Why do women accept to undergo a nipple sparing mastectomy or to reconstruct the nipple areola complex when nipple sparing mastectomy is not possible?

In a retrospective study, we investigated the reasons why women accepted to undergo a nipple sparing mastectomy (NSM) and why women who could not keep their nipple areola complex (NAC) decided to reconstruct it. We intended to investigate whether keeping the NAC plays a psychological role, to state possible advantages of NSM. Between 2004 and 2006, 310 women with NAC sparing and 143 patients with successive NAC reconstruction were mailed a single open-ended question at follow-up 12 months after final breast reconstruction surgery or final NAC reconstruction with tattoo. The purpose was to explore personal motivations that drove women to accept NSM or to perform a NAC tattoo reconstruction. Responses were classified into 11 categories by five reviewers. We performed an analysis of the relative frequency of emerging issues. Socio-demographic and clinical data were collected. Among the patients who responded to the open-ended question, 190 patients preserved their NAC, and 100 patients received postponed NAC reconstruction. Women in the NSM group were significantly younger (P = 0.02), more highly educated (P < 0.0001), and more frequently lived in Northern Italy (P = 0.03). The reasons for accepting NSM were more frequently related to body image satisfaction and integrity of the body (P = 0.002), reduction of psychological distress (P = 0.003), and surgeon's influence (P < 0.0001). Esthetic reasons were highly associated to the control group. These results help us to better understand the psychological impact of NAC sparing versus NAC reconstruction. NSM was accepted because it was perceived as a technique that preserved the integrity of the body, reduced the feeling of mutilation, improved the breast cosmetic results, and reduced psychological distress regarding the loss of the breast.

Nipple sparing mastectomy: an innovative skin incision for an alternative approach.

Choice of the most appropriate surgical treatment for breast cancer patients can also be a technical issue. Cosmetic results after conservative surgery can be poor in certain instances and, at the same time, total mastectomy can appear as an over-treatment. For some selected patients, the "nipple sparing mastectomy" (NSM) is an alternative surgical treatment and more and more papers on this technique are appearing in the literature. One hundred and two NSMs have been performed in our department between June 2003 and October 2006, initially via periareolar skin incision, now through a skin incision on the lateral aspect of the breast to reduce the necrotic risk for the nipple. The lateral skin incision saves the integrity of skin blood supply, allows for a complete breast gland removal and saves the integrity of the body image of women who show no scars when seen upfront.

Early European experience with the MammoSite radiation therapy system for partial breast brachytherapy following breast conservation operation in low-risk breast cancer.

Preliminary results of ultrasound studies do exist in the literature on the successful use of the MammoSite Radiation Therapy System (RTS), a new device for delivering brachytherapy following breast-conserving surgery. In Europe, some groups started a prospective multicentre trial to investigate the use of the MammoSite RTS. In this early publication, we analysed the surgical procedure and placement of the MammoSite, treatment planning and radiation delivery complications, and early cosmesis, as well as the comfort of the patients. Between June 2002 and March 2005, a total of 54 low-risk breast cancer patients fulfilling the enrolment criteria were implanted intra- or postoperatively using the MammoSite applicator. After inflating the balloon in the excision cavity, the reference isodose was defined 1cm from the balloon's surface. Twenty-eight patients were treated with primary brachytherapy with a total dose of 34 Gy (2x3.4 Gy) and 16 patients had a boost with a mean dose of 13.3 Gy (range: 7.5-15 Gy; 2x2.5 Gy) combined with external beam radiotherapy (EBRT). Doses ranged between 46 and 50 Gy. We analysed the postimplant anatomic position of the applicator in relation to the skin and chest wall as well as the geometric form of the balloon via ultrasound, computed tomography and X-ray before, during and after the treatment. Forty-four out of 54 patients (81.5%) were eligible for MammoSite RTS brachytherapy. Ten patients were excluded from the trial due to the strict study criteria and received no brachytherapy. Balloon rupture occurred in two cases. We observed seroma in 16 patients (36%); furthermore, an abscess developed in two patients (4.5%) within 3 months of implantation. Postoperative air gaps and haematoma were successfully reduced by draining the operation cavity in one institution. At a mean follow-up of 14 months (range 3-31 months), the skin-related side effects observed were skin discoloration or inflammation in 36 patients (82%) and teleangiectasia in eight patients (18%). The MammoSite RTS is a feasible treatment modality for postoperative partial breast irradiation after breast-conserving surgery for selected low-risk breast cancer patients. The main advantage of the system is the necessity of only one applicator for the delivery of fractionated radiotherapy over a 5-day treatment period. In addition, patient tolerance of the procedure is high. Based on this early experience, the method may serve as a successful alternative to conventional multicatheter brachytherapy for a highly select group of patients, but we have to bear in mind the higher level of acute toxicity.

