Tasa de afectación de los márgenes quirúrgicos tras la cirugía conservadora de mama y estimación de los costes directos

ObjectiveAssessment of the reoperation rate in patients with positive resection margins after initial breast-conserving surgery for breast cancer and estimation of the cost to the hospital.Method146 patients with diagnosis of invasive breast cancer were included, who were initially intervened with conservative surgery by the Gynecology and Obstetrics Service of Hospital Universitario de Tarragona Juan XXIII (HUTJ23) during the years 2018 and 2019. We calculated the rate of involvement of the surgical margins of the resection piece after initial conservative surgery, establishing in which cases it was necessary to carry out a second resection, estimating the added direct costs of the second surgical procedure, and comparing them with the costs established by the Catalan Health Service according to the level of the hospital and the Diagnosis-Related Groups (DRG) established by the National Health System.ResultsThe rate of positive margins after initial conservative surgery was 20.55% and 19.17% patients underwent reoperation, generating a total expense of € 129.696,89, € 82.654,34 in conservative surgeries (€ 3.757,01 on average per patient) and € 47.042,55 in mastectomies (€ 6.720,36 on average per patient).ConclusionsMargin involvement after breast-conserving surgery is synonymous for reoperation, this involves a series of direct costs. It is advisable to control the factors related to affected margins to minimize their impact.     

花宝金教授基于调气解毒法论治癌性疼痛

癌性疼痛是癌症患者的常见症状之一,其严重地摧残着患者的身心健康，影响着生命质量。中医药能够减轻疼痛，减少止痛药物的用量及减少不良反应，能够明显改善生命质量。花宝金教授指出正气不足为癌痛发作的内因，正气不足，脏腑功能失调，气血阴阳虚损，病邪乘虚而入，经脉不荣可发为疼痛。此外各种因素导致的气滞为癌痛发生的诱发因素，可导致形成血瘀、痰湿、热毒等积滞搏结发为癌肿，闭阻脉络，瘀塞不通，而致疼痛。病程日久所形成的癌毒为夙根，是癌痛反复发作的根本原因。“调气解毒法”是花宝金教授治疗癌性疼痛的主要方法之一，通过辨癌毒，从病机、治法、方药等方面论述调气解毒法在癌性疼痛中的应用。     

The effectiveness of radiotherapy in preventing disease recurrence after breast cancer surgery

Background and objectivesThe locoregional management of breast cancer has a critical impact on prognosis. This study aimed to analyze the effectiveness of radiotherapy against the deleterious effect of positive surgical margins on disease outcomes.MethodsRetrospective, single-center study enrolled 721 breast cancer patients with a median follow-up of approximately 64.50 months (3.67–247.40). Analyses were performed considering the end of adjuvant therapy, except endocrine therapy. Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression were performed to obtain the predictive value of treatments.ResultsThe minimally adequate radiotherapy (≥45 cGy) was associated with improved outcomes in breast cancer patients compared to inadequate radiotherapy (<45 cGy/no) by controlling locoregional relapses and distant metastasis. In patients with positive surgical margins (n = 53), radiotherapy was associated with an approximate decrease of 90% in locoregional relapse risk [adjusted HR: 0.108 (0.012–0.932), p = 0.043]. Radiotherapy did not alter the adverse effect of positive surgical margins, especially in patients with a higher risk of poorly differentiated tumors (n = 146), presence of lymphovascular invasion (n = 163), and triple-negative subtype (n = 113). Notwithstanding, radiotherapy was associated with respective decreases of distant metastasis risk of 75.2% [adjusted HR: 0.248 (0.081–0.762), p = 0.015] and 67.8% [adjusted HR: 0.322 (0.101–1.029), p = 0.056] in patients with triple-negative tumors or with lymphovascular invasion.ConclusionAdequate radiotherapy is associated with better outcomes in breast cancer. Despite improving locoregional relapse-free survival, radiotherapy does not ablate positive surgical margins, a factor of poorer prognosis that prevails mainly in patients with factors of higher relapse risk.     

Care of Seniors with Breast Cancer – Treatment Received and Refining Decision Making

AimsTreatment decisions for older patients with breast cancer are complex and evidence is largely extrapolated from younger populations. Frailty and comorbidity need to be considered. We studied the baseline characteristics and treatment decisions in older patients in Christchurch with breast cancer and assessed survival outcomes and prognostic/discriminatory performance of several tools.Materials and methodsWe searched the Canterbury Breast Cancer Registry and identified patients aged 70 years or older at diagnosis with invasive, non-metastatic breast cancer between 1 June 2009 and 30 June 2015. We retrieved demographics, treatment and outcome information. Overall survival and breast cancer-specific survival were estimated. Tools analysing performance status and comorbidity were assessed for their prognostic and discriminatory power.ResultsIn total, 440 patients were identified. Primary surgery was carried out for 362 patients (82.3%): breast-conserving surgery in 114 (of whom 88.6% received radiation therapy); mastectomy in 248 (of whom 24.6% received radiation). Hormone therapy was given for 265 (71.1%) patients with oestrogen receptor-positive cancers. Two hundred and seventy-four (62.3%) patients received full standard treatment, which was associated with significantly improved 5-year survival and 5-year breast cancer-specific survival. The median estimated overall survival was 8.2 years (95% confidence interval 7.3–9.1 years). Of those who died, 71.3% of deaths were due to causes other than breast cancer or unknown causes. The comorbidity-adjusted life expectancy (CALE) showed partial prognostic accuracy. CALE, Charlson and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group tools all showed discriminatory value.ConclusionIn this population-based series of older patients with breast cancer, showing high levels of primary and adjuvant treatment, patients were more likely to die of causes other than breast cancer. Performance status and comorbidity tools showed prognostic and discriminatory potential in this population supporting their use in treatment decision making. CALE showed the most potential to improve treatment decisions but requires validation in this population to improve prognostic accuracy.