Pathologic Complete Response and Oncologic Outcomes in Locally Advanced Breast Cancers Treated With Neoadjuvant Radiation Therapy: An Australian Perspective.

PURPOSE: To assess the degree of pathologic complete response (pCR), postoperative surgical complication rates, and oncological outcomes in women with locally advanced breast cancer or high-risk breast cancers treated with neoadjuvant radiation therapy (NART). METHODS AND MATERIALS: This retrospective, multi-institutional review involved 138 clinically staged patients with 140 breast cancers treated with NART between January 2014 and February 2021. Treatments involved sequential neoadjuvant chemotherapy and NART, followed by mastectomy with or without axillary surgery and immediate autologous breast reconstruction. Descriptive statistics were used to assess patient and disease features, treatment regimens, pathologic response, and factors affecting postoperative complications. Kaplan-Meier curves were performed to assess locoregional recurrence-free, distant metastasis-free, and overall survival outcomes. RESULTS: Median age was 47 years (interquartile range, 42-52). The median follow-up was 35.2 months (interquartile range, 17.1-46.5). pCR was achieved in 36.4% (as defined by Chevallier classification) or 42.1% (as defined by Miller-Payne scores) of patients. Greater pCR rates were achieved for HER2+ (73.8%-85.7%) and triple-negative phenotypes (47.6%-57.1%). There were 21 grade 3 surgical complications including 10 grade 3B breast events and 8 grade 3B donor-site events, where surgical reintervention was required. At 3-years' follow-up, the locoregional recurrence-free survival was 98.1%, distant metastasis-free survival was 83.6%, and overall survival was 95.3%%. CONCLUSIONS: NART is feasible to facilitate a single-stage mastectomy and immediate autologous breast reconstruction. This study demonstrated comparable rates of postoperative complication to standard of care, and high rates of pCR, which translates to high rates of locoregional control, distant metastasis-free survival, and overall survival.

Neoadjuvant radiotherapy for locally advanced and high-risk breast cancer.

INTRODUCTION: Neoadjuvant radiotherapy (NART) as part of a multi-modality approach for locally advanced breast cancer (LABC) requires further investigation. Importantly, this approach may allow for a single-staged surgical procedure, with mastectomy and immediate autologous reconstruction. Multiple other potential benefits of NART include improved pathological downstaging of breast disease, reduced overall treatment time, elimination of time period with breast tissue deficit and improved patient satisfaction. METHODS: This is a retrospective multi-institutional review of patients with LABC and high-risk breast disease undergoing NART. Eligible patients sequentially underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) with or without HER2-targeted therapy, NART, followed by mastectomy with immediate autologous breast reconstruction (BR) 4- to 6 weeks post-completion of radiotherapy. Patient and tumour characteristics were analysed using descriptive statistics. Surgical complications were assessed using the Clavien-Dindo Classification (Ann Surg 2004; 240: 205). RESULTS: From 3/2013 to 9/2019, 153 patients were treated with NART. The median age was 47 years (IQR 42-52), with median body mass index of 27. Eighteen patients experienced Grade 3 acute surgical complications. This included 13 Grade 3B breast-site events and 9 Grade 3B donor-site events, where further surgical intervention was required for management of wound infection, wound dehiscence, flap or mastectomy skin necrosis, haematoma and internal mammary venous anastomotic thrombosis. No autologous flap loss was observed. CONCLUSION: Neoadjuvant radiotherapy facilitates a single-stage surgical procedure with mastectomy and immediate autologous BR, eliminating the delay to reconstructive surgery and thus shortening a woman's breast cancer journey. The findings of this review support the use of NART, with comparable rates of surgical complications to standard sequencing.

Volumetric arc therapy: A viable option for right-sided breast with comprehensive regional nodal irradiation in conjunction with deep inspiration breath hold.

