Surgical treatment of minimal breast carcinoma]

The surgical approach to minimal breast cancer is still under discussion. In fact by the term "minimal" three lesions are meant, namely "lobular carcinoma in situ", "intraductal carcinoma" and invasive "microcarcinoma". It is really difficult to indicate appropriate treatment for these tumors, also because the series reported in the literature are few and represented by a small number of cases. The present paper is a critical review of the literature on the subject. According to the most recent view lobular carcinoma in situ and intraductal carcinoma demand for radical surgery (total mastectomy) due to the high percentage of multicentricity and bilaterality of these lesions. More particularly with regard to lobular carcinoma in situ recent reports claim for a "wait and see" policy which is gaining favour, on the ground that the risk of developing invasive cancer in women with lobular carcinoma in situ is not so high and that the period of time between diagnosis of the lobular carcinoma and the development of the invasive cancer is usually very long. On the other side, for intraductal carcinoma, axillary dissection seems to be pleonastic due to the low percentage of secondary deposits in axillary lymph-nodes (1-3%) in women operated on for intraductal carcinoma. Invasive microcardinomas, less than 5 mm in diameter, should be considered as T1N0 tumors; actually there is no reason to treat them by a more conservative surgery than is done for T1N0 cancers, as they present the same involvement of the axillary lymph nodes. In a small series of 38 microcarcinoma observed at the Milan Cancer Institut N+ cases were 27%.     

Mammographically detected duct carcinoma in situ. Frequency of local recurrence following tylectomy and prognostic effect of nuclear grade on local recurrence

Seventy-nine patients with mammographically detected foci of duct carcinoma in situ (DCIS) of histologically confirmed extents of 25 mm or less, were treated by tylectomy without irradiation or axillary dissection. Adequacy of excision was confirmed histologically, by radiographic-pathologic correlation and by postoperative mammographic examination. Eight patients (10.1%) have recurred locally in the immediate vicinity of the biopsy site. Four patients developed recurrent in situ disease identified mammographically, and all were initially treated by reexcision. One of these patients subsequently elected to undergo mastectomy; no residual in situ or invasive disease was detected in the breast or in axillary lymph nodes. Four patients developed recurrent invasive disease; 50% of these recurrences were detected mammographically. All patients were treated by mastectomy with node dissection. Three had confirmed minimal invasive carcinomas and were N0, one patient had a 13-mm invasive lobular carcinoma with a single Group I micrometastasis. All patients, including those treated for a recurrence, are presently free of disease but three patients died of heart disease. Nuclear grade would appear to identify subsets of DCIS more likely to produce local failure after tylectomy alone. Duct carcinoma in situ with high-grade nuclear morphology and comedo-type necrosis was associated with a 19% local recurrence rate after an average interval of 26 months; only one of ten patients with intermediate-grade DCIS developed a local recurrence at 87 months; and none of 33 patients with DCIS of micropapillary/nonnecrotic cribriform type and low-grade nuclear morphology developed local recurrence in the follow-up period.     

Survival in bilateral breast cancer

The presence of bilateral invasive breast cancer places the patient in a state of double jeopardy. At Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, the overall 10-year recurrence rate for unilateral Stage I breast cancer was 16%, whereas the recurrence rate for simultaneous, bilateral Stage I breast carcinoma was 29%: almost twice as high. The average 10-year survival of all patients with negative axillary nodes was 57%. In this retrospective analysis of 403 patients with bilateral primary operable breast cancer treated at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, significant differences were noted in the disease-free survival between patients with bilateral noninvasive cancer, bilateral invasive cancer, and the combination of invasive and in situ cancers. Bilateral intraductal cancer and lobular carcinoma in situ offered an excellent prognosis. The combination of preinvasive cancer on one side and infiltrating carcinoma on the other had the next best survival. The in situ lesion, when treated by mastectomy, did not alter the patients' life expectancy from that of the general population with unilateral breast cancer, thus indicating that surgeons should strive to detect breast cancer in its preinvasive form. The 5- and 10-year relapse-free survival of patients with bilateral invasive disease, regardless of axillary nodal status and tumor size, was 60% and 51%, respectively, for patients with a bilateral presentation and 54% and 38%, respectively, for carcinomas presenting metachronously. More important in determining prognosis, however, was the number of axillary nodes involved and the level of involvement. Invasion of bilateral axillary nodes at all levels predicted a poor prognosis. Because of this shortened survival, systemic adjuvant therapy should be considered for patients with bilateral invasive disease. The most common preinvasive breast cancer was lobular carcinoma in situ and the most frequently invasive tumor was infiltrating duct cancer. Since a contralateral breast cancer at the time of definitive treatment of the first side does not always present as a mass or with positive mammography, a random biopsy of the second breast is recommended. This should be done in the upper, outer quadrant and should include the subareolar area. With prompt adequate treatment, it is expected that survival from bilateral breast cancer should improve.     