Partial irradiation of the breast: Old challenges, new solutions.

Breast-conserving treatment, characteristically consisting of surgical removal of the tumor and post-operative whole breast irradiation, is nowadays considered as the standard therapeutic approach for most women with stage I/II, invasive breast cancer. Recently, a number of institutions started investigating the feasibility and safety of novel approaches in radiotherapy, modulating concomitantly treatment time and irradiation volume. Whilst this strategy is still under investigation, recent clinical studies on accelerated partial breast irradiation with intra-operative radiotherapy or high conformality irradiation strongly suggest that the way patients with early breast cancer are irradiated should be revisited.

Effect of tamoxifen on lipoprotein(a) and insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) in healthy women.

Studies in breast cancer patients have shown that tamoxifen decreases circulating levels of lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)), an independent risk factor for premature coronary heart disease, and insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I), a promising surrogate biomarker for breast cancer. Since a common hormone regulatory pathway has been suggested for both biomarkers, we measured Lp(a) levels for 6 months in 68 healthy women participating in a chemoprevention trial of tamoxifen and correlated its changes with IGF-I. After 1 month, mean Lp(a) levels decreased by 23% with tamoxifen and increased by 6% with placebo (P = 0.033). No further change was observed after 2 and 6 months. Women with abnormal values at baseline (i.e. > 30 mg/dl) showed the highest reduction. The mean levels of IGF-I decreased by 23.5% with tamoxifen and remained stable with placebo, but the changes induced by tamoxifen in Lp(a) and IGF-I levels were uncorrelated. Our results support the observation that tamoxifen may be a suitable preventive option for women with multiple disease risk factors.

A prospective, randomized, controlled clinical trial of tissue adhesive (2-octylcyanoacrylate) versus standard wound closure in breast surgery.

BACKGROUND: Recent studies suggest that the use of tissue adhesive for closure of both traumatic lacerations and incisional surgical wounds leads to cosmetic outcome comparable to conventional sutures. To date, no studies have investigated tissue adhesive in breast surgery and costs. Our aim was to compare the tissue adhesive 2-octylcyanoacrylate (OCA) with standard suture in breast surgery. METHODS: A prospective randomized study was conducted in which 151 patients were assessed for eligibility, and 133 were randomly allocated to skin closure with OCA adhesive or monofilament suture. Cosmetic outcome with blinded assessment, wound management by the patients, complication rates, and economic outcome were recorded. RESULTS: There was no difference in cosmetic score in the 2 groups, nor in complications at the early, 6-month, and 1-year follow-up. Patient satisfaction with the wound closed with OCA was rated significantly higher when compared with standard suture (P <.0001). The application of the tissue adhesive was significantly faster than that for standard suture (P <.001). In economic terms total costs were less in the tissue adhesive group, mainly due to lower postoperative costs of physician and assistant services (P <.001). CONCLUSIONS: OCA is effective and reliable in skin closure for breast surgery, yielding similar cosmetic results to standard suture. OCA is faster than standard wound closure and offers several practical advantages over suture repair for patients. Cost analysis has found that OCA adhesive can significantly decrease health care costs.

Surgical technique of mammosite RTS implant for accelerated radiation delivery in breast conserving surgery.

Breast conserving surgery followed by radiation therapy has been accepted as an alternative to mastectomy in the management of patients with early-stage breast cancer. Over the past decade there has been increasing interest in a variety of radiation techniques designed to treat only the portion of the breast deemed to be at high risk for local recurrence and to shorten the duration of treatment. This article describes the surgical technique of implant of a new device developed with the goal of making breast conserving therapy more widely adopted. Our preliminary results showed that breast conserving therapy, using high dose-rate brachytherapy delivered with this new device as the sole radiation modality, is both technically feasible and well tolerated by the patients with excellent cosmetic results. This new method seems to be an important step forward in the search for a more conservative treatment for women with breast cancer, and for providing a better quality of life.

