Journal of the American College of Surgeons
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American College of Surgeons Oncology Group (ACOSOG) Z0011 results support the omission of axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) in women with less than 3 positive sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) undergoing breast-conserving surgery (BCS) and radiation therapy. We sought to determine if abnormal axillary imaging is predictive of the need for ALND in this population. ⋯ Among clinically node-negative patients with abnormal axillary imaging, 71% did not meet criteria for ALND and were spared further surgical morbidity. Abnormal nodes on US, MRI, or mammogram in clinically node-negative patients are not reliable indicators of the need for ALND.
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Methods to assess a surgeon's individual performance based on clinically meaningful outcomes have not been fully developed, due to small numbers of adverse outcomes and wide variation in case volumes. The Achievable Benchmark of Care (ABC) method addresses these issues by identifying benchmark-setting surgeons with high levels of performance and greater case volumes. This method was used to help surgeons compare their surgical practice to that of their peers by using merged National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) and Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP) data to generate surgeon-specific reports. ⋯ The ABC method appears to be a sound and useful approach to identifying benchmark-setting surgeons within a single institution. Such surgeons may be able to help their peers improve their performance.