Preoperative localization and surgical approach in 344 cases of non-palpable breast lesions

From June 1985 to August 1989, 344 cases of mammographic non-palpable breast lesions were operated on at the National Cancer Institute in Milan. The mammographic findings consisted of clusters of microcalcifications in 162 cases (42.1%), suspicious opacities with irregular borders in 116 cases (37.7%) and opacities containing microcalcifications in 66 cases (19.2%). The mean age of the patients was 51 years (range 31-77 years). In all patients localization was performed 1 day before the operation, introducing a self-retaining anchor wire into the mammary parenchyma. The histological findings showed benign breast disease in 184 cases (53.4%); proliferative dysplasia without atypia in 150 cases (81.5%); proliferative dysplasia with atypia in 22 cases (12%); fibroadenoma in nine and papilloma in three cases. Of 160 patients with carcinoma, 37 had non-infiltrating carcinoma: 28 of these cases (17.5%) had non-infiltrating ductal carcinoma and nine cases (5.6%) had lobular carcinoma in situ. In the 123 cases with infiltrating breast cancer the histological types were ductal infiltrating carcinoma (32.5%), lobular infiltrating carcinoma (9.8%), and 34.1% of the cases an associated or prevalent intraductal carcinoma was found. In 138 cases (85.6%) a conservative surgical procedure (quadrantectomy or more limited excision) was done, and in 22 (14.4%) cases a total mastectomy was necessary because of the extent of the disease. Axillary dissection was performed in 116 of the 123 patients with histological invasive carcinoma. Nodal metastases were found in 24 cases (20.7%), and only one node was involved in nine of the cases (37.5%), two to three nodes in nine cases (37.5%) and four to ten nodes in six cases (25%).     

Biopsy results of new calcifications in the postirradiated breast

A breast biopsy was performed in 19 patients for the finding of new mammographic calcifications without an associated palpable or mammographic mass after breast-conserving surgery and definitive irradiation for early stage breast cancer. The interval postradiotherapy was 9 to 96 months with a median of 34 months. Eleven of the biopsy specimens (58%) were positive for recurrent breast cancer and eight (42%) were negative. The pathologic results from the positive biopsy specimens showed four with invasive ductal carcinoma, two with microinvasive ductal carcinoma, four with intraductal carcinoma, and one with lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS). Treatment consisted of mastectomy in eight patients, mastectomy plus chemotherapy in one patient, and biopsy for the patient with LCIS. One patient refused a recommended mastectomy. All 11 patients with recurrent carcinoma are alive with no evidence of disease after salvage therapy, although follow-up is short (median, 14 months; range, 0-48 months). Calcifications which developed in a quadrant different from the initial tumor tended to be malignant with four of five having a positive biopsy result. Microcalcifications were not commonly associated with the initial tumor with only five of 19 having microcalcifications. These results show that the development of new calcifications in the postirradiated breast is associated with a positive biopsy rate of 58% and that the tumors which are found tend to be early and potentially salvageable. The positive biopsy rate of 58% in the postirradiated breast is in marked contrast to the lower positive biopsy rate for microcalcifications in the nonirradiated breast as reported in the literature.     

