Epidemiologic risk factors for in situ and invasive ductal breast cancer among regularly screened postmenopausal women by grade in the Cancer Prevention Study-II Nutrition Cohort.

PURPOSE: Histopathologic grade provides an integrated measure of biologic features which affects cancer prognosis. In invasive ductal breast cancer (IDBC), the grade of the ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) and invasive components are usually concordant, suggesting grade is established early in tumorigenesis and may be linked to etiologic factors. In this study, we used prospectively collected data from postmenopausal women in the Cancer Prevention Study-II (CPS-II) Nutrition Cohort to compare risk factor associations among low-grade and high-grade DCIS, as well as low-grade and high-grade IDBC. METHODS: Among 73,825 cancer-free women at enrollment in the CPS-II Nutrition Cohort in 1992-1993 (mean age: 62.1 years), we verified 802 diagnosed with DCIS (C50 8500/2; n = 430 low-grade and 372 high-grade) and 3,125 with IDBC (C50 8500/3; n = 2,221 low-grade and 904 high-grade) through June 2013. Person-time contribution was conditional on screening mammograms self-reported on biennial surveys. Multivariable-adjusted joint Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). RESULTS: A personal history of benign breast disease was more strongly associated with higher risk of low-grade DCIS (HR = 2.20, 95% CI 1.81-2.67; p for heterogeneity = 0.0004) than high-grade DCIS. Consumption of two or more alcoholic drinks/day was only associated with a higher risk of low-grade IDBC (HR = 1.58, 95% CI 1.33-1.88; p for heterogeneity = 0.005). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest heterogeneity by grade for breast cancer etiology. Identification of potential risk factor differences among low-grade and high-grade DCIS and IDBC may help to clarify associations, and ultimately, improve breast cancer risk prediction models.

Trends in Unilateral and Contralateral Prophylactic Mastectomy Use in Ductal Carcinoma In Situ of the Breast: Patterns and Predictors.

BACKGROUND: Increased use of contralateral prophylactic mastectomy (CPM) as treatment for ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) in the US was first noted in the early 2000s. Optimization of treatment guidelines for DCIS requires an understanding of current surgical treatment trends, particularly as they may differ by patient sociodemographic and community resource factors. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate surgical treatment trends among US women with DCIS and to assess the impact of sociodemographic and community resource factors on surgical treatment choice. METHODS: The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results dataset was queried for women aged 40 years and older who were diagnosed with unilateral DCIS between 2000 and 2014. Annual mastectomy rates were compared over time by age and race/ethnicity. Multivariable logistic regressions were performed to identify predictors of mastectomy use, with patient sociodemographics, tumor characteristics, and community resource factors (i.e. plastic surgeon density) as covariates. RESULTS: A total of 130,731 women with DCIS met the inclusion criteria. Overall mastectomy rates remained relatively unchanged over the study period (25-30%). CPM use increased for all age and race/ethnic groups, with the greatest increase exhibited by women aged 40-49 years [relative to 2000; 2014 odds ratio (OR) 10.6]. With respect to community resource factors, CPM use, as opposed to unilateral mastectomy, was associated with counties of higher education level (OR 1.52), higher income level (OR 1.22), and lower plastic surgeon density (OR 1.26). CONCLUSION AND RELEVANCE: While the popularity of mastectomy in the management of DCIS has remained relatively unchanged since the turn of the century, the use of CPM has risen substantially. Younger women with DCIS have seen the greatest increase in CPM use, a choice that remains influenced by race/ethnicity as well as income, education, and health resource availability. Until clinical risk stratifiers of DCIS are identified, the surgical decision-making paradigm must be improved so that treatment choice remains sensitive to cultural differences but becomes independent of income, education, and health resource availability.

Performance measures among non-immigrants and immigrants attending BreastScreen Norway: a population-based screening programme.

