Comparison of Complete Axillary Lymph Node Dissection With Axillary Radiation Therapy in Treating Women With Invasive Breast Cancer

RATIONALE: Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to damage tumor cells and may be a less invasive treatment and cause fewer side effects than complete axillary lymph node dissection. It is not yet known which treatment is more effective for invasive breast cancer. PURPOSE: Randomized phase III trial to compare the effectiveness of complete axillary lymph node dissection with that of axillary radiation therapy in treating women who have invasive breast cancer.

Sex

Female

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Histologically or "triple diagnosis" (palpation, mammogram or ultrasound, and cytology) confirmed operable invasive breast cancer

  * T0-2, N0
  * Diagnosis by excisional tumorectomy allowed
  * Clinically occult invasive disease must be histologically confirmed
* Only 1 tumor in 1 breast

  * Tumor between 5 and 50 mm in largest diameter, within 1 quadrant by mammogram, ultrasound or MRI

    * Multifocal (i.e., within one quadrant and sharing the same histological characteristics) is allowed
    * Multicentric (i.e., in different quadrants) breast cancer is not allowed
* Clinically negative axillary lymph nodes
* No metastatic disease
* No previous treatment of the primary breast tumor by neoadjuvant hormonal or systemic treatment
* Hormone receptor status:

  * Not specified

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age:

* Any age

Sex:

* Female

Menopausal status:

* Not specified

Performance status:

* Not specified

Life expectancy:

* Not specified

Hematopoietic:

* Not specified

Hepatic:

* Not specified

Renal:

* Not specified

Other:

* Fit to undergo sentinel node biopsy, axillary clearance, breast surgery, and/or axillary radiotherapy
* No psychological, familial, sociological, or geographical condition that would preclude study compliance
* No other prior malignancy except basal cell skin cancer or carcinoma in situ of the cervix
* Not pregnant

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy:

* Not specified

Chemotherapy:

* Not specified

Endocrine therapy:

* Not specified

Radiotherapy:

* No prior radiotherapy to axilla

Surgery:

* No prior surgery to axilla

Other:

* See Disease Characteristics

• RESULTStraver ME, Meijnen P, van Tienhoven G, van de Velde CJ, Mansel RE, Bogaerts J, Demonty G, Duez N, Cataliotti L, Klinkenbijl J, Westenberg HA, van der Mijle H, Hurkmans C, Rutgers EJ. Role of axillary clearance after a tumor-positive sentinel node in the administration of adjuvant therapy in early breast cancer. J Clin Oncol. 2010 Feb 10;28(5):731-7. doi: 10.1200/JCO.2008.21.7554. Epub 2009 Dec 28. PMID 20038733
• RESULTStraver ME, Meijnen P, van Tienhoven G, van de Velde CJ, Mansel RE, Bogaerts J, Duez N, Cataliotti L, Klinkenbijl JH, Westenberg HA, van der Mijle H, Snoj M, Hurkmans C, Rutgers EJ. Sentinel node identification rate and nodal involvement in the EORTC 10981-22023 AMAROS trial. Ann Surg Oncol. 2010 Jul;17(7):1854-61. doi: 10.1245/s10434-010-0945-z. Epub 2010 Mar 19. PMID 20300966
• RESULTStraver ME, Meijnen P, van Tienhoven G, et al.: Technical aspects of the sentinel node biopsy in the EORTC AMAROS sentinel node trial. [Abstract] 31st Annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, December 10-14, 2008, San Antonio, Texas. A-1006, 2008.
• RESULTMeijnen P, Rutgers EJT, van de Velde CJH, et al.: EORTC 10981-22023 trial. AMAROS: after mapping of the axilla: radiotherapy or surgery? Trial update. [Abstract] Eur J Cancer 2 (Suppl 3): A-79, 79, 2004.
• RESULTHurkmans CW, Borger JH, Rutgers EJ, van Tienhoven G; EORTC Breast Cancer Cooperative Group; Radiotherapy Cooperative Group. Quality assurance of axillary radiotherapy in the EORTC AMAROS trial 10981/22023: the dummy run. Radiother Oncol. 2003 Sep;68(3):233-40. doi: 10.1016/s0167-8140(03)00194-4. PMID 13129630
• DERIVEDDonker M, Slaets L, van Tienhoven G, Rutgers EJ. [Axillary lymph node dissection versus axillary radiotherapy in patients with a positive sentinel node: the AMAROS trial]. Ned Tijdschr Geneeskd. 2015;159:A9302. Dutch. PMID 26488192
• DERIVEDDonker M, van Tienhoven G, Straver ME, Meijnen P, van de Velde CJ, Mansel RE, Cataliotti L, Westenberg AH, Klinkenbijl JH, Orzalesi L, Bouma WH, van der Mijle HC, Nieuwenhuijzen GA, Veltkamp SC, Slaets L, Duez NJ, de Graaf PW, van Dalen T, Marinelli A, Rijna H, Snoj M, Bundred NJ, Merkus JW, Belkacemi Y, Petignat P, Schinagl DA, Coens C, Messina CG, Bogaerts J, Rutgers EJ. Radiotherapy or surgery of the axilla after a positive sentinel node in breast cancer (EORTC 10981-22023 AMAROS): a randomised, multicentre, open-label, phase 3 non-inferiority trial. Lancet Oncol. 2014 Nov;15(12):1303-10. doi: 10.1016/S1470-2045(14)70460-7. Epub 2014 Oct 15.