Neoadjuvant systemic treatment for breast cancer in Italy: The Italian Society of Surgical Oncology (SICO) Breast Oncoteam survey.

The Italian Society of Surgical Oncology (SICO) Breast Oncoteam developed a survey to explore the state of the art of neoadjuvant treatment for breast cancer in Italy, specifically focusing on cases treated during the two-year period 2014-2015. A questionnaire was sent to Italian Breast Units with a minimum of 150 new breast cancer cases treated/year according to the Senonetwork directory and to the SICO Breast Oncoteam Breast Unit network. A total of 23/107 Breast Units submitted the survey, reporting a total amount of 20156 cases of breast carcinoma (17241 invasive, 2915 in situ) treated in the biennium, corresponding approximately to 20% of newly diagnosed breast cancers in Italy. In the United States, medical treatment before surgery for breast cancer is indicated in about 22.7% of newly diagnosed cases according to the National Cancer Database, while a German study reported approximately 20% of cases treated with neoadjuvant therapy. In our survey, a total of 1673/17241 cases (9.7%) were treated with neoadjuvant therapy, ranging from 2.9% to 23.6% according to different centres, showing heterogeneity in neoadjuvant treatment indications, even in multidisciplinary breast units. Better resources should be engaged to achieve a standardised quality indicator for neoadjuvant treatment, and this indicator could be included among the European Society of Breast Cancer Specialists (EUSOMA) quality indicators. In the near future, we plan to develop a second survey to better test improvements in the employment of neoadjuvant therapy after the expiry of the 2016 European Parliament deadline and after the 2017 St. Gallen Conference recommendations.

The impact of field cancerization on the extent of duct carcinoma in situ (DCIS) in breast tissue after conservative excision.

AIM: Aim of the present study is to evaluate the risk of residual neoplastic foci, in patients treated with breast conservative surgery, based on duct carcinoma in situ (DCIS) grading. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study is based on a retrospective analysis of 419 resection specimens relative to 161 patients. All these patients underwent surgical re-excision when the first specimen had shown one or more margins involved by DCIS. Margins were oriented and the side of margin involved was recorded. Clonal analysis, using the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) technique, was obtained in selected cases. RESULTS: Residual neoplastic foci were found in 145 out of 419 (34.6%) re-excised specimens. Specifically, residual foci of DCIS grade 2 and 3 were found more frequently in the margin facing the nipple (33.3% and 51.6%, respectively). On the contrary foci of DCIS grade 1 did not show any specific distribution. Clonal mt DNA analysis evidenced that DCIS grade 3 foci present in the re-excision specimens were genetically similar to the tumor removed in the first specimen, while DCIS grade 1 foci were not clonally related each other. CONCLUSIONS: The present data further confirm that DCIS grade 3 is characterized by a circumscribed neoplastic process extending along the large ducts probably of a single mammary lobe. On the contrary DCIS grade 1 is characterized by multiple independent neoplastic foci, dispersed through several lobes indicating a field where multiple independent foci of cancer harbor.

Cytological features of nipple adenoma in scraping smears.

INTRODUCTION: Nipple adenoma (NA) is a benign epithelial lesion of the breast that can clinically simulate Paget's disease or invasive ductal carcinoma. Therefore, correct pre-operative diagnosis is important for appropriate management. METHODS: Cytological samples may be obtained by different methods such as fine needle aspiration, nipple discharge or nipple scraping. Herein, the cytological features of three cases of NA are described in which samples were derived from nipple scraping. RESULTS: In all three cases, patients were adult females presenting with a sub-areolar nodule, showing skin ulceration in 2 of 3 cases. The nipple scraping cytological smears were characterised by a bloody background with epithelial cells arranged in clusters or singularly, showing an irregular nuclei profile. These features could simulate a malignant process. However, at higher magnification, fine nuclear chromatin with inconspicuous nucleoli and presence of myoepithelial cells were helpful to exclude malignancy. DISCUSSION: NA may present "worrisome" cytological features on smears derived from nipple scraping. Therefore, knowledge of the cytological spectrum of this lesion is important to avoid misdiagnosis.

Primary sarcoidosis of the breast: case description and review of the literature.

Sarcoidosis is a systemic granulomatous disease of unknown aetiology. The breast is involved in less than 1% of cases. Breast can be either a primary or a secondary site of presentation. Breast sarcoidosis often mimics carcinomas at clinical examination. We report a case of breast sarcoidosis detected during screening mammography in a 57-year-old woman. The lesion presented as a 1.4 cm nodule located in the right breast. On histology, it was characterized by non-caseating giant cell granulomas. Differential diagnoses included idiopathic granulomatous mastitis, tuberculosis, fungal infection, cat-scratch disease and sarcoid-like reactions to cancer. Further clinical and laboratory investigations were consistent with a diagnosis of sarcoidosis. Specifically, serum levels of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) were elevated and a CT scan showed small bilateral pulmonary nodules distributed along the pleura and bronchovascular bundles (perilymphatic pattern), as well as enlarged bilateral hilar and mediastinal lymph nodes. The patient received corticosteroid treatment, and is presently asymptomatic. Breast involvement by sarcoidosis, although rare, should be considered when dealing with granulomatous lesions of the breast.

[The laparoscopic treatment of common bile duct lithiasis]. / Trattamento laparoscopico della litiasi della via biliare principale.

Nowadays the laparoscopic cholecystectomy has become the main surgical therapy in the treatment of cholecysto-lithiasis. At the beginning the treatment of cholecysto-choledochal lithiasis was the sequential endoscopic-laparoscopic therapy. In fact, the endoscopic sphincterotomy allows transpapillary ablation of Common Bile Duct (CBD) stones, and the laparoscopic cholecystectomy completes the therapy. Recently we have brought the full-laparoscopic of CBD lithiasis. This has become possible on account of an improved intraoperative laparoscopic diagnostics and a better technical experience of the laparoscopic surgeon. Intraoperative examination of CBD requires suitable instruments: cholangiography is still a basic examination and now is easily performed in laparoscopy without a considerable increase of the surgical time; choledochoscopy allows an intraluminal inspection of completes the examination, supplying further detailed information. Afterwards the laparoscopic approach allows the transcystic ablation of stones, using a Dormia probe or through a choledochotomy, but is previously required for the surgeon a high-level operative and technical ability about laparoscopic surgery, in order to perform an excellent preparation of the CBD and precise stitches, making knots with extra corporeal or intra-abdominal technique. Clinical results in patients until now fully-laparoscopic treated are quite good and encourage the CBD lithiasis therapy by a mini-invasive approach, which has the advantage that's not requested the sacrifice of a sound papilla.

[Nodular hyperthyroidism: surgical experience and hypothesis of carcinogenic correlations]. / Ipertiroidismo nodulare: esperienze chirurgiche ed ipotesi di correlazioni oncogenetiche.

In a retrospective study 109 patients operated for nodular toxic goiter from 1984 to may 1988 are examined. Clinical feature, diagnosis and surgical approach are analyzed; the follow-up of the patients is reported as well. Some results are really interesting: 1) the incidence of hyperthyroidism in a nodular goiter (toxic multinodular goiter, solitary or multiple Plummer's nodes) is higher in the females; 2) most of the patients with solitary or multiple nodes are middle-young-aged; 3) prevalence of autonomous toxic adenomas; 4) relapses are higher (76%) in young patients with thyroid nodes operated with lobectomy and isthmectomy in pre-toxic stage (multifocality of the disease). Basedowified goiter, on the contrary, is present in old females with a long history of goiter. In these cases, subtotal thyroidectomy is often curative. The association with cancer is a fearful event to remember.