Oncoplastic Level II Surgical Techniques for Breast Cancer Treatment: Long-Term Outcomes.

Background: Problems in patients who could not get adequate surgical margins (SM) and good cosmetic results with breast-conserving surgery (BCS) have been overcome with the introduction of oncoplastic surgery (OPS) methods. The purpose of this study was the documentation of level II techniques and the presentation of long-term survival results. Methods: The data on patients who had been prospectively registered in the database between 2007 and 2017 and who had been treated with level II OPS due to invasive breast cancer were examined. Results: A total of 1,074 patients were included in the study. The most commonly applied level II oncoplastic techniques were performed in the upper outer quadrantectomy with racquet incision in 334 (31%) patients, inferior pedicle flaps in 294 (27.3%), and vertical mammoplasty in 140 (13%). Reexcision was performed in 96 patients (8.9%). Total breast conservation rate was 96%. Five-year disease-free survival (DFS) was 88%, local recurrence-free survival (LRFS) 93.6%, and overall survival (OS) 96%. Ten-year DFS was 72%, LRFS 85.4%, and OS 90.2%. Conclusion: Level II OPS techniques have low reoperation and complication rates and a high rate of breast protection. The success of these techniques has been demonstrated in terms of long-term local control. Awareness of the fact that many patients who undergo OPS will not lose their breasts should be created, and regular training programs for OPS techniques should be conducted especially in developing countries. By revealing these results, it is hoped that the OPS and breast conservation rates will increase.

Straatsma Syndrome: Should Visual Prognostic Factors Be Taken into Account? A Case Report.

Straatsma syndrome is the triad of myelinated retinal nerve fibers, myopia, and amblyopia and may be associated with strabismus, nystagmus, hypoplastic optic nerve, and heterochromia iridum. The degree of anisometropia, presence of strabismus, extent of myelination, and macular involvement have been reported to be associated with poor visual acuity after occlusion therapy for amblyopia in this syndrome. Here we present two cases of Straatsma syndrome with different responses to occlusion therapy and discuss their treatment responses according to prognostic factors for post-occlusion visual acuity.

Can preoperative axillary ultrasound and biopsy of suspicious lymph nodes be an alternative to sentinel lymph node biopsy in clinical node negative early breast cancer?

AIM: The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of preoperative axillary ultrasonography (AUS) and preoperative axillary fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) from suspicious lymph nodes in clinically node-negative breast cancer to compare with radiologically positive and sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) positive involvement. METHOD: Clinically node-negative early-stage breast cancer patients were included in the study. These patients underwent preoperative AUS examination, suspicious lymph nodes were evaluated with FNAB. AUS-FNAB results were compared with those of SLNB or axillary dissection. RESULTS: Of 181 patients undergoing AUS, 32 were reported to have axillary metastasis, 25 suspicious, and 124 benign nodes. The suspicious group underwent FNAB examination and metastasis was found in 9 of them. The sensitivity of AUS-FNAB was found to be 64.06%, specificity 100%, positive predictive value 100%, and negative predictive value (NPV) 83.5%. The false negativity rate (FN) of this method was 16,4%. Lymphovascular invasion and tumour size were found statistically significant factors for false negativity. CONCLUSION: It was concluded that axillary AUS-FNAB with its high NPV, low FN rate, may be a clinical alternative to SLNB for early-stage breast cancer patients.

The Effect of Primary Surgery in Patients with De Novo Stage IV Breast Cancer with Bone Metastasis Only (Protocol BOMET MF 14-01): A Multi-Center, Prospective Registry Study.

