A Clinical Review of Breast Cancer

BACKGROUND : The incidence of breast cancer has steadily increased through the years. The establishment of the cause of breast cancer plays an important role for the diagnosis, management and prevention of breast cancer. METHODS : We analysed 241 cases of breast cancer that were treated during the 13 years from January 1985 to December 1997 at the Department of General Surgery, Inje University Paik Hospital, Seoul. RESULTS : The peak incidence of breast cancer was in the 5th decade (100 cases, 41.5%). The most common age of menarche ranged from 14 to 20 years (89.9%). The most common age of first full-term delivery ranged from 25 to 29 years (54.5%). The normal group was the most frequent body mass index (156 cases, 65.8%). The most common chief complaint was a painless palpable breast mass (166 cases, 68.9%). Most patients (181 cases, 75.1%) visited the hospital within 6 months of developing symptoms. The upper outer quadrant was the most frequent location for breast cancer (146 cases, 60.6%). The most common type of operative technique was a modified radical mastectomy (225 cases, 93.4%). The most common size of the breast mass ranged from 2 to 5 cm (151 cases, 62.7%). A pathologically positive axillary lymph node was present in 122 cases (52.4%). The predominant type of pathological classi fication was invasive ductal carcinoma (215 cases, 90.7%). According to the TNM system, the most common stage was stage II (161 cases, 66.8%). The five-year survival rates for the patients in stages I, II, III were 96.7%, 82.2%, 68.9%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS : We conclude that women with mass or mass-related symptoms needed more careful evaluation and aggressive approaches for discovering breast cancer.

Cecal Duplication: A case report

Duplications of the alimentary tract are relatively rare congenital malformations usually present during infancy or young childhood. They can occur anywhere in the intestinal tract. The most common site is the terminal ileum, and the least common site is the colon. Duplication of the cecum is very rare. The importance of these congenital lesions lies in the fact that they mimic other surgical disease processes and may result in significant morbidity if left untreated. Prompt recognition and treatment using combined radiologic and surgical management are associated with an excellent outcome. We experienced a case of cystic duplication in the cecum, which gave rise to partial intestinal obstruction and bleeding. We performed a resection of the cecum, including a part of the terminal ileum, and anastomosed in end-to-end fashion with a good result.