Metastatic disease of the breast and local recurrence

Multimodality primary therapies for breast cancer combined with earlier detection have led to a sharp decline in the death rate from breast cancer in the UK over the last 40 years in the face of a rising incidence. The latest UK statistics from Cancer Research UK report 50,285 new cases of breast cancer in 2011 with 11,716 deaths from breast cancer recorded in 2012. Crudely, this equates to a cure rate in excess of 75% for all comers. Despite this good news, there are still significant numbers of women (and men) who suffer from either a local recurrence or metastatic disease following apparently successful treatment for early breast cancer (Stage I–III). Only a minority of individuals, 6.6% with the stage recorded at diagnosis, present with stage IV disease. This review considers the treatment options available to individuals with locally recurrent and advanced breast cancer (ABC).     

Treatment of locally recurrent and advanced breast cancer

The incidence of breast cancer in the UK continues to increase; however, the death rates continue to decline. Mortality rates have reduced by 19% in the UK in the last decade and are projected to fall by a further 26% in 2014–2035. Cancer research UK reports 55,176 new cases in 2015–2017 with 11,547 deaths from breast cancer reported from 2016 to 2018. Ten-year survival for all comers is reported at 76%. Largely, the improvements in outcomes is felt to be multi factorial in nature with earlier detection of cancers, increased axial imaging and the rapidly progressing and expanding radiotherapy and systemic therapy treatment options available. Irrespective of this, there are still a number of patients diagnosed with more advanced disease. Between 13% and 21% of patients are diagnosed with stage III/IV disease, with 7% of patients having metastatic disease at diagnosis. The following review discusses the treatment options available to patients with locally recurrent or metastatic breast cancer (MBC).     

The presentation,management and outcome of inflammatory breast cancer cases in the UK: Data from a multi-centre retrospective review

ObjectivesInflammatory Breast cancer (IBC) is a rare but aggressive form of breast cancer. Its incidence and behaviour in the UK is poorly characterised. We collected retrospective data from hospitals in the UK and Ireland to describe the presentation, pathology, treatment and clinical course of IBC in the UK.Materials and methodsPatients with IBC diagnosed between 1997–2014 at fourteen UK and Irish hospitals were identified from local breast unit databases. Patient characteristics, tumour pathology and stage, and details of surgical, systemic and radiotherapy treatment and follow-up data were collected from electronic patient records and medical notes.ResultThis retrospective review identified 445 patients with IBC accounting for 0.4–1.8% of invasive breast cancer cases. Median follow-up was 4.2 years. 53.2% of tumours were grade 3, 56.2% were oestrogen receptor positive, 31.3% were HER2 positive and 25.1% were triple negative. 20.7% of patients had distant metastases at presentation. Despite trimodality treatment in 86.4%, 40.1% of stage III patients developed distant metastases. Five-year overall survival (OS) was 61.0% for stage III and 21.4% for stage IV patients.ConclusionsThis is the largest series of UK IBC patients reported to date. It indicates a lower incidence than in American series, but confirms that IBC has a high risk of recurrence with poor survival despite contemporary multi-modality therapy. A national strategy is required to facilitate translational research into this aggressive disease.     

70岁以上老年乳腺癌临床病理特点和治疗体会

目的探讨70岁以上老年乳腺癌患者的临床病理特点和治疗方式。方法回顾性分析2008年1月至2018年1月北京市第六医院外科收治的年龄大于70岁,且手术后病理明确诊断116例乳腺癌的临床资料。结果116例均为女性,平均年龄73岁,病程1周至5年,其中92例有伴发疾病。该组患者主要手术方式为乳癌改良根治术(乳房全切和腋窝清扫比例分别为70.2%和61.3%),术后病理浸润性癌占85.3%(99/116),其中黏液癌等特殊类型癌占6.9%(8/116),三阴乳腺癌占11.1%(11/99),HER2阳性乳腺癌占18.2%(18/99)。接受术后化疗者比例48.3%(56/116),内分泌治疗者55%(61/116)。术后中位随访时间44个月,术后复发率5.1%(5/99),乳腺癌相关死亡8例,伴发疾病相关死亡17例。结论老年性乳腺癌患者具有临床病理和分子生物学特点的特殊性,病程长,病期相对晚,伴发疾病较多,化疗耐受性差,内分泌治疗依从性较差,手术和内分泌治疗是主要和有效的治疗方法。     

