors, the rate of positive sentinel lymph nodes after NAC was 26.1% (6/23); this rate was 36.4% (4/11), 25.0% (1/4), and 12.5% (1/8) among patients with HER-2-negative luminal subtype breast cancer, TNBC, and HER-2-positive subtype breast cancer, respectively.
Conclusions Molecular subtypes could predict the chance of achieving apCR. For patients with clinically node-negative disease, it would be preferable to perform SLNB prior to NAC for patients with HER-2-negative luminal subtype breast cancer. SLNB after NAC for those with TNBC and HER-2-positive subtype breast cancer could decrease the chances of axillary lymph node dissection. For patients with initial clinically node-positive disease converting to clinically node-negative disease after NAC, especially in TNBC and HER-2-positive subtype breast cancer, these patients might benefit more from axillary downstaging surgery after NAC.