Feasibility in Identification of Breast Cancer Candidates for Elimination of Axillary Surgery

For patients who were not evaluated as progressive disease by the latest imaging measurement, repeated core needle biopsy is conducted within the baseline tattooed area after 2 to 4 cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy, depending on the total cycles of chemotherapy. Tissue is acquired from different sections of the lesion from different angles to minimize the impact of tumor heterogeneity. For each patient, 3 to 4 tissue specimens are collected and sent for pathological review to examine whether there is residual malignancy (residual cancer, pleomorphic tissue) in the tumor site that is tattooed.