Trends and predictions to 2020 in breast cancer mortality in Europe

ObjectivesWe analyzed trends in mortality from breast cancer in women in 36 European countries and the European Union (EU) over the period 1970–2014, and predicted numbers of deaths and rates to 2020.Materials and methodsWe derived breast cancer death certification data and population figures from the World Health Organization and Eurostat databases. We obtained 2020 estimates using a joinpoint regression model.ResultsOverall, EU breast cancer mortality rates (world standard) declined from 17.9/100,000 in 2002 to 15.2 in 2012. The predicted 2020 rate is 13.4/100,000. The falls were largest in young women (20–49 years, −22% between 2002 and 2012). Within the EU, declines were larger in the United Kingdom (UK) and other northern and western European countries than in most central and eastern Europe. The UK has the second lowest predicted breast cancer mortality rate in 2020 (after Spain), starting from the highest one in 1970. Breast cancer mortality is predicted to rise in Poland, where the predicted 2020 rate is 15.3/100,000. We estimated that about 32,500 breast cancer deaths will be avoided in 2020 in the EU as compared to the peak rate of 1989, and a total of 475,000 breast cancer deaths over the period 1990–2020.ConclusionThe overall favourable breast cancer mortality trends are mainly due to a succession of improvements in the management and treatment of breast cancer, though early diagnosis and screening played a role, too. Improving breast cancer management in central and eastern Europe is a priority.     

Breast cancer before 36 years of age

Breast cancer in young women is a dreaded disease of bad prognosis, classically worse than for older women. A local study was undertaken in Lausanne to evaluate this notion. 94 cases aged less than 36 years were collected over 15 years, the incidence being 9 new cases per years per 100,000 under-36 women. 76% of the tumors were discovered accidentally by the patient, 24% by a physician during a routine breast examination. Delays from first symptom to histologic diagnosis were short, averaging 19 weeks. 80 mammographies were performed on the 94 cases, of whom 50 positives for a cancer, and 29 negative or doubtful. 22 of these negative 29 were reevaluated, 7 being positive for a tumor and 15 negative, showing either a benign mass or no lesion at all. 6 of the 7 positives were misdiagnosed in easy-to-read breasts, the false interpretation being chiefly caused by the young age of the patients. Pathologically, the rate of invasive ductal carcinoma was very high at 91.4%, which is the highest in the literature, and much higher than for older women in Lausanne (68%). Survival was 84% at two years, 63% at five years and 46% at 10 years, all deaths due to breast cancer. Those rates are better, globally and stage by stage, than for older women or than other reports on young women. We conclude that breast cancer in young women has a better prognosis than formerly thought.     

Estrogen Replacement Therapy After Breast Cancer: A 12-Year Follow-Up

Background: In the United States, estrogen replacement therapy ERT is discouraged in breast cancer survivors because of concerns that hormones may reactivate the disease. Because ERT can improve quality of life and decrease morbidity from osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease, however, this policy is increasingly being challenged.Methods: From February to August 1995, 607 breast cancer survivors were interviewed concerning ERT usage. Sixty-four patients indicated they received some form of ERT after their breast cancer diagnosis. Medical records for these patients were analyzed for disease stage, surgical treatment, adjuvant treatment, estrogen and progesterone receptor status, date of initiation of ERT, type of ERT, recurrence, and final outcome. Patients receiving ERT were followed prospectively.Results: Eight patients were excluded because they had used only vaginal cream ERT. The remaining 56 received ERT as conjugated estrogens, an estradiol patch, estropipate, or birth control pills. The median follow-up from diagnosis was 12.8 years range, 4.7–38.9 years. The median time on ERT since diagnosis was 6.4 years range, 1.0–20.9 years; 38% of the patients initiated ERT within 2 years of diagnosis. Estrogen receptors were positive in 28 74% of the 38 cases with available information. Pathological disease stage at time of diagnosis and treatment was 0 in 15 cases 27%, I in 27 48%, and II in 14 25%. Twenty-six patients 47% received adjuvant chemotherapy or hormonal therapy. One local recurrence and one contralateral breast cancer occurred during the follow-up period 13.5 and 9.6 years, respectively, with no regional or distant recurrences, for a 15-year actuarial disease-free survival rate of 92.5%. There were no breast cancer deaths.Conclusions: Use of ERT in a cohort of breast cancer survivors with tumors of generally good prognosis was not associated with increased breast cancer events compared with non-ERT users, even over a long follow-up period.Presented at the 54th Annual Meeting of the Society of Surgical Oncology, Washington, DC, March 15–18, 2001.     