OBJECTIVES: To explore performance measures among non-immigrants and immigrants attending BreastScreen Norway. METHODS: We analysed data from 2,951,375 screening examinations among non-immigrants and 153,026 among immigrants from 1996 to 2015. Immigrants were categorised into high- and low-incidence countries according to the incidence of breast cancer in their birth country. Performance measures, including attendance and recall rates, rates of screen-detected cancer (SDC) and interval breast cancer (IBC), positive predictive value (PPV) and histopathological tumour characteristics, were analysed. We used Fisher's exact model and t tests for descriptive statistics, and Poisson regression, adjusting for age and screening history, comparing results for non-immigrants versus immigrants. RESULTS: Attendance rates were 78% for non-immigrants and 56% for immigrants (p < 0.001). Rates of prevalent screens were 24% for non-immigrants and 32% for immigrants (p < 0.001). Immigrants from low-incidence countries were younger at diagnosis than non-immigrants (57 years versus 60 years, p < 0.001). Recall rates were 3.1% for non-immigrants and 3.8% for immigrants (p < 0.001), while PPVs were 17% and 14% (p < 0.001), respectively. IBCs in immigrants from low-incidence countries were more often triple negative (RRadj 1.81, 95% CI 1.11-2.94) than those in non-immigrants. Both SDC and IBC in immigrants from low-incidence countries tended more often to be histological grade 3 than those in non-immigrants. CONCLUSION: Immigrants had lower attendance rates, higher recall rates and lower PPV than non-immigrants. The optimal age range and screening interval for immigrant women from low-incidence countries need to be further investigated. KEY POINTS: • Immigrants from countries with a low incidence of breast cancer had their breast cancer diagnosed at a younger age than non-immigrants. • Interval breast cancers detected in immigrants from countries with a low incidence of breast cancers were more often triple negative than those in non-immigrants. • The optimal age range and screening interval for immigrant women from low-incidence countries and non-immigrants might differ.

Potential role of abbreviated MRI for breast cancer screening in an academic medical center.

The purpose is to determine whether an abbreviated MRI protocol (ABMR) is ready to be used for breast cancer screening in an academic practice setting. Two hundred and fifty nine breast MRIs from 1/1/2012 to 6/30/2012 were retrospectively reviewed using ABMR (MIP, Pre-contrastT1, single dynamic post-contrastT1, and subtraction). Five breast radiologists (4-28 year-expr) participated in this reader study performed in two phases: Phase1 - radiologist's privy to clinical history but not to comparison imaging. Phase2 - radiologists provided comparison imaging. For phase1, studies were reviewed using three steps: (a) MIP only (positive/negative/intermediate); (b) ABMR (recall/no recall) and (c) With T2 (for changes in recommendations). Radiologist also recorded total time for interpretation. In Phase2 the MRIs coded as "recall" were re-reviewed with available comparison studies, noting changes in final recommendation. The abnormal interpretation rates (AIRs) were calculated for phase1 and phase2 results with comparison to the original full protocol. Of the 259 patients (avg. age-52 years; range 26-78), there were seven cancers (three invasive, three DCIS and one breast lymphoma). Acquisition time for ABMR was 3 minutes, ABMR + T2-8 minutes, and original full protocol 16 minutes. Average MIP was positive or indeterminate in 86% (6/7) and negative in 14% (1/7) cancers. The average AIR for MIP only was 20.8% (sens-77.1%; spec-80.8%. The AIR w/o comparisons was 25.6% (sens-91.4%; spec- 76.2%); however the average AIR decreased in phase 2 with comparisons to 13.7% (sens-91.4%; spec-88.5%). The AIR of the original full protocol read was 16.2% (sens-100%; spec-85.7%). Addition of T2 changed assessment in only 3% (1.2%-6.5%). Avg. read time for ABMR including T2 was 2.5 minutes (1.6-4.0 minutes). ABMR is reliable for breast cancer screening, with acceptable interpretation time and acceptable AIR.

Detection Rates of Ductal Carcinoma in Situ with Biennial Digital Mammography Screening: Radiologic Findings Support Pathologic Model of Tumor Progression.

