Treatment With Oxygen-Enriched Olive Oil Improves Healing Parameters Following Augmentation-Mastopexy.

BACKGROUND: Breast augmentation-mastopexy can yield an aesthetically attractive breast, but the 1-stage procedure is prone to unsatisfactory outcomes, including poor wound healing. OBJECTIVES: The authors evaluated whether postsurgical application of a polyurethane bra cup coated with oxygen-enriched olive oil (NovoX Cup; Moss SpA, Lesa, Novara, Italy) would decrease pain associated with augmentation-mastopexy and improve the quality of the surgical scar. METHODS: This retrospective study was conducted at a single center from January 2016 to June 2019. All patients underwent 1-stage augmentation-mastopexy with the inverted T incision. For 2 weeks postsurgically, wounds were dressed either with the oxygen-enriched olive oil bra or with Fitostimoline (Farmaceutici Damor SpA, Naples, Italy). Patients indicated their pain intensity on postoperative days 2, 3, and 10, and patients and independent observers scored scar quality on the Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scale (POSAS) 6 and 12 months after the procedure. RESULTS: A total of 240 women (120 per study arm) completed the study. All the patients had satisfactory aesthetic results, and there were no tolerability concerns with either postoperative dressing. Compared with patients in the Fitostimoline group, patients who received the oxygen-enriched olive oil bra cup had significantly lower pain levels, and their surgical scars were given better scores on the POSAS. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that maintenance of the surgical wound in a film of oxygen-enriched olive oil for 2 weeks is a safe, effective modality for suppressing pain and promoting healing following augmentation-mastopexy.

The axillary flap in oncoplastic resection of breast cancers located in the upper-outer quadrants: a new surgical technique.

BACKGROUND: The combination of breast conserving surgery (BCS) with plastic surgery techniques has provided a useful surgical tool matching the radicality of the oncological excision with the preservation of breast cosmesis. Even though BCS represents a good option for surgical treatment of tumors located in these quadrants, wide excisions often necessitate breast reshaping in order to avoid nipple areola complex (NAC) displacement and skin retraction. We present a new surgical technique to repair upper-outer quadrants' defects following breast cancer excision using dermo-glandular flaps and an axillary adipo-fascial flap. METHODS: During the period from January 2014 to December 2015, 168 patients with an upper-outer quadrant's breast cancer have been treated in our Department. 83 women have been treated with the described oncoplastic technique and immediate contra-lateral symmetrisation and 85 women underwent standard BCS. We present surgical, oncological and cosmetic outcomes comparing our results with standard BCS. RESULTS: At a mean follow-up of 27 months loco-regional recurrences in the two groups were comparable. Short-term complication rates were comparable between the two groups. Re-intervention rates for positive margins were significantly higher in the standard BCS group. The overall satisfaction with cosmetic outcome both assessed by the patient and the surgeon was significantly higher in the oncoplastic group. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed oncoplastic technique represents a safe and effective solution for reshaping that follows upper-outer breast cancer wide excision, achieving comparable complication rates, lower re-intervention rates for positive margins and better cosmetic results when compared with standard BCS.

Serratus Anterior Fascia Flap Versus Muscular Flap for Expander Coverage in Two-stage Breast Reconstruction Following Mastectomy: Early Post-operative Outcomes.

INTRODUCTION: The demand for reconstructive breast surgery after mastectomy is increasing among women and the two-stage option remains the most commonly performed technique. We conducted a self-controlled prospective clinical trial comparing the use of the serratus anterior fascia with the serratus anterior detached fibers to cover the inferolateral aspect of the expander in immediate two-stage breast reconstruction following conservative mastectomies as oncological or risk-reducing procedures. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We analyzed the surgical outcome of 29 bilateral mastectomies and immediate reconstruction with the positioning of a tissue expander in a pocket beneath the pectoralis major and serratus anterior muscle on one side and in a pocket beneath the pectoralis major and a serratus anterior fascia flap on the other side. We considered all complications presenting in the first month after surgery and patient-reported early post-operative pain. RESULTS: Complication rates in the two groups did not significantly differ (p = 0.237). The total amount of drainage and the time of drainage permanence were significantly lower for the subfascial group (p < 0.05). Patient-reported early post-operative pain was significantly different between the two groups both at 24 h (p < 0.05) and at 5 days (p < 0.05) with significantly lower pain scores reported by the patients in the subfascial group. DISCUSSION: Our self-controlled prospective trial demonstrated an advantage in performing an implant-based two-stage breast reconstruction using a serratus anterior fascia flap when compared with the serratus muscle fibers use for inferolateral implant coverage following mastectomy. The use of the anterior serratus fascia flap for inferolateral implant coverage in two-stage breast reconstructions following mastectomy could be considered as a safe and effective technique, presenting lower morbidity for the patient when compared with the serratus muscle fibers use and lower costs when compared with biological and synthetic meshes use, achieving good outcomes in terms of post-operative complications and women's quality of life and satisfaction levels. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE III: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

Extreme oncoplastic breast surgery: A case report.

