The actual benefit of intraoperative radiation therapy using 50 kV x-rays in early breast cancer: A retrospective study of 676 patients.

This French study reports the 5-year results of partial-breast irradiation using intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT) with 50 kV x-rays, in select early breast cancer patients. We report a retrospective analysis of 676 consecutive early breast cancer patients treated between November 2011 and December 2015 by partial-breast irradiation using the INTRABEAM® system. Patients were highly selected based on the ASTRO and GEC-ESTRO criteria and underwent breast-conservative surgery and IORT, completed with additional whole-breast irradiation (WBI) when unexpected unfavorable prognostic factors were found at the final pathology report. Patients' outcomes relative to local and distant control, overall and breast cancer-specific survival, and toxicity are presented, as well as rates of additional WBI. Additional WBI was mandatory in one third of patients (31%), mainly due to lymph node involvement and extensive intraductal component. With a median follow-up time of 54 months, the 5-year local recurrence rate was 1.7% [95%CI: 0.9-3.3]; the median time to local recurrence was 23 months; ipsilateral breast recurrences mainly occurred in the same quadrant (7/11); in the restricted population, meeting all predefined criteria and treated with IORT alone (406 patients), the local recurrence rate was 1.5% [95%CI: 0.6-3.6]. Five-year distant tumor control was 98.6% [95%CI: 97.2-99.3], and the median time to distant recurrence was 22 months. Five-year overall survival was 96.5% [95%CI: 94.2-97.8], and 5-year breast cancer-specific survival was 98.9% [95%CI: 97.6-99.7]. In patients treated with IORT alone, there was no grade 3 toxicity, only four grade 3 (mainly fibrosis) affected patients treated with IORT and WBI. Grade 1-2 toxicity rates were 14% and 34.4% in patients treated with IORT alone and IORT plus WBI, respectively. Partial-breast irradiation using IORT by a 50 kV photon device is safe and well-tolerated in select patients with early breast cancer and is a valuable option in patients reluctant for adjuvant WBI.

Impact of vitamin D on pathological complete response and survival following neoadjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer: a retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: There has been interest in the potential benefit of vitamin D (VD) to improve breast cancer outcomes. Pre-clinical studies suggest VD enhances chemotherapy-induced cell death. Vitamin D deficiency was associated with not attaining a pathologic complete response (pCR) following neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) for operable breast cancer. We report the impact of VD on pCR and survival in an expanded cohort. METHODS: Patients from Iowa and Montpellier registries who had serum VD level measured before or during NAC were included. Vitamin D deficiency was defined as < 20 ng/mL. Pathological complete response was defined as no residual invasive disease in the breast and lymph nodes. Survival was defined from the date of diagnosis to the date of relapse (PFS) or date of death (OS). RESULTS: The study included 327 women. Vitamin D deficiency was associated with the odds of not attaining pCR (p = 0.04). Fifty-four patients relapsed and 52 patients died. In multivariate analysis, stage III disease, triple-negative (TN) subtype and the inability to achieve pCR were independently associated with inferior survival. Vitamin D deficiency was not significantly associated with survival in the overall sample; however a trend was seen in the TN (5-years PFS 60.4% vs. 72.3%, p = 0.3), and in the hormone receptor positive /human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 negative (HER2-) subgroups (5-years PFS 89% vs 78%, p = 0.056). CONCLUSION: Vitamin D deficiency is associated with the inability to reach pCR in breast cancer patients undergoing NAC.

Oncovascular compartmental resection for retroperitoneal soft tissue sarcoma with vascular involvement.

OBJECTIVE: This study analyzed the outcomes of a series of consecutive patients diagnosed with a retroperitoneal soft tissue sarcoma (RSTS) with vascular involvement and who underwent a multidisciplinary operation. METHODS: Between 2000 and 2013, 126 patients were referred for oncovascular surgery in our institution. Among these, 31 consecutive patients underwent operations for RSTS with vascular involvement. A vascular/oncologic team determined the surgical strategy preoperatively. RESULTS: Median follow-up was 34.4 months (interquartile range, 48.1 months). Twenty patients (65%) were referred for primary RSTS and 11 (35%) for local recurrence. The most common histologic diagnosis was liposarcoma (54.8%), mainly high-grade and intermediate-grade RSTS. Prosthetic grafts were usually used for vascular reconstruction. Median hospital stay was 17 days (interquartile range, 14.5; range, 7-190 days). The grade 3 and 4 morbidity rate was 19.3%. Each resection was macroscopically complete (R0-R1). Median progression-free survival was 10 months, and median overall survival was not reached. Overall survival rates were 77.4% at 1 year and 61.3% at 3 years. CONCLUSIONS: Vascular resection and reconstruction are safe and feasible in case of RSTS. The morbidity rate was acceptable, and there were no perioperative deaths. Despite recurrence rates that remain high, oncovascular resection enhances resection margins and allows encouraging survival results for patients often considered as nonresectable.

Oncoplastic Resection of Breast Cancers Located in the Lower-Inner or Lower-Outer Quadrant with the Modified McKissock Mammaplasty Technique.

BACKGROUND: Oncoplastic surgery for breast cancer (BC) may result in postoperative morbidity that can delay adjuvant treatment(s). The McKissock procedure is a reliable mammaplasty technique used in plastic surgery. The authors present their experiences in using a derived technique for the oncoplastic resection of extended malignancies located in the lower-inner (LIQ) or lower-outer (LOQ) breast quadrants. METHODS: Between 2011 and 2014, operative data of 25 patients receiving an oncoplastic resection for invasive BC or ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), using the modified McKissock procedure, were recorded. This technique conserved a bipedicle dermoglandular flap to improve the nipple-areola complex blood supply. Oncological and cosmetic results, as well as aesthetic outcomes and patients' satisfaction, were analyzed. RESULTS: Invasive BCs (n = 21) and DCIS (n = 4) were located in the LIQ (n = 18) or LOQ (n = 7). The median age of patients was 62 years (range 34-85), the mean resection weight was 134 g (range 43-314), and the global morbidity rate was 12 %. No nipple necrosis occurred in these patients. Free margins were obtained in 22 cases (88 %) and the secondary mastectomy rate was 8 %. Contralateral symmetrization was performed, or was required, in the majority of cases (17/23). Cosmetic results were classified as excellent or good in 93 % of patients, and the median satisfaction rate on a visual analog scale was 9.6. CONCLUSION: The modified McKissock procedure allows wide resection of cancers located in the LOQ or LIQ, and produced favorable postoperative outcomes and cosmetic results despite important resection weights.

Intraoperative partial irradiation for highly selected patients with breast cancer: Results of the INTRAOBS prospective study.

PURPOSE: To evaluate our long-term experience on one-day breast intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT) given as sole radiation treatment to selected patients with breast cancer. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Inclusion criteria of INTRAOBS study (prospective observational study) were: ER+ T1N0 unifocal ductal carcinoma; absence of lymphovascular invasion or of extensive intraductal component (Scarff-Bloom-Richardson grade III and HER2+++ excluded). Two different linacs were used (20Gy/1 fraction): one dedicated electron linac (