Purpose To compare detection rates of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), classified according to nuclear grade, between the prevalence round (baseline screening) and two subsequent screening rounds of a population-based digital mammography screening program, to assess differences over time. Materials and Methods The cancer registry provided data for 1970 graded pure DCIS cases from 16 screening regions of the prevalence round (baseline screening, from 2005 to 2008), first subsequent round, and second subsequent round; the interval between all screening rounds was 22-30 months. Age-adjusted logistic regression analysis was performed to compare the grade-specific detection rates between the prevalence round (reference) and subsequent screening rounds. Results Over all screening rounds, cancer detection rates were lowest for low-grade DCIS (range, 0.11 [58 of 508 817 patients] to 0.25 [178 of 713 867 patients] per 1000 women screened) and highest for high-grade DCIS (range, 0.53[271 of 508 817 patients] to 0.59 [237 of 398 944 patients] per 1000 women screened). Detection rates for low-grade DCIS were significantly lower in the first (odds ratio [OR] = 0.45, P < .001) and second (OR = 0.57, P < .001) subsequent screening rounds compared with that in the prevalence round; the relative reduction of detection rates of intermediate-grade DCIS was less pronounced (OR = 0.79, P = .006 and OR = 0.76, P = .003, respectively). Conversely, the detection rate of high-grade DCIS remained at the high level found in the prevalence screening (OR = 0.89, P = .143 and OR = 0.97, P = .700, respectively). Conclusion The findings demonstrate persistently high detection rates of high-grade DCIS in two consecutive subsequent screening rounds compared with the prevalence round; conversely, rates of low-grade DCIS and, less markedly, intermediate-grade DCIS decreased in subsequent rounds. Grade-related changes of DCIS detection are suggestive of distinct dynamics of lesion progression. © RSNA, 2017 An earlier incorrect version of this article appeared online. This article was corrected on November 10, 2017.

Highlights of the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium 2016.

The 39th annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS) was convened in San Antonio, Texas, on 9-13 December 2016. More than 7000 clinicians and scientists from around the world participated in the symposium which featured a range of presentations and keynote talks pertaining to breast cancer screening, prevention, locoregional and systemic therapies. This two-part report highlights a selection of important studies presented at this premier breast cancer event with Part 1 focusing onmetastatic breast cancer, extended endocrine therapy and the prognostic significance of BRCA1/2 gene mutations. The second part of this report will discuss a range of topics including anti-HER2 directed treatments, the impact of radiotherapy on implant and autologous flap based reconstruction, biological risk predictors for ductal carcinoma-in situ (DCIS), longer term effects of dietary fat modification and the influence of aromatase inhibitors on endothelial cell function.

Tamoxifen for prevention of breast cancer: extended long-term follow-up of the IBIS-I breast cancer prevention trial.

BACKGROUND: Four previously published randomised clinical trials have shown that tamoxifen can reduce the risk of breast cancer in healthy women at increased risk of breast cancer in the first 10 years of follow-up. We report the long-term follow-up of the IBIS-I trial, in which the participants and investigators remain largely masked to treatment allocation. METHODS: In the IBIS-I randomised controlled trial, premenopausal and postmenopausal women 35-70 years of age deemed to be at an increased risk of developing breast cancer were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive oral tamoxifen 20 mg daily or matching placebo for 5 years. Patients were randomly assigned to the two treatment groups by telephone or fax according to a block randomisation schedule (permuted block sizes of six or ten). Patients and investigators were masked to treatment assignment by use of central randomisation and coded drug supply. The primary endpoint was the occurrence of breast cancer (invasive breast cancer and ductal carcinoma in situ), analysed by intention to treat. Cox proportional hazard models were used to assess breast cancer occurrence and mortality. The trial is closed to recruitment and active treatment is completed, but long-term follow-up is ongoing. This trial is registered with controlledtrials.com, number ISRCTN91879928. FINDINGS: Between April 14, 1992, and March 30, 2001, 7154 eligible women recruited from genetics clinics and breast care clinics in eight countries were enrolled into the IBIS-I trial and were randomly allocated to the two treatment groups: 3579 to tamoxifen and 3575 to placebo. After a median follow up of 16.0 years (IQR 14.1-17.6), 601 breast cancers have been reported (251 [7.0%] in 3579 patients in the tamoxifen group vs 350 [9.8%] in 3575 women in the placebo group; hazard ratio [HR] 0.71 [95% CI 0.60-0.83], p<0.0001). The risk of developing breast cancer was similar between years 0-10 (226 [6.3%] in 3575 women in the placebo group vs 163 [4.6%] in 3579 women in the tamoxifen group; hazard ratio [HR] 0.72 [95% CI 0.59-0.88], p=0.001) and after 10 years (124 [3.8%] in 3295 women vs 88 [2.6%] in 3343, respectively; HR 0.69 [0.53-0.91], p=0.009). The greatest reduction in risk was seen in invasive oestrogen receptor-positive breast cancer (HR 0.66 [95% CI 0.54-0.81], p<0.0001) and ductal carcinoma in situ (0.65 [0.43-1.00], p=0.05), but no effect was noted for invasive oestrogen receptor-negative breast cancer (HR 1.05 [95% CI 0.71-1.57], p=0.8). INTERPRETATION: These results show that tamoxifen offers a very long period of protection after treatment cessation, and thus substantially improves the benefit-to-harm ratio of the drug for breast cancer prevention. FUNDING: Cancer Research UK (UK) and the National Health and Medical Research Council (Australia).

