Positional advantages of supine MRI for diagnosis prior to breast­conserving surgery.

The present study aimed to evaluate the rate of positive surgical margins for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) performed in the supine position prior to breast-conserving surgery (BCS). The rate of positive surgical margins and the clinicopathological factors were examined in consecutive patients with BCS who underwent preoperative MRI performed in the supine position at Sapporo Medical University Hospital (Sapporo, Japan) and related hospitals and clinics between January 2012 and December 2013. Of 1,175 eligible patients, 1,150 were included after excluding 25 patients with either bilateral breast cancer or stage IV disease. Positive margin was defined as no cancer seen on the resected margin. The primary endpoint was the rate of positive surgical margins when preoperative MRI was performed in the supine position and the secondary endpoint was identification of the factors that predict positive margins. Of the 1,150 female patients (median age, 55 years; range, 29-97 years) who underwent BCS for breast cancer following MRI performed in the supine position, 215 (18.8%) had positive margins, which is similar to the rate with MRI in the prone position, and 930 (81.2%) had negative margins. The rate of positive surgical margins in patients of the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) type was significantly higher than that in the non-HER2 type group (6.5 and 2.9%; χ2 P=0.0103). There was no increase in the rate of positive margins in breast cancers with a diameter of >T2. The rate of positive surgical margins following MRI performed in the supine position was 18.8%. Supine MRI appears to be suitable for informing on the extent of resection of breast cancer.

Significance of boost radiotherapy in early invasive ductal breast cancer with ductal carcinoma in situ component under negative surgical margins.

We hypothesize that there is a risk of ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence (IBTR) in surgical margin-free invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) in the presence of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) component affecting surgical margins in early stage. From 1990 to 2014, 343 patients with IDC in which the DCIS component constitute have received radiotherapy (RT) following breast-conserving surgery (BCS). All patients received whole breast irradiation with a prescribed dose of 50 Gy in 20 fractions (four times a week). This one-arm cohort with boost RT (253 patients) was compared for IBTR with a non-cohort group receiving no boost RT because of freedom from positive margins (90 patients). Median observation months were 98 (boost group) vs 119 (no boost group), respectively. The 15-year local recurrence-free survival (LRFS) rates were 98.5% and 85.6% in the boost and no boost groups, respectively (Cox proportional hazards model univariate analysis; p = 0.013, HR 0.13). Similarly, for other background factors, there was a significant difference in the LRFS between age groups. The 15-year LRFS rate was 91.8% in patients aged 45 years or younger and 94.6% in patients older than 46 years (p = 0.031, HR 0.21), respectively. Only these two factors were independently significant in Cox proportional hazards model multivariate analysis. IBTR risk in margin-free IDC with DCIS component was independently decreased by boost RT in the cohort setting. Tumor size, extensive intraductal component (EIC), boost dose, the presence of lymph node (LN) metastasis and hormonal therapy were not IBTR risk factors in this study.

[A long-surviving patient with Stage IV breast cancer with no recurrence after combined therapy of medroxy progesterone acetate (MPA) and intra-arterial infusion chemotherapy].

The patient is a 42-year-old woman who had advanced (Stage IV) right breast cancer with contralateral supraclavicular lymph node metastasis. She was treated with the combined use of MPA and the intra-arterial infusion chemotherapy. We administered EPI into the left subclavian artery and the right internal thoracic artery. Total dose of EPI was 210 mg. MPA was administered po at 1,200 mg/day daily. During the chemotherapy, she experienced only grade 2 alopecia. After the chemotherapy, the regressive change was noted in the primary lesion. The clinical response was evaluated CR. She underwent right modified mastectomy and the resection of contralateral supraclavicular lymph nodes. Although the clinical response was very good, the pathological effect was only Grade 1b. Eight years have passed since the operation, and the patient is still alive with no sign of recurrence. It is suggested that this combination therapy may be useful for advanced breast cancer and the like.

The effects of epirubicin hydrochloride (EPI) plus pretreatment of medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) on FM3A breast cancer cells transplanted in female C3H/He mice.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about how breast cancer cells are affected by the different regimens of medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) hormone therapy in combination with epirubicin (EPI). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The effectiveness of EPI with and without MPA pretreatment was compared when used on FM3A mouse breast cancer (FM3A) cells transplanted in female C3H/He mice. The effects of these regimens on angiogenesis induced by FM3A tumor were evaluated. RESULTS: A significant enhancement of the effects of EPI on the growth of FM3A cells by continuous MPA treatment was observed. The continuous treatment of MPA with EPI was most effective in the inhibition of angiogenesis in the tumors in all regimens tested. CONCLUSION: The combination of MPA pretreatment with EPI may be more effective than the simultaneous treatment of MPA with EPI for breast cancer. In addition, the results suggest that the anti-angiogenic effects of MPA combined with EPI on FM3A cells are parallel with the anti-tumor effects.