%0 Journal Article
%T Does Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy Influence Subsequent Management Decisions in Women With Breast Cancer ≥ 70 Years Old?
%A Daly GR
%A Dowling GP
%A Hamza E
%A AlRawashdeh M
%A Hegarty A
%A Naz T
%A McGrath J
%A Naidoo S
%A Downey E
%A Butt A
%A Power C
%A Hill ADK
%J Clin Breast Cancer
%V 0
%N 0
%D 2024 May 7
%M 38821743
%F 3.078
%R 10.1016/j.clbc.2024.05.002
%X <B>BACKGROUND: </B>There have been ongoing attempts to de-escalate surgical intervention in older breast cancer patients in recent years. However, there remains ongoing hesitancy amongst surgeons to de-implement axillary staging in this cohort. The supporting argument for performing a sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) is that it may guide subsequent management.<BR><B>METHODS: </B>A retrospective review was performed of 356 SLNBs, in 342 women ≥ 70 years of age with invasive breast cancer, between 2014 and 2022 in a single institution. Data were collected on patient and tumor characteristics and subsequent management for all patients and for patients with ER+/HER2-, early-stage disease.<BR><B>RESULTS: </B>Positive SLNB significantly increased likelihood of receiving adjuvant chemotherapy (CTh) in patients aged 70-75 in all clinical subtypes (OR 4.0, 95% CI, 1.6-10; P = .0035). Positive SLNB did not significantly increase likelihood of receiving adjuvant CTh in patients aged 75-80, however, an Oncotype Dx score of ≥ 26 did (OR 34.50, 95% CI, 3.00-455.2; P = .0103). Positive SLNB was significantly associated with receiving adjuvant radiotherapy (RTh) in all patients aged 70-75 (OR 4.5, 95% CI, 2.0-11; P = .0004) and 75-80 (OR 9.7, 95% CI, 2.7-46; P = .0015). In patients aged ≥ 80 years, positive SLNB did not have a significant influence on subsequent treatments.<BR><B>CONCLUSIONS: </B>In this study, SLNB did not significantly influence subsequent management decisions in patients over 80 and should rarely be performed in this cohort. However, SLNB still had a role in patients aged 70-80 and should be used selectively in this cohort.