Cystic hypersecretory hyperplasia and cystic hypersecretory duct carcinoma of the breast. Pathology, therapy, and follow-up of 39 patients

The study documented in this article was performed to define the clinical and morphologic features of cystic hypersecretory carcinoma (CHC) and cystic hypersecretory hyperplasia (CHH) of the breast. Both lesions are characterized by the formation of cystically dilated ducts containing a homogeneous eosinophilic secretion that resembles thyroid colloid. In most cases CHC features micropapillary intraductal carcinoma, occasionally giving rise to a high-grade, invasive carcinoma that is absent from CHH. Electron microscopy of the cystic component in one case of CHC showed ultrastructural characteristics of metabolically active cells, but few secretory granules. Twenty-nine patients with CHC were observed for up to 23 years. Twenty-five women who had intraductal carcinoma were well or died of other causes. Of the four patients who had invasive carcinoma, one died 9 months after being diagnosed as having systemic metastases, and the other three remained disease-free. Ten cases of CHH were reviewed; follow-up information was available for eight patients for up to 5 years. Six women were alive and well. One woman died of contralateral invasive carcinoma, and a second was well having had a modified radical mastectomy for a separate, coexisting intraductal carcinoma in the same breast. These findings indicate that intraductal CHC has the same low-grade clinical course as other forms of intraductal carcinoma. Because invasive carcinoma arising in this setting appears to be histologically high-grade, it is important to recognize and promptly treat the lesion while still in its in situ phase. Foci with the appearance of CHH may be found in CHC, but in this study progression from CHH to CHC was not observed. A thorough histological examination is needed to distinguish between CHC and CHH. Lesions judged to be CHH are adequately treated by wide excision. Additional long-term, follow-up studies will be necessary to define the precancerous potential of CHH.     

Evolving concepts in the management of lobular neoplasia

Lobular neoplasia broadly defines the spectrum of changes within the lobule, ranging from atypical lobular hyperplasia (ALH) to lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS). This continuum of lesions is associated with an increased risk for developing subsequent invasive breast cancer, with the magnitude of that risk corresponding to the degree of proliferative change. The associated risk for developing invasive breast cancer after a diagnosis of lobular neoplasia is multicentric, bilateral, and equal in both breasts. Lobular neoplasia itself may transform into invasive carcinoma, although the frequency of this occurrence is unknown. Thus, lobular neoplasia is a risk factor for invasive breast cancer and may be a precursor lesion in unusual circumstances. The management of ALH and LCIS depends on the setting in which they are encountered. When ALH and LCIS are diagnosed after core needle breast biopsy, wire localization for surgical excision is required for definitive diagnosis because rates of histologic underestimation approach those of atypical ductal hyperplasia (ADH). When diagnosed on surgical biopsy, ALH and LCIS generally do not require further intervention, even when present at a surgical margin. However, bilateral breast cancer risk must be considered, especially when patients have a family history of breast cancer. In selected situations, bilateral prophylactic mastectomy with or without reconstruction may be considered when atypical hyperplasia or LCIS is diagnosed. Although this reduces risk for developing subsequent breast carcinoma by 90%, patients selected for prophylactic mastectomy represent a small subgroup of lobular neoplasia patients and generally have other risk factors, such as strong family history or evidence of genetic predisposition.     

The problem of carcinoma developing in a fibroadenoma: recent experience at Memorial Hospital.

Fourteen new cases of unsuspected carcinoma developing in fibroadenomas are reported with a detailed analysis of their preoperative findings; histopathology, the results of varying surgical procedures and a three month to twenty-six year follow-up. The majority of lesions were lobular carcinoma in situ (71%) and 29% of all cases were found to have carcinoma of the contralateral breast. Our study suggests that for invasive carcinoma within a fibroadenoma complete mastectomy is warranted in virtually all instances while noninvasive disease treated by complete mastectomy is essentially curative. Contralateral breast biopsy at the time of diagnosis with a careful life-time follow-up are appropriate because of the high risk of contralateral invasive coarcinoma. There seemed to be no evidence of striking or unusual epithelial hyperplasia in the breast tissue adjacent to fibroadenomas that contained carcinoma suggesting that the carcinomas are not intrinsically different from those not related to fibroadenomas.     

