Impact of Pathologic Complete Response following Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy ± Trastuzumab in Locally Advanced Breast Cancer.

PURPOSE: This study was designed to examine the relationship between breast cancer molecular subtypes and pathological response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) ± trastuzumab, in locally advanced breast cancer (LABC). METHODS: Female patients with LABC (T2-T4, N0-N2, and M0) who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy + trastuzumab if HER2+ subtype, followed by surgery and radiotherapy ± hormonal therapy, were identified. The primary endpoint was pathologic complete response (pCR) in the breast and axilla (ypT0/ypN0), with final analysis on disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS). RESULTS: Six hundred eighty-one patients with a median age of 44 years, premenopausal: 70%, median tumour size: 7.0 cm (range 4-11 cm), stage II B: 27% and III A/III B: 73%, ER+/HER2-: 40.8%, ER-/HER2-: 23%, ER+/HER2+: 17.7%, and ER-/HER2+: 18.5%. Overall pCR (ypT0/ypN0) was 23%. The pCR rates based on molecular subtypes were ER+/HER2-: 9%; ER+/HER2+: 29%; ER-/HER2-: 31%; and ER-/HER2+: 37%. At median follow-up of 61 months, ER+/HER2+ and ER+/HER2- subtypes had the best 5-year DFS and OS; meanwhile, ER-/HER2+ and ER-/HER2- subtypes had the worst. CONCLUSION: Women with ER+/HER2- disease are the least likely to achieve pCR, with the highest rates in HER2+ and triple-negative subgroups. Degree of response is associated with OS; despite the comparatively higher likelihood of achieving pCR in ER-/HER2+ and triple-negative, these subgroups experience a survival detriment. We are consistent with the published data that patients who attain the pathological complete response defined as ypT0/ypN0 have improved outcomes.

Two Unusual Presentations of Presacral Schwannoma; A Case Series.

INTRODUCTION: Schwannomas are benign tumors that arise from the Schwann cells of nerve fibers. They commonly occur in the head and neck, mediastinum and extremities. However, they are extremely rare to be found in the pelvis. CASE PRESENTATION: We report two cases of pelvic presacral schwannomas found in our hospital. The first case is a 50 years old lady who was seen in the outpatient clinic complaining of pelvic heaviness. Investigations were done including Computed Tomography (CT) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) which showed a solid mass in the presacral area. Biopsy was taken, and results came back as schwannoma. The patient underwent exploratory laparotomy and total tumor resection. The second case is a 19 years old gentleman who was referred from a local hospital to our hospital for further evaluation of an asymptomatic left retroperitoneal pelvic mass. The mass was found incidentally after a Road Traffic Accident. The patient underwent exploratory laparotomy and total tumor resection. In the two cases, specimen histopathology report came back positive for schwannoma and patients were doing fine in the post-operative period with no signs of recurrence till this date. CONCLUSION: Due to the few cases in the literature, the diagnosis of presacral schwannoma is challenging. Some patients presented with vague symptoms like pelvic heaviness as seen with the patient in the first case, and some presented completely asymptomatic as seen with the patient in the second case. In symptomatic and asymptomatic cases, surgical excision is the mainstay of treatment of these tumors.

Primary oral malignant melanoma metastasis to the brain and breast: A case report and literature review.

Primary oral malignant melanoma is a rare tumor, which is estimated to comprise 0.2-8.0% of all melanoma cases. This type of cancer is fairly uncommon, its prognosis is dismal, and it frequently exhibits a biologically aggressive behavior. The common location of primary oral malignant melanoma is the hard palate and maxillary alveolus. In ~85% of cases, the melanoma will metastasize to the liver, lung, bone and brain early in the course of the disease. The present study reports the case of a 50-year-old premenopausal woman who presented with primary oral malignant spindle cell melanoma (T3bN2aM0) and underwent complete surgical resection followed by an adjuvant course of radiation therapy. After 1 year, the patient presented with sudden onset slurred speech, and upon examination, was found to have left-sided hemiparesis and a hard left breast mass. Workup confirmed breast and brain metastasis. The patient developed lung metastasis 4 weeks later and was referred for palliative care.

