LONG-TERM SURVIVAL EFFECTS OF PREOPERATIVE BREAST MRI IN PATIENTS WITH BREAST-CONSERVING SURGERY.

The benefit of breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in breast-conserving surgery (BCS) is unclear. Our study compared breast cancer patients with and without preoperative breast MRI and their long-term oncologic outcomes are reported. A total of 1378 BCS cases with early breast cancer between 1996 and 2017 were reviewed. Patients with carcinoma in situ or neoadjuvant treatment or having breast MRI after tumor excision were excluded. Of 1378 patients, 270 (19.5%) had preoperative MRI. There were no significant differences regarding T and N stage and molecular subtypes between the groups. Surgical margins were significantly wider in the breast MRI group. Five-year overall survival (OS) was 96.9% in the MRI group and 94.3% in the control group, and this difference was not significant (p=0.11). Five-year local-regional recurrence-free survival (LRFS) was not significantly different either (98.8% and 96.5%, respectively, p=0.41). When analyses were repeated only for patients with hormone receptor-negative or triple-negative breast cancer, there was still no significant difference in OS, LRFS, or disease-free survival. In conclusion, MRI does not seem necessary in all patients undergoing BCS. New prospective randomized controlled trials are needed to determine appropriate use of preoperative MRI and its effects on oncologic outcomes in early breast cancer patients.

Comparison of thyroid surgery experiences of "East" and "West" regions in Turkiye.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the differences between the types of thyroidectomy surgeries and surgical treatment approaches according to thyroid pathology results, in Turkiye's two non-endemic regions. METHODS: Two different centers of the country, which differ in many respects and are non-endemic for thyroidal diseases were included in the study. Data on patients from both sexes, who underwent thyroidectomy in the western (1st center) and the eastern (2nd center) regions between 2011 and 2017 have been reviewed. RESULTS: Two hundred and forty patients from Istanbul (1st center) and 992 patients from Van (2nd center); a total of 1232 patients were included in the study. According to the pre-operative ultrasonography and laboratory results, toxic nodular goiter and multinodular goiter were the most common diseases in the first and second centers, respectively. There was a significant statistical difference between the radiological diagnostic findings between the two centers (p<0.001). The rate of bilateral total thyroidectomy in the first center was 82.5% (198 patients), whereas this rate was 58.5% (555 patients) in the second center. The type of surgery may change from center to center, (p<0.001). The most common early post-thyroidectomy complication was hypocalcemia in both centers. CONCLUSION: The results from only two centers from the western and eastern Turkiye show that there is a difference between the thyroidectomy preferences. Future similar national studies will contribute to the provision of a consensus in surgical treatment of thyroid diseases.

When Should I Use an Additional Port at the Time of Three-Port Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy?

Objective: Today, it is recommended that the laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) is made with standard three ports. In this study, we aimed to determine the preoperative and intraoperative factors that require the use of an additional fourth port during three-port LC. Materials and Methods: All patients who started LC with three ports between January 1, 2018 and December 31, 2019 were included in the study. The patients were divided into two groups as those who underwent three-port LC and those who required additional ports. Independent parameters affecting the transition from three ports to four ports were analyzed using logistic regression analysis. The patients who underwent LC with three ports were included in Group 1 and the patients requiring an additional port were included in Group 2. Results: A total of 234 patients (139 women and 95 men) were included in the study. The average age of patients was 52.95 ± 16.26 (20-89) and body mass index is 28.64 ± 5.4 (15.73-48.89), respectively. Three ports were used in 148 patients (Group 1), and an additional fourth port was used in 42 patients (Group 2). Female gender, history of upper laparotomy, presence of acute infection findings, urgent surgery, and advanced age were observed to increase the use of additional ports. In multivariate analysis, it was shown that the presence of hepatic barrier (P < .001) and the presence of complete adhesion in the gallbladder (P < .001) significantly increased the use of additional trocars during LC. In addition, female gender was found to cause an increase of 6.62 times (P < .001). Conclusion: Many factors may require the use of additional ports during three-port LC. The use of an additional fourth port should not be avoided, especially in cases where hilum dissection is prevented due to liver origin, in female patients and in cases with complete adhesion to the gallbladder.

