Development of neuro-Behcet's disease in a patient with operable HER2-positive breast cancer during neoadjuvant chemotherapy: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Neuro-Behcet's disease (NBD) is a variant of Behcet's disease (BD). To our knowledge, there have been no previous reports on concurrent NBD in breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. CASE PRESENTATION: Our patient had a history of BD and was asymptomatic. She was diagnosed with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive breast cancer by core needle biopsy and was administered neoadjuvant chemotherapy. After four courses, in addition to the aggravation of the existing adverse events, headache, fever, dysarthria, and muscle weakness in the upper left and lower extremities appeared. On admission, she was diagnosed with acute NBD, and steroid therapy was initiated. After her symptoms improved gradually, she was discharged. Then, she underwent mastectomy and axillary lymph node dissection for breast cancer. Trastuzumab and pertuzumab plus tamoxifen were administered postoperatively. Two years postoperatively, no recurrence of breast cancer and NBD was noted. CONCLUSION: When chemotherapy is administered to breast cancer patients with a history of BD, it is necessary to select chemotherapy with as few adverse events as possible and to continue with treatment while paying attention to the risk of NBD.

Prognosis of isolated locoregional recurrence after early breast cancer with immediate breast reconstruction surgery: a retrospective multi­institutional study.

BACKGROUND: The prognosis in patients with breast cancer with isolated locoregional recurrence (ILRR) without simultaneous distant metastases after immediate breast reconstruction (IBR) remains unknown. We aimed to investigate the prognosis in this patient population. METHODS: This multi-institutional retrospective observational study evaluated 3295 patients with primary breast cancer who underwent IBR at 12 Japanese medical facilities between January 1, 2008 and December 31, 2016. The outcome measures were the prognostic factors for ILRR after IBR, 5-year distant metastasis-free interval (DMFI), and 5-year overall survival (OS). RESULTS: Mastectomy or skin-sparing mastectomy was performed in 3295 patients. ILRR occurred in 70 patients, and the median observation period from ILRR diagnosis was 39.3 months. Of the 70 patients, 9 (12.9%) had axillary lymph node recurrence (ALNR) at the time of ILRR diagnosis. The 5-year DMFI and OS rates after ILRR were 92.4% and 91.2%, respectively. Pathological lymph node metastasis at primary surgery (P = 0.041) and ALNR (P = 0.022) at ILRR were significantly associated with DMFI in the univariate analysis. ALNR was the only independent prognostic factor in the multivariate analysis (P = 0.041). Post-mastectomy radiation therapy (PMRT; P = 0.022) and ALNR (P = 0.043) were significantly associated with OS in the univariate analysis, and both PMRT (P = 0.010) and ALNR (P = 0.028) were independent prognostic factors in the multivariate analysis for OS. CONCLUSIONS: Although patients with breast cancer who had ILRR after IBR have favorable prognosis, ALNR may lead to poor prognosis. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to report the prognosis of these patients.

Nipple-areolar complex malposition in breast reconstruction after nipple-sparing mastectomy: a multi-institutional retrospective observational study in Japan.

BACKGROUND: Position of the nipple-areolar complex (NAC) is an important factor in the esthetic impression of the breast, and NAC malposition is often an issue in breast reconstruction after nipple-sparing mastectomy (NSM). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the degree of NAC malposition depending on several factors using data quantified with the Mamma Balance application (Medic Engineering K.K., Kyoto, Japan). METHODS: Patients who underwent unilateral breast reconstruction after NSM at eight hospitals in Japan between 2007 and 2020 were retrospectively investigated. Using Mamma Balance, NAC malposition was quantified separately in horizontal and vertical directions using patient photographs from pre-operatively and 6-24 months post-operatively. The degree of malpositioning was then statistically compared using various factors. RESULTS: The NAC deviated more cranially and medially with implants than that with flaps. Cases with latissimus dorsi flap showed lateral malposition more often than cases with deep inferior epigastric artery perforator flap. With flaps, lateral incisions showed more lateral malposition, and peri-areolar incisions tended to show more medial NAC malposition. In cases with severe post-operative infection of the implant, the NAC tended to deviate cranially. In radiation cases, the NAC deviated cranially. No significant difference was observed according to the degree of breast ptosis or use of the pull-down operation. Only a very weak correlation was observed between a larger amount of mastectomy and more cranial NAC malposition with both flaps and implants. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides insights into the tendencies and characteristics of NAC malposition.

Impact of neoadjuvant chemotherapy on the safety and long-term outcomes of patients undergoing immediate breast reconstruction after mastectomy.

BACKGROUND: In breast cancer patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC), immediate breast reconstruction (IBR) as a breast cancer treatment option remains controversial. We assessed the impact of NAC on surgical and oncological outcomes of patients undergoing IBR. METHODS: This was a retrospective multicenter study of 4726 breast cancer cases undergoing IBR. The rate of postoperative complications and survival data were compared between IBR patients who received NAC and those who did not receive NAC. Propensity score matching analysis was performed to mitigate selection bias for survival. RESULTS: Of the total 4726 cases, 473 (10.0%) received NAC. Out of the cases with NAC, 96 (20.3%) experienced postoperative complications, while 744 cases (17.5%) without NAC had postoperative complications. NAC did not significant increase the risk of complications after IBR (Odds ratio, 0.96; 95%CI 0.74-1.25). At the median follow-up time of 76.5 months, 36 patients in the NAC group and 147 patients in the control group developed local recurrences. The 5-year local recurrence-free survival rate was 93.1% in the NAC group and 97.1% in the control group. (P < 0.001). After matching, there was no significant difference between the two groups. CONCLUSION: IBR after NAC is a safe procedure with an acceptable postoperative complication profile.

Impact of radiation therapy for breast cancer with involved surgical margin after immediate breast reconstruction: A multi-institutional observational study.

INTRODUCTION: Involved surgical margins are risk factors for local recurrence and re-excision is often difficult, particularly in patients with breast cancer undergoing immediate breast reconstruction (IBR). However, the magnitude of the effect of radiation therapy on preventing local recurrence for breast cancers with involved margins has not been sufficiently assessed. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively assessed sites of involved surgical margins and local recurrence after mastectomy with IBR in patients with early breast cancer between 2008 and 2016. The effect of postoperative radiation therapy was evaluated in patients with involved margins, adjusted for nuclear grade, lymphatic invasion, surgical procedures, and primary systemic therapy. RESULTS: A total of 274 (5.8 %) out of 4726 patients who underwent mastectomy with IBR had involved surgical margins: 133, 68, 88, and 26 had involvement of the skin, deep margin, lateral margins, and nipple, respectively (including duplicates). Radiation therapy was administered to 54 patients with involved margins. In patients with involved margins, 7-year cumulative incidences of local recurrence were 1.9 % and 12.6 % with and without radiation therapy, respectively (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.17; 95 % CI, 0.04-0.80). Local recurrence occurred in 28 patients, and the sites were skin, subcutaneous tissue, muscle, and nipple-areola complex in 7, 17, 1, and 3 patients, respectively. Among them, 23 (82.1 %) were associated with involved margin sites. CONCLUSIONS: Radiation therapy meaningfully reduced the incidence of local recurrence in patients with breast cancer with margin involvement after mastectomy with IBR. Most local recurrences occurred at involved margin-related sites.