The indocyanine green method is equivalent to the 99mTc-labeled radiotracer method for identifying the sentinel node in breast cancer: a concordance and validation study.

AIMS: The aim of this study was to assess concordance between the indocyanine green (ICG) method and (99m)Tc-radiotracer method to identify the sentinel node (SN) in breast cancer. Evidence supports the feasibility and efficacy of the ICG to identify the SN, however this method has not been prospectively compared with the gold-standard radiotracer method in terms of SN detection rate. METHODS: Between June 2011 and January 2013, 134 women with clinically node-negative early breast cancer received subdermal/peritumoral injection of (99m)Tc-labeled tracer for lymphoscintigraphy, followed by intraoperative injection of ICG for fluorescence detection of SNs using an exciting light source combined with a camera. In all patients, SNs were first identified by the fluorescence method (ICG-positive) and removed. A gamma ray-detecting probe was then used to determine whether ICG-positive SNs were hot ((99m)Tc-positive) and to identify and remove any (99m)Tc-positive (ICG-negative) SNs remaining in the axilla. The study was powered to perform an equivalence analysis. RESULTS: The 134 patients provided 246 SNs, detected by one or both methods. 1, 2 and 3 SNs, respectively, were detected, removed and examined in 70 (52.2%), 39 (29.1%) and 17 (12.7%) patients; 4-10 SNs were detected and examined in the remaining 8 patients. The two methods were concordant for 230/246 (93.5%) SNs and discordant for 16 (6.5%) SNs. The ICG method detected 99.6% of all SNs. CONCLUSIONS: Fluorescent lymphangiography with ICG allows easy identification of axillary SNs, at a frequency not inferior to that of radiotracer, and can be used alone to reliably identify SNs.

Development of axillary surgery in breast cancer.

Axillary surgery is a critical part of the treatment of breast carcinoma: its importance is related to the staging of disease, prescription of adjuvant therapy and prognosis. For years, complete axillary dissection has remained the standard approach to breast cancer lymphatic staging; its value is still high, but the development of sentinel-node biopsy has significantly changed the indication of the procedure. We discuss the evolution of axillary surgery in breast cancer.

Radioguided sentinel node biopsy to avoid axillary dissection in breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: Sentinel node (SN) biopsy may predict axillary status in breast cancer. We retrospectively analyzed more than 500 SN cases, to suggest more precise indications for the technique. METHODS: 99mTc-labeled colloid was injected close to the tumor; lymphoscintigraphy was then performed to reveal the SN. The next day, during surgery, the SN was removed by using a gamma probe. Complete axillary dissection followed, except in later cases recruited to a randomized trial. The SN was examined intraoperatively by conventional frozen section, in later cases by sampling the entire node and using immunocytochemistry. RESULTS: In the first series, the SN was identified in 98.7% of cases; in 6.7%, the SN was negative but other axillary nodes were positive; in 32.1%, the SN was negative by intraoperative frozen section but metastatic by definitive histology, prompting introduction of the exhaustive method. In the randomized trial, the SN was identified in all cases so far, the false-negative rate is approximately 6.5%, and in 15 cases, internal mammary chain nodes were biopsied. CONCLUSIONS: SN biopsy can reliably assess axillary status in selected patients. The problems are the SN detection rate, false negatives, and the intraoperative examination, which can miss 30% of SN metastases. Our exhaustive method overcomes the latter problem, but it is time consuming.

Effect of raloxifene on IGF-I and IGFBP-3 in postmenopausal women with breast cancer.

The effect on the IGF system of 60 mg and 600 mg daily of raloxifene administered for 2 weeks prior to surgery was investigated in 37 postmenopausal women with breast cancer. Raloxifene significantly decreased insulin-like growth factor (IGF-I) as compared to placebo (P < 0.05) with no dose-response relationship. No significant change was observed in IGFBP-3, while the IGF-I/IGFBP-3 molar ratio was decreased by treatment, with a statistically significant effect only for the higher dose. Given that high plasma levels of IGF-I have been suggested as a risk factor for breast cancer, these findings provide further support for the potential activity of raloxifene in breast cancer prevention.