Breast cancer in 3,558 women: age as a significant determinant in the rate of dying and causes of death

The forces of mortality created by cancer of the breast have been examined utilizing data collected during the past 19 years by the Syracuse, N. Y., Upstate Medical Center Cancer Registry on 3,558 women. Except for 15 lost to follow-up, all have been contacted annually through 1974 or until death. Time and cause were recorded for all deaths. In April, 1975, 1,883 remain alive and in the registry and 1,660 women have died. Using life-table analyses and considering deaths due only to breast cancer, mortality rates were calculated for three age groups--21 to 50 years, 51 to 70 years, and 71 to 100 years. Breast cancer expresses its lethality most vigorously in the oldest group. The half-death time (50% mortality rate) for the youngest group was 13 years, for the middle group 8 years, and for the oldest group 5 years. The rate of dying was a function of both age and stage at diagnosis. At 16 to 18 years after diagnosis, deaths due to breast cancer begin to disappear. Eighty-eight percent of the women who died following a diagnosis of cancer of the breast have died of their breast cancer. Age as well as stage at diagnosis are significant determinants on the length of survival and cause of death.     

Breast-Conservation Treatment Outcomes: A Community Hospital's Experience

Abstract:  In the United States, the majority of early breast cancer patients choose breast-conserving treatment in the community setting, yet there is a paucity of literature describing outcomes. In this paper, we describe our experience with breast-conserving treatment in a small community hospital. Our hospital tumor registry was used to identify breast cancer cases diagnosed at our hospital between 1997 and 2003. We limited our study to those women with initial attempts at breast-conserving surgery (BCS) who had follow-up oncology treatment at on-campus affiliated oncological services. We looked at factors that influence survival for early stage 0–II disease such as tumor and patient characteristics, completeness of local surgical tumor excision, and adjuvant treatment. We also evaluated the percentage of cases in which the initial BCS did not achieve adequate surgical oncological results and the number and type of subsequent surgeries that were required to achieve this goal. There were 185 cases with a median patient age of 55 and a median follow-up time of 53 months. Most tumors were stage 0–I (68%) or stage II (23%). A single surgery was deemed sufficient to achieve the desired oncological outcome in 54% of cases; the remaining cases (46%) required additional surgeries. A final margin of 5 mm or greater was successfully achieved in 81% of cases. Ninety-two percent of the patients underwent radiotherapy, 65% received hormonal therapy, and 49% underwent chemotherapy. One hundred and sixty one patients had successful breast-conserving surgeries (87%) and 24 patients (13%) ultimately required mastectomy. There were four loco-regional recurrences and 19 deaths during the study period. Our disease-free survival rate for early-stage cancer (stage 0–II) was 91% at 5 years. Our study shows that high-quality patient outcomes for breast-conserving treatment can be achieved in the community setting.     

无乳头溢液乳房疾病的乳管镜诊断

目的 通过分析乳管内视镜下（FDS）乳腺疾病的不同的特征，为乳腺疾病的鉴别诊断提供依据。方法 用FDS对50例乳腺疾病病人进行检查。结果 50例FDS检查中发现乳腺增生31例，慢性乳腺炎5例，乳管扩张症7例，乳癌7例，临床诊断与病理诊断符合率为76.0%，乳管镜诊断与病理诊断符合率为98.0%。结论 乳管镜检查诊断乳腺疾病是一种崭新的方法。能早期发现乳癌，对发乳头状瘤和导管慢性炎症可以作介入治疗，乳管内视镜对乳腺疾病定位、定性，乳管镜将对乳癌的诊断和治疗产生深远影响。     