Added Value of Contrast Medium in Whole-Body Hybrid Positron Emission Tomography/Magnetic Resonance Imaging: Comparison between Contrast-Enhanced and Non-Contrast-Enhanced Protocols.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the diagnostic ability and time efficiency of contrast-enhanced (CE) whole body fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance imaging (PET/MRI) protocol and non-CE (NCE) protocol. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Ninety-three patients with known primary tumors underwent whole-body hybrid FDG PET/MRI during the follow-up of their malignancies with the use of NCE and CE protocols. The NCE PET/MRI protocol consisted of diffusion-weighted (b = 0 and 800 s/mm2) and T1-weighted Turbo Flash in the axial plane and T2-weighted HASTE sequence in the coronal planes (Σ = 25 min). The CE PET/MRI protocol was performed by acquiring axial serial CE 3D FS VIBE images in the upper abdomen, completing the whole body in the late phase in the axial plane (Σ = 30 min). RESULTS: There was a statistically significant difference between the total number of lesions detected by the CE protocol (median 2, interquartile range (IQR) 0-14) and that detected by the NCE protocol (median 1, IQR 0-5; p < 0.001). More malignancies were detected in the abdomen (p < 0.001) and brain (p < 0.001) with the CE PET/MRI protocol, whereas no significant difference was present when comparing the 2 protocols in the detection of malignancies in the head and neck (p = 0.356), thorax (p = 0.09), lymph nodes (p = 0.196), and bone (p = 0.414). CONCLUSION: The CE FDG PET/MRI protocol enables fast and accurate detection of malignancies compared to the NCE FDG PET/MRI protocol, particularly in the upper abdomen and brain. Diagnostic ability and time efficiency can be increased with the proposed short CE protocol in place of the whole body PET/MRI protocol including both NCE and CE imaging sequences.

A Rare Case of Pancreatic Tail Hydatid Cyst with Incidental Adenocarcinoma of the Pancreatic Body.

Pancreatic hydatid cyst is a rare disease found mostly in endemic regions. Having no specific clinical signs, it may present with tension related abdominal pain, dyspepsia, a palpable mass, and signs of external pressure on the surrounding organs in accordance with localization of the lesion. Pancreatic carcinoma as a neoplastic pathology with poor prognosis can have various clinical presentations changing with localization of the tumor which sometimes has cystic components. Due to the distinct nature of these pathologies, surgical approach can be fairly different. In this report, we present a case of a 70-year-old patient who had an isolated hydatid cyst in the tail of the pancreas with an incidental pancreatic carcinoma in the corpus of the pancreas. The patient was treated with a subtotal pancreatectomy, having no problems in the postoperative period leading to uncomplicated discharge.

Embracing the Future of Surgery: Gastric Cancer Resection Within One Month of Left Ventricular Assist Device Implantation.

Left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) have been implanted recently, with increasing frequency, to treat advanced heart failure with good survival rates. Since heart failure is most prevalent in patients above 70 years of age, LVAD implantations are increasing particularly in this cohort. On the other hand, due to a higher incidence of malignant tumors in the elderly population, there is a significant cohort of patients having concurrent indications for LVAD implantation. Herein, we report a case of complicated gastric malignancy that was encountered soon after the implantation of an emergent LVAD with ensuing treatment difficulties and ethical considerations. Keeping in mind the fairly high life expectancy for both groups, there is a predisposition to the notion that simultaneous procedures can and should be applicable to a selected group of patients with end-stage heart failure.

Prognostic Significance of Adjuvant Chemotherapy Induced Amenorrhea in Luminal A and B Subtypes.

