Distinction of isolated tumour cells and micrometastasis in lymph nodes of breast cancer patients according to the new Tumour Node Metastasis (TNM) definitions

Gábor Cserni, Isabel Amendoeira, Simonetta Bianchi, Ewa Chmielik, James Degaetano, Daniel Faverly, Paulo Figueiredo, Maria P. Foschini, Dorthe Grabau, Jocelyne Jacquemier, Handan Kaya, Janina Kulka, Manuela Lacerda, Inta Liepniece-Karele, Jose Martinez Penuela, Cecily Quinn, Peter Regitnig, Angelika Reiner-Concin, Anna Sapino, Paul J. Van DiestZsuzsanna Varga, Vania Vezzosi, Jelle Wesseling, Vasiliki Zolota, Enrique Zozaya, Clive A. Wells

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

16 Scopus citations

Abstract

Isolated tumour cells and micrometastases represent two different staging categories and are often dealt with differently when identified in sentinel lymph nodes of breast cancer patients. The reproducibility of these categories was found to be suboptimal in several studies. The new edition of the TNM (Tumour Node Metastasis) is expected to improve the reproducibility of these categories. Fifty cases of possible low-volume nodal involvement were represented by one to four digital images and were analysed by members of the European Working Group for Breast Screening Pathology (EWGBSP). The kappa value for interobserver agreement of the pN (TNM) staging categories and of the isolated tumour cells category were 0.55 and 0.56 reflecting moderate reproducibility, and the kappa of the micrometastatic category (0.62) reflected substantial reproducibility. This is an improvement over the results gained on the basis of the previous edition of the TNM. Maximal adherence to the category definitions supplemented by explanatory texts in the staging manual should result in more homogeneous nodal staging of breast cancer.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)887-894
Number of pages8
JournalEuropean Journal of Cancer
Volume47
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 2011
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Breast cancer
  • Isolated tumour cell cluster
  • Isolated tumour cells
  • Micrometastasis
  • Sentinel lymph node
  • TNM

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Oncology
  • Cancer Research

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Distinction of isolated tumour cells and micrometastasis in lymph nodes of breast cancer patients according to the new Tumour Node Metastasis (TNM) definitions'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this