BACKGROUND: More evidence shows that primary surgery for de novo metastatic breast cancer (BC) prolongs overall survival (OS) in selected cases. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of locoregional treatment (LRT) in BC patients with de novo stage IV bone only metastasis (BOM). METHODS: The prospective, multicenter registry study BOMET MF14-01 was initiated in May 2014. Patients with de novo stage IV BOM BC were divided into two groups: those receiving systemic treatment (ST group) and those receiving LRT (LRT group). Patients who received LRT were further divided into two groups: ST after LRT (LRT + ST group) and ST before LRT (ST + LRT group). RESULTS: We included 505 patients in this study; 240 (47.5%) patients in the ST group and 265 (52.5%) in the LRT group. One hundred and thirteen patients (26.3%) died in the 34-month median follow-up, 85 (35.4%) in the ST group and 28 (10.5%) in LRT group. Local progression was observed in 39 (16.2%) of the patients in the ST group and 18 (6.7%) in the LRT group (p = 0.001). Hazard of death was 60% lower in the LRT group compared with the ST group (HR 0.40, 95% CI 0.30-0.54, p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: In this prospectively maintained registry study, we found that LRT prolonged survival and decreased locoregional recurrence in the median 3-year follow-up. Timing of primary breast surgery either at diagnosis or after ST provided a survival benefit similar to ST alone in de novo stage IV BOM BC patients.

Intraoperative boost radiation effects on early wound complications in breast cancer patients undergoing breast-conserving surgery

Background/aim: Intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT) may pose a risk for wound complications. All technical aspects of IORT regarding early wound complications were evaluated. Materials and methods: Ninety-three consecutive patients operated on with the same surgical technique and given (study group) or not given (control group) IORT were included. Wound complications were evaluated in two groups. Results: Forty-three patients were treated with boost dose IORT and 50 patients were treated with breast-conserving surgery without IORT. When both groups were compared in terms of early postoperative complications, there were 11 (25.5%) patients with seroma in the IORT group and 3 patients (6%) in the control group (P = 0.04). While 9 (21%) patients were seen to have surgical site infection (SSI) in the IORT group, there was 1 (2%) SSI in the control group (P = 0.005). There were 15 (35%) patients with delayed wound healing in the IORT group and 4 patients (8%) in the control group (P = 0.006). Conclusion: IORT could have a negative effect on seroma formation, SSI, and delayed healing. It should be kept in mind, however, that in centers with IORT implementation, the complication rate could also increase. Necessary measures for better sterilization in the operating room should be taken, while patient wound healing should be monitored closely.

Bethesda Made It Clearer: A Review of 542 Patients in a Single Institution.

BACKGROUND: It is essential to interpret fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) material correctly to create a common language among pathologists and surgeons, leading to a uniform approach to thyroid nodule management. We aimed to compare FNAB reports of patients at our institution who were treated with total thyroidectomy, before and after the Bethesda classification system. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients who underwent total thyroidectomy for thyroid nodules are reviewed. 226 patients who underwent total thyroidectomy before the Bethesda era (2006-2009) were classified as Group-I, and 316 patients in whom total thyroidectomy was performed after the Bethesda classification system was introduced (2010-2014) were classified as Group-II. RESULTS: Before Bethesda, 'nondiagnostic' or 'benign' lesions were reported in 16.4 and 45% of patients, respectively, which then significantly decreased to 4.7 and 32.9% as the Bethesda classification criteria came into use. In Group-II, the actual malignancy rates were 13.3, 2.8, 7.3, 15.5, 85.4, and 96.5% for Bethesda I, II, III, IV, V, and VI, respectively. CONCLUSION: Our experience confirms that the Bethesda classification system leads to a significant reduction in lesions that used to be reported as 'benign' without compromising the actual rates of malignancy. It ensures better classification of so-called suspicious lesions, and allows for more accurate predictions of suspicious or malignant lesions.

Radioguided occult lesion localization for locally recurrent thyroid carcinoma.

