Breast-conserving therapy for ductal carcinoma in situ: a 20-year experience with excision plus radiation therapy

BACKGROUND: Breast conservation therapy is a practical alternative to mastectomy for the treatment of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). The role of radiation therapy after excision for DCIS has been debated, however, its value in reducing recurrence has been proven by multiple prospective randomized trials and is well accepted. METHODS: We examined a prospective database of 260 patients treated for DCIS with excision and radiation from 1979 to 2002. Two different treatment regimens were examined for local recurrence-free survival. Patients treated with radiation therapy 4 days per week were compared with patients treated 5 days per week. The total doses were similar for both groups; boost types differed. Local recurrence as a function of other factors, including nuclear grade, comedonecrosis, and margin width was evaluated. RESULTS: The median time to local recurrence was 61 months for patients treated 4 days per week compared with 52 months for patients treated 5 days per week (P = not significant). There was no statistical difference in the Kaplan-Meier detailing the probability of local recurrence-free survival for patients treated 4 days per week versus patients treated 5 days per week. Overall, cosmetic results between the two groups were equivalent. CONCLUSIONS: The comparison of two different radiation treatment regimens shows no difference in local disease-free survival or cosmetic result.     

Multidisciplinary management of ductal carcinoma in situ: a 10-year experience

BACKGROUND: Two ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) treatment controversies are (1) what is the preferred margin for patients undergoing lumpectomy plus radiation, and (2) is there a subgroup that can be safely treated with lumpectomy alone? A multidisciplinary team was established to evaluate these issues. METHODS: Patients with DCIS who were candidates for breast-conservation were divided into 2 groups. Group 1 had a minimum 5-mm margin and received radiation, and group 2 had a minimum 10-mm margin and received no radiation. RESULTS: One hundred fifty-two patients (153 cancers) met the inclusion criteria. The median follow-up was 8.2 years. Overall, there were 6 recurrences (3.92%); 1 of 71 recurred in group 1 (1.40%), and 5 of 82 recurred in group 2 (6.01%). CONCLUSION: Five-millimeter margins plus radiation results in low rates of recurrence. A subgroup of DCIS patients can be identified in which radiation can be safely avoided. The multidisciplinary team approach to managing DCIS enhances the potential for improved outcomes.     

Not everyone with ductal carcinoma in situ of the breast treated with breast preservation needs post-excisional radiation therapy

While the results of NSABP protocol B-17 and EORTC protocol 10853 prove that radiation therapy decreases the overall rate of local recurrence in patients with DCIS, there are clearly subgroups of patients who do not benefit from radiation therapy or whose benefit is so small that the addition of radiation therapy to their treatment regimen is simply not worthwhile. Identifying these subgroups is of paramount importance. Factors like tumour size, margin width, nuclear grade, and the presence or absence of comedonecrosis can be used to define favorable subgroups that do not require post-excisional radiation therapy. The most recent results of NSABP protocol B-17 and EORTC protocol 10853 confirm that, regardless of treatment, there is no difference in the single most important end-point: survival. If there is no difference in breast cancer mortality, it is clearly worthwhile to try to define the subgroups of patients who can be spared the time, costs, and side-effects of a treatment that they do not need.     

Recurrent salivary gland carcinomas treated by surgery with or without intraoperative radiation therapy

BACKGROUND: The optimal treatment for patients with locally recurrent carcinomas of the salivary glands is unclear. METHODS: Ninety-nine patients underwent salvage surgery for locally recurrent salivary gland carcinomas. Eighty-one (82%) had previously received radiation. Thirty-seven patients (37%) received intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT) to a median dose of 15 Gy (range, 12-18 Gy) at the time of salvage. RESULTS: The 1-, 3-, and 5-year estimates of local control after salvage surgery were 88%, 75%, and 69%, respectively. A Cox proportional hazard model identified positive margins (0.01) and the omission of IORT (p = .001) as independent predictors of local failure. The 5-year overall survival was 34%. Distant metastasis was the most common site of subsequent failure, occurring in 42% of patients. CONCLUSIONS: IORT significantly improves disease control for patients with locally recurrent carcinomas of the salivary glands. The high rate of distant metastasis emphasizes the need for effective systemic therapies.     