男性乳腺癌：附17例报告

目的:探讨男性乳腺癌的诊断、治疗及预后。方法:回顾性分析17例男性乳腺癌患者的临床资料。结果:17例患者平均年龄为59.6岁。其中Ⅰ期3例，Ⅱ期5例，Ⅲ期7例，Ⅳ期2例。以典型浸润性导管癌为主，乳腺癌的雌、孕激素受体阳性率分别为82.4 %和72.5 %。均行根治性手术治疗，术后辅以放疗、内分泌治疗和（或）化疗。其中1例失访，2例术后8个月~3年死于其它疾病，余14例术后已生存1～12年。结论:男性乳腺癌发病率低，发病年龄偏大,易误诊;内分泌治疗首选他莫昔芬;影响其预后的因素很多，其中最重要的是诊断时肿瘤的分期和淋巴结受累情况。     

男性乳腺癌临床特征及诊治：附35例报告

背景与目的 男性乳腺癌是一种非常罕见的疾病，一般确诊时分期较晚，预后差。目前其治疗上多参照女性乳腺癌。笔者通过对男性乳腺癌的病例的回顾分析，探讨该病临床特点及诊治。方法 回顾分析大连医科大学附属第二医院于2003年3月—2019年6月收治的35例男性乳腺癌患者的临床特点、病理特征、治疗及随访情况。结果 全组患者就诊时均无远处转移，中位年龄65岁，主要临床表现为无痛性乳房肿块，所有患者均接受了手术治疗，仅2例（5.7%）患者接受了部分乳腺切除术，其余均接受全乳房切除术或更大范围的手术。18例（51.4%）接受了辅助化疗，4例（11.4%）接受了辅助放疗，17例（48.6%）接受了辅助内分泌治疗。30例（85.7%）术后病理诊断为浸润性导管癌。全组均获得随访，5年总生存率83.4%。结论 加强对男性乳腺癌的认识，做到早期诊断，并进行以手术为主的综合治疗非常重要。男性乳腺癌的诊治仍有待进一步研究和规范。     

乳腺区段切除加腋淋巴结清扫治疗早期乳癌

目的 探讨乳腺区段切除加腋窝淋巴结清扫及放疗治疗早期乳癌的临床效果。方法 对乳腺区段切除术加腋窝淋巴结清扫及放疗的46例（治疗组）,与标准根治术（Halsted根治术）加放疗66例（对照组）的生存率、局部复发率、远处转移率、生活质量和保留乳房的美观效果进行长期随访观察。结果 3,5,8年生存率治疗组分别为97．8％,80．5％,76．1％,对照组分别为97．0％,87．9％,71．2％,两组相比无显著差异。治疗组复发率为：4．3％,对照组为4．6％;治疗组远处转移率为19．6％,对照组为16．7％,两组相比无显著差异。治疗组保留乳房总优良率达93．2％。结论 乳腺区段切除加腋窝淋巴结清扫及放疗治疗早期乳癌疗效同Halsted根治术,是治疗早期乳癌的理想术式。     

Male breast cancer: 6-year experience

AIM: Breast cancer in men is a very rare neoplasm accounting 1% of all breast cancer with an incidence ratio of 1:100 of men to women and about 1% of all malignancies in men. On the basis of the literature review the authors tried to determine the main characteristics of this rare neoplasm in terms of epidemiology, diagnosis, prognosis, treatment and survival. METHODS: The authors report the experience of the Breast Unit of the San Giovanni Addolorata Hospital in Rome, where 4 cases of male breast cancer were observed and treated over 784 breast cancers. RESULTS: All tumours were ductal carcinomas. The extent of disease was as follows: 3 cases with stage I and 1 case with Stage IIIB; in two cases estrogen and progesterone receptors expression was 100% and in the other two cases it was 20-80%. Median follow up was 57.5 months. At present, after 6-year follow up the three patients with stage I are in good conditions; the patient with stage III died after 27 months with metastatic disease. CONCLUSIONS: Surgical treatment remains the gold standard in male breast cancer. The prognosis for males with breast cancer is similar to female patients on equal terms of stage of disease. Adjuvant therapy is based on retrospective studies of male breast cancer conducted over the past 20 years using the guidelines for breast cancer in women.     

