2. Background
■ Optimum timing of SLNB for breast cancer patients treated
with NACT is uncertain
■ SENTINA (SENTinel NeoAdjuvant) – evaluate a specific
algorithm for timing of SLNB in patients undergoing NACT
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3. Need for Study
■ Nodal stage after Neoadjuvant chemotherapy reflects
prognosis more accurately than does initial axillary status
■ Previous cohort studies done in SLNB after NACT are
retrospective
■ Metaanalyses show detection rates of 63-100% and false
negative rates of 0-39%
■ To provide reliable data for feasibility and accuracy of SLNB
in different settings before and after NACT.
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4. Evidence So Far
■ Khan et al – detection rate for second SLNB after NACT was
97% and false negative rate 4.5%
■ Prospective multicenter study – detection rate of SLNB
after NACT was 94.6% and 81.5% for cN0 and cN+ status.
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5. Objectives
■ Primary outcome
– Accuracy of SLB after NACT for patients who converted
from cN+ to cN0
■ Secondary outcome
– Comparison of detection rate of SLNB before and after
NACT
– False negative rate and detection rate of second SLNB
after removal of SLN
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6. Definition
■ False negative rate = No of patients with negative SLN and
one or more positive non sentinel LNs / No of patients with
at least one involved LN among people at least one SLN
detected
■ Successful SLN detection – Surgical removal of one or more
lymph nodes visualized by lymphatic mapping
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7. Trial Methodology
■ 4 arm, Prospective Multicentre cohort study
■ 103 centres in Germany and Austria
■ Patients with breast cancer who are scheduled for 6 cycles
of Anthracycline based regimen
■ Arms decided according to clinical axillary nodal status
(both by palpation and ultrasound)
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9. SLNB procedure
■ Use of radiocolloid and preoperative lymphoscintigraphy
necessary for all patients
■ Additional blue dye was optional
■ Site of injection individual choice
■ Dose and volume within limits
■ Slicing of nodes at 2.0 to 3.0mm intervals – paraffin
embedded & step sectioning of slices at intervals <500um
■ IHC not required
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10. Nodal status assessment
■ Palpation and ultrasound shows no suspicious nodes – cN0
■ Palpable nodes – but ultrasound Normal sized nodes with
regular morphology of hilum and cortex – cN0
■ Suspicious nodes – Ultrasound (cortex asymmetry or loss
of hilum relation hilum:cortex ratio >2:1 or total loss)
■ USG guided FNA or CNB recommended (not mandatory)
■ If reported negative, taken as cN0 and SLNB done
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11. Statistical Workup
■ FNR of 7% in arms B and C based on validation trial
■ Calculated sample size of at least 196 in every arm
■ Expect 13% of entire study population will have positive
axillary status in arm B and 14% in arm C resulting in total
number of 1508 patients
■ To compare rates across groups – Pearson chi square test
■ Fisher exact test for FNR and detection rate
■ Wilcoxon and Kruskal-wallis test – compare the number of
detected SLNs between 2 groups
■ Multivariate regression to find factors that affected
detection rate and FNR
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12. Of 2234, 1737
entered in trial
2009 to 2012
103 centres
Median 8 per insititute
cN0
1022 pts
59%
cN+
715 pts
41%
SLNB done
pN0
662 pts
65%
pN+
360 pts
35%
NACT
cN0
592 pts
83%
cN+
123 pts
17%
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20. Arm B Arm C
Successful SLNB 219 patients 474 patients
ypN0 155 (70.8%) 248 (52.3%)
ypN+ 64 (29.2%) 226 (47.7%)
False Negative rate 51.6% 14.2%
Median no of resected
non sentinel LNs
11 13
LN involvement
restricted to SLN
45 (70.3%) 131 (58%)
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23. Limitations
■ FNR of arm A cannot be obtained as they were excluded
from Axillary dissection
■ Restricted lymph node assessment to palpation and
ultrasound
■ SLNB after neoadjuvant chemotherapy technically more
challenging
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24. Our Study Comparison
Second SLNB detection rate 66% 97% Khan et al
Second SLNB False negative
rate
51.6% 4.5% Khan et al
cN+ to cN0 post NACT
SLNB detection rate
80.2% 81.5% Classe et al
cN+ to cN0 post NACT
False negative rate
14.2% 15% Classe et al
FNR based on no of LNs One node – 24.3%
Two nodes – 18.5%
One node – 17.7%
Two nodes – 10%
(NSABP B32)
Addition of blue dye to
radiocolloid in arm C
Detection rates
77.4% to 87.6%
improvement
78.1% to 87.6%
Mamounas et al
Addition of blue dye to
radiocolloid in arm C
False negative rate
8.6% for combined
vs 16% for
radiocolloid
10.8% for combined vs
20% for radiocolloid
(ACOSOG Z1071)
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25. Concerns
■ Neoadjuvant chemotherapy
– Impairs lymphatic drainage
– Tumor regression in axilla could follow a non uniform
pattern
■ Second SLNB
– Additional node involvement cannot be detected once
primary drainage has been destroyed
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26. Conclusion
■ SLNB less reliable (inferior detection rates and accuracy) if
undertaken after neoadjuvant chemotherapy who are cN+
to cN0
■ Use of combined tracer might improve FNR
■ Accuracy of SLNB is closely related to number of sentinel
nodes removed
■ Still Unclear – lower FNR with combined tracer due to
mapping technique or additional nodal harvest
■ No difference in detection rate and FNR for patients
confirmed by FNA or CNB compared with exclusive clinical
assessment in arm C
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27. Ideas
■ Need for addressing the clinical effect of increased FNR
after NACT
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28. Similar Trials
■ ACOSOG Z1071 Trial published in 2013
– 756 pts from 136 institutions
– Primary aim – FNR after NACT for SLNB
– cN+ to cN0 after NACT
– SLN identification rate 92.9%
– False negative rate 12.6%
– But <10% when 2 or more SLNs removed
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29. Similar Trials
■ SN FNAC (Sentinel Node biopsy aFter
Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in biopsy proven
cN+)
■ To find out accuracy of SLNB after NACT setting
■ Identification rate 87.6%
■ False negative rate 13.3%
■ IHC mandatory in this trial, so with IHC positivity, FNR is
reduced to 8.4%
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30. Ongoing Trials
■ Second biopsy of Axillary Sentinel node
in Local recurrence of breast cancer after
mastectomy and first negative sentinel
node
■ 2012 to ongoing
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31. Ongoing Trials
■ Towards plannable breast surgery: Diagnostic
accuracy of microbubble enhanced Iodine-125
seed localization of the sentinel lymph node.
(NTR 3690)
■ 2012 to ongoing
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32. Ongoing Trials
■ MAGSTAR Trial
■ 2015 to ongoing
■ Magnetic vs Standard technique of axillary
mapping
■ Magnetic tracer and Magnetometer (Sentimag)
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