The aim of this study was to present our experiences with patients operated on for the recurrence of papillary thyroid cancer with the combined use of preoperative ultrasonographic mapping and radioguided occult lesion localization (ROLL). Twenty patients who had already undergone total thyroidectomy and central/lateral neck dissection for papillary thyroid carcinoma were reoperated on due to locoregional metastasis. The patients with proven recurrences and high Tg wash-out levels in cytopathologic aspirates were operated on. For each patient, numbers of marked and non-marked lesions, and the metastatic and total numbers of marked/non-marked and non-mentioned lesions in the maps were recorded. Thirty-four of 40 (85%) lesions removed with ROLL were found to be malignant. In addition to the marked lesions during mapping, 60 additional lesions had been defined as suspicious. Fifty-six of these lesions were found at exact anatomic sites and localizations described and removed. Of 56 lesions, 36 (64%) were found to be metastatic. During postoperative follow-up, chylous leak with spontaneous regression in 7 days and seroma occurred in one patient. Radioguided occult lesion localization and preoperative mapping contribute to the safety and comfort of patients in planned reoperations on lateral and central neck regions.

Diagnostic value of diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging: differentiation of benign and malignant lymph nodes in different regions of the body.

INTRODUCTION: To evaluate the value of diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging compared with conventional magnetic resonance imaging (C-MRI) for the differentiation of benign from malignant lymph nodes in different regions of the body. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 31 patients ranging in age from 18 to 75 years (mean age: 53 years) were included in this study. The patients were examined using a 1.5-T magnetic resonance imaging system with coils chosen according to lymph node locations. Diffusion-weighted images were obtained using the single-shot echo planar sequence and had b values of 50, 500, and 1000 s/mm(2.) The apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values were measured from ADC maps. The correlation between the pathological diagnoses and mean ADC values in the benign and malignant lymph node groups were compared using the Mann-Whitney U-test with Bonferroni correction. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed to evaluate the diagnostic performance of the method. RESULTS: The mean ADC value for benign lymph nodes was 0.97×10(-3) mm(2)/s (range: 0.6-1.2×10(-3) mm(2)/s), and the mean ADC value for malignant lymph nodes was 0.76×10(-3) mm(2)/s (range: 0.3-1.2×10(-3) mm(2)/s) (P<.001). In ROC analysis, the cut-off ADC value for malignant versus benign lymph node differentiation was 0.8×10(-3) mm(2)/s. Using an ADC value of 0.8×10(-3) mm(2)/s, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and accuracy of the method for differentiating between benign and malignant lymph nodes were 76.4%, 85.7%, 86.6%, 75%, and 80.6%, respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV, and accuracy of C-MRI were 88.2%, 78.5%, 83.3, 84.6%, and 83.8%, respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV, and accuracy of C-MRI findings suspicious for malignancy combined with the ADC values were 76.4%, 64.2%, 100%, 81.8%, and 91.6%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: C-MRI alone remained superior to diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and combination C-MRI and DWI for differentiating malignant from benign lymph nodes; however, DWI and ADC calculation may play a role in lymph node characterization.

A prospective evaluation of the risk factors for development of wound dehiscence and incisional hernia.

OBJECTIVE: Post-laparotomy wound dehiscence, evantration and evisceration are important complications leading to an increase in both morbidity and mortality. Incisional hernias are frequently observed following abdominal surgeries and their occurrence is related to various local and systemic factors. This study aims to analyze the factors affecting wound healing by investigating the parameters that may cause wound dehiscence, incisional hernia, sinus formation and chronic incisional pain. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The records of 265 patients who underwent major abdominal surgery were analyzed. The data on patient characteristics, medication, surgical procedure type, type of suture and surgical instruments used and complications were recorded. The patients were followed up with respect to sinus formation, incisional hernia occurrence and presence of chronic incision pain. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 10.00 program. The groups were compared via chi-square tests. Significance was determined as p<0.05. Multi-variate analysis was done by forward logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: 115 (43.4%) patients were female and 150 (56.6%) were male. Ninety-four (35.5%) patients were under 50 years old and 171 (64.5%) were older than 50 years. The median follow-up period was 28 months (0-48). Factors affecting wound dehiscence were found to be; creation of an ostomy (p=0.002), postoperative pulmonary problems (p=0.001) and wound infection (p=0.001). Factors leading to incisional hernia were; incision type (p=0.002), formation of an ostomy (p=0.002), postoperative bowel obstruction (p=0.027), postoperative pulmonary problems (p=0.017) and wound infection (p=0.011). CONCLUSION: Awareness of the factors causing wound dehiscence and incisional hernia in abdominal surgery, means of intervention to the risk factors and taking relevant measures may prevent complications. Surgical complications that occur in the postoperative period are especially related to wound healing problems.