Long-term results of conservative surgery and radiotherapy for ductal carcinoma in situ using lung density correction: the University of Michigan experience

The purpose of the study was to review the treatment outcomes of 198 patients treated with breast-conserving surgery (BCS) and whole breast radiation therapy using lung density correction for ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). Between April 1985 and December 2002, 198 patients with 200 lesions diagnosed as DCIS (AJCC stage 0) were treated at the University of Michigan. All underwent BCS and whole breast radiotherapy. Median total follow-up was 6.2 years (range: 0.8-18.2). The 5- and 10-year cumulative rates of in-breast only failure were 5.9% (95% CI: 2.6-9.3%) and 9.8% (95% CI: 5.2-14.4%), respectively. Factors that significantly predicted for an increased risk of local failure were family history of breast cancer, positive or close surgical margins and age 相似文献   

Neoadjuvant hormonal therapy for ductal carcinoma in situ: Trial design and preliminary results

For some women, the treatment for ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) may be even more aggressive than treatments undertaken for early-stage invasive disease. Expectant management is not a tenable alternative, given that in a significant percentage of patients, DCIS eventually progresses to invasive cancer. Nevertheless, if this progression could be halted or reversed with primary medical therapy alone, a significant portion of the 50,000 women diagnosed with DCIS in the United States annually could potentially avoid the morbidity of surgery and radiation for this disease. The most promising therapeutic candidates in this regard are those treatments targeting hormone receptors on breast cancer cells. We have initiated a clinical trial of neoadjuvant hormonal therapy for women with hormone receptor-positive DCIS. We discuss the clinical rationale and study design for this trial and present our preliminary results.     

10-year outcome for men with localized prostate cancer treated with external radiation therapy: results of a cohort study

PURPOSE: We determine the efficacy of conventional dose, external beam radiation for localized prostate cancer using cohort analysis with maximized followup. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 205 men with T1-2 prostate cancer were treated with conventional external beam radiation to a median and modal dose of 68.4 Gy during a 16-month period from 1991 to 1993. Followup was maximized in these patients, and median followup for those alive with or without disease was 114 months. RESULTS: Median patient age at treatment was 72 years, and overall survival at 5 and 10 years was 78% and 53%, respectively. The actuarial risk of local failure was 18% at 10 years as was the risk of metastatic disease. The actuarial risk of being free of biochemical failure at 10 years (American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology definition) was 49%. That risk was 42% if the definition was used without backdating failure to a time between last low value and first increase. When a crude analysis of 10-year outcome was performed 127 of the 205 treated patients (62%) were still alive, including 59% with no evidence of biochemical failure and a median prostate specific antigen of 1.0 ng/ml. Of the 78 men (38% of total) who died during the 10 years 32 died either of or with recurrent cancer. CONCLUSIONS: Mature followup minimizes many of the biases seen in previously published radiation series. This study provides a yardstick against which newer radiation modalities may be measured.     

Invasive local recurrence increased after radiation therapy for ductal carcinoma in situ

BACKGROUND: It is thought that equal numbers of invasive and noninvasive recurrences develop after conservative treatment for ductal carcinoma in situ. We analyzed our data to see if this was true. METHODS: A prospective database of 878 conservatively treated patients with ductal carcinoma in situ was analyzed. RESULTS: Among 551 excision patients, there were 88 recurrences. Thirty-five percent were invasive. Among 327 excision plus radiotherapy patients, there were 59 recurrences. Fifty-three percent were invasive. In an attempt to predict which patients develop invasive recurrences, prolonged time to recurrence was the only statistically significant factor. CONCLUSIONS: The median time to local recurrence for irradiated patients was more than twice as long when compared with nonirradiated patients, during which there is more time for local recurrence to progress to invasion. Irradiated patients had more breast scarring, making diagnosis by palpation and mammography harder. Irradiated patients develop invasive recurrences at a statistically higher rate than nonirradiated patients. Follow-up evaluation with magnetic resonance imaging should be considered.     

Local failure and margin status in early-stage breast carcinoma treated with conservation surgery and radiation therapy.