The role of health system factors in delaying final diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer in Mexico City, Mexico

In Mexico, breast cancer is the leading cancer-related death among women and most cases are diagnosed at advanced stages (50-60%). We hypothesized health system factors could be partly responsible for this delay and performed a prospective review of 166 new breast cases at a major public hospital in Mexico City. Our analysis confirmed the prevalence of locally advanced and metastatic disease (47% of patients). A subset analysis of 32 women with confirmed stage I-IIIC breast cancer found an average time interval of 1.8 months from symptom onset to first primary care consultation (PCC), with an additional 6.6 months from first PCC to confirmed diagnosis, and 0.6 months from diagnosis to treatment initiation. Patients underwent an average of 7.9 clinic visits before confirmed diagnosis. Findings suggest that protracted referral time from primary to specialty care accounts for the bulk of delay, with earlier stage patients experiencing longer delays. These findings reveal a critical need for further study and exploration of interventions.     

Breast cancer incidence and determinants of cancer stage in the Western Cape.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the overall and age-specific incidence rates for breast cancer and determinants of the stage of breast cancer at the time of diagnosis in the Western Cape, South Africa. METHODS: Data were derived from a case-control study of the association between injectable progestagen contraceptives and breast cancer conducted over a 4-year period from January 1994 to December 1997. In all, 485 cases were drawn from a study population consisting of coloured and black women under the age of 55 years, who presented with a first occurrence of invasive breast cancer at two tertiary hospitals in Cape Town. A questionnaire was administered and information on a large number of variables was recorded. RESULTS: The 249 cases who were interviewed during the first 2 years of the study constituted the numerator for estimates of incidence rates. The overall incidence rate was 23.1 per 100,000 women per year. The incidence rate for coloured women was 25.6 per 100,000, almost twice that for black women (14.7 per 100,000). The incidence rate in urban areas was 26.6 per 100,000, almost twice that in the rural areas (16.3 per 100,000). Stages 1 and 2 accounted for 57.8% of the cases. Early stage at diagnosis was significantly associated with a higher educational level, membership of a medical aid, residence in an urban area and a positive family history. CONCLUSION: The data suggest that there is scope for improvement in the detection of the disease through education and access to diagnostic measures, particularly in rural and disadvantaged populations.     

Clinical study of prostate cancer--statistical analysis in the last 10 years

Fifty one cases of prostate cancer were treated at Yamaguchi University Hospital during 10 years since 1975. Age distribution was between 43 and 90 years old with an average of 70.9 years. Chief complaints were difficulty on micturition (33%), complete urinary retention (19.6%), macroscopic hematuria (15.7%), and frequency (13.7%). Clinical stage was classified as 1 case (2%) with stage A, 7 cases (13.7%) with stage B, 20 cases (39.2%) with stage C and 23 cases (45.1%) with stage D cancer. Histological grade was classified as 9 cases (17.6%) with well differentiated type of adenocarcinoma, 15 cases (29.4%) with moderately differentiated type and 27 cases (52.9%) with poorly differentiated type. The 5-year actual survival rate was 75% for stage A&B, 50% for stage C and 60% for stage D. The 10-year actual survival rate was 20% for stage A&B, 17% for stage C and 20.5% for stage D. There were no statistically significant differences between stage, grade and survival rate. According to specific cause 18 cases (58%) were cancer deaths including 8 cases (15.7%) of refractory disease, and 4 cases (12.9%) of cardiovascular complication. Five of the eight refractory cases could survive over one year by multimodal treatment. Local irradiation to prostate was most effective to control symptoms against locally refractory prostate cancer.     

乳腺癌术后局部复发的治疗及预后分析

目的 探讨乳腺癌术后局部复发的治疗方案及影响预后的相关因素.方法回顾性分析天津肿瘤医院2002年7月至2005年2月期间收治的477例乳腺癌术后复发患者的临床资料.结果 477例复发病例中,术后1年内复发占26.2%(125/477),2年内复发占61.2%(292/477).局部复发后远处转移率为65.0%(310/477),复发后5年总生存率48.4%.不同复发部位、临床分型、有无放射治疗、放射治疗范围、有无手术切除或切除活检的亚组之间局部控制率的差异有统计学意义(P<0.05).不同原发肿瘤分期、无病间期、临床分型以及治疗方式的亚组间远处转移率及5年总生存率的差异有统计学意义(P<0.05),多因素分析显示治疗方案单一、原发肿瘤分期晚、三阴型乳腺癌是影响复发性乳腺癌预后的独立危险因素(P<0.05).结论 多部位复发者和三阴型乳腺癌局部控制不佳,局部扩大野放射治疗结合手术治疗是改善局部控制率的必要模式.原发肿瘤分期晚、2年内复发、三阴型的乳腺癌复发后容易发生远处转移,对于复发性乳腺癌采取综合治疗方案可以提高患者的生存率.