Bilateral breast metastasis as the first sign of recurrence of a cutaneous melanoma: A case report.

Breast skin and parenchyma are metastatic sites for various tumours. Metastasis to the breast is rare, but it must be considered in the differential diagnosis of a breast mass. Melanoma is among the most commonly reported metastatic tumours of the breast. With the increasing incidence of melanoma, this complication is being encountered with greater frequency. Melanoma has different manifestations in the breast. All these manifestations are important not only as initial presentations of the disease, but also as indicators of the progression period of the disease. Along with a brief review of the literature, we report the case of a woman who presented with breast metastasis after 17 years as the first sign of recurrence of a melanoma. The aim of this study was to report the clinico-pathological features of a patient with metastatic melanoma to the breast. Metastasis can mimic either benign disease or primary malignancy and is often an unexpected diagnosis in a patient presenting with a breast mass. These masses generally indicate disseminated disease with very short survival. Metastasis should be suspected in patients with a breast mass and a prior history of melanoma even if the primary was removed a long time ago (17 years in our case). Fine needle aspiration cytology combined with immunohistochemistry is essential for the diagnosis of metastasis.

Oncoplastic surgery in surgical treatment of breast cancer: is the timing of adjuvant treatment affected?

INTRODUCTION: With the results of studies on the timing of adjuvant treatment, it currently appears that adjuvant treatment should be initiated as soon as possible. Breast conserving surgery and oncoplastic surgery is being used with increasing frequency. Therefore, studies about whether or not these applications delay the adjuvant treatment are needed. The aim of this study was to determine the time period needed for adjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy of the patients with breast cancer and to reveal associated factors related to the patient, tumor, and surgical technique. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Two hundred eighty patients with breast cancer who had surgery and were given adjuvant treatments in our clinic were included in the study. Age, body mass index, concomitant diseases, smoking habits, menopausal status, neoadjuvant treatments, tumor characteristics, surgical technique, and surgical complications were recorded. The time period between surgery and initiation of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, the number of chemotherapy cycles, and the duration of chemotherapy and radiotherapy were calculated. RESULTS: The numbers of patients who had modified radical mastectomy, breast conserving surgery, and oncoplastic surgery were 155 (55%), 47 (16.8%), and 78 (27.9%), respectively. The mean (SD) time period needed for chemotherapy administration was 19.5 ± 4.2 days (range, 13-41 days) and 3.9 ± 0.9 months for radiotherapy. Early wound complication of breast surgery was the only factor that delayed the adjuvant chemotherapy (P = .001). DISCUSSION: It has been well known that the time period between surgical treatment of breast cancer and adjuvant treatment affects survival. In our study, it has been shown that the surgical techniques used in breast and axillary surgery do not delay the initiation of adjuvant treatments. The adjuvant treatments of the patients who had oncoplastic surgery and breast conserving surgery were not delayed. The cooperation between the disciplines for the initiation of adjuvant treatments is important.

Intraglandular flap technique for tumors located in the upper outer quadrant of the breast.