A comparison of the results of long-term follow-up for atypical intraductal hyperplasia and intraductal hyperplasia of the breast

Follow-up information was obtained on 199 women with breast biopsy specimens containing intraductal epithelial proliferation. The proliferations were divided into regular or ordinary intraductal hyperplasia (IDH) (117 cases) and atypical intraductal hyperplasia (AIDH) (82 cases). The average length of follow-up was 14 years for the patients with IDH and 12.4 years for the patients with AIDH. Of the 117 patients with ordinary IDH, carcinoma subsequently developed in six (5%); three of these were invasive carcinomas (2.6%). All three invasive carcinomas were in the ipsilateral breast, but of the three intraductal carcinomas (IDCa), two were in the contralateral breast. Of the 82 patients with AIDH, invasive carcinoma subsequently developed in eight (9.8%); six of these were located in the ipsilateral breast and two in the contralateral breast. One of these six patients died of disseminated carcinoma. The average interval to the subsequent carcinoma (intraductal and invasive carcinoma) was about the same in the two groups (8.3 years for AIDH and 8.8 years for IDH lacking atypia). When considering only subsequent invasive carcinomas, the interval was 8.3 years for the AIDH and 14.3 years for the IDH lacking atypia. Of the 14 patients with IDH and a family history of breast carcinoma, invasive carcinoma subsequently developed in one (7%) as compared with two (2%) of the 91 with a negative family history. Among patients with AIDH, invasive carcinoma subsequently developed in two of the 13 (15%) of those with a family history of breast carcinoma as compared with one of 57 (1.8%) of the women with a negative family history. The presence of atypia in epithelial hyperplasia is a significant factor in increasing the likelihood of the development of subsequent invasive carcinoma (P = 0.03; two-tailed test). Of women with AIDH, invasive carcinoma subsequently developed in 17% of those with sclerosing adenosis (SA) as compared with 4.2% of those without it. Therefore, SA may be a contributing factor to increased risk. A positive family history also appears to increase the likelihood of the subsequent development of invasive carcinoma, particularly in patients with AIDH.     

Synchronous,bilateral mastectomy

Sixty-four patients (mean age, 51 years) had mastectomies which were synchronous and bilateral. Sixty-one premastectomy biopsies (bilateral, 34 and unilateral, 27) demonstrated the following: invasive carcinoma, 17; noninvasive carcinoma, 24; combination of above, 10; and benign disease, 10. Twenty-two patients had bilateral mastectomy because of bilateral positive biopsy. Twenty-nine patients with unilateral carcinoma on biopsy had bilateral mastectomy. Thirteen patients had bilateral mastectomy despite benign disease only on biopsy (10) or no biopsy (3). Ten unexpected carcinomas (34%) were found in the contralateral breast in the 29 patients with carcinoma diagnosed on unilateral biopsy. The biopsy pathology of these 10 spicemens was invasive ductal carcinoma in 1 and multifocal, noninvasive carcinoma(ductal, 3 and lobular, 6) in 9. An unexpected carcinoma may be found in the contralateral breast in a significant number of patients who are selected for bilateral mastectomy, particularly if the selection is on the basis of a noninvasive, lobular histology. Bilateral mastectomy may be appropriate for such patients, particularly when complicated by a strong family history and breasts which are difficult to assess by physical or mammographic examination.     

The evaluation of high risk and pre-invasive breast lesions and the decision process for follow up and surgical intervention

Atypical epithelial hyperplasia, lobular carcinoma in situ (lobular neoplasia), radial scar, and ductal carcinoma in situ are considered high-risk lesions that predispose toward the future development of non-invasive or invasive breast cancer. Generally, those women with atypical epithelial hyperplasia, radial scar, or lobular carcinoma in situ can be managed conservatively by close surveillance. The minority of women may consider prophylactic mastectomy. Ductal carcinoma in situ can usually be managed by lumpectomy with or without radiation, with some patients requiring mastectomy due to extensive disease.     

A case of recurrent invasive lobular carcinoma of the breast found as metastasis to the duodenum

A 57-year-old woman underwent modified radical mastectomy for cancer of the left breast (stage IIB) in February 2004. Invasive lobular carcinoma was diagnosed on histopathological examination. The patient received postoperative chemotherapy and endocrine therapy on an outpatient basis and was observed. In August 2005, anorexia developed. Blood chemical tests showed elevated levels of liver enzymes and bilirubin. Computed tomography (CT) of the abdomen revealed an enlarged duodenum and dilated intrahepatic biliary and pancreatic ducts. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy showed edema of the duodenum. A biopsy yielded a diagnosis of poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma. Duodenal carcinoma was suspected, and a pancreatoduodenectomy was performed. Duodenal metastasis from invasive lobular carcinoma was diagnosed on postoperative histopathological examination. After surgery, the patient recovered uneventfully and was discharged from the hospital. In March 2006, bilateral hydronephrosis apparently caused by peritoneal metastasis developed, and she subsequently died. Invasive lobular carcinoma is characterized by the development of gastrointestinal metastases and is rarely detected before autopsy. We describe our experience with a patient in whom invasive lobular carcinoma of the breast with metastasis to the duodenal wall was definitively diagnosed on laparotomy.     

