Avoiding Overtreatment of Women?70 With Early-Stage Breast Cancer: A Provider-Level Deimplementation Strategy

Introduction: National guidelines recommend against routine axillary staging with sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) and adjuvant radiotherapy (RT) in women >70 y with early stage, hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer and clinically negative axilla; however, these practices remain common. Methods: We conducted a prospective pilot study from August 2021 to 2022 using an intervention targeting breast surgeons and radiation oncologists in Michigan that aimed to reduce SLNB and RT in eligible patients. The intervention consisted of (1) a geriatric assessment, (2) an assessment of the patient's medical maximizing-minimizing preferences, and (3) a tailored script with counterpoints to reasons patients commonly seek SLNB or RT. At the end of the study period, participants completed a survey providing feedback with the primary outcomes being: acceptability, appropriateness, feasibility, and intention and motivation to use the materials based on validated measures.Results: Participants (n 1/4 23) included 15 breast surgeons and 8 radiation oncologists. Collectively, the materials were used with 115 patients. Considering all materials holistically, acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility of the intervention were high; participants also intended and were motivated to use the intervention. Scores across all measures were highest for the geriatric assessment and lowest for the tailored script. The major barriers to using the intervention were limited time and instances of disagreement on treatment recommendations among surgeons and radiation oncologists.Conclusions: The omission of SLNB and adjuvant RT should be discussed in appropriately selected patients. A multifaceted provider-level deimplementation strategy may be an effective means for achieving this goal.(c) 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

The purpose of this study was to reduce the demand for routine axillary staging and the use of adjuvant radiotherapy in older women. The intervention, which included geriatric assessments, understanding patient preferences, and providing tailored recommendations, was well-accepted and deemed feasible. However, limited time and disagreements among healthcare providers regarding treatment recommendations were identified as major barriers.