Correlation between breast and axillary pathologic complete response after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer.

AIM: The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlation of the pathological response in breast tissue and the axilla of patients with breast cancer who underwent surgery following neoadjuvant chemotherapy. METHOD: This retrospective cohort study included patients with T1-4, N1-3, M0 breast cancer who underwent surgery following neoadjuvant chemotherapy at Gaziosmanpasa Training and Research Hospital between 2013 and 2022. The response of the breast tissue to chemotherapy was evaluated with the Miller-Payne grading system, and the response of the axillary lymph nodes to chemotherapy was evaluated with the Pinder grading system. The patients were grouped histopathologically as luminal A, luminal B, Her-2 enriched, or triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). RESULTS: The study was completed with 140 patients. Pathological complete response (pCR) was seen in the breast in 40 patients and in the axilla in 34. Of the patients with pCR in the breast, pCR was also determined in the axilla in 45%. In the patients with pCR in both the breast and axilla, Her-2 enriched subtype, estrogen receptor negativity, progesterone receptor negativity, Her-2 neu positivity, and Ki-67 level >25% were determined to be effective (p<0.05). Her-2 neu positivity was evaluated as statistically significant in the development of pCR in both the breast and axilla (OR: 4.06, 95% CI:1.2-13.6, p=0.023). CONCLUSION: The development of pCR in the breast, especially in the Her-2 enriched subgroup, can be accepted as a predictive factor for the evaluation of axillary response in patients with breast cancer. The least compatibility was seen in the luminal A subgroup. KEY WORDS: Breast cancer, Miller-Payne, Neoadjuvant chemotherapy Pathological complete response, Pinder.

The effect of the Covid 19 pandemic on the number of patients treated for acute and complex acute appendicitis.

AIM: The aim of this study was to compare the increase in the number of complicated cases in patients who underwent surgery for acute appendicitis during the COVID-19 pandemic and the previous year. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A retrospective examination was made of the files of patients who presented at the Emergency Department and were diagnosed with acute appendicitis and underwent surgery within 24 hours or were followed up between 11 March and 1 June 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, and in the same period in the previous year. The patients in the pandemic period were named the pandemic group (PG) and the patients from the previous year, the control group (CG). The definition of complicated appendicitis included peri-appendicular abscess and perforated appendix. RESULTS: The number of patients in the PG was 38.33% lower than in the CG. The duration of symptoms was 2 days in the PG and 1 day in the CG, and the difference was statistically significant (p=0.001). The mean neutrophil count was determined to be higher in the PG than in the CG (p=0.018). The rate of perforated appendix was determined to be 10.9 higher in the PG than in the CG. CONCLUSION: The number of patients presenting at the Emergency Department reduced during the pandemic, especially during periods of lockdown, and it was seen that fewer but more complicated patients presented at our centre. KEY WORDS: Acute appendicitis, COVID-19, Perforation.