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Cureus May 2024While the prognosis for ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) of the breast is generally excellent, distant metastasis after appropriate local treatment is extremely rare. We...
While the prognosis for ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) of the breast is generally excellent, distant metastasis after appropriate local treatment is extremely rare. We experienced two cases of distant metastasis after mastectomy for breast ductal carcinoma in situ. In both cases, the surgical margins were negative, the sentinel nodes were negative for metastasis. The first case was a 67-year-old woman who developed lung metastases four years after mastectomy for high-grade DCIS. The second case was a 34-year-old woman with intermediate-grade DCIS who developed intraductal recurrence localized to the nipple two years after the initial nipple-sparing mastectomy and multiple lung and liver metastases six months later. Both cases developed distant metastases despite appropriate local treatment, without preceding or concurrent invasive local recurrence. Although the probability of distant recurrence is low, it is important to inform patients about the risk of recurrence.
PubMed: 38836147
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.59655 -
Cureus May 2024Novel hybrid approaches for chest wall irradiation show promising outcomes regarding target coverage and sparing organs at risk (OARs). In this systematic review, we... (Review)
Review
Hybrid Treatment Planning for Chest Wall Irradiation Utilizing Three-Dimensional Conformal Radiotherapy (3DCRT), Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT), and Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT): A Systematic Review.
Novel hybrid approaches for chest wall irradiation show promising outcomes regarding target coverage and sparing organs at risk (OARs). In this systematic review, we compared hybrid volumetric modulated arc therapy (H-VMAT) or hybrid intensity-modulated radiotherapy (H-IMRT) techniques with non-hybrid techniques, such as three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3DCRT), field-in-field (FIF), intensity-modulated arc therapy (IMRT), and volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT), for breast cancer patients with mastectomy. Our focus was the plan quality and dose distribution to the OARs. Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) checklist, we performed a systematic review and quality appraisal of primary studies evaluating hybrid therapy to the chest wall and the OARs. An extensive online search of PubMed and Scopus databases was conducted using appropriate keywords. The dose to the OARs (lung, heart, and contralateral breast), planning target volume (PTV), homogeneity index (HI), and conformity index (CI) were extracted. The data were then tabulated and compared for the outcomes between modalities among the studies. Nine studies that met the search criteria were selected to evaluate the PTV coverage and dosimetric results of hybrid and non-hybrid techniques. In terms of 95% PTV coverage, among nine reviewed studies, the largest difference between the two techniques was between VMAT (47.6 Gy) and H-VMAT (48.4 Gy); for the conformity index, the largest difference was noted between 3DCRT (0.58) and H-VMAT (0.79). In both cases, differences were statistically significant ( < 0.005). Two studies showed dose homogeneity improvement within the treatment target in H-VMAT (0.15 and 0.07) compared with 3DCRT (0.41 and 0.12), with a value of <0.001. Two studies did not report on the homogeneity index, and three others observed no statistical difference. Regarding OARs, in the comparison of H-VMAT and VMAT, the largest significant change was in the volume receiving 5 Gy (V) of the ipsilateral lung and the V of the contralateral lung. For the ipsilateral lung, V was 90.7% with VMAT versus 51.45% with H-VMAT. For the contralateral lung, V was 54.9% with VMAT versus 50.5% with H-VMAT. In six studies, the mean dose of the contralateral breast was lower in hybrid techniques than in single modalities: VMAT (4.2%, 6.0%, 1.9%, 7.1%, 4.57%) versus H-VMAT (1.4%, 3.4%, 1.8%, 3.5%, 2.34%) and IMRT (9.1%) versus H-IMRT (4.69%). Although most studies did not report on monitor units and treatment time, those that included them showed that hybrids had lower monitor units and shorter treatment times. Hybrid techniques in radiotherapy, such as combining two modalities, can indeed facilitate lower doses to OARs for patients with a high risk of toxicities. Prospective clinical studies are needed to determine the outcomes of breast cancer treated with hybrid techniques.