PURPOSE: Deep inspiration breath hold (DIBH) is an innovative technique routinely used for left-sided breast radiotherapy to significantly reduce harmful dose to the heart and ipsilateral lung. Currently, there is scant literature exploring DIBH for right-sided whole breast and regional nodal irradiation (WB & RNI). The purpose of this study is to examine if DIBH produces a clinically significant reduction in organ at risk (OAR) dose for right-sided WB + RNI, whilst comparatively analysing the use of volumetric arc therapy (VMAT) versus tangential inverse modulated radiotherapy (t-IMRT). METHODS AND MATERIALS: Ten patients, previously treated for left sided breast cancer (with a FB and DIBH CT scan), were selected from our database to be retrospectively replanned to the right breast and nodal regions. Planning target volumes (PTV) were marked to include the whole right breast and regional nodes, encompassing the supraclavicular fossa (SCF) and internal mammary nodes (IMN). PTVs and OARs were contoured on the Pinnacle workstation according to the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) guidelines. VMAT and t-IMRT plans were generated to a prescribed dose of 50 Gy in 25 fractions on both the DIBH and FB data sets for dosimetric analysis. RESULTS: Coverage of the right breast (mean, D95%) and SCF (D95%) were significantly improved with VMAT in comparison to t-IMRT, with no statistically significant variation on the IMN PTV (D95%). The use of DIBH did not impact PTV coverage compared with FB. VMAT reduced dose to the ipsilateral lung (mean, V20Gy), combined lungs (mean, V20Gy) and liver (D2cc); conversely dose to the heart (mean), left lung (mean, V5Gy) and contralateral breast (mean) were increased. For both techniques DIBH significantly improved dose to OARs including the ipsilateral lung (mean, V20Gy, V5Gy), total lung (mean, V20Gy), heart (mean, V25Gy) and liver (D2cc) when compared to FB. CONCLUSION: DIBH could be considered for patients treated with right-sided WB and RNI due to a significant decrease in heart, ipsilateral lung, total lung and liver doses. VMAT significantly improves PTV coverage over t-IMRT whilst reducing dose to the ipsilateral lung and liver, albeit to the detriment of the left lung, contralateral breast and heart. The increase in heart dose can be mitigated by the use of DIBH. We recommend if VMAT is utilised for superior target volume coverage, DIBH should also be implemented to reduce OAR toxicity. RÉSUMÉ:   BUT: La retenue respiratoire profonde (DIBH) est une technique innovante couramment utilisée pour la radiothérapie du cÔté gauche du sein afin de réduire de manière significative la dose nocive pour le cŒur et le poumon ipsilatéral (13-15). Actuellement, il existe peu d'ouvrages sur la DIBH pour l'irradiation du sein entier du cÔté droit et des nodules régionaux (WB+RNI). L'objectif de cette étude est d'examiner si la DIBH produit une réduction cliniquement significative de la dose d'organe à risque (OAR) pour la WB+RNI du cÔté droit, tout en analysant comparativement l'utilisation de l'arcthérapie volumétrique (VMAT) par rapport à la radiothérapie par modulation d'intensité tangentielle (t-IMRT). MéTHODOLOGIE ET MATéRIEL: Dix scans tomodensitométriques avec un ensemble de données DIBH et de respiration libre (FB) ont été sélectionnés de manière rétrospective. Les volumes cibles de planification (PTV) ont été marqués pour inclure le sein droit entier et les ganglions régionaux, englobant la fosse supraclaviculaire (SCF) et les ganglions mammaires internes (IMN). Les PTV et les OAR ont été définis sur la station de travail Pinnacle conformément aux directives du groupe de radiothérapie oncologique (RTOG) (17). Les plans t-IMRT et VMAT ont été générés pour une dose prescrite de 50Gy en 25 fractions sur les ensembles de données DIBH et FB pour l'analyse dosimétrique. RéSULTATS: La couverture du sein droit (moyenne, D95%) et du SCF (D95%) a été significativement améliorée avec la VMAT par rapport à la t-IMRT, sans variation statistiquement significative sur la PTV IMN (D95%). L'utilisation de la DIBH n'a pas eu d'impact sur la couverture du PTV par rapport à la FB. La VMAT a réduit la dose dans le poumon ipsilatéral (moyenne, V20Gy), les poumons combinés (moyenne, V20Gy) et le foie (D2cc) ; à l'inverse, la dose dans le cŒur (moyenne), le poumon gauche (moyenne, V5Gy) et le sein controlatéral (moyenne) a été augmentée. Pour les deux techniques, la DIBH a amélioré de manière significative la dose aux OAR, y compris le poumon ipsilatéral (moyenne, V20Gy, V5Gy), le poumon total (moyenne, V20Gy), le cŒur (moyenne, V25Gy) et le foie (D2cc), par rapport à la respiration libre. CONCLUSION: La DIBH pourrait être envisagé pour les patients traités par WB+RNI du cÔté droit en raison d'une diminution significative des doses dans le cŒur, le poumon ipsilatéral, le poumon total et le foie. La VMAT améliore considérablement la couverture de la PTV par rapport à la t-IMRT tout en réduisant la dose dans le poumon ipsilatéral et le foie, mais au détriment du poumon gauche, du sein controlatéral et du cŒur. L'augmentation de la dose au cŒur peut être atténuée par l'utilisation de la DIBH. Nous recommandons, si la VMAT est utilisée pour une couverture supérieure du volume cible, de mettre également en Œuvre la DIBH pour réduire la toxicité aux OAR.

Surgical causes of upper abdominal pain.

BACKGROUND: In Australia, abdominal pain is a common presenting complaint in the general practice setting. Identifying a surgical cause is important and warrants prompt specialist referral. OBJECTIVE: This article outlines common surgical causes of upper abdominal pain. We include differential diagnoses, relevant investigations and approach to patient management. DISCUSSION: Gallstones and peptic disease are common surgical causes of upper abdominal pain. A diagnosis should be made with careful clinical assessment and appropriate investigations. However, a considerable proportion of patients will be investigated for 'surgical' causes and remain undiagnosed. Irritable bowel syndrome should be considered in these cases.