Julie A. Margenthaler, MD, FACS

Julie A. Margenthaler, MD, FACS, Professor of Surgery at Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, told The ASCO Post that routine clinical examination may not be enough to properly identify lymph node involvement in patients with triple-negative breast cancer.

“Given that we now have targeted therapies for patients with triple-negative breast cancer and adjuvant treatment recommendations that are based solely on response to neoadjuvant treatment response, it is imperative that we carefully stage the axilla clinically for all patients presenting with a triple-negative breast tumor larger than 10 mm,” said Dr. Margenthaler. “Clinical examination is simply not sufficient for most patients, and axillary ultrasound has been shown to be a superior technique to identify lymph node involvement. It should be utilized routinely for these patients.” 

DISCLOSURE: Dr. Margenthaler reported no conflicts of interest.