Intramammary Tumor Location and Ipsilateral Lymphatic Spread in Early Breast Cancer Patients Using One-Step Nucleic...

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Surgical Pathology

Background:

• Accurate breast cancer (BC) prognosis is challenging.
• Axillary lymph node (ALN) evaluation is crucial for prognosis.
• The one-step nucleic acid amplification (OSNA) assay assesses sentinel lymph node (SLN) status.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between primary breast cancer location and ALN metastasis.
• To evaluate if primary tumor site influences total tumor load (TTL) and SLN status.

Main Methods:

• A pilot observational study of consecutive BC patients undergoing axillary staging with the OSNA assay.
• Tumors categorized into external quadrants/axillary tail (EXL), internal quadrants (INLs), and nipple/areola (NAL).

Main Results:

• The INL group showed a higher mean TTL, though not statistically significant.
• No significant differences observed in SLN detection, status, metastatic count, or mean TTL across tumor locations.
• Findings support the use of superparamagnetic iron oxide tracer irrespective of tumor site.

Conclusions:

• Understanding BC location's impact on ALN status may improve prognostic stratification.
• Further multicentric studies are needed to confirm findings and potentially alter INL tumor treatment paradigms.