Axillary reverse mapping (ARM) in clinically node positive breast cancer patients. Issue 1 (January 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Beek, M.A.; Gobardhan, P.D.; Klompenhouwer, E.G.; Rutten, H.J.T.; Voogd, A.C.; Luiten, E.J.T.
• Is Part Of: European journal of surgical oncology. Volume 41:Issue 1(2015:Jan.)
• Page Start: 59
• Page End: 63
• Publication Date: 2015-01
• Subjects: Oncology -- Periodicals; Cancer -- Surgery -- Periodicals; Medical Oncology -- Periodicals; Neoplasms -- surgery -- Periodicals; Cancer -- Chirurgie -- Périodiques; Cancérologie -- Périodiques; Oncologie; Chirurgie (geneeskunde); Electronic journals; Electronic journals -- Sciences; Electronic journals -- Medicine; Electronic journals; 616.994059005
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ejso.2014.09.012
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0748-7983

Abstract

<abstract xml:lang="en" abstract-type="author" id="abs0010"> <title id="sectitle0010">Abstract</title> <sec> <title id="sectitle0015">Background</title> <p id="abspara0010">Axillary reverse mapping (ARM) is a technique to map and preserve upper extremity lymphatic drainage during axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) in breast cancer patients.</p> <p id="abspara0015">We prospectively evaluated the metastatic involvement of ARM-nodes in patients who underwent an ALND for clinically node positive disease following (neo)adjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) in comparison to patients in whom primary ALND was performed without NAC.</p> </sec> <sec> <title id="sectitle0020">Patients and methods</title> <p id="abspara0020">Patients with clinically node positive invasive breast cancer, confirmed by fine needle aspiration cytology and scheduled for primary ALND were enrolled in the study. Patients were separated into two groups: one group treated with NAC (NAC+ group) and one group not treated with NAC (NAC− group). ARM was performed in all patients by injecting blue dye into the ipsilateral upper extremity. During ALND, ARM-nodes were first identified and removed separately, followed by a standard ALND.</p> </sec> <sec> <title id="sectitle0025">Results</title> <p id="abspara0025">91 patients were included in the NAC+ and 21 patients in the NAC− group. There was no difference in the ARM visualization rate between the two groups (86.8% for NAC+ group versus 90.5% for NAC− group, <italic>P</italic> = 0.647). In the NAC+ group 16.5% of the patients had metastatic involvement of the ARM-nodes versus 36.8% of the patients in the NAC− group (<italic>P</italic> = 0.048).</p> </sec> <sec> <title id="sectitle0030">Conclusion</title> <p id="abspara0030">The risk of metastatic involvement of ARM-nodes in clinically node positive breast cancer patients is significantly lower in patients who have received NAC.</p> </sec> </abstract>