OBJECTIVE: In this retrospective study, chemotherapy induced amenorrhea in patients with early stage breast cancer and its effects on survival were investigated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two hundred fifty-two patients received adjuvant chemotherapy without ovarian suppression treatment (OST) from 600 premenopausal patients were included in the study. Patients were divided into two groups; with amenorrhea and without, and compared with clinicopathologic features and survival. SPSS version 17 was used. RESULTS: Chemotherapy-induced amenorrhea (CIA) was observed in 145 (57.5%) of 252 patients who received no OST during follow-up. The 5-year OS rate of patients with CIA was significantly higher than patients without CIA (p= 0.042, 95.9% vs. 89.7% vs. 158.88 vs. 135.33 months, respectively). In the subgroup analysis, the OS in patients with hormone receptor (+) was significantly higher than in those receptor (-) in patients with CIA (p=0.011, 97.5% vs. 90.9% vs. 162.13 vs. 126.16 months, respectively). The OS was significantly longer in the luminal A molecular subtype than in those with luminal B molecular subtype, in patients with CIA, but the difference was not significant in patients without CIA (p=0.027 vs. p=0.074, respectively). CONCLUSION: As a conclusion; survival advantage of the chemotherapy induced amenorrhea more pronounced with hormone receptor positivity, lymph node involvement, and advanced disease over patients who do not develop amenorrhea. This advantage of amenorrhea development further prolongs survival compared with luminal B in the luminal A molecular subtype.

Interobserver reproducibility of tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte evaluations in breast cancer.

AIM: Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) have a prognostic value in breast cancer (BC); however, because of the lack of standard evaluation methods, we aimed to assess the interobserver agreement of stromal TILs (sTILs) and intratumoral TILs (iTILs) as well as the effect of hot spot areas and molecular subtyping on the overall agreement. METHODS: The study consisted of 121 haematoxylin and eosin (H and E)-stained slides of invasive BC samples obtained from the pathology archives. The TIL assessment was based on the International TIL Working Group recommendations for the percentage of sTILs and was conducted by four pathologists. The percentage of iTILs, the number of lymphocytes in hot spot areas (iTILs-HS), and the overall interobserver agreement for the molecular subtypes were evaluated. The interclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was used to assess interobserver agreement among the four pathologists. RESULTS:: The ICC score among the observers for the sTIL percentages was 0.74, and the individual ICC values for each molecular subtype were 0.55, 0.88, and 0.79 for luminal, HER2-positive, and triple-negative tumors, respectively. The compliance value for the iTILs was 0.29 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.06-0.48], whereas the compliance value for the iTILs-HS was 0.63 (95% CI = 0.49-0.71). The compliance values for the iTILs-HS subtypes were 0.72, 0.43, and 0.55 for luminal, HER2-positive, and triple-negative tumors, respectively. CONCLUSION: The IWTILG recommendations are reproducible and reliable. The interobserver agreement of the sTIL percentages was considerably higher for the triple-negative and HER2-positive cases than the luminal cases, whereas the interobserver agreement for the assessment of iTILs-HS in tumors was higher for the luminal subtype.

Possible role of stress, coping strategies, and life style in the development of breast cancer.

Objective The aim of the present study was to investigate the possibility of the effect of life long stressful events, along with coping method used, perception of social support, and life style on the development of breast cancer. Methods In this hospital-based case control study, the study group comprised 250 women with breast cancer who were followed by Florence Nightingale Breast Study Group. Control group included 250 women, who had similar sociodemographic characteristics to the study group. Data were collected with semi-structured interview form, Healthy Life Style Behavior Scale, Coping Strategy Indicator, and Stress Evaluation Form developed by us. Results In multivariate analysis, family history of cancer (OR: 1.55, 95% CI: 2.29-1.05), inadequate social support (OR: 1.83, 95% CI: 1.23-2.73), and loss of father during childhood (OR: 2.68, 95% CI: 5.52-1.30) and serious stressor within the last five years (OR: 4.72, 95% CI: 7.03-3.18) were found to be risk factors increasing the risk of breast cancer. When family history of cancer was excluded from the model, the presence of psychiatric disorder history (OR: 1.95, 95% CI: 3.26-1.17) and major life events (OR: 2.24, 95% CI: 4.07-1.24) were added to the model as risk factors. Conclusion The present study indicates that especially the stressful events experienced within the last five years plays an undeniable role in the risk of breast cancer. Social support may be as important in the period before the diagnosis as in the period after diagnosis.