PubMed: 38832195
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.59583 -
BJS Open May 2024Health-related quality of life and patient-related outcome measures for patients with cancer have gained increased interest over the last decade. However, few...
BACKGROUND
Health-related quality of life and patient-related outcome measures for patients with cancer have gained increased interest over the last decade. However, few prospective studies with longitudinal data evaluated health-related quality of life in patients with breast cancer. This study aimed to investigate how health-related quality of life changed from the time of diagnosis to 1 year after breast cancer surgery for the main surgical techniques.
METHODS
This prospective longitudinal single-centre study included patients with primary breast cancer diagnosed in 2019-2020 who underwent surgery. Patients completed a health-related quality of life questionnaire (Breast-Q) at baseline. One year after surgery, they completed the Breast-Q a second time, the EORTC (European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer) quality of life questionnaire-C30 and the quality of life questionnaire-BR23. Analysis of variance and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to evaluate the differences in health-related quality of life between surgical groups. Analysis of covariance with robust standard errors was used to adjust for confounders.
RESULTS
In total, 340 patients were included in the study; 160 patients received oncoplastic partial mastectomy, 112 received partial mastectomy, 42 received mastectomy and 26 had mastectomy with immediate reconstruction. Patients that had partial mastectomy or oncoplastic partial mastectomy were more satisfied with their breasts (P < 0.001), had a better body image (P = 0.006) and higher sexual functioning scores (P = 0.027) than patients who had a mastectomy with/without reconstruction. The oncoplastic and mastectomy with reconstruction groups had more breast symptoms than other groups (P < 0.001), and the mastectomy group had the least symptoms from the chest area.
CONCLUSION
Partial mastectomy and oncoplastic partial mastectomy have the best outcomes in terms of breast satisfaction, body image and sexual functioning. This highlights the importance of preserving the breast when feasible and underscores that breast reconstruction is not equal to breast conservation. Registration number: NCT04227613 (http://www.clinicaltrials.gov).
Topics: Humans; Female; Breast Neoplasms; Quality of Life; Middle Aged; Prospective Studies; Longitudinal Studies; Mastectomy; Mammaplasty; Aged; Surveys and Questionnaires; Adult; Mastectomy, Segmental
PubMed: 38829692
DOI: 10.1093/bjsopen/zrae042 -
Gynecologie, Obstetrique, Fertilite &... May 2024
PubMed: 38821450
DOI: 10.1016/j.gofs.2024.05.004 -
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.... May 2024Incision healing after mastectomy and immediate reconstruction can be supported with closed-incision negative pressure therapy (ciNPT). Studies have reported patients...
BACKGROUND
Incision healing after mastectomy and immediate reconstruction can be supported with closed-incision negative pressure therapy (ciNPT). Studies have reported patients receiving postoperative care with ciNPT after breast surgery exhibited lower rates of dehiscence, infection, necrosis, and seroma, compared with standard dressings. A recent approach to ciNPT involves the application of negative pressure to the incision and a wider area of surrounding tissue. In this retrospective review, we investigated the outcomes of ciNPT using full-coverage dressings over the entire breast after mastectomy and reconstruction.
METHODS
Patients underwent mastectomies and immediate prepectoral breast reconstruction with an implant or tissue expander. After surgery, patients received oral antibiotics and ciNPT with full-coverage foam dressings at -125 mm Hg.
RESULTS
All 54 patients (N = 105 incisions) were women, with a mean age of 53.5 years and 29.1 kg per m body mass index. Common comorbidities included prior chemotherapy (31.3%) or radiation (21.6%), hypertension (14.8%), and diabetes (5.6%). Procedures included skin-reducing (34.3%), skin-sparing (7.6%), and nipple-sparing (58.1%) mastectomies. Lymph nodes were removed in 38 (36.2%) incisions. All patients were discharged home with ciNPT on postoperative day (POD) 1, and ciNPT was discontinued on POD 5-7. At POD 30, three patients developed seromas, requiring revision. Of these, one required removal of the left tissue expander. The remaining 102 incisions (97.1%) healed without complication.