UNLABELLED: We applied the intraglandular flap technique with racquet incision for tumors located in the upper outer quadrant of medium to small size breasts of 47 patients. It is an easy and safe technique with respect to cosmetic results, surgical margins, and complications. BACKGROUND: The intraglandular flap is a volume replacement technique in which glandular tissue is used to close the tissue defect. We applied the intraglandular flap technique with racquet incision for tumors located in the upper outer quadrant of medium to small size breasts of 47 patients. In this report, we present our preliminary results of this technique. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The intraglandular flap technique using a racquet incision was used on 47 consecutive breast cancer patients with T1 and T2 tumors, and analyzed prospectively. RESULTS: The median age of the patients was 46.5 (range, 24-63 years). The mean tumor size was 2.53 ± 0.8 cm. The volume of the resected specimen was 185 ± 29 cm(3). The mean length of incision was 9.68 ± 1.8 cm. The mean distance from the tumor to the nearest surgical margin was 1.65 ± 0.4 cm. Fat necrosis was evident in 8 patients (17%) and hematoma in 2 patients (4.2%). The other complications like seroma, glandular, and flap necrosis were not observed. DISCUSSION: Intraglandular flap technique with racquet incision used for tumors located in the upper outer quadrant of patients with medium and small breasts is an easy and safe technique with respect to cosmetic results, surgical margins and complications. The learning period of this technique is quite short. When used in patients with dense breasts the incidence of fat necrosis was found to be low.

Value of sentinel lymph node biopsy in breast cancer patients with previous excisional biopsy.

PURPOSE: Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) in breast cancer patients with clinically negative axilla will ensure axillary dissection only for cases with lymph node metastasis and provide information about pathologic staging as accurate as the axillary dissection. It was shown that SLNB could be successfully performed regardless of the type of biopsy. The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of SLNB after excisional biopsy. METHODS: One hundred patients diagnosed with excisional biopsy or guide wire-localization and operated on with SLNB between February 2007 and March 2009 were retrospectively analyzed. SLNB was performed with 10 cc of 1% methylene blue alone or both methylene blue and 1 mCi of Tc-99m nanocolloid combination. Age, tumor localization and size, length of the biopsy incision, size of the biopsy specimen, multifocality, lymphovascular invasion, tumor grade, staining with methylene blue, localization, number and metastatic status of the lymph nodes stained, and success rate with a gamma probe were evaluated. RESULTS: Sentinel lymph node (SLN) could not be identified in 9 (16.9%) of patients in the methylene blue group (n=53). In the combination group (n=47), SLN could not be identified in one patient. Of 32 patients with negative SLNB, metastatic involvement was found to be present in 5 patients after axillary lymph node dissection (false negatives). The average numbers of SLNs found in the methylene blue group and combination group were 1.4 and 1.6, respectively. SLN detection and false negative rates in the methylene blue group were 83% and 15.7%, respectively. The rates for the combination group were 98% and 6.4%, respectively. None of the parameters related to patient, tumor or process were found to affect detection rates of SLN. CONCLUSION: Only SLNB using a combination method is a safe and reliable technique for breast cancer patients diagnosed with excisional biopsy.

Early complications of a reduction mammoplasty technique in the treatment of macromastia with or without breast cancer.

UNLABELLED: This study was planned to investigate the early postoperative complications of reduction mammoplasty done for benign or malignant reasons on 286 patients. Minor and major complication rates were 16.3% and 1.9%, respectively.There was no significant difference in terms of complications between the patients with and those without breast cancer. Body mass index was found to be the only factor associated with the complication rates. BACKGROUND: This study was planned to investigate the early postoperative complications after reduction mammoplasty applied either for benign or malignant reasons and reliability of the technique with respect to wound healing. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Two hundred and eighty-six reduction procedures were evaluated prospectively. Fifty-two patients underwent reduction mammoplasty for macromastia and 101 for macromastia with breast cancer. The wound complications were evaluated in 2 groups, as minor and major complications. Seroma, hematoma, surgical site infection, delayed wound healing, and minor wound dehiscence were included in the minor complication group. Severe complications, such as necrosis of nipple-areola complex and major incisional wound dehiscence, were included in the major complications group. RESULTS: Mean (SD) age of the patients was 48.8 ± 10.3 years, mean (SD) body mass index was 29 ± 3.3 kg/m(2), and mean (SD) weight of resected specimen was 958 ± 72 g. Mean (SD) preoperative and postoperative volumes for each breast were 1245 ± 75 cm(3) and 436 ± 27 cm(3), respectively. Minor and major complication rates were 25/153 (16.3%) and 3/153 (1.9%), respectively. There was no significant difference in terms of complications between the patients with and without breast cancer. Body mass index was found to be the only factor associated with the complication rates. DISCUSSION: Reduction mammoplasty is a surgical technique that has satisfactory cosmetic results in the treatment of macromastia. This technique also is safe in the treatment of breast cancer patients with macromastia and does not increase complication rates.