Clinicopathological features of breast angiosarcoma: A 16-years single-institution experience.

BACKGROUND: Breast Angiosarcoma is a rare type of malignancy arising from endothelial cells lining blood vessels, accounting for 1% of all soft tissue breast tumors. This retrospective study describes the clinical pathological features and clinical management and outcomes of a series of 5 patients with primary and secondary Angiosarcoma of the breast present to King Faisal Specialty Hospital and Research Center during the last 16 years. METHODS: A retrospective review of our institution's pathology database was conducted and all patients who had a pathologically confirmed breast angiosarcoma were included in this study. The patient's data, including demographic characteristics, pathological features, clinical management history and clinical outcomes were collected. RESULTS: Five patients were diagnosed with Breast Angiosarcoma (one secondary and four primary cases). The median age of patients with primary angiosarcoma was 22 years (range 13-25 years). All primary cases were presented late as post-excisional biopsy at local hospitals. Median tumor size was 6cm (range 4.0-17.0cm). All primary angiosarcoma patients had total mastectomy. Three-year disease-free survival (DFS) of patients with primary angiosarcoma was 25%. 5-year surviving rate of primary angiosarcoma was 50%. Recurrence was observed in three of the patients with primary Angiosarcoma and in the case of post irradiation Angiosarcoma. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrates that Breast Angiosarcoma exhibits high recurrence and mortality rates. Early detection, small tumor size, and clear surgical margins seem to be crucial factors for survival. Mastectomy with adequate tumor margin is recommended and close long-term follow-up is of utmost importance. Surgery for local recurrence may be potentially curative.

Sentinel lymph node biopsy in clinically detected ductal carcinoma in situ.

AIM: To study the indications for sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) in clinically-detected ductal carcinoma in situ (CD-DCIS). METHODS: A retrospective analysis of 20 patients with an initial diagnosis of pure DCIS by an image-guided core needle biopsy (CNB) between June 2006 and June 2012 was conducted at King Faisal Specialist Hospital. The accuracy of performing SLNB in CD-DCIS, the rate of sentinel and non-sentinel nodal metastasis, and the histologic underestimation rate of invasive cancer at initial diagnosis were analyzed. The inclusion criteria were a preoperative diagnosis of pure DCIS with no evidence of invasion. We excluded any patient with evidence of microinvasion or invasion. There were two cases of mammographically detected DCIS and 18 cases of CD-DCIS. All our patients were diagnosed by an image-guided CNB except two patients who were diagnosed by fine needle aspiration (FNA). All patients underwent breast surgery, SLNB, and axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) if the SLN was positive. RESULTS: Twenty patients with an initial diagnosis of pure DCIS underwent SLNB, 2 of whom had an ALND. The mean age of the patients was 49.7 years (range, 35-70). Twelve patients (60%) were premenopausal and 8 (40%) were postmenopausal. CNB was the diagnostic procedure for 18 patients, and 2 who were diagnosed by FNA were excluded from the calculation of the underestimation rate. Two out of 20 had a positive SLNB and underwent an ALND and neither had additional non sentinel lymph node metastasis. Both the sentinel visualization rate and the intraoperative sentinel identification rate were 100%. The false negative rate was 0%. Only 2 patients had a positive SLNB (10%) and neither had additional metastasis following an ALND. After definitive surgery, 3 patients were upstaged to invasive ductal carcinoma (3/18 = 16.6%) and 3 other patients were upstaged to DCIS with microinvasion (3/18 = 16.6%). Therefore the histologic underestimation rate of invasive disease was 33%. CONCLUSION: SLNB in CD-DCIS is technically feasible and highly accurate. We recommend limiting SLNB to patients undergoing a mastectomy.

Concurrent splenic lymphangiomatosis and Proteus syndrome.

A 37-year-old female presented with Proteus syndrome and was found to have an asymptomatic enlarged spleen. Pathology confirmed splenic lymphangiomatosis. We describe an association of these 2 disorders in the Middle Eastern population. Diagnosis and pathogenesis are discussed in this case report.