OBJECTIVE: The authors determined whether microscopically positive surgical margins are detrimental to the outcome of early stage breast cancer patients treated with conservation surgery and radiation therapy. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: The optimal extent of breast surgery required for patients treated with conservation surgery and radiation therapy has not been established. To achieve breast preservation with good cosmesis, it is desirable to resect as little normal tissue as possible. However, it is critical that the resection does not leave behind a tumor burden that cannot be adequately managed by moderate doses of radiation. It is not known whether microscopically positive surgical margins are detrimental to patient outcome. METHODS: The records of 259 consecutive women (262 breasts) treated with local excision (complete removal of gross tumor with a margin) and axillary dissection followed by radiation therapy for clinical stage I and II infiltrating ductal breast cancer at Duke University Medical Center and the University of North Carolina between 1983 and 1988 were reviewed. Surgical margins were considered positive if tumor extended to the inked margins; otherwise the margins were considered negative. Margins that could not be determined, either because the original pathology report did not comment on margins, or because the original specimen had not been inked were called indeterminate. RESULTS: Of the 262 tumors, 32 (12%) had positive margins, 132 (50%) had negative margins, and the remaining 98 (38%) had indeterminate margins. There were 11 (4%) local failures; 3/32 (9%) from the positive margin group, 2/132 (1.5%) from the negative margin group, and 6/98 (6%) from the indeterminate group. The actuarial local failure rates at 5 years were 10%, 2%, and 10%, respectively, p = 0.014 positive vs. negative, p = 0.08 positive vs. indeterminate (log rank test). Margin status had no impact on survival or freedom from distant metastasis; 63 patients who originally had positive or indeterminate margins were re-excised. Two of 7 with positive margins after re-excision versus 1/56 rendered margin negative had a local recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: The authors recommend re-excision for patients with positive margins because of improved local control of those rendered margin negative and identification of those patients at high risk for local failure (those who remain positive after re-excision). Because margin status impacts on local control, tumor margins after conservation surgery should be accurately determined in all patients.     

Lobular carcinoma in situ: Observation without surgery as an appropriate therapy

Background: The finding of lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) in the breast has generally prompted treatment with unilateral or bilateral mastectomy. Most experts now feel that LCIS simply identifies a woman who is at high risk to develop future breast cancer and requires only close clinical and mammographic follow-up. This approach has been recommended at our institution for >15 years. This study defines the natural history of a population of women with LCIS who were treated by observation alone. Methods: Women with a pathologic diagnosis of LCIS were identified by tumor registry search. Records and pathology were reviewed. Radiographic-pathologic correlation was performed on women who had undergone mammographic-localized breast biopsies. One hundred forty-nine women with LCIS were identified. Eighty four were excluded from analysis because of synchronous invasive cancer or ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). The remaining 65 women formed the basis of this report. Results: Sixty-five women with LCIS were treated from 1963 through 1990. Median follow-up was 83 months. No women were lost to follow-up. Median age at diagnosis was 48 years (range 37–81), and 32% had a family history of breast cancer. Clinical findings leading to biopsy were breast mass in 43, nipple discharge in three, and mammographic abnormality in 19. Mammographic-pathologic correlation showed that the focus of LCIS in these 19 women was not associated with the mammographic abnormality. Fourteen of 65 women underwent mastectomy after diagnosis of LCIS (nine ipsilateral, five bilateral). Fifty-one of 65 women elected observation alone. In the observation group, 13 of 51 women (25%) underwent a second breast biopsy for a clinical or mammographic abnormality during the follow-up period. The median interval to biopsy was 50 months. Pathology was benign in two, LCIS in seven, DCIS in one, and invasive cancer in three. All seven women with LCIS on subsequent biopsy continued with observation and none developed breast cancer. All four cancers were detected by mammography without an associated palpable mass. Three of four cancer masses were <1 cm in diameter. The woman with DCIS was 47 years of age and developed DCIS 106 months after LCIS diagnosis. She was treated by total mastectomy and is disease free 108 months later. The three women with invasive cancer developed this at 41, 53, and 69 months after diagnosis of LCIS. All were <50 years of age. All three cancers were in the same breast as the previous LCIS. Two women were treated by modified radical mastectomy, and the third had wide excision/axillary dissection followed by radiation therapy. They are alive and disease-free at 16, 82, and 116 months. Conclusions: Four of 51 women treated with observation alone after diagnosis of LCIS developed breast cancer. All were detected by screening at an early stage. LCIS appeared to be an incidental finding on biopsy of mammographic abnormalities. The policy of observation alone for the finding of LCIS spares women mastectomy. Furthermore, cancers that develop in follow-up are likely to be detected at an early stage and be amenable to curative therapy. Observation alone is appropriate treatment for women with LCIS. Presented at the 46th Annual Cancer Symposium of the Society of Surgical Oncology. Los Angeles, California, March 18–21, 1993.     

Intraoperative margin assessment reduces reexcision rates in patients with ductal carcinoma in situ treated with breast-conserving surgery

BACKGROUND: Reported rates of reexcision for margin control after breast-conserving surgery for ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) range from 48% to 59%. The optimal technique for intraoperative margin assessment in patients with DCIS has yet to be defined. We sought to determine whether intraoperative multidisciplinary evaluation using gross tissue assessment and sectioned-specimen radiography reduces the need for reoperation for margin control in DCIS. METHODS: A prospectively compiled database was used to identify patients who had DCIS diagnosed by core needle biopsy and were treated with breast-conserving surgery at our institution between July 1999 and July 2002. All patients had intraoperative gross margin assessment and specimen radiography of both the whole and sliced specimen for calcifications. RESULTS: Four hundred two patients with DCIS were evaluated at our institution during the study period. Of these, 160 had excisional biopsy for diagnosis prior to referral, 92 had mastectomy as their initial procedure, 40 were seen for a second opinion only, and 1 patient refused surgery. The remaining 109 patients formed the study population. The median age was 55 years (range 34 to 81). The median pathologic size of DCIS was 1.2 cm (range 0.2 to 8.0 cm). Fifty-nine patients had positive (less than 1 mm) or close (less than 5 mm) margins on intraoperative assessment. Final pathology agreed with intraoperative assessment of a positive or close margin in 43 of the 59 patients (P = 0.00005). Seventy-five percent of those thought to have a positive or close margin at the time of surgery (n = 44) underwent intraoperative reexcision. Of the total 109 patients, 31 (34%) had an intraoperative reexcision that resulted in a change in margin status from positive on intraoperative evaluation to negative on final pathologic evaluation (P < 0.00001). A second procedure for margin control was necessary in only 24 patients (22%). The decision to excise additional tissue at the first surgery on the basis of intraoperative assessment resulted in significantly fewer second procedures for margin control (P = 0.029). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with DCIS, intraoperative margin assessment by gross pathological examination and sliced specimen radiography significantly affects intraoperative decision making, and excision of further tissue on the basis of intraoperative assessment results in a substantial decrease in second procedures for margin control.     

Breast-conserving surgery with radiation therapy for operable mammary carcinoma: A 25-year experience

This article describes the long-term results of breast-conserving treatment for 1,133 consecutive patients with operable mammary cancer treated from 1961 to 1979 by limited surgery followed by curative irradiation. Follow-up ranged from 5 to 23 years. The percentage of patients (clinical stages I and II combined) alive and well at 5, 10, and 15 years was 86%, 80%, and 62%, respectively. The percentage of cured patients having retained their treated breast was 85% at 15 years. One hundred forty-nine patients (13.2%) developed recurrence in the treated breast and 67 patients (5.9%) recurred in the axilla, most commonly in conjunction with breast failure. Ninety-one percent of the local-regional recurrences were operable, and the 5-year survival following salvage surgery was 61%. The cosmetic results of therapy were judged to be good or excellent in 70% of patients at 15 years, with 2–4% of the patients having unacceptable results. It is concluded that breast-conserving surgery followed by radiation therapy for clinical stages I and II results in survival rates equivalent to those achieved by primary radical surgery. This method allows reliable local-regional disease control while permitting the majority of patients to retain their breasts in an esthetically acceptable condition. In contrast to recurrences after radical surgery, local-regional recurrences after conservative therapy can be successfully treated by further surgery.

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Resumen Se presentan los resultados a largo plazo del tratamiento conservador de seno en 1,133 pacientes consecutivas con cáncer mamario operable manejadas desde 1961 hasta 1979 mediante cirugía limitada seguida de radioterapia curativa. El seguimiento osciló entre 5 y 23 años. Los porcentajes de pacientes (estados clínicos I y II combinados) que sobreviven y que se hallan libres de enfermedad a los 5, 10, y 15 años son 86%, 80%, y 62%, respectivamente. El porcentaje de pacientes curados que conservan su seno fue de 85% a 15 años. Ciento cuarenta y nueve pacientes (13.2%) desarrollaron recurrencia en el seno tratado y 67 pacientes (5.9%) padecieron recidiva en la axila homolateral, muy a menudo asociada con fracaso mamario. Noventa y uno porciento de las recidivas loco-regionales fueron óperables, y la tasa de sobrevida a 5 años después de cirugia secundaria fue de 61%. Los resultados estéticos del tratamiento combinado fueron juzgados como buenos o excelentes en 70% de las pacientes a 15 años con 2–4% de las pacientes con resultados estéticamente inaceptables. Se puede concluír que la cirugía conservadora de seno seguida de radioterapia para los carcinomas mamarios en estados I y II logra resultados equivalentes a los que se obtienen con cirugía radical primaria. Este método hace posible un control confiable de la enfermedad loco-regional, permitiendo al mismo tiempo a la mayoría de las pacientes el conservar sus senos en condición estéticamente aceptable. En contraste con las recurrencias después de cirugia radical, las recurrencias que se presentan después del tratamiento conservador pueden ser exitosamente tratadas con cirugía adicional.