Clinicopathological features of gastric metastasis from breast cancer in three cases

The common sites for metastases from breast cancer are lymph nodes, bone, lung, liver, and brain. Gastrointestinal (GI) metastasis is rarely found or diagnosed in patients with breast cancer. This report presents three cases of gastric metastasis from breast cancer. Case 1 was a 42-year-old female diagnosed with gastric metastasis after mastectomy with axillary lymph node dissection for invasive lobular carcinoma of the left breast. Case 2 was a 54-year-old female who was diagnosed to have invasive lobular carcinoma of the left breast with systemic bone and gastric metastasis. Case 3 was a 54-year-old female who was diagnosed to have bilateral invasive ductal carcinoma of the breast with simultaneous bone and gastric metastasis. The immunohistochemical statuses for estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, mammaglobin, and gross cystic disease fluid protein-15 (GCDFP-15) between the primary and gastric metastatic lesions were all well matched. All three cases were treated with systemic chemotherapy, hormone therapy or both, without surgical intervention for gastric lesions. Two patients with disseminated disease died 27 and 58 months after diagnosis of gastric metastasis, while one patient without organ metastasis is still alive at 56 months after diagnosis. It is important to make a correct diagnosis by distinguishing gastric metastasis from breast cancer in order to select the optimal initial treatment for systemic disease of breast cancer.     

Clinicopathological Characteristics of Primary Breast Cancer in Older Geriatric Women: A Study of 39 Japanese Patients over 80 Years Old

The number of primary breast cancers occurring in elderly women is increasing in Japan. Optimization of treatment regimens in this age group requires precise evaluation of the biological aggressiveness of these tumors as well as the performance status and extent of tumor spread. In 39 breast cancer patients who were at least 80 years old, we examined several parameters; the form of surgical therapy, the lymph node status, presence or absence of distant metastases, the histological type and grade of atypia, and overexpression of the c-erbB-2 oncoprotein in the cancer cells. They were correlated with the clinical outcome of the patient. Of the 33 patients who underwent a mastectomy and axillary lymph node dissection, five died from cancer recurrence. Only one out of 22 patients without lymph node metastases died from cancer, while four out of the eight patients with metastases to three or more lymph nodes died from cancer recurrence within 2.7 years of surgery. The overall survival curves also differed between patients with low-risk histological tumors or grade 1 or 2 invasive ductal carcinoma and those with grade 3 invasive dnctal/lobular carcinoma. Overexpression of c-erbB-2 also affected survival. Regional recurrence occurred in three out of the six patients for whom only lumpectomy or simple mastectomy was performed. These results indicate that, although primary breast cancer occurring in patients over 80 years old was largely of low-grade malignancy, patients with three or more lymph node metastases, invasive ductal/lobular carcinomas of grade 3, or c-erbB-2 overexpression frequently exhibited an aggressive clinical course.     

C-erbB-2 oncogene protein in in situ and invasive lobular breast neoplasia.

Lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) has uncertain malignant potential; biologic markers that will identify patients at risk for a poor clinical outcome have been sought actively. Amplification of the c-erbB-2 protooncogene has been correlated with poor prognosis in invasive mammary carcinoma, and immunohistochemical evaluation for expression of the oncogene protein has been correlated with gene amplification. The authors retrospectively evaluated 62 cases of lobular neoplasia for expression of the c-erbB-2 gene product on formalin-fixed, deparaffinized sections, using two monoclonal anti-erbB-2 (p185) antibodies (c-neu Ab3 and m-erb) and one polyclonal anti-erbB-2 antibody (pAb 1) by the avidin-biotin-peroxidase method. All 62 cases were negative with the pAb 1 antibody; one of 62 cases was weakly positive with the c-neu Ab3 in a membranous pattern. Expression of c-erbB-2 gene product was identified on adjacent invasive ductal carcinoma in one case and in adjacent ductal carcinoma in situ in another. None of 15 cases if infiltrating lobular carcinoma was positive with either of the two anti-c-erbB-2 antibodies. Strong positivity was found on benign epithelium in one case, demonstrating epitheliosis. In summary, evidence of expression of the c-erbB-2 gene product was found in one of 57 cases of LCIS and none of 15 cases of invasive lobular carcinoma. This suggests that, in contrast to reported data concerning intraductal and invasive ductal carcinoma, c-erbB-2 oncogene amplification and/or overexpression does not play a significant role in the progression of lobular breast neoplasia.     

Intraductal carcinoma of the breast (208 cases). Clinical factors influencing treatment choice

Two hundred eight cases of intraductal breast carcinoma (DCIS) were selectively treated; 97 with mastectomy, 96 with radiation therapy, and 15 using excisional biopsy only. Mastectomy patients tended to have larger tumors, involved biopsy margins, palpable and often multifocal tumors. Breast preservation patients tended to have smaller, often occult, tumors with clear surgical margins. Before 1983, mastectomy was more common; during and after 1983, breast preservation was more common. Comedocarcinomas were the most frequent tumors. They were the largest, had the highest percentage of microinvasion (20%), and had the highest recurrence rate (8%). Noncomedo DCIS had a recurrence rate of 1%, one of 103 tumors. The recurrence rate for comedocarcinomas treated with radiation therapy was nearly three times higher than for those treated with mastectomy (11% versus 4%). One of 164 (0.6%) axillary lymph node dissections yielded positive nodes. Nine patients have recurred: two in the mastectomy group and seven in the breast conservation group (P less than 0.1). Eight of nine recurrences were the comedo subtype (P less than 0.05). Three patients developed metastatic disease, two of whom have died. Axillary dissection for intraductal carcinoma of the breast is unlikely to yield involved nodes and is not indicated for most cases. It should be reserved for lesions revealing microinvasion. Conservative therapy for comedocarcinoma must be viewed with caution.     

Breast carcinoma in situ in 167 women--incidence, mode of presentation, therapy and follow-up.

In the city of Malm?, in southern Sweden, 1693 women were diagnosed as having breast carcinoma during 1976 through 1984. Of these, 167 women had pure in situ breast carcinoma (9.9%). One hundred and thirty-two had ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) alone or in combination with lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS), intracystic carcinoma and/or Paget's disease of the nipple. Thirty-three had pure LCIS and two had pure intracystic carcinomas. The incidence of breast carcinoma in situ (CIS) in women 20 years of age or older was 18.7 per 10(5) woman years with high rates of DCIS for all ages above 40, whereas a decline in incidence rate was seen for LCIS in the postmenopausal age groups. The ratio of DCIS to LCIS was 4:1. Of the 132 patients with DCIS, 46% were asymptomatic and were diagnosed by mammography, 35% presented with clinical symptoms, and 19% of the cases were incidental findings in breasts operated on for benign lesions. Mammography had been performed on all patients with DCIS and contributed to diagnosis in 75%. Sixty-one per cent of all DCIS lesions had microcalcifications suspicious for carcinoma. Eighty-nine of 132 patients with DCIS underwent fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) before surgical biopsy. FNAB was suspicious or diagnostic for carcinoma in 57/89 (64%). Of 33 cases with LCIS all but one were incidental findings. In one of 28 cases with LCIS examined by mammography there was suspicion of carcinoma. Sixteen per cent of the patients with DCIS were treated by a breast-conserving operation (BCO), the remaining patients by mastectomy (ME) (52%) or subcutaneous mastectomy (SCM) (33%) with immediate reconstruction. Thirty-three per cent of the patients with LCIS were treated by BCO, the remaining patients by ME (18%) or SCM (49%) with immediate reconstruction. Only one patient had radiotherapy postoperatively. In 60% of all CIS cases where an excisional biopsy had been performed there were further foci of CIS in the final ME/SCM specimen. After a median follow-up of 7 years for the DCIS group, three patients out of 21 treated by BCO had invasive carcinoma appearing ipsilaterally. They were alive and without symptoms of recurrent disease 2.5 to 6 years following further surgery. One patient treated by SCM died from generalized ductal breast carcinoma. In the LCIS group (median follow-up 8 years) one patient out of 11 had an invasive tubular carcinoma diagnosed 4 years after BCO. Eight years later she was alive and well after bilateral SCM.     