CONCLUSIONS
Among this cohort, the use of ciNPT with full-dressing coverage of the breast incisions and surrounding soft tissue was effective in supporting incisional healing after mastectomy and immediate reconstruction.
PubMed: 38818231
DOI: 10.1097/GOX.0000000000005809 -
Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical... May 2024For HR-positive/HER2-negative patients who can undergo breast-conserving surgery (BCS) but have a tumor size of 2-5 cm or 1-3 lymph node metastases, neoadjuvant...
INTRODUCTION
For HR-positive/HER2-negative patients who can undergo breast-conserving surgery (BCS) but have a tumor size of 2-5 cm or 1-3 lymph node metastases, neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) is still controversial.
METHODS
Patients with T2N0-1M0 HR-positive/HER2-negative BC who underwent BCS between 2010 and 2017 were selected from the SEER database. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to minimize the influence of confounding factors. The overall survival (OS) and breast cancer-specific survival (BCSS) of patients were estimated by Kaplan‒Meier curves and Cox proportional hazard models. Independent prognostic factors were included to construct a nomogram prediction model.
RESULTS
A total of 6475 BC patients were enrolled, of whom 553 received NAC and 5922 received adjuvant chemotherapy (AC). In the T2N0-1M0 population and T2N1M0 subgroup, AC patients before PSM had better OS and BCSS than NAC patients. After PSM, there was no significant difference in OS or BCSS between the two groups. However, in the T2N0M0 subgroup, there was no difference in survival between the AC and NAC groups before and after PSM. Stratified analysis revealed that for complete response (CR) patients, survival was roughly equivalent between the NAC and AC groups. However, the survival of no response (NR) and partial response (PR) patients was significantly worse than that of AC patients. Cox analysis revealed that radiotherapy after BCS was an independent protective factor for OS. NAC is an independent risk factor for NR and PR patients. The nomogram has good prediction efficiency.
CONCLUSION
NAC before BCS is not necessary for T2N0-1M0 HR-positive/HER2-negative BC patients.
Topics: Humans; Female; Breast Neoplasms; Neoadjuvant Therapy; Middle Aged; Mastectomy, Segmental; Receptor, ErbB-2; Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; Adult; Aged; Receptors, Estrogen; Receptors, Progesterone; Retrospective Studies; Neoplasm Staging; Prognosis; SEER Program
PubMed: 38814494
DOI: 10.1007/s00432-024-05810-6 -
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.... May 2024[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1097/GOX.0000000000005817.].
[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1097/GOX.0000000000005817.].
PubMed: 38808146
DOI: 10.1097/GOX.0000000000005943 -
Systematic Reviews May 2024Different guideline panels, and individuals, may make different decisions based in part on their preferences. Preferences for or against an intervention are viewed as a...
BACKGROUND
Different guideline panels, and individuals, may make different decisions based in part on their preferences. Preferences for or against an intervention are viewed as a consequence of the relative importance people place on the expected or experienced health outcomes it incurs. These findings can then be considered as patient input when balancing effect estimates on benefits and harms reported by empirical evidence on the clinical effectiveness of screening programs. This systematic review update examined the relative importance placed by patients on the potential benefits and harms of mammography-based breast cancer screening to inform an update to the 2018 Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care's guideline on screening.