Synchronous and metachronous bilateral breast cancer: A long-term experience.

PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to assess the demographic, pathologic and survival characteristics of patients who were diagnosed as having bilateral breast cancer. METHODS: A review was conducted of the records pertaining to patients who presented to our clinic and were diagnosed as having breast cancer. Any second cancer diagnosed within 12 months of initial diagnosis was defined as synchronous bilateral breast cancer. Assessment included treatments administered to the patients and survival rates, as well as their demographic, reproductive and pathologic features. RESULTS: The total number of patients who were diagnosed as having bilateral breast cancer in the context of the present study was 99. Among the patients with synchronous breast cancer, the median age at the time of initial diagnosis was found as 57 years. The median age of the discovery of first tumor among the patients with metachronous tumor was 52 years and the median age of second tumor detection was 59 years. Family history in metachronous tumor was significantly greater (p=0.041). The median time of metachronous cancer incidence was 96 months. The length of disease-free period among the patients with synchronous tumor was 126.3 months, whereas it was 243.7 months in those with metachronous tumor (p=0.041). CONCLUSION: The incidence rate of synchronous breast tumors has been rising thanks to growing awareness and the leading-edge imaging methods. The fact that the second tumor developed after more than 5 years among the patients with metachronous cancer gave rise to the increased rate of survival.

Preoperative Lymphedema-Related Risk Factors in Early-Stage Breast Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Prolongation of survival in patients with breast cancer due to early diagnosis and modern methods of treatment has turned the attention on lymphedema, which is the most important morbidity secondary to the treatment of the disease. Determination of lymphedema and related risk factors in patients before a surgical intervention may provide protection for patients and early treatment. The aim of this study was to determine the presence of lymphedema before surgery by bioimpedance analysis in patients with breast cancer and to establish risk factors associated with lymphedema. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 277 patients who were diagnosed as having breast cancer, were planned to undergo a surgical intervention, and had no clinical lymphedema were included in the study. The presence of lymphedema was evaluated with clinical examination, measurement of arm circumference, and bioimpedance analysis. RESULTS: Lymphedema was found in 59 (21.3%) patients with no detected differences in arm circumferences. A significant relationship was found between the presence of lymphedema and body mass index (BMI), number of positive lymph nodes, and capsule invasion of the tumor (p = 0.001, p = 0.003, p = 0.002, respectively). Multiple regression analysis revealed that BMI and the number of positive lymph nodes were independent variables (p = 0.024, p = 0.002). ROC curve analysis resulted in an increased risk of preoperative lymphedema when the number of positive lymph nodes was ≥8. Correlation analysis revealed a positive correlation between the number of positive lymph nodes and L-dex score (p = 0.001, r = 0.219). CONCLUSION: Preoperative bioimpedance analysis demonstrated that ∼1/5 of the patients had subclinical lymphedema. Preoperative subclinical lymphedema is associated with obesity and the number of positive lymph nodes, and thus, treatment of the axilla in patients who are preoperatively detected to have subclinical lymphedema should be revised.