Anastrozole for prevention of breast cancer in high-risk postmenopausal women (IBIS-II): an international, double-blind, randomised placebo-controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Aromatase inhibitors effectively prevent breast cancer recurrence and development of new contralateral tumours in postmenopausal women. We assessed the efficacy and safety of the aromatase inhibitor anastrozole for prevention of breast cancer in postmenopausal women who are at high risk of the disease. METHODS: Between Feb 2, 2003, and Jan 31, 2012, we recruited postmenopausal women aged 40-70 years from 18 countries into an international, double-blind, randomised placebo-controlled trial. To be eligible, women had to be at increased risk of breast cancer (judged on the basis of specific criteria). Eligible women were randomly assigned (1:1) by central computer allocation to receive 1 mg oral anastrozole or matching placebo every day for 5 years. Randomisation was stratified by country and was done with blocks (size six, eight, or ten). All trial personnel, participants, and clinicians were masked to treatment allocation; only the trial statistician was unmasked. The primary endpoint was histologically confirmed breast cancer (invasive cancers or non-invasive ductal carcinoma in situ). Analyses were done by intention to treat. This trial is registered, number ISRCTN31488319. FINDINGS: 1920 women were randomly assigned to receive anastrozole and 1944 to placebo. After a median follow-up of 5·0 years (IQR 3·0-7·1), 40 women in the anastrozole group (2%) and 85 in the placebo group (4%) had developed breast cancer (hazard ratio 0·47, 95% CI 0·32-0·68, p<0·0001). The predicted cumulative incidence of all breast cancers after 7 years was 5·6% in the placebo group and 2·8% in the anastrozole group. 18 deaths were reported in the anastrozole group and 17 in the placebo group, and no specific causes were more common in one group than the other (p=0·836). INTERPRETATION: Anastrozole effectively reduces incidence of breast cancer in high-risk postmenopausal women. This finding, along with the fact that most of the side-effects associated with oestrogen deprivation were not attributable to treatment, provides support for the use of anastrozole in postmenopausal women at high risk of breast cancer. FUNDING: Cancer Research UK, the National Health and Medical Research Council Australia, Sanofi-Aventis, and AstraZeneca.

Perceptions of Contralateral Breast Cancer Risk: A Prospective, Longitudinal Study.

