Background:The objective of this study is to summarize the current body of evidence detailing the impact of immediate lymphatic reconstruction (ILR) on the incidence of breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL) following axillary node dissection (ALND). Methods: Medline and Embase databases were queried for publications, where ILR was performed at the time of ALND for breast cancer. Exclusion criteria included lymphaticovenous anastomosis for established BCRL, animal studies, non-breast cancer patient population studies, and descriptive studies detailing surgical technique. Meta-analysis was performed with a forest plot generated using a Mantel -Haenszel statistical method, with a random-effect analysis model. Effect measure was reported as risk ratios with associated 95% confidence intervals. The risk of bias within studies was assessed by the Cochrane Collaboration tool. Results: This systematic review yielded data from 11 studies and 417 breast cancer patients who underwent ILR surgery at the time of ALND. There were 24 of 417 (5.7%) patients who developed BCRL following ILR. Meta-analysis revealed that in the ILR group, 6 of 90 patients (6.7%) developed lymphedema, whereas in the control group, 17 of 50 patients (34%) developed lymphedema. Patients in the ILR group had a risk ratio of 0.22 (CI, 0.09 -0.52) of lymphedema with a number needed to treat of four. Conclusions: There is a clear signal indicating the benefit of ILR in preventing BCRL. Randomized control trials are underway to validate these findings. ILR may prove to be a beneficial intervention for improving the quality of life of breast cancer survivors.

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9583 Background: There is controversy regarding sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) in clinically node-negative Merkel Cell Carcinoma (MCC). We compared MCC recurrence and survival between patients who did versus did not undergo a SLNB. Methods: Patients with MCC across 13 Canadian centers were reviewed, from 2000-2018. Of a total cohort of 750 patients, 485 had clinically node-negative disease at presentation. A propensity score was created. The association between SLNB and local, regional and distant recurrence, and cancer-specific and overall survival were evaluated using competing risks and Cox proportional hazards regression. Results: 195 patients (40.2%) underwent a SLNB. SLNB was performed more commonly in younger, healthier patients with MCC located in the extremities or torso (Table). The results of 177 SLNBs were available; 60 (33.9%) were positive. SLNB-positive patients underwent completion dissection (n=15, 25%), completion dissection and nodal radiation (n=22, 36.7%), nodal radiation alone (n=18, 30%) or observation (n=5, 8.3%). Patients who did not undergo a SLNB underwent nodal radiation alone (n=40, 13.8%) or observation (n=250, 86.2%). The median follow-up was 2.7 years (range 0.2-14.4). The regional recurrence rate was 14.5% (n=17) among SLNB-negative versus 15% (n=9) among SLNB-positive patients. Among patients who did not undergo a SLNB, the regional recurrence rate was 25.2% (n=63) among those who underwent observation and 15% (n=6) among those who received nodal radiation alone. After propensity score matching, SLNB patients had a lower risk of regional recurrence (sHR 0.54 95% CI 0.34-0.86 p=0.01) and improved overall survival (HR 0.32 95% CI 0.23-0.45 p<0.01), but there was no difference in local recurrence (sHR 0.92 95% CI 0.50-1.69 p=0.79), distant recurrence (sHR 0.88 95% CI 0.52-1.49 p=0.63), or cancer-specific survival (HR 0.67 95% CI 0.31-1.45 p=0.31). Conclusions: SLNB is associated with a reduced risk of regional recurrence and improved overall survival. The role of SLNB in selecting patients for emerging therapies, such as immunotherapy, needs to be evaluated. [Table: see text]

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