Re-excision after breast-conserving surgery (BCS) is routinely recommended when positive margins are found. However, secondary surgery often reveals no residual disease, exposing patients to unnecessary interventions that compromise cosmetic outcomes, increase costs, and reduce quality of life. This study investigates clinicopathological predictors of a residual tumour to identify low-risk patients who may safely avoid re-excision.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) is effective in downstaging locally advanced breast cancer, improving surgical and oncological outcomes. However, luminal B breast cancer typically exhibits a poorer response to NACT, with only 10-15% of patients achieving a pathologic complete response (pCR). This study investigates whether BRCA pathogenic variants (BRCA PVs) influence pCR rates in luminal B breast cancer patients, aiming to identify potential predictors for personalized treatment strategies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCancers (Basel)
March 2025
Background: Implant-based breast reconstruction (IBBR) following conservative mastectomy is the most common approach for women undergoing breast cancer surgery. The aim of this study was to compare the oncological outcomes of conservative mastectomy combined with prepectoral IBBR to the subpectoral technique.
Methods: The clinical and demographic data of consecutive breast cancer patients who underwent conservative mastectomy with either prepectoral or subpectoral IBBR between January 2018 and December 2023 were retrospectively analyzed.
Breast cancer in women aged 80 years and older accounts for about 12% of cases, but its management is challenging due to the population's heterogeneity and the lack of relevant evidence-based guidelines. Treatment decisions must consider biological age, comorbidities, life expectancy, therapy-related toxicities, and tumor biology. This study evaluates the clinical outcomes of elderly breast cancer patients treated with a multidisciplinary approach, including oncologists, surgeons, and geriatric specialists.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFB3 breast lesions, classified as lesions of uncertain malignant potential, present a significant diagnostic and therapeutic challenge due to their heterogeneous nature and variable risk of progression to malignancy. These lesions, which include atypical ductal hyperplasia (ADH), papillary lesions (PLs), flat epithelial atypia (FEA), radial scars (RSs), lobular neoplasia (LN), and phyllodes tumors (PTs), occupy a "grey zone" between benign and malignant pathologies, making their management complex and often controversial. This article explores the diagnostic difficulties associated with B3 lesions, focusing on the limitations of current imaging techniques, including mammography, ultrasound, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), as well as the challenges in histopathological interpretation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF: B3 breast lesions, characterized by uncertain malignant potential, pose a significant challenge for clinicians. With the increasing use of preoperative biopsies, there is a need for careful management strategies, including watchful waiting, vacuum-assisted excision (VAE), and surgery. This study aims to assess the concordance between preoperative biopsy findings and postoperative histology, with a focus on evaluating the positive predictive value (PPV) for malignancy in B3 lesions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF: Breast cancer in young women aged < 40 years is rare and often aggressive with less favorable survival rates. The lack of systematic screening, later stage at diagnosis, and a more aggressive disease biology may all contribute to their poor prognosis. Data on the best management remain conflicting, especially those regarding surgical management, either breast-conserving or mastectomy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTriple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive type of breast cancer that lacks the expression of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2). TNBC accounts for about 15% of breast cancers and has a poorer prognosis as compared with other subtypes of breast cancer. The more rapid onset of this cancer and its aggressiveness have often convinced breast surgeons that mastectomy could provide better oncological results.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF