Ductal carcinoma in situ of the breast: influence of age on diagnostic, therapeutic, and prognostic features. Retrospective study of 812 patients.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this retrospective study was to identify prognostic, diagnostic, and therapeutic disparities between younger (≤ 40 years) and older (> 40 years) women with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) of the breast. METHODS: From 1971 to 2001, all patients treated for DCIS at Institut Bergonié were included in our analyses. Follow-up data was collected over 10 years. We used univariate and multivariate analyses to investigate patient-, disease-, and treatment-related factors predictive of diagnostic, histological, therapeutic, and prognostic DCIS criteria. RESULTS: A total of 812 patients were eligible including 731 women aged >40 years and 81 women ≤40 years. Younger women with DCIS were more likely to receive a mastectomy and less likely to receive radiotherapy. Young age and initial surgical treatment (lumpectomy and especially nonfree margins) were revealed as predictive of recurrence in multivariate analyses. CONCLUSIONS: Young age represents a recurrence risk independent of histological and clinical characteristics of the tumor. Initial treatment, especially for nonfree margins, is also a predictive factor. Appropriate initial surgery with particularly wide margins appears essential for the treatment of young women with DCIS.

[Medicine, ethics and money]. / Médecine, éthique et argent.

Since the end of the Middle Ages, physicians have been paid in different ways for the care they give. This payment must respect the ethical principles of equity, autonomy and benevolence-beneficence. Equity requires that everybody be treated according to his needs and not according to his means, the necessary means being offered by physicians or provided by society. Autonomy requires that the physician be independent so that no other consideration--including his own material interest--takes precedent over the patient's interests. Benevolence-beneficence places the emphasis on means, in accordance with evidence-based medicine, results being impossible to guarantee.

Single-session radiofrequency ablation of bilateral lung metastases.

PURPOSE: This retrospective study examined the feasibility and efficacy of bilateral lung radiofrequency ablation (RFA) performed in a single session. METHODS: From 2002-2009, patients with bilateral lung metastases were treated by RFA, where possible in a single session under general anesthesia with CT guidance. The second lung was punctured only if no complications occurred after treatment of the first lung. Five lung metastases maximum per patient were treated by RFA and prospectively followed. The primary endpoint was the evaluation of acute and delayed complications. Secondary endpoints were calculation of hospitalization duration, local efficacy, median survival, and median time to tumor progression. Local efficacy was evaluated on CT or positron emission tomography (PET) CT. RESULTS: Sixty-seven patients were treated for bilateral lung metastases with RFA (mean age, 62 years). Single-session treatment was not possible in 40 due to severe pneumothoraces (n = 24), bilateral pleural contact (n = 14), and operational exclusions (n = 2). Twenty-seven (41%) received single-session RFA of lesions in both lungs for 66 metastases overall. Fourteen unilateral and four bilateral pneumothoraces occurred (18 overall, 66.7%). Unilateral (n = 13) and bilateral (n = 2) chest tube drainage was required. Median hospitalization was 3 (range, 2-8) days. Median survival was 26 months (95% confidence interval (CI), 19-33). Four recurrences on RFA sites were observed (4 patients). Median time to tumor progression was 9.5 months (95% CI, 4.2-23.5). CONCLUSIONS: Although performing single-session bilateral lung RFA is not always possible due to pneumothoraces after RFA of first lung, when it is performed, this technique is safe and effective.

[What good? From benevolence to autonomy principles]. / Quel bien? Du principe de bienveillance au principe d'autonomie.

In medical practice, habits and ethics, on one hand, means, on the other hand, have evolved and induce the addition of autonomy to benevolence principle. In usual cases, traditional paternalism should be abandoned for allowing the patient to express his/her good and his/her choice for medical decision. This changes deeply doctor-patient relationship. Therefore, the physicians have to improve their practice in order to decrease inconveniences and increase advantages of this new relation, to finally better respect patients and their will.

Prospective multicentric randomized study comparing periareolar and peritumoral injection of radiotracer and blue dye for the detection of sentinel lymph node in breast sparing procedures: FRANSENODE trial.

PURPOSE: To determine the optimal injection path for blue dye and radiocolloid for sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy in early breast cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A prospective randomized multicentric study was initiated to compare the peritumoral (PT) injection site to the periareolar (PA) site in 449 patients. RESULTS: The detection rate of axillary SLN by lymphoscintigraphy was significantly higher (P = .03) in the PA group (85.2%) than in the PT group (73.2%). Intraoperative detection rate by blue dye and/or gamma probe was similar (99.11%) in both groups. The rate of SLN detection was somewhat higher in the PA group than in the PT group: 95.6% versus 93.8% with blue dye (P = .24) and 98.2% versus 96.0% by probe (P = .16), respectively. The number of SLNs detected by lymphoscintigraphy and by probe was significantly higher in the PA group than in the PT group, 1.5 versus 1.2 (P = .001) and 1.9 versus 1.7 (P = .02). The blue and hot concordance was 95.6% in the PA group and 91.5% in the PT group (P = .08). The mean ex vivo count of the SLN was significantly higher in the PA group than in the PT group (P < .0001). CONCLUSION: This study strongly validates the PA injection technique given the high detection rate (99.1%) of SLN and the high concordance (95.6%) between blue dye and the radiotracer, as well as higher significant ex and in vivo counts, improving SLN probe detection.

Breast-conserving treatment with or without radiotherapy in ductal carcinoma-in-situ: ten-year results of European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer randomized phase III trial 10853--a study by the EORTC Breast Cancer Cooperative Group and EORTC Radiotherapy Group.

PURPOSE: The European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer conducted a randomized trial investigating the role of radiotherapy (RT) after local excision (LE) of ductal carcinoma-in-situ (DCIS) of the breast. We analyzed the efficacy of RT with 10 years follow-up on both the overall risk of local recurrence (LR) and related to clinical, histologic, and treatment factors. PATIENTS AND METHODS: After complete LE, women with DCIS were randomly assigned to no further treatment or RT (50 Gy). One thousand ten women with mostly (71%) mammographically detected DCIS were included. The median follow-up was 10.5 years. RESULTS: The 10-year LR-free rate was 74% in the group treated with LE alone compared with 85% in the women treated by LE plus RT (log-rank P < .0001; hazard ratio [HR] = 0.53). The risk of DCIS and invasive LR was reduced by 48% (P = .0011) and 42% (P = .0065) respectively. Both groups had similar low risks of metastases and death. At multivariate analysis, factors significantly associated with an increased LR risk were young age (< or = 40 years; HR = 1.89), symptomatic detection (HR = 1.55), intermediately or poorly differentiated DCIS (as opposed to well-differentiated DCIS; HR = 1.85 and HR = 1.61 respectively), cribriform or solid growth pattern (as opposed to clinging/micropapillary subtypes; HR = 2.39 and HR = 2.25 respectively), doubtful margins (HR = 1.84), and treatment by LE alone (HR = 1.82). The effect of RT was homogeneous across all assessed risk factors. CONCLUSION: With long-term follow-up, RT after LE for DCIS continued to reduce the risk of LR, with a 47% reduction at 10 years. All patient subgroups benefited from RT.