PURPOSE: An increasing proportion of breast cancer patients undergo contralateral prophylactic mastectomy (CPM) to reduce their risk of contralateral breast cancer (CBC). Our goal was to evaluate CBC risk perception changes over time among breast cancer patients. METHODS: We conducted a prospective, longitudinal study of women with newly diagnosed unilateral breast cancer. Patients completed a survey before and approximately 2 years after treatment. Survey questions used open-ended responses or 5-point Likert scale scoring (e.g., 5 = very likely, 1 = not at all likely). RESULTS: A total of 74 women completed the presurgical treatment survey, and 43 completed the postsurgical treatment survey. Baseline characteristics were not significantly different between responders and nonresponders of the follow-up survey. The mean estimated 10-year risk of CBC was 35.7 % on the presurgical treatment survey and 13.8 % on the postsurgical treatment survey (p < 0.001). The perceived risks of developing cancer in the same breast and elsewhere in the body significantly decreased between surveys. Both CPM and non-CPM (breast-conserving surgery or unilateral mastectomy) patients' perceived risk of CBC significantly decreased from pre- to postsurgical treatment surveys. Compared with non-CPM patients, CPM patients had a significantly lower perceived 10-year risk of CBC (5.8 vs. 17.3 %, p = 0.046) on postsurgical treatment surveys. CONCLUSIONS: The perceived risk of CBC significantly attenuated over time for both CPM and non-CPM patients. These data emphasize the importance of early physician counseling and improvement in patient education to provide women with accurate risk information before they make surgical treatment decisions.

Exemestane for breast-cancer prevention in postmenopausal women.

BACKGROUND: Tamoxifen and raloxifene have limited patient acceptance for primary prevention of breast cancer. Aromatase inhibitors prevent more contralateral breast cancers and cause fewer side effects than tamoxifen in patients with early-stage breast cancer. METHODS: In a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial of exemestane designed to detect a 65% relative reduction in invasive breast cancer, eligible postmenopausal women 35 years of age or older had at least one of the following risk factors: 60 years of age or older; Gail 5-year risk score greater than 1.66% (chances in 100 of invasive breast cancer developing within 5 years); prior atypical ductal or lobular hyperplasia or lobular carcinoma in situ; or ductal carcinoma in situ with mastectomy. Toxic effects and health-related and menopause-specific qualities of life were measured. RESULTS: A total of 4560 women for whom the median age was 62.5 years and the median Gail risk score was 2.3% were randomly assigned to either exemestane or placebo. At a median follow-up of 35 months, 11 invasive breast cancers were detected in those given exemestane and in 32 of those given placebo, with a 65% relative reduction in the annual incidence of invasive breast cancer (0.19% vs. 0.55%; hazard ratio, 0.35; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.18 to 0.70; P=0.002). The annual incidence of invasive plus noninvasive (ductal carcinoma in situ) breast cancers was 0.35% on exemestane and 0.77% on placebo (hazard ratio, 0.47; 95% CI, 0.27 to 0.79; P=0.004). Adverse events occurred in 88% of the exemestane group and 85% of the placebo group (P=0.003), with no significant differences between the two groups in terms of skeletal fractures, cardiovascular events, other cancers, or treatment-related deaths. Minimal quality-of-life differences were observed. CONCLUSIONS: Exemestane significantly reduced invasive breast cancers in postmenopausal women who were at moderately increased risk for breast cancer. During a median follow-up period of 3 years, exemestane was associated with no serious toxic effects and only minimal changes in health-related quality of life. (Funded by Pfizer and others; NCIC CTG MAP.3 ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00083174.).

Cost-effectiveness of contralateral prophylactic mastectomy for prevention of contralateral breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: A growing number of women with sporadic unilateral, early-stage breast cancers are undergoing ipsilateral therapeutic mastectomy with contralateral prophylactic mastectomy (CPM) to prevent the development of new cancers in the contralateral breast. METHODS: A decision-tree using TreeAge Pro 2012 software was used to model the costs and effects of CPM versus unilateral mastectomy (UM) in women younger than 50 years of age with sporadic unilateral, early stage breast cancers. Cost estimates were obtained from the Medicare Fee Schedule and the Healthcare Utilization Project. Probability estimates were obtained from the literature. Outcome effects were measured by incremental cost per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gained. A 10-year risk period for contralateral breast cancer (CBC), a lifetime time horizon, and a societal perspective were used. RESULTS: Treatment with CPM results in 0.2 QALYs less than UM and $279 less in costs during a 10-year risk period and lifetime follow-up. The resulting incremental cost effectiveness ratio (ICER) is a savings of $1397 per QALY lost. The ICER is sensitive to the rate and method of postmastectomy reconstruction and the cost of radiologic surveillance after UM. CONCLUSIONS: CPM is cost-saving for the prevention of CBC in women younger than 50 years of age with sporadic, unilateral, early-stage breast cancers, but also reduces resulting health. The savings for health lost are insufficient to be considered cost-effective at this time.

