08 Oct Breast Cancer: Axillary Node Interventions
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Roshni Rao, MD
Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study?
Dr. Rao: That in most women with small breast cancer (<3.0cm in size), it is not necessary to removal all the lymph nodes underneath the arm, even if those nodes do have cancer. Radiation therapy, which is required after a partial mastectomy for breast cancer, can prevent these nodes from growing or becoming clinically significant.
MedicalResearch.com: Were any of the findings unexpected?
Dr. Rao: This review further establishes the lack of survival benefit from removal of all the axillary lymph nodes for patients with breast cancer.
MedicalResearch.com: What should clinicians and patients take away from your report?
Dr. Rao: That a personalized approach to breast cancer, which includes information on tumor biology utilizing molecular markers, allows for less aggressive surgery.
MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?
Dr. Rao: Similar data have not yet been established for patients undergoing mastectomy alone, or for patients who receive neoadjuvant chemotherapy and who have needle biopsy proven axillary metastases.
Citation:
Last Updated on April 10, 2015 by Marie Benz MD FAAD