Marking nodes with biopsy-confirmed metastatic disease allows for selective removal and improves pathologic evaluation for residual nodal disease after chemotherapy.

Breast pCR is highly correlated with nodal status after NCT, and the risk for missing nodal metastases without axillary surgery in this cohort is extremely low. These data provide the fundamental basis and rationale for management of the axilla in clinical trials of omission of cancer surgery when image-guided biopsy indicates a breast pCR.

After NST, image-guided FNA/VACB can accurately identify patients with a breast pCR. Based on these results, a prospective clinical trial has commenced in which breast surgery is omitted in patients with a breast pCR after NST according to image-guided biopsy.

Structured Abstract Objective We prospectively examined the psychosocial predictors and the decision-making process regarding contralateral prophylactic mastectomy (CPM) among women with sporadic breast cancer. Summary Background Data Increasing numbers of women with breast cancer are seeking CPM. Data are limited about the surgical decision-making process and the psychosocial factors that influence interest in CPM. Methods Women with early stage unilateral breast cancer (n=117) were recruited before their first surgical visit at MD Anderson and completed questionnaires assessing knowledge of and interest in CPM and associated psychosocial factors. After the appointment, women and their surgeons completed questions about the extent that various surgical options (including CPM) were discussed; also, the women rated their perceived likelihood of having CPM and the surgeons rated the appropriateness of CPM. Results Before their first visit, 50% of women were moderately to extremely interested in CPM and 12 (10%) of women had CPM at the time of their primary breast cancer surgery. Less knowledge about breast cancer (P=0.02) and greater cancer worry (P=0.03) predicted interest in CPM. Greater cancer worry predicted who had CPM (P=0.02). Interest in CPM before surgical visit and the likelihood of having CPM after the visit differed (P =<0.001). Surgeons’ rating of the appropriateness of CPM and the patient’s reported likelihood of having CPM were not significantly different (P=0.49). Conclusions Interest in CPM is common among women with sporadic breast cancer. The informational and emotional aspects of CPM may affect the decision to have CPM and should be addressed when discussing surgical options.

BackgroundBreast cancer patients who are resistant to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NeoCT) have a poor prognosis. There is a pressing need to develop in vivo models of chemo resistant tumors to test novel therapeutics. We hypothesized that patient-derived breast cancer xenografts (BCXs) from chemo- naïve and chemotherapy-exposed tumors can provide high fidelity in vivo models for chemoresistant breast cancers.MethodsPatient tumors and BCXs were characterized with short tandem repeat DNA fingerprinting, reverse phase protein arrays, molecular inversion probe arrays, and next generation sequencing.ResultsForty-eight breast cancers (24 post-chemotherapy, 24 chemo-naïve) were implanted and 13 BCXs were established (27%). BCX engraftment was higher in TNBC compared to hormone-receptor positive cancer (53.8% vs. 15.6%, p = 0.02), in tumors from patients who received NeoCT (41.7% vs. 8.3%, p = 0.02), and in patients who had progressive disease on NeoCT (85.7% vs. 29.4%, p = 0.02). Twelve patients developed metastases after surgery; in five, BCXs developed before distant relapse. Patients whose tumors developed BCXs had a lower recurrence-free survival (p = 0.015) and overall survival (p<0.001). Genomic losses and gains could be detected in the BCX, and three models demonstrated a transformation to induce mouse tumors. However, overall, somatic mutation profiles including potential drivers were maintained upon implantation and serial passaging. One BCX model was cultured in vitro and re-implanted, maintaining its genomic profile.ConclusionsBCXs can be established from clinically aggressive breast cancers, especially in TNBC patients with poor response to NeoCT. Future studies will determine the potential of in vivo models for identification of genotype-phenotype correlations and individualization of treatment.