Sentinel lymph node biopsy during prophylactic mastectomy: is there a role?

PURPOSE: We investigated rates of occult malignancy in the breast and sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) in patients undergoing prophylactic mastectomy (PM) and whether routine sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) is justified. METHODS: A retrospective review of our database identified patients undergoing PMs with SLNB. Descriptive statistics were utilized for data summary. A P value of <0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: There were 384 patients during the study period who underwent 467 PMs. Of the 467 PMs, 15 (3.2%) cancers were found on final pathology. All 6 of the invasive cancers identified were T1. A total of 682 SLNs were taken for an average of 1.46 SLNs per PM. There were 5 positive SLNs (1.1%). All were in patients undergoing contralateral PM for either history of breast cancer or new diagnosis of breast cancer. Only one patient with a positive SLN was found to have an occult breast malignancy in the PM specimen. CONCLUSION: In 467 PMs performed, 15 (3.2%) occult malignancies were found in the breast and 5 (1.1%) positive SLNs were found. Based on these results, the routine use of SLNB at the time of PM is unnecessary and does not warrant the morbidity associated with this procedure.

Fat or fit: the joint effects of physical activity, weight gain, and body size on breast cancer risk.

BACKGROUND: Although physical activity reduces breast cancer risk, issues critical to providing clear public health messages remain to be elucidated. These include the minimum duration and intensity necessary for risk reduction and the optimal time period for occurrence, as well as subgroup effects, particularly with regard to tumor heterogeneity and body size. METHODS: This study investigated the relationship between recreational physical activity (RPA) and breast cancer risk, in addition to characterizing the joint effects of activity level, weight gain, and body size, through use of a population-based sample of 1504 cases (N = 233 in situ, N = 1271 invasive) and 1555 controls (aged 20-98 years) from the Long Island Breast Cancer Study Project, in Long Island, New York. RESULTS: A nonlinear dose-response association was observed between breast cancer risk and RPA during the reproductive period and after menopause. Women in the third quartile of activity experienced the greatest benefit with an approximate 30% risk reduction for reproductive (odds ratio = 0.67; 95% confidence interval = 0.48-0.94) and postmenopausal activity (odds ratio = 0.70; 95% confidence interval = 0.52-0.95). Little to no difference was observed regarding intensity of activity or hormone receptor status. Joint assessment of RPA, weight gain, and body size revealed that women with unfavorable energy balance profiles were at increased breast cancer risk. A significant multiplicative interaction was observed between RPA and adult weight gain (P = .033). CONCLUSIONS: RPA at any intensity level during the reproductive and postmenopausal years have the greatest benefit for reducing breast cancer risk. Substantial postmenopausal weight gain may eliminate the benefits of regular activity.

Repositioning chloroquine and metformin to eliminate cancer stem cell traits in pre-malignant lesions.

Ideal oncology drugs would be curative after a short treatment course if they could eliminate epithelium-originated carcinomas at their non-invasive, pre-malignant stages. Such ideal molecules, which are expected to molecularly abrogate all the instrumental mechanisms acquired by migrating cancer stem cells (CSCs) to by-pass tumour suppressor barriers, might already exist. We here illustrate how system biology strategies for repositioning existing FDA-approved drugs may accelerate our therapeutic capacity to eliminate CSC traits in pre-invasive intraepithelial neoplasias. First, we describe a signalling network signature that overrides bioenergetics stress- and oncogene-induced senescence (OIS) phenomena in CSCs residing at pre-invasive lesions. Second, we functionally map the anti-malarial chloroquine and the anti-diabetic metformin ("old drugs") to their recently recognized CSC targets ("new uses") within the network. By discussing the preclinical efficacy of chloroquine and metformin to inhibiting the genesis and self-renewal of CSCs we finally underscore the expected translational impact of the "old drugs-new uses" repurposing strategy to open a new CSC-targeted chemoprevention era.