The evaluation of contralateral breast lesions in breast cancer patients using reduction mammoplasty.

PURPOSE: This study evaluated the importance of routine pathological examination of contralateral breast specimens in breast cancer patients using reduction mammoplasty. METHODS: The weight of breast tissue resected from the contralateral breast in 71 patients and the number of slices used for pathological evaluation were recorded. Breast lesions found in the contralateral breast and accompanying lesions with tumors were examined. RESULTS: High risk proliferative lesions were reported in the contralateral breast of eight (11.2%) patients, and low-risk lesions were detected in 18 (25%). While the mean age of the patients with high-risk lesions was 45.6, it was 52.8 for the other patients (p=0.036). CONCLUSION: Bilateral reduction mammoplasty may be beneficial to delineate some pathologies in contralateral breasts even in those patients with normal clinical and radiological findings. The incidental discovery of these pathologies is much more likely in young breast cancer patients.

Comparing scalpel, electrocautery and ultrasonic dissector effects: the impact on wound complications and pro-inflammatory cytokine levels in wound fluid from mastectomy patients.

PURPOSE: Introducing the relationship between the surgical instruments used in modified radical mastectomy and wound complications is important for preventing and decreasing complications. This prospective randomized trial was designed to assess the impact of scalpel, electrocautery, and ultrasonic dissector usage on wound complications and tissue damage. METHODS: Eighty-two consecutive patients operated with mastectomy were studied. The postoperative time period needed for hemovac drainage, the amount and duration of seroma, infection, flap ecchymosis and necrosis rates were compared. Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels in drainage fluids were determined to confirm the inflammatory response and tissue damage. RESULTS: The numbers of patients included in the scalpel, electrocautery and ultrasonic dissector groups were 27, 26, and 29, respectively. The groups were homogenous with respect to age, body mass index, stage, cormorbidities, breast volume and flap area. Operation time and the amount of bleeding were statistically higher in the scalpel group. The incidence of seroma was higher in the electrocautery group and arm mobilization had to be delayed in this group. There were no differences between groups with respect to hematoma, infection, ecchymosis, necrosis, hemovac drainage and the total and first 3 days of seroma volume. TNF-α and IL-6 levels were significantly higher in samples obtained from the drains of patients operated with electrocautery. CONCLUSION: Ultrasonic dissector decreases operation time by decreasing the amount of bleeding without increasing the seroma incidence. High cytokine levels in drainage fluids from patients operated with elecrocautery indicates that electrocautery induces more tissue damage and acute inflammatory response. Therefore, seroma, due to acute inflammatory response, was seen more frequently in the electrocautery group. Ultrasonic dissector coagulates protein by breaking hydrogen bonds which may close vascular and lymphatic channels more precisely. But, its actual preventive effect on seroma formation might be related to diminished inflammatory response.

Total thyroidectomy for the surgical treatment of multinodular goiter.