METHODS
We screened all articles from our previous review (search December 2017) and updated our searches to June 19, 2023 in MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and CINAHL. We also screened grey literature, submissions by stakeholders, and reference lists. The target population was cisgender women and other adults assigned female at birth (including transgender men and nonbinary persons) aged ≥ 35 years and at average or moderately increased risk for breast cancer. Studies of patients with breast cancer were eligible for health-state utility data for relevant outcomes. We sought three types of data, directly through (i) disutilities of screening and curative treatment health states (measuring the impact of the outcome on one's health-related quality of life; utilities measured on a scale of 0 [death] to 1 [perfect health]), and (ii) other preference-based data, such as outcome trade-offs, and indirectly through (iii) the relative importance of benefits versus harms inferred from attitudes, intentions, and behaviors towards screening among patients provided with estimates of the magnitudes of benefit(s) and harms(s). For screening, we used machine learning as one of the reviewers after at least 50% of studies had been reviewed in duplicate by humans; full-text selection used independent review by two humans. Data extraction and risk of bias assessments used a single reviewer with verification. Our main analysis for utilities used data from utility-based health-related quality of life tools (e.g., EQ-5D) in patients; a disutility value of about 0.04 can be considered a minimally important value for the Canadian public. When suitable, we pooled utilities and explored heterogeneity. Disutilities were calculated for screening health states and between different treatment states. Non-utility data were grouped into categories, based on outcomes compared (e.g. for trade-off data), participant age, and our judgements of the net benefit of screening portrayed by the studies. Thereafter, we compared and contrasted findings while considering sample sizes, risk of bias, subgroup findings and data on knowledge scores, and created summary statements for each data set. Certainty assessments followed GRADE guidance for patient preferences and used consensus among at least two reviewers.
FINDINGS
Eighty-two studies (38 on utilities) were included. The estimated disutilities were 0.07 for a positive screening result (moderate certainty), 0.03-0.04 for a false positive (FP; "additional testing" resolved as negative for cancer) (low certainty), and 0.08 for untreated screen-detected cancer (moderate certainty) or (low certainty) an interval cancer. At ≤12 months, disutilities of mastectomy (vs. breast-conserving therapy), chemotherapy (vs. none) (low certainty), and radiation therapy (vs. none) (moderate certainty) were 0.02-0.03, 0.02-0.04, and little-to-none, respectively, though in each case findings were somewhat limited in their applicability. Over the longer term, there was moderate certainty for little-to-no disutility from mastectomy versus breast-conserving surgery/lumpectomy with radiation and from radiation. There was moderate certainty that a majority (>50%) and possibly a large majority (>75%) of women probably accept up to six cases of overdiagnosis to prevent one breast-cancer death; there was some uncertainty because of an indication that overdiagnosis was not fully understood by participants in some cases. Low certainty evidence suggested that a large majority may accept that screening may reduce breast-cancer but not all-cause mortality, at least when presented with relatively high rates of breast-cancer mortality reductions (n = 2; 2 and 5 fewer per 1000 screened), and at least a majority accept that to prevent one breast-cancer death at least a few hundred patients will receive a FP result and 10-15 will have a FP resolved through biopsy. An upper limit for an acceptable number of FPs was not evaluated. When using data from studies assessing attitudes, intentions, and screening behaviors, across all age groups but most evident for women in their 40s, preferences reduced as the net benefit presented by study authors decreased in magnitude. In a relatively low net-benefit scenario, a majority of patients in their 40s may not weigh the benefits as greater than the harms from screening whereas for women in their 50s a large majority may prefer screening (low certainty evidence for both ages). There was moderate certainty that a large majority of women 50 years of age and 50 to 69 years of age, who have usually experienced screening, weigh the benefits as greater than the harms from screening in a high net-benefit scenario. A large majority of patients aged 70-71 years who have recently screened probably think the benefits outweigh the harms of continuing to screen. A majority of women in their mid-70s to early 80s may prefer to continue screening.
CONCLUSIONS
Evidence across a range of data sources on how informed patients value the potential outcomes from breast-cancer screening will be useful during decision-making for recommendations. The evidence suggests that all of the outcomes examined have importance to women of any age, that there is at least some and possibly substantial (among those in their 40s) variability across and within age groups about the acceptable magnitude of effects across outcomes, and that provision of easily understandable information on the likelihood of the outcomes may be necessary to enable informed decision making. Although studies came from a wide range of countries, there were limited data from Canada and about whether findings applied well across an ethnographically and socioeconomically diverse population.
SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION
Protocol available at Open Science Framework https://osf.io/xngsu/ .