Prophylactic Mastectomy in Patients at High Risk: Is There a Role for Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy?

IntroductionProphylactic mastectomy (PM) rates in the United States are rising due to determination of increased Gail risk, moderate-high risk lesions, a strong family history, and gene mutation carriers. The role of sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) in PM remains controversial. This report sought to examine clinical utility of SLNB in PM.MethodsA total of 292 patients underwent bilateral or contralateral PM (1999-2011). SLNB was performed on the PM side in 195 (66.7%) patients with standard techniques. Clinicopathologic data were analyzed for the incidence of occult cancer in prophylactic breast and/or axilla. Univariate analysis was used to determine factors that predict SLN positivity.ResultsThe median patient age was 49 years (range, 19-79 years). Contralateral invasive breast cancer (64.7%) was the most common indication for PM. A total of 209 (71.5%) invasive breast cancer and 49 (16.7%) in situ cancers (n = 38 ductal carcinoma in situ, n = 10 lobular carcinoma in situ) were identified on the therapeutic mastectomy side, with a median tumor size of 1.5 cm. 58.6% were estrogen receptor positive and 4.7% were multicentric. Three (1%) ductal carcinoma in situ, 4 (1.3%) lobular carcinoma in situ, and 5 (1.7%) atypical ductal, and 1 (0.3%) lobular hyperplasia were identified in PM breast. No invasive breast cancer or positive SLN was identified in PM breast and/or axilla.ConclusionAlthough a minimally invasive procedure, the utility of SLNB in patients with absent or contralateral early disease is limited. Advanced T stage, multicentricity, or receptor status on the therapeutic side or a finding of in situ or atypical hyperplasia in prophylactic breast specimen yielded no positive SLN. Routine SLNB in pure bilateral PM can safely be omitted, which reduces axillary morbidity and operative time and/or cost. Selective use of SLNB for contralateral recurrent and/or locally advanced cancers warrants further investigation.     

Clinical management of minimal breast cancer

Minimal breast cancer includes three different entities: lobular carcinoma in situ, noninfiltrating intraductal carcinoma, and invasive carcinoma less than 0.5 cm. The common feature is their small dimensions and the fact that they are often clinically occult. For lobular carcinoma in situ the risk of developing an invasive carcinoma varies from seven to nine times compared with the general population and a careful follow-up of the patients with frequent mammograms is therefore suggested. Intraductal noninfiltrating carcinoma should be locally treated as an invasive carcinoma of small size, and therefore an extensive mammary resection like the quadrantectomy, plus radiotherapy is the recommended form of treatment, while the axillary dissection may be avoided. Finally, small invasive carcinomas should be treated with conservative procedures, including a total axillary dissection.     

Recommendations for women with lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS)

Atypical lobular hyperplasia (ALH) and lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) represent a spectrum of breast disease referred to as "lobular neoplasia" (LN). Although LN occurs relatively infrequently, it is associated with an increased risk of breast cancer, ranging from a three- to four-fold increased risk with ALH up to an eight- to ten-fold increased risk with LCIS. Initially regarded as a direct precursor to invasive lobular carcinoma, LCIS used to be treated by mastectomy. Subsequent studies demonstrating that the risk of invasive disease was conferred bilaterally and that subsequent cancers were of both the ductal and lobular phenotype led to the acceptance of LCIS as a marker of increased risk rather than a true precursor. Today, a diagnosis of LCIS remains one of the greatest identifiable risk factors for the subsequent development of breast cancer. As such, patients are offered one of three options: (1) lifelong surveillance with the goal of detecting subsequent malignancy at an early stage; (2) chemoprevention; or (3) bilateral prophylactic mastectomy. Paralleling changes in the management of invasive breast cancer, trends in the management of LCIS have moved toward more conservative management. However, we have made little progress in understanding the biology of LCIS and therefore remain unable to truly optimize recommendations for individual patients.