Mastectomy and contralateral prophylactic mastectomy rates: an institutional review.

BACKGROUND: Breast conservation surgery (BCS) followed by radiation is as effective as mastectomy for long-term survival and is considered standard of care for early-stage breast cancer. An increasing number of patients are opting for cancer-side mastectomies (CM) and often contralateral prophylactic mastectomies (CPM). Our study investigates if there are increasing trends in our patient population toward CM and CPM and identifies common factors associated with those electing to have more extensive surgery. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed on 812 breast cancer surgeries between January 2001 and December 2009 at The George Washington University Breast Care Center. BCS-eligible patients who elected to have BCS were compared with those who chose CM. Patients who underwent CM were compared with patients undergoing CM and CPM. RESULTS: A personal or family history of breast cancer and larger tumor size were positively associated with choosing CM in BCS-eligible patients. A nonstatistically significant trend toward CM was seen in younger patients. Age, family history, fewer children, Caucasian race, and reconstructive surgery were positively associated with choosing CPM. CONCLUSION: Mastectomy rates at this institution have not shown the recent sharp increase observed by some authors. The association of age, race, family history, and parity with CPM has been corroborated in multiple studies. However, there is disagreement between statistically significant findings among investigators evaluating factors associated with CPM, and there is limited data in the literature characterizing BCS-eligible patients who chose CM. Larger prospective studies are necessary to further evaluate CM and CPM rates.

Areola and nipple-areola-sparing mastectomy for breast cancer treatment and risk reduction: report of an initial experience in a community hospital setting.

BACKGROUND: The use of areola-sparing (AS) or nipple-areola-sparing (NAS) mastectomy for the treatment or risk reduction of breast cancer has been the subject of increasing dialogue in the surgical literature over the past decade. We report the initial experience of a large community hospital with AS and NAS mastectomies for both breast cancer treatment and risk reduction. METHODS: A retrospective chart review was performed of patients undergoing either AS or NAS mastectomies from November 2004 through September 2009. Data collected included patient sex, age, family history, cancer type and stage, operative surgical details, complications, adjuvant therapies, and follow-up. RESULTS: Forty-three patients underwent 60 AS and NAS mastectomies. Forty-two patients were female and one was male. The average age was 48.7 years (range, 28-76 years). Forty mastectomies were for breast cancer treatment, and 20 were prophylactic mastectomies. The types of cancers treated were as follows: invasive ductal (n = 19), invasive lobular (n = 5), ductal carcinoma-in situ (n = 15), and malignant phyllodes (n = 1). Forty-seven mastectomies (78.3%) were performed by inframammary incisions. All patients underwent immediate reconstruction with either tissue expanders or permanent implants. There was a 5.0% incidence of full-thickness skin, areola, or nipple tissue loss. The average follow-up of the series was 18.5 months (range, 6-62 months). One patient developed Paget's disease of the areola 34 months after an AS mastectomy (recurrence rate, 2.3%). There were no other instances of local recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: AS and NAS mastectomies can be safely performed in the community hospital setting with low complication rates and good short-term results.

Perioperative complications of breast cancer surgery in elderly women (≥80 years).

