The role of irradiation in the management of the axilla in early breast cancer patients.

The need for axillary radiotherapy in patients with invasive breast cancer (IBC) has been a topic of great debate in the last decade. Management of the axilla has evolved significantly over the past four decades with a trend towards de-escalation of surgical interventions and the aim of reducing morbidity and enhancing QOL without compromising long-term oncology outcomes. This review article will address the role of axillary irradiation with a focus on the omission of completion axillary lymph node dissection in selected patients with sentinel lymph node (SLN) positive early breast cancer (EBC) with reference to current guidelines based on evidence to date.

Synchronous and Metachronous Breast and Ovarian Cancers: Experience from a Single Tertiary Care Cancer Centre in India.

Women with either breast cancer (BC) or ovarian cancer (OC) have a 1.5-2 times higher risk of developing the other. Discerning discrete primaries versus metastases from either can be challenging. Clinico-pathological and outcome details of patients diagnosed with both BC and OC from December 1994 to August 2018 were retrospectively evaluated at a single tertiary cancer centre. We report the pattern of presentation and recurrences with case-based illustrations. Out of 139 patients, presentation was BC-first in 66.2%, OC-first in 24.5% and synchronous cancers (SC) in 9.3% of women. The median age at diagnosis in BC-first, OC-first and SC was 42 years, 48 years and 49 years, respectively. The most common histological subtype was invasive breast carcinoma-no special type (74.8%) in BC and serous cystadenocarcinoma (81.3%) in OC. BC presented at an early stage in 67.6% while OC presented at an advanced stage in 48.2% of patients. Germline mutation results were available in 82% with 61.4% of the cohort exhibiting a mutation- BRCA1 mutation being the most common. The median time to development of second cancer was 77.4 months and 39.4 months in BC-first and OC-first, respectively. At a median follow-up of 9.47 years, disease-free survival was 32.6%, 32.4% and 30.8% in BC-first, OC-first and SC, respectively (p < 0.001). In hereditary breast and ovarian cancer, BC-first patients have a better prognosis while synchronous malignancies have worse oncological outcomes. Deaths are mainly due to OC progression. Appropriate surveillance and prophylactic intervention in young patients with breast cancer may improve overall outcomes.

Eosinophilic enteritis with enteroliths: A diagnostic dilemma.

INTRODUCTION AND IMPORTANCE: Eosinophilic gastroenteritis (EG) is a rare disease, characterized by eosinophilic infiltration of different layers of intestinal wall. Thus having a wide spectrum of presentation leading to diagnostic dilemma. CASE PRESENTATION: We report a case of 55 years old female who presented with pain in abdomen, constipation, vomiting off and on with passage of stools on alternate days since 6 months. Plain radiographs showed radio-opaque densities in abdomen. Contrast enhanced computed tomography (CECT) of abdomen showed Ileal stricture with dilated proximal bowel loops with enteroliths. Exploratory laparotomy confirmed ileal stricture with thickening of the mesentery and an ileal diverticulum. Resection of ileal stricture was performed. The resected segment contained seven hard, black enteroliths. Histopathology of the resected specimen confirmed EG. Stone analysis showed dense faecal matter with bile salts. CLINICAL DISCUSSION: EG leads to symptoms ranging from vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, blood loss in stools, anaemia to malabsorption resulting in diagnostic dilemma. It may cause gastrointestinal obstructive symptoms secondary to stricture, depending upon the predominant layer involved. CONCLUSION: The differential diagnosis of EG should always be considered when dealing with gastroenteritis presenting with radio-opaque densities in abdomen.

Continuity of Cancer Care: The Surgical Experience of Two Large Cancer Hubs in London and Milan.

The SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic is having a large effect on the management of cancer patients. This study reports on the approach and outcomes of cancer patients receiving radical surgery with curative intent between March and September 2020 (in comparison to 2019) in the European Institute of Oncology, IRCCS (IEO) in Milan and the South East London Cancer Alliance (SELCA). Both institutions implemented a COVID-19 minimal pathway where patients were required to self-isolate prior to admission and were swabbed for COVID-19 within 72 h of surgery. Positive patients had surgery deferred until a negative swab. At IEO, radical surgeries declined by 6% as compared to the same period in 2019 (n = 1477 vs. 1560, respectively). Readmissions were required for 3% (n = 41), and <1% (n = 9) developed COVID-19, of which only one had severe disease and died. At SELCA, radical surgeries declined by 34% (n = 1553 vs. 2336). Readmissions were required for 11% (n = 36), <1% (n = 7) developed COVID-19, and none died from it. Whilst a decline in number of surgeries was observed in both centres, the implemented COVID-19 minimal pathways have shown to be safe for cancer patients requiring radical treatment, with limited complications and almost no COVID-19 infections.

Comparison of subjective, objective and patient-reported cosmetic outcomes between accelerated partial breast irradiation and whole breast radiotherapy: a prospective propensity score-matched pair analysis.

BACKGROUND: To compare the early cosmetic outcomes after whole breast radiotherapy (WBRT) and accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) by various cosmetic assessment methods. MATERIALS/METHODS: APBI was delivered using multiplane interstitial brachytherapy as per standard guidelines. Majority of women in WBRT cohort received hypo-fractionated external beam radiotherapy using bitangential portals and mega-voltage photons along with sequential boost to the tumor bed. Single cross-sectional assessment (18-36 months post-treatment completion) of the breast cosmesis was done by RO, SO and the patient using the modified Harvard scale and by photographic assessment using the BCCT.core software. The two cohorts were propensity score-matched using menopausal status, size of surgical cavity, size of tumor in greatest dimension, median number of lymph nodes dissected, treatment with adjuvant chemotherapy and treatment with hormonal therapy. RESULTS: A total of 64 APBI patients were matched with 99 WBRT patients of the entire cohort of 320. At a median follow-up of 25 months, cosmetic results were significantly better for APBI as compared to WBRT cohort by all methods of evaluation (excellent/good: RO:75% vs 38.4%, p = 0.0001; SO: 54.7% vs 37.4%, p = 0.009; patient: 87.5% vs 58.6%, p = 0.001 and BCCT: 73.4% vs 51.6%, p = 0.001). Individual parameters that were significantly better in APBI cohort included size and shape of breast as well as location and shape of NAC. Better results for individual BCCT parameters (pLBC, pBRE, pBAD) were also seen. CONCLUSIONS: Overall cosmetic outcomes as well as individual subdomains are significantly better with APBI as compared to WBRT by all methods of assessment of cosmesis when matched for various factors.