Roles of Biopsychosocial Factors in the Development of Breast Cancer.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the roles of biopsychosocial risk factors in the development of breast cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This hospital-based case-control study included 491 women with breast cancer (study group) and 512 women who did not have cancer or other serious diseases (control group). Biological, psychological, and social risk factors were compared between the two groups. Data were collected using the semi-structured interview, the Stress Assessment Form, and the Coping Strategy Indicator to assess these factors. RESULTS: When the significantly different biopsychosocial variables between the study and the control groups were evaluated together, independent breast cancer risk factors were found as follows: a stressor experienced in the last 5 years, age 40 years and older, inadequate social support perception, use of avoidance coping strategy, being a housewife, having a family history of cancer, and having a body mass index ≥25. CONCLUSION: This study showed a relationship between breast cancer risk and manageable variables (obesity, stressor and coping strategy, social support, and employment status), age and family history of cancer, which are biopsychosocial factors. Biopsychosocial aspects are becoming a greater part of many different healthcare systems.

Radiation Fibrosis Syndrome Imitating Breast Cancer Recurrence; A Case Report.

Nowadays, surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy are the most frequently used modalities in the treatment of breast cancer. It is very well-known that some severe complications may result from after these treatments. Early and late complications of radiotherapy are well known. The complications of radiation therapy may be seen in (early) or after three months (late-delayed) of periods. These complications may be related with direct or indirect effect of radiation. The radiation fibrosis syndrome is a progressive fibrotic tissue sclerosis together with various clinical symptoms in the irradiation field. It is usually a late finding of radiation therapy and may be seen weeks or even years after the treatment. Many systems such as musculo-skeletal, soft tissue, neural tissue and cardiopulmonary system may be affected. In this report, we present a case of a breast cancer treated with breast conserving surgery and radiation therapy twelve years ago. The patient had ipsilateral lymphedema, right axillary mass, and pain during arm and shoulder mobilization. Her physical examination and radiologic findings revealed a big mass invading right thoracic wall, thoracic cavity and the axilla. Histopathological evaluation performed after tru-cut and open biopsy from the mass showed fibrosis resulting from radiation therapy.

Replacement of the tumor bed following oncoplastic breast-conserving surgery with immediate latissimus dorsi mini-flap.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the geographic variability of the tumor bed following oncoplastic breast-conserving surgery (OP-BCS), and to assess its relevance for radiotherapy planning. In this prospective study, pre- and postoperative computerized tomography (CT) scans of 22 patients with early-stage breast cancer were fused. The preoperative gross tumor volume or excisional biopsy cavity were contoured under the guidance of preoperative radiological images. Postoperative lumpectomy cavities were contoured under the guidance of surgical clips. The conformity index (CI) was calculated and defined on a scale between 0 and 1, where 0 indicated no overlap and 1 indicated 100% concordance. Associations between CI and the number of clips, time interval between surgery and CT scans, pathological tumor size and age were assessed using independent sample testing. The median CI was 0.07 (in five cases, 1, and in eight cases, 0). The lumpectomy cavity shifted from the primary location in 36.4% of the cases. Median shifts between the isocenters of pre- and postoperative volumes were measured as 1.02 cm (range, 0.4-4.43 cm) in the x, 1.07 cm (range, 0.05-5.67 cm) in the y, and 1.12 cm (range, 0-3.75 cm) in the z directions. Only the clip number was determined to be significantly associated with CI (P=0.017). Pre- and postoperative tumor bed volumes were fully superposed in five of the 22 cases. The present study has shown that the tumor bed is markedly replaced following OP-BCS with latissimus dorsi mini-flap (LDMF) reconstruction. Special care should therefore be taken when defining the lumpectomy cavity following OP-BCS with LDMF reconstruction.