PURPOSE: There has been much controversy regarding the optimal management of breast cancer in very elderly women. Some clinicians are reluctant to offer surgical treatment for women older than aged 80 years because of the assumed higher operative risk associated with advanced age. This study was designed to investigate the perioperative complications of breast cancer surgery in women of this age group. METHODS: Data were reviewed of all women ≥80 years of age who underwent breast cancer surgery at a university clinic during the period 1990-2005. Symptoms, comorbidities, preoperative risk assessment, type of operation, postoperative histological diagnosis, hospital stay, morbidity, and mortality were documented and analyzed. RESULTS: During this 16-year period, 140 operations for breast cancer were performed in 129 women. The majority of the patients (37.9%) underwent a modified radical mastectomy, 32.1% underwent a simple mastectomy, 24.3% underwent breast-conserving therapy, and 5.7% underwent an axillary lymph node dissection. Complications occurred in 37.1% of the cohort: 31.4% were minor complications and only 5.7% were major. Intraoperative morbidity was 18.6% and postoperative morbidity was 20%. Late complications occurred in 5% of patients. The most common complications were associated with the wound region (50%). The perioperative mortality in this group of elderly women was zero. CONCLUSIONS: Breast cancer surgery has acceptable perioperative morbidity and mortality in women aged ≥80 years. Surgery is the cornerstone of breast cancer treatment and should be offered as first-line treatment for all patients regardless of their age.

Perceptions of contralateral breast cancer: an overestimation of risk.

INTRODUCTION: The rate of contralateral prophylactic mastectomy (CPM) has recently increased. The aim of this study is to assess perceptions of contralateral breast cancer (CBC) risk among breast cancer patients and to evaluate tumor and patient factors associated with risk perception. METHODS: We conducted a prospective survey study to evaluate perceptions of CBC risk in women newly diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) or stage I/II invasive breast cancer. Surveys were distributed in clinic prior to surgical consultation. Exclusion criteria included history of breast cancer, bilateral breast cancer, neoadjuvant chemotherapy or radiation for the current breast cancer, or BRCA mutation. Survey questions used open-ended responses or five-point Likert scale scoring (5 = very likely, 1 = not at all likely). RESULTS: Seventy-four women (mean age 54.5 years) completed the survey. Diagnoses included invasive ductal cancer (66.2%), invasive lobular cancer (9.5%), and DCIS (20.3%). Most women (54.1%) underwent breast-conserving surgery; the remaining had bilateral mastectomy including CPM (17.6%) or unilateral mastectomy (10.8%). Overall, women substantially overestimated their risk of developing CBC. The mean estimated 10-year risk of CBC was 31.4% [95% confidence interval (CI) 24.7-37.9%] and 2.6 ± 0.15 on the rank scale. The perceived risk of CBC was not significantly associated with cancer stage, family history, age, or CPM. CONCLUSIONS: At time of surgical evaluation, women with unilateral breast cancer substantially overestimated their risk of CBC; however, this elevated risk perception was not associated with choosing CPM. Early physician counseling is needed to provide women with accurate information regarding their true CBC risk.

Differences in radiological patterns, tumour characteristics and diagnostic precision between digital mammography and screen-film mammography in four breast cancer screening programmes in Spain.

OBJECTIVES: To compare tumour characteristics between cancers detected with screen-film mammography (SFM) and digital mammography (DM) and to evaluate changes in positive predictive values (PPVs) for further assessments, for invasive procedures and for distinct radiological patterns in recalled women. METHODS: 242,838 screening mammograms (171,191 SFM and 71,647 DM) from 103,613 women aged 45-69 years, performed in four population-based breast cancer screening programmes in Spain, were included. The tumour characteristics and PPVs of each group were compared. Radiological patterns (masses, calcifications, distortions and asymmetries) among recalled women were described and PPVs were evaluated. RESULTS: The percentages of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) were higher in DM than in SFM both in the first [18.5% vs. 15.8%(p = 0.580)] and in successive screenings [23.2% vs. 15.7%(p = 0.115)]. PPVs for masses, asymmetries and calcifications were higher in DM, being statistically significant in masses (5.3% vs. 3.9%; proportion ratio: 1.37 95%CI: 1.08-1.72). Among cancers detected by calcifications, the percentage of DCIS was higher in DM (60.3% vs. 46.4%, p = 0.060). CONCLUSIONS: PPVs were higher when DM was used, both for further assessments and for invasive procedures, with similar cancer detection rates and no statistically significant differences in tumour characteristics. The greatest improvements in PPVs were found for masses.