INTRODUCTION: So called "extreme oncoplastic surgery" is emerging as a new promising concept in breast cancer surgery allowing successful breast conservation in selected patients with multicentric tumors. PRESENTATION OF CASE: We report the case of a 48-year-old woman presenting with a multicentric breast cancer and successfully treated with an oncoplastic technique consisting in three radical lumpectomies followed by breast reshaping and simultaneous contralateral symmetrization. DISCUSSION: According to our experience, oncoplastic conserving breast surgery could represent a better option than the combination of mastectomy, reconstruction and radiation therapy, in terms of quality of life for selected patients affected by multicentric breast cancer. CONCLUSION: The surgical treatment for multicentric breast cancers remains controversial even though emerging evidences show good oncological and aesthetic outcomes following oncoplastic conserving breast surgery.

Primary angiosarcoma of the breast.

Primary angiosarcoma (AS) of the breast is a rare neoplasia that is not related to radiation exposure. It represents less than 0.05% of all malignant breast tumors. This lesion is characterized by aggressive patterns and poor prognosis and by the absence of typical features at radiologic examination. Currently there are not evidence-based guidelines regarding surgical and adjuvant treatment for this tumor even though wide surgical resection followed by chemo- radiotherapy appears to improve both disease free survival and overall survival. The aim of this study was to analyze the available series of AS patients suggesting the most reliable treatment options for this rare neoplasia.

Pilot study of the mechanism of action of preoperative trastuzumab in patients with primary operable breast tumors overexpressing HER2.

PURPOSE: To elucidate the mechanism by which trastuzumab, a humanized monoclonal antibody against HER2 with proven survival benefit in women with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer, mediates its antitumor activity. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: A pilot study including 11 patients with HER2-positive tumors treated in a neo-adjuvant setting with trastuzumab was performed. Trastuzumab was administered i.v. at a dose of 4 mg/kg followed by three weekly i.v. doses of 2 mg/kg. The primary tumor was surgically removed 7 days after the last treatment. Surgical samples, tumor biopsies, and lymphocytes from these patients were collected for biological studies. RESULT: Clinical data indicated one complete pathological remission and four partial remissions using RECIST (Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors). Trastuzumab was well tolerated and neither serious adverse events nor changes in cardiac function were observed during this short-term treatment and after surgery. The biological data showed that, independent of response, (a) all patients showed high levels of circulating trastuzumab; (b) saturating level of trastuzumab was present in all of the tumors; (c) no down-modulation of HER2 was observed in any tumors; (d) no changes in vessel diameter was observed in any tumors; (e) no changes in proliferation was observed in any tumors; and (f) a strong infiltration by lymphoid cells was observed in all cases. Patients with complete remission or partial remission were found to have a higher in situ infiltration of leukocytes and a higher capability to mediate in vitro antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity activity. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this pilot study argue against trastuzumab activity in patients through down-modulation of HER2 but in favor of antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity guiding efforts to optimize the use of trastuzumab in breast cancer patients.

Sentinel lymph node biopsy performed with local anesthesia in patients with early-stage breast carcinoma.

HYPOTHESIS: Sentinel lymph node (SN) biopsy performed with local anesthesia has a positive effect on patients' quality of life and on treatment management for early-stage breast carcinoma. This method represents an interesting development in breast-conserving surgery. DESIGN: We performed SN biopsy with local anesthesia in selected patients to test the feasibility of the technique and its impact on our organization and on patients' quality of life. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From September 2000 to December 2001, we studied 115 patients with a palpable breast tumor (maximum diameter, 2.5 cm). The axilla was clinically negative for metastasis in all cases. RESULTS: Forty-eight patients (41.7%) had SNs that were positive for metastasis. In 20 cases (17.4%), the SN was macrometastatic and in 28 cases (24.3%), it was micrometastatic (diameter <2 mm). The SN was negative for metastasis in 66 cases (57.4%). In 1 case, the histologic examination revealed the presence of a non-Hodgkin B-cell lymphoma. The complete axillary dissection performed in the subgroup of patients with macrometastatic SNs showed that in 9 cases (45%), the SN was the only positive node. In another 9 cases (45%), patients had fewer than 4 positive axillary lymph nodes; more than 4 axillary nodes were metastatic in 2 cases (10%). Among the 28 patients with SN micrometastasis, 21 received complete axillary dissection: 15 patients (53.6%) had no other metastasis to the axillary nodes and 6 patients (21.4%) had cancer cells in other axillary nodes. In case of micrometastasis, we suggested that patients enter the International Breast Cancer Study Group 2301 trial (15 of them accepted and signed the informed consent), which compared completion of axillary dissection with no further surgical treatment of the axilla. Based on randomization, 7 patients (25%) in the group with micrometastasis to the SN received no axillary dissection. Patients' tolerance to this kind of treatment was excellent. CONCLUSION: Our experience indicates that SN biopsy performed with local anesthesia can be a suitable alternative to standard intraoperative evaluation with general anesthesia in patients with unifocal, early-stage breast carcinoma.