The Prognostic Impact of Molecular Subtypes and Very Young Age on Breast Conserving Surgery in Early Stage Breast Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Premenopausal breast cancer with a triple-negative phenotype (TNBC) has been associated with inferior locoregional recurrence free survival (LRFS) and overall survival (OS) after breast conserving surgery (BCS). The aim of this study is to analyze the association between age, subtype, and surgical treatment on survival in young women (≤40 years) with early breast cancer in a population with a high rate of breast cancer in young women. METHODS: Three hundred thirty-two patients ≤40 years old with stage I-II invasive breast cancer who underwent surgery at a single institution between 1998 and 2012 were identified retrospectively. Uni- and multivariate analysis evaluated predictors of LRFS, OS, and disease free survival (DFS). RESULTS: Most patients (64.2%) underwent BCS. Mean age and follow-up time were 35 (25 ± 3.61) years, and 72 months (range, 24-252), respectively. In multivariate analysis, multicentricity/multifocality and young age (<35 years) independently predicted for poorer DFS and OS. Those aged 35-40 years had higher LRFS and DFS than those <35 in the mastectomy group (p=0.007 and p=0.039, respectively). Patients with TNBC had lower OS compared with patients with luminal A subtype (p=0.042), and those who underwent BCS had higher OS than patients after mastectomy (p=0.015). CONCLUSION: Young age (< 35 years) is an independent predictor of poorer OS and DFS as compared with ages 35-40, even in countries with a lower average age of breast cancer presentation. In addition, TNBC in the young predicts for poorer OS. BCS can be performed in young patients with TNBC, despite their poorer overall survival.

True Local Recurrences after Breast Conserving Surgery have Poor Prognosis in Patients with Early Breast Cancer.

BACKGROUND: This study was aimed at investigating clinical and histopathologic features of ipsilateral breast tumor recurrences (IBTR) and their effects on survival after breast conservation therapy. METHODS: 1,400 patients who were treated between 1998 and 2007 and had breast-conserving surgery (BCS) for early breast cancer (cT1-2/N0-1/M0) were evaluated. Demographic and pathologic parameters, radiologic data, treatment, and follow-up related features of the patients were recorded. RESULTS: 53 patients (3.8%) had IBTR after BCS within a median follow-up of 70 months. The mean age was 45.7 years (range, 27-87 years), and 22 patients (41.5%) were younger than 40 years. 33 patients (62.3%) had true recurrence (TR) and 20 were classified as new primary (NP). The median time to recurrence was shorter in TR group than in NP group (37.0 (6-216) and 47.5 (11-192) months respectively; p = 0.338). Progesterone receptor positivity was significantly higher in the NP group (p = 0.005). The overall 5-year survival rate in the NP group (95.0%) was significantly higher than that of the TR group (74.7%, p < 0.033). Multivariate analysis showed that younger age (<40 years), large tumor size (>20 mm), high grade tumor and triple-negative molecular phenotype along with developing TR negatively affected overall survival (hazard ratios were 4.2 (CI 0.98-22.76), 4.6 (CI 1.07-13.03), 4.0 (CI 0.68-46.10), 6.5 (CI 0.03-0.68), and 6.5 (CI 0.02- 0.80) respectively, p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Most of the local recurrences after BCS in our study were true recurrences, which resulted in a poorer outcome as compared to new primary tumors. Moreover, younger age (<40), large tumor size (>2 cm), high grade, triple negative phenotype, and having true recurrence were identified as independent prognostic factors with a negative impact on overall survival in this dataset of patients with recurrent breast cancer. In conjunction with a more intensive follow-up program, the role of adjuvant therapy strategies should be explored further in young patients with large and high-risk tumors to reduce the risk of TR.

Receptor discordance rate and its effects on survival in primary and recurrent breast cancer patients.

