These NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines) for Breast Cancer are the work of the members of the NCCN Breast Cancer Panel. Categories of evidence and consensus were assessed and are noted in the algorithms and text. Although not explicitly stated at every decision point of the NCCN Guidelines, patient participation in prospective clinical trials is the preferred option of treatment for all stages of breast cancer.

Objective To investigate the relationship between supply of subspecialty care and type of procedure preferentially performed for early stage breast cancer. Background Three surgical options exist for early stage breast cancer: (1) breast conserving surgery (BCS), (2) mastectomy with reconstruction (RECON), and (3) mastectomy alone. Current guidelines recommend that surgical treatment decisions should be based on patient preference if a patient is eligible for all 3. However, studies demonstrate persistent variation in the use of BCS and RECON. Methods Patients undergoing an operation for DCIS or stage I or II breast cancer at NCCN institutions between 2000 and 2006 were identified. Institutional procedure rates were determined. Spearman correlations measured the association between procedure types. Patient-level logistic regression models investigated predictors of procedure type and association with institutional supply of subspecialty care. Results Among 10,607 patients, 19% had mastectomy alone, 60% BCS, and 21% RECON. The institutional rate of BCS and RECON were strongly correlated (r = −0.80, P = 0.02). Institution was more important than all patient factors except age in predicting receipt of RECON or BCS. RECON was more likely for patients treated at an institution with a greater supply of reconstructive surgeons or where patients live further from radiation facilities. RECON was less likely at institutions with longer waiting times for surgery with reconstruction. Conclusions Even within the NCCN, a consortium of multidisciplinary cancer centers, the use of BCS and mastectomy with reconstruction substantially varies by institution and correlates with the supply of subspecialty care.

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Pathologic axillary lymph node (ALN) status is an important prognostic factor for staging breast cancer. Currently, status is determined by histopathology following surgical excision of sentinel lymph node(s), which is an invasive, time consuming, costly and potentially morbid procedure. This work describes an imaging platform for the non-invasive assessment of ALN status, eliminating the need for operation in patients without nodal involvement. A targeted imaging probe (MamAb-680) was developed by conjugation of a mammaglobin-A specific monoclonal antibody to a near-infrared fluorescent dye. Using DNA and tissue microarray, mammaglobin-A was validated as a cell-surface target that is expressed in axillary lymph node positive patient samples but is not expressed in normal lymph nodes. In vivo selectivity was determined by intravenous injection of MamAb-680 into mice with mammaglobin-A positive and negative mammary fat pad (MFP) tumors; and by peritumoral MFP injection of the targeted imaging probe in mice with spontaneous ALN metastases. Fluorescence imaging showed that probe was only retained in positive tumors and metastases. As few as 1000 cells that endogenously express mammaglobin-A were detected in ALN indicating high sensitivity of this method. Hence, this approach has potential for translation into clinical use for the non-invasive staging of breast cancer.