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Non-surgical ablation is emerging as an alternative local therapy option for patients with early-stage breast cancer and encompasses two main types of percutaneous therapeutic procedures: radiofrequency ablation and cryoablation. Both techniques involve obliteration of a spherical lesion and feasibility studies have shown that complete tumour ablation is achievable with good or excellent cosmetic results. Although few clinical studies have directly compared non-surgical ablation with conventional surgical resection, observational studies indicate that clinical outcomes are favourable with acceptable rates of local control and no detriment to long-term survival. There remain outstanding issues with these percutaneous ablative techniques that require resolution before they could be incorporated into routine clinical practice. Hence, a consensus meeting was convened to discuss the challenges of non-surgical ablation and clarify indications for its use alongside clinical management pathways. In this Policy Review we will address some of the broader biological aspects of non-surgical ablation, including immune-modulatory effects and potential novel applications for the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The importance of ipsilateral local recurrence within a conserved breast depends on the micrometastatic environment at the time of initial clinical presentation. In the absence of micrometastases, local recurrence would be a determinant of distant disease; however, in the presence of micrometastases, it represents a marker of distant relapse. Maximum locoregional treatment at primary diagnosis would be appropriate in the former group, whereas minimum treatment would be sufficient in the latter group, with full treatment prescribed at the time of local recurrence. As an indicator of poor prognosis, the presence of local recurrence permits a more selective approach to therapiesthat would otherwise result in overtreatment for some patients. We, therefore propose a trial that compares conventional treatment with minimum therapy at presentation plus maximum therapy at local relapse in postmenopausal women with small tumours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The heterogeneous nature of ductal carcinoma in situ has been emphasised by data for breast-cancer screening that show substantial increases in the detection of early-stage non-invasive breast cancer but no noteworthy change in the incidence of invasive and distant metastatic disease. Indolent non-progressive forms of ductal carcinoma in situ are managed according to similar surgical strategies as high-risk disease, with extent of resection dictated by radiological and pathological estimates of tumour dimensions. Although adjuvant treatments might be withheld for low-risk lesions, surgical treatments incur potential morbidity, especially when mastectomy and breast reconstruction are done for widespread low-grade or intermediate-grade ductal carcinoma in situ. Low rates of deaths from breast cancer coupled with overdiagnosis within screening programmes have prompted a fundamental rethink of approaches to the management of both low-risk and high-risk ductal carcinoma in situ. Changes include active surveillance for low-risk lesions and a watchful waiting policy with intervention when invasive local recurrence after breast-conserving surgery is detected. Prediction of ipsilateral invasive recurrence is likely to be improved by integration of molecular biomarkers with conventional histopathological parameters. Moreover, further genetic interrogation of ductal carcinoma in situ might lead to a reclassification of some low-grade lesions as non-cancerous entities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the advent of sentinel lymph node biopsy, surgical methods for accurately staging the axilla in patients with early-stage breast cancer have become progressively less extensive, with formal axillary lymph node dissection confined to a dwindling group of patients. Although details of methods for sentinel lymph node biopsy have yet to be standardised, this technique is now widely practised and accepted as standard of care worldwide. In the past 5 years, attention has focused on minimisation of surgical morbidity by restricting further axillary surgery or considering radiotherapy in patients with a small tumour burden in their sentinel nodes. This change in approach to patients with positive sentinel lymph node biopsies has increased the complexity of axillary management, and any policy of de-escalation and avoidance of morbidity must not compromise patient outcomes. This trend for de-escalation has accompanied a shift in understanding of how any residual tumour burden can be adequately managed without surgical extirpation and reliance on effective adjuvant therapies. Indications for omission of completion axillary lymph node dissection in patients with two or fewer nodes containing macrometastases demand further clarification, together with the roles of preoperative imaging in defining axillary nodal burden, deselection of patients for sentinel lymph node biopsy, and provision of radiotherapy. Downstaging of biopsy-proven node-positive patients with neoadjuvant chemotherapy could safely permit sentinel lymph node biopsy alone when the index node has been successfully retrieved at surgery, while nodal deposits of any size continue to mandate completion axillary lymph node dissection. Developments in molecular imaging technologies and percutaneous biopsy techniques could potentially render sentinel lymph node biopsy redundant in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aims of the Oncoplastic Breast Consortium initiative were to identify important knowledge gaps in the field of oncoplastic breast-conserving surgery and nipple-sparing or skin-sparing mastectomy with immediate breast reconstruction, and to recommend appropriate research strategies to address these gaps. A total of 212 surgeons and 26 patient advocates from 55 countries prioritised the 15 most important knowledge gaps from a list of 38 in two electronic Delphi rounds. An interdisciplinary panel of the Oncoplastic Breast Consortium consisting of 63 stakeholders from 20 countries obtained consensus during an in-person meeting to select seven of these 15 knowledge gaps as research priorities. Three key recommendations emerged from the meeting. First, the effect of oncoplastic breast-conserving surgery on quality of life and the optimal type and timing of reconstruction after nipple-sparing or skin-sparing mastectomy with planned radiotherapy should be addressed by prospective cohort studies at an international level. Second, the role of adjunctive mesh and the positioning of implants during implant-based breast reconstruction should ideally be investigated by randomised controlled trials of pragmatic design. Finally, the BREAST-Q questionnaire is a suitable tool to assess primary outcomes in these studies, but other metrics to measure patient-reported outcomes should be systematically evaluated and quality indicators of surgical morbidity should be further assessed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 2013 Breast Cancer Campaign gap analysis established breast cancer research priorities without a specific focus on surgical research or the role of surgeons on breast cancer research. This Review aims to identify opportunities and priorities for research in breast surgery to complement the 2013 gap analysis. To identify these goals, research-active breast surgeons met and identified areas for breast surgery research that mapped to the patient pathway. Areas included diagnosis, neoadjuvant treatment, surgery, adjuvant therapy, and attention to special groups (eg, those receiving risk-reducing surgery). Section leads were identified based on research interests, with invited input from experts in specific areas, supported by consultation with members of the Association of Breast Surgery and Independent Cancer Patients' Voice groups. The document was iteratively modified until participants were satisfied that key priorities for surgical research were clear. Key research gaps included issues surrounding overdiagnosis and treatment; optimising treatment options and their selection for neoadjuvant therapies and subsequent surgery; reducing rates of re-operations for breast-conserving surgery; generating evidence for clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of breast reconstruction, and mechanisms for assessing novel interventions; establishing optimal axillary management, especially post-neoadjuvant treatment; and defining and standardising indications for risk-reducing surgery. We propose strategies for resolving these knowledge gaps. Surgeons are ideally placed for a central role in breast cancer research and should foster a culture of engagement and participation in research to benefit patients and health-care systems. Development of infrastructure and surgical research capacity, together with appropriate allocation of research funding, is needed to successfully address the key clinical and translational research gaps that are highlighted in this Review within the next two decades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]