Topics: Humans; Breast Neoplasms; Early Detection of Cancer; Female; Canada; Patient Preference; Mammography; Practice Guidelines as Topic; Preventive Health Services; Advisory Committees; Quality of Life
PubMed: 38807191
DOI: 10.1186/s13643-024-02539-8 -
Radiation Oncology (London, England) May 2024This study aims to investigate the effects of chest wall bolus in intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) technology on clinical outcomes for post-mastectomy breast...
PURPOSE
This study aims to investigate the effects of chest wall bolus in intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) technology on clinical outcomes for post-mastectomy breast cancer patients.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
This retrospective study included patients with invasive carcinoma ((y)pT0-4, (y)pN0-3) who received photon IMRT after mastectomy at the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University from 2014 to 2019. The patients were divided into two groups based on whether they received daily bolus application or not, and the baseline characteristics were matched using propensity score matching (PSM). Cumulative incidence (CI) of local recurrence (LR), locoregional recurrence (LRR), overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were evaluated with a log-rank test. Acute skin toxicity and late radiation pneumonia was analyzed using chi-square test.
RESULTS
A total of 529 patients were included in this study, among whom 254 (48%) patients received bolus application. The median follow-up time was 60 months. After matching, 175 well-paired patients were selected. The adjusted 5-year outcomes (95% confidence interval) in patients treated with and without bolus were, respectively: CI of LR 2.42% (0.04-4.74) versus 2.38% (0.05-4.65), CI of LRR 2.42% (0.04-4.74) versus 3.59% (0.73-6.37), DFS 88.12% (83.35-93.18) versus 84.69% (79.42-90.30), OS 94.21% (90.79-97.76) versus 95.86% (92.91-98.91). No correlation between bolus application and skin toxicity (P = 0.555) and late pneumonia (P = 0.333) was observed.
CONCLUSIONS
The study revealed a low recurrence rate using IMRT technology. The daily used 5 mm chest wall bolus was not associated with improved clinical outcomes.
Topics: Humans; Female; Radiotherapy, Intensity-Modulated; Breast Neoplasms; Mastectomy; Retrospective Studies; Middle Aged; China; Adult; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; Aged
PubMed: 38807176
DOI: 10.1186/s13014-024-02456-z -
Supportive Care in Cancer : Official... May 2024To evaluate the effects of complete decongestive therapy (CDT) on cancer-related fatigue, sleep quality, and lymphedema-specific quality of life using validated and...
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the effects of complete decongestive therapy (CDT) on cancer-related fatigue, sleep quality, and lymphedema-specific quality of life using validated and reliable questionnaires in cancer patients being commendable.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
This prospective study includes 94 patients who had postmastectomy lymphedema syndrome. The demographic characteristics of the patients were recorded. The participants' stages of lymphedema (The International Society of Lymphology), Hirai Cancer Fatigue Scale (HCFS) score, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) Global score, lymphedema-specific quality of life questionnaire (LYMQOL-ARM) score, and Global health status were recorded before and after CDT.
RESULTS
The mean age of the patients was 58.49 ± 10.96 years. Strong correlations were found between the severity of edema and global health status. There was a significant positive relationship between the HCFS score, PSQI Global score, LYMQOL-ARM score, and CDT. After decongestive physiotherapy, the majority of the lymphedema stages were downstaging (p < 0.05), respectively. There was also a trend toward improvement in general well-being (p < 0.05).
CONCLUSION
Cancer-related fatigue and sleep disturbance can persist for years after surgery in women with breast cancer. This can negatively affect the patient physically, socially and cognitively. Our study, which is the first study to investigate the HCFS score in postmastectomy patients and the relationship between PSQI Global score and CDT. The findings identify the risk factors that affect these outcomes in women with lymphedema and can provide valuable insights for targeted interventions and improved patient care.
Topics: Humans; Middle Aged; Female; Prospective Studies; Mastectomy; Quality of Life; Aged; Surveys and Questionnaires; Fatigue; Sleep Quality; Lymphedema; Breast Neoplasms; Severity of Illness Index; Adult; Physical Therapy Modalities
PubMed: 38806742
DOI: 10.1007/s00520-024-08590-4