Abstract：

Objective To explore an optimal treatment and to study the prognosis related factors of breast cancer patients with local recurrence after mastectomy. Methods From 2002. 7 to 2005. 2, 477female patients with loco-regional recurrence of breast cancer treated in Tianjin Cancer Hospital were analyzed retrospectively. Results In 477 cases, recurrence within 1 year after mastectomy accounted for 26. 2% , recurrence within 2 years accounted for 61. 2%. There were 310 cases with metastasis after local recurrence was diagnosed, accounting for 65.0%. 5-year total survival rate after recurrence is 48.4%.Local control rates varied in subgroups with different recurrence site, clinical subtypes, radiotherapy fields,with or without radiotherapy, surgical resection or excisional biopsy ( P<0. 05 ). There was a statistical difference in distant metastasis rate and 5-year survival rate among subgroups which had different clinical stage of primary tumor, disease-free interval, clinical subtypes or treatment methods ( P<0. 05 ). Simplistic treatment option, late clinical stage of primary tumor and triple-negative breast cancer were the independent factors predicting poor prognosis for recurrent breast cancer ( P<0.05 ). Conclusions Multi-site recurrence and triple-negative breast cancer lead to a poor local control. Local expansion of radiotherapy combined with surgery improves the local control rate. Patients with late clinical stage of primary tumor,recurrence within 2 years, triple-negative breast cancer are likely to have distant metastasis when recurrence is diagnosed. Combined treatment program improves survival rate.     

早期老年乳腺癌的保乳治疗

目的总结早期老年乳腺癌保乳治疗的临床疗效。方法保乳手术治疗23例早期老年乳腺癌患者,其中Ⅰ期7例,ⅡA期12例,ⅡB期4例,术中切除距肿块边缘2 cm以上乳腺,术后予放疗、化疗及激素治疗。结果随访3.5（2～5）年,未见复发及远处转移。采用Harris提出的四等分类法为美容评定标准,佳4例（17.4%）,良16例（69.6%）,一般2例（8.7%）,差1例（4.3%）,总优良率87.0%。结论保乳治疗早期老年乳腺癌具有机体创伤小、组织器官破坏少、美容效果好和保存功能的优点,在严格掌握手术适应证的前提下,并不增加复发及远处转移的风险。     

The presentation of contralateral axillary lymph node metastases from breast carcinoma: a clinical management dilemma

Metastases to the contralateral axillary lymph nodes in breast cancer patients are uncommon. Involvement of the contralateral axilla is a manifestation of systemic disease (stage IV) or a regional metastasis from a new occult primary (T0N1, stage II). The uncertain laterality of the cancer responsible for these metastases complicates overall disease staging and is a management dilemma for clinicians. Seven women who developed contralateral axillary metastases (CAM), but did not have evidence of systemic disease were identified. Patient demographics, histopathologic tumor characteristics, treatment and outcome were examined. The median age was 49 years. A family history of breast cancer was present in six (86%). The initial breast cancers were located in all quadrants. They were generally hormone receptor negative, HER-2/neu overexpressing and associated with lymphovascular invasion. There was a median interval of 71 months between initial breast cancer diagnosis and CAM presentation. Surgical management of the CAM included simple excision in one (14%) and axillary lymph node dissection in five (71%). Adjuvant treatment consisted of chemotherapy in seven (100%) and hormonal therapy in one (14%). The median follow-up from the diagnosis of CAM was 35 months and three women were alive without disease, two were alive with disease and two had died of disease. With surgical treatment, there were no axillary recurrences in this series. When patients present with CAM and no evidence of systemic disease or a new primary in the contralateral breast, surgical treatment should be considered for local control and possibly improved relapse-free survival.