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Résumé Cet article fait état des résultats éloignés du traitement conservateur de 1,133 patientes consécutives traitées pour cancer du sein opérable entre 1961 et 1979 par chirurgie première limitée suivie de radiothérapie curative, avec surveillance de 5 à 23 ans. Les pourcentages de patientes (stades I et II confondus) vivantes sans maladie visible à 5, 10, et 15 ans sont, respectivement, de 86%, 80%, and 62%. Cent quarante-neuf patientes (13.2%) présentèrent des récidives dans le sein traité et 67 patientes (5.9%) récidivèrent dans l'aisselle homolatérale, le plus souvent en association avec un échec mammaire. Quatre-vingt-onze pourcent de ces récidives loco-régionales furent opérables et le taux de survie après chirurgie de sauvetage a été de 61% à 5 ans. Les résultats cosmétiques du traitement combiné sont jugés bon ou excellent chez 70% des patientes traitées depuis 15 ans, avec 2 à 4% de résultats inesthétiques. En conclusion, la chirurgie conservatrice suivie de radiothérapie curative pour les cancers du sein stades I et II donne des résultats de survie équivalents à ceux obtenus par la chirurgie radicale première. La méthode fournit un contrôle loco-régional valable du cancer tout en permettant à la majorité des femmes de conserver leurs seins dans des conditions esthétiques acceptables. Contrairement aux récidives locales après chirurgie radicale, celles survenues après traitements conservateurs peuvent Être traitées avec succès par chirurgies secondaires.

     

Breast-conserving surgery with or without irradiation in women with invasive ductal carcinoma of the breast receiving preoperative systemic therapy: A cohort study

PurposeTo investigate the outcomes of adjuvant whole breast radiation therapy (WBRT) in patients with invasive ductal carcinoma of the breast (breast IDC) receiving preoperative systemic therapy (PST) and breast-conserving surgery (BCS), and their prognostic factors, considering overall survival (OS), locoregional recurrence (LRR), distant metastasis (DM), and disease-free survival.Patients and methodsPatients diagnosed as having breast IDC and receiving PST followed by BCS were recruited and categorized by treatment into non-breast radiation therapy [BRT] (control) and WBRT (case) groups, respectively. Cox regression analysis was used to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) and confidence intervals (CIs).ResultsMultivariate Cox regression analyses indicated that non-BRT, cN3, and pathologic residual tumor (ypT2–4) or nodal (ypN2–3) stages were poor prognostic factors for OS. The adjusted HRs (aHRs; 95% CIs) of the WBRT group to non-BRT group for all-cause mortality were 0.14 (0.03–0.81), 0.32 (0.16–0.64), 0.43 (0.23–0.79), 0.23 (0.13–0.42), 0.52 (0.20–1.33), and 0.34 (0.13–0.87) in the ypT0, ypT1, ypT2–4, ypN0, ypN1, and ypN2–3 stages, respectively. The aHRs (95% CIs) of the WBRT group to non-BRT group for all-cause mortality were 0.09 (0.00–4.07), 0.46 (0.26–0.83), 0.18 (0.06–0.51), 0.28 (0.06–1.34), 0.25 (0.10–0.63), 0.47 (0.23–0.88), and 0.32 in the cT0–1, cT2, cT3, cT4, cN0, cN1, and cN2–3 stages, respectively. The WBRT group exhibited significantly better LRR-free and DM-free survival than the non-BRT group, regardless of the clinical T or N stage or pathologic response after PST.ConclusionWBRT might lead to superior OS and LRR-free and DM-free survival compared with the non-BRT group, regardless of the initial clinical TN stage or pathologic response.     