PURPOSE: The indications for surgical treatment of multinodular goiter (MNG) are pressure symptoms, suspicion of malignancy, and cosmetic concerns. We report our clinical experience of performing total thyroidectomy (TT) for MNG, focusing on outcome and complications, to evaluate its effectiveness. METHODS: The medical records of 154 patients who underwent TT for MNG between 2005 and 2007 were reviewed retrospectively. We examined the ratio of thyroid nodules to the thyroid gland, pathological fine-needle aspiration biopsy findings, and the ultrasonographic characteristics of the nodules, and recorded the early and late postoperative complications. RESULTS: The most frequent indications for surgery were large nodules with or without radiological suspicion of malignancy (65%), hyperthyroidism (20%), and cosmetic problems or compression symptoms (15%). Seventeen (11%) patients had symptomatic, transient hypocalcemia, and 1 (0.6%) had permanent hypocalcemia. Other complications included hematoma in 1 (0.6%) patient, temporary unilateral recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy in 10 (6.4%), permanent unilateral recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy in 3 (1.9%), and seroma in 2 (1.3%). There was no significant relationship between complications and histopathology, nodule size, thyroid size, hyperthyroidism, age, or gender. CONCLUSION: Total thyroidectomy is the right surgical decision for MNG since it achieves complete remission of symptoms and eliminates malignancy, with low morbidity and mortality rates.

Relationships between epidemiological features and tumor characteristics of breast cancer.

OBJECTIVES: Breast cancer is a histological, morphological and molecular heterogenous disease. Like clinical outcomes and prognoses of different subtypes, etiologies might also be different. Therefore, epidemiologic risk factors like sociologic, demographic, antropometric, reproductive, and menstrual factors can be considered as an entity reflected in tumor features. This study was planned to explore the relation between well known risk factors of breast cancer and histological and molecular features of the tumor. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Epidemiologic data for 250 breast cancer patients followed-up by our clinic and 250 healthy individuals without any diagnosis of malignancy were obtained. The data displaying a relation to breast cancer are age, height, weight, body mass index (BMI), place of birth and province, educational level, menstrual status, age of menarche and menopause, number of births, age at first childbirth, family history of breast cancer, history of smoking and hormone treatment, mammographic screening, and presence of benign lesions. The tumor characteristics of patients in the breast cancer group were recorded. RESULTS: Advanced age, nulliparity, low educational level, irregular mammographic screening, early menarche and late menopause, and high BMI in postmenopausal period were found to be related to increased breast cancer risk. Striking results in terms of the relation between epidemiological factors and tumor features were the early diagnosis of breast cancer in patients with regular mammographic screening. Tumor size was decreased with increased age and increased with increased BMI. Advanced age, prolonged lactation, increased number of births, and high education level were found to decrease axillary involvement. CONCLUSIONS: Multiparity still continues to be the strongest protective factor against breast cancer in our society. The decrease in menarche age may be an early sign of the increased breast cancer incidence. Women should be informed about the relation between postmenopausal obesity and breast cancer and encouraged to attend physical activity and exercise programmes. Regular physical examination and mammographic screening are protective against breast cancer.

First report of a case with needle track sinus after aspiration biopsy of a benign thyroid nodule resulted in an unexpected postoperative complication.

Fine needle aspiration biopsy is the most feasible, safe, and accurate diagnostic tool for thyroid nodule diagnosis. The development of a sinus tract between thyroid gland and the skin through needle tract after fine needle aspiration biopsy is an extremely uncommon phenomenon. In this paper, a 71-year-old man presenting with a swelling and discharge on the anterior neck wall was reported. Similar complaints were present 15 to 20 days after fine needle aspiration biopsy of thyroid gland four years ago. Bilateral total thyroidectomy was performed considering a thyroid malignancy infiltrating the skin. Histopathologic examination confirmed a sinus tract between the thyroid gland and skin and thyroid nodule was benign in nature. It must be kept in mind that inflammatory reactions might also occur after fine needle aspiration biopsy of benign thyroid nodules. In patients with needle biopsy-related inflammation, surgery may be delayed until the inflammation subsides.