PURPOSE: The receptor status of breast cancer plays a critical role in clinical practice. During the metastatic process, a change in the biological characteristics of the tumor can be seen. This study aimed to investigate the hormone receptor and HER2 status changes between primary and recurrent breast cancers and their effect on survival. METHODS: Eighty-six breast cancer patients with biopsy- proven local recurrences or distant metastases during the follow-up period were included in the study. Patients with metastatic disease at the time of first diagnosis or with history of previous neoadjuvant chemotherapy were excluded. RESULTS: Forty-three of the 86 patients (50%) had changes in at least one of the estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), or HER2. ER, PR and HER2 discordance rates were 12.7, 38.3, and 15.1%, respectively, and PR discordance was significantly higher (p=0.000). Among all molecular subtypes, the triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) subtype showed the least change. When the effect of chemotherapy on receptor change was analyzed, PR discordance was significantly higher in the group who received chemotherapy (p=0.029). Analysis of the hormonotherapy effects on receptor discordance revealed results similar to those of chemotherapy. Only the PR discordance was significantly greater in the group that received hormonotherapy (p=0.000). None of the three receptor discordances or loss of any receptor were related to survival. Primary tumor TNBC subtype and disease-free-interval (DFI) shorter than 5 years were found as independent prognostic factors that negatively affected overall survival (OS). CONCLUSION: This study showed that during recurrent disease there was 50% discordance in the expression of ER, PR, and HER2. The receptor showing the greatest discordance and influence from the systemic treatment was PR. A significant relationship between receptor discordance and survival could not be demonstrated in our study.

PET-MRI Findings of Two Patients with Breast Carcinoma before Treatment.

Integrated positron-emission tomography-magnetic resonance imaging (PET-MRI) is a new hybrid simultaneous imaging modality with higher soft tissue contrast and lower radiation doses compared with PET-CT. Two patients who were referred to our hospital with left breast masses that were pathologically diagnosed as invasive ductal carcinoma. The women were then scanned using the first PET-MRI system in Turkey, which was established in our department. In this case report, we aimed to determine the advantages of PET-MRI in staging, follow-up, neoadjuvant chemotherapy response, and to compare the usefulness of this modality with PET-CT and dynamic contrast-enhanced breast MRI.

A Rare Tumor that Mimicked Metastasis in a Patient with Breast Cancer: Epithelioid Hemangioendothelioma.

A woman aged 50 years was diagnosed as having an invasive ductal carcinoma in the right breast and ductal carcinoma in situ in the left breast and underwent bilateral mastectomy eight years ago. A mass was identified during follow-up in positron-emission tomography (PET) image in the left infraclavicular region, indicating metastasis. Histopathologic examination showed a mass of 1.9 × 1 × 0.7 cm in dimensions characterized by spindle or round nuclei cells that formed island or cords in hyaline and myxoid ground and intracytoplasmic vacuoles containing erythrocytes. In the immunohistochemical analysis, tumor cells were widespread with diffuse positivity with CD34 and vimentin. These findings redirected us from a diagnosis of metastatic carcinoma to epithelioid hemangioendothelioma, a rare tumor of intermediate vascular tumor groups. In this respect, confirmation through biopsy from considered cases of metastasis is important in making a definite pathologic differential diagnosis.

The Relationship between Bone Mineral Density and Estrogen Receptor Positivity in Patients with Breast Cancer.

OBJECTIVE: The effect of estrogen on bone mineral density (BMD) and breast cancer has been known for a long time. The aim of this study was to compare of the BMD of patients with breast cancer and healthy individuals, and to investigate the degree of correlation of estrogen receptor (ER) with BMD. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Seventy-one patients with postmenopausal breast cancer and 79 healthy dividuals were included in the study. The patient demographics (age, menopause age, body mass index, number of children, BMD, Z scores, and estrogen status for breast cancer patients) were taken from hospital records. RESULTS: No significant difference was detected between the case and control groups in lumbar region Z scores (p=0.074). At the femur neck, the control group Z scores was higher than patient group (p=0.002). BMI was higher in the patients with breast cancer (p=0.001). There was no statistically significant correlation between ER positivity, BMD, and BMI in ER-positive patients (p=0.495, p=0.8, p=0.846, respectively). There was no difference between the Z scores when the patients were divided into two groups as ER positive and negative (p=0.156, p=0.335, respectively). CONCLUSION: This study revealed that there is no difference in lumbar region Z scores between patients with breast cancer and heathy controls; however, the Z scores were higher in the femur neck in the control group, and the BMI was lower in the patient group. Tumor ER positivity does not positively affect BMD.