The value of follow-up of patients with early breast cancer treated with conservative surgery and radiation therapy

A retrospective study of 438 women with Stage I or II breast cancer who were treated with conservation therapy and followed in accordance with a 'minimal' follow-up programme was conducted to identify a follow-up schedule to optimize detection of salvageable recurrence and/or contralateral new primary breast cancer, and to rationalize cost. Data from 104 women were used to establish the cost of detecting a salvageable event and to model the efficacy of 13 theoretical follow-up schedules. Among women followed for 5 years, 21% relapsed, and 19% of recurrences were salvageable. Only 0.1% of 1294 follow-up visits resulted in the detection of a salvageable event, at an average cost per woman of A $802. A simulated follow-up programme involving monthly visits for 5 years, costing A $3870 per woman, was the most successful in facilitating the detection of a salvageable recurrence but was also prohibitively expensive. Three-monthly visits for 4 years and 12-monthly for 1 year was more efficacious, but a better understanding of the psychosocial impact and patients' preferences for follow-up is required before any programme is implemented.     

Cardiac morbidity and mortality in women with ductal carcinoma in situ of the breast treated with breast conservation therapy

Left-sided breast irradiation has been associated with increased risk of cardiac morbidity and mortality in some studies. This study examines the cardiac toxicity of irradiation in left- versus right-sided patients with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). The medical records of 129 patients with DCIS treated with breast conservation therapy (BCT) at the Moffitt Cancer Center from 1986 to 2002 were reviewed and data regarding subsequent breast cancer and cardiac events were recorded. There were 59 left-sided and 70 right-sided patients treated. Mean age was 55 years. At 8 years, there was no significant difference observed between right- and left-sided breast cancer patients in the development of coronary artery disease, myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, arrhythmia, valvular disease, cardiomyopathy, or cardiac-related death. Among those patients with left-sided breast cancer, 13.5% of patients developed a cardiovascular event compared to 7% of right-sided patients (p = 0.25). The overall survival at 8 years was 96% and the relapse-free survival was 85%. There were no significant differences in cardiac mortality or morbidity between right- and left-sided DCIS patients treated with BCT. Longer follow-up will be required to ascertain whether late events are more prevalent in left-sided patients.     

Cancer of the maxillary sinus treated with surgery and/or radiation therapy

This is an analysis of 37 previously untreated patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the maxillary sinus treated with curative intent at the University of Florida from January 1966 through January 1984. All patients were followed for at least two years and 86 per cent (32/27) were followed for a minimum of five years. Patients were treated for cure with radiation therapy alone (25), surgery alone (1), or surgery and preoperative (6) or postoperative (5) radiation therapy. This study presents the results of treatment and the incidence of treatment-related complications in this group of patients.     

Infiltrating ductal carcinoma and ductal carcinoma in situ associated with mammary hamartoma

Mammary hamartoma is a rare nonmalignant lesion. Only 11 cases of carcinoma associated with hamartoma have been previously described in the literature. We describe a case of infiltrating ductal carcinoma (IDC) and ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) associated with hamartoma in a 35-year-old woman. Mammography showed the features of a typical hamartoma with suspicious microcalcifications arising in it. The patient underwent a radical modified mastectomy. It is likely that hamartoma is a coincidental finding. The identification of suspicious microcalcifications in a typical mammographic image of a hamartoma should prompt continued examination to exclude an underlying tumor.     

Management of screen detected ductal carcinoma in situ of the female breast

Thirty eight ductal carcinomas in situ of the female breast detected during the first 7 years of screening by the Guildford Breast Screening Unit have been treated by one surgeon. Twenty-eight cases were treated conservatively and ten by mastectomy. In the group treated conservatively there have been five local recurrences: four as ductal carcinoma in situ and one as node negative microinvasive carcinoma. There were no clinical or pathological features that predicted local recurrence, which was detected only by follow-up mammography. Based on these early results, an initially conservative approach to screen detected ductal carcinoma in situ is advocated.     

Intraoperative radiation therapy for biliary tract carcinoma: results of a 5-year experience

The results of a 5-year experience with use of intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT) in the management of locally advanced bile duct carcinoma are presented. Fifteen patients received IORT doses between 5 and 20 Gy for localized disease, which was either primary and resected with microscopic residual (2 patients), primary and unresected (10 patients), or recurrent (3 patients). Thirteen patients also received postoperative radiation therapy. The median survival of the 12 patients with primary disease was 14 months, with disease controlled in the porta hepatis in 5 of 10 evaluable patients. The three patients with recurrent disease survived 2, 9, and 11 months. There were two operative deaths, for an operative mortality of 13%. Acute and chronic complications are reviewed. Cholangitis is the most frequent in both categories. This aggressive approach in the therapy for advanced disease has an acceptable level of morbidity and may warrant the use of IORT as part of the management of biliary tract cancer.