Intraoperative Evaluation of Breast Tissues During Breast Cancer Operations Using the MasSpec Pen.

Importance: Surgery with complete tumor resection remains the main treatment option for patients with breast cancer. Yet, current technologies are limited in providing accurate assessment of breast tissue in vivo, warranting development of new technologies for surgical guidance.

Objective: To evaluate the performance of the MasSpec Pen for accurate intraoperative assessment of breast tissues and surgical margins based on metabolic and lipid information.

Prognostic/predictive markers in systemic therapy resistance and metastasis in breast cancer.

Breast cancer is a highly heterogeneous group of diseases posing a significant challenge in biomarker-driven research and the development of effective targeted therapies. Especially the treatment of metastatic breast cancer poses even more challenges, as we still lose more than 42,000 women and men each year in the United States alone. New biological insight helps to improve breast cancer treatment through early detection, adaptation to chemotherapy resistance, and tailoring to find the right size of care.

The impact of HER2-directed targeted therapy on HER2-positive DCIS of the breast.

Background: In invasive breast cancer, HER2 is a well-established negative prognostic factor. However, its significance on the prognosis of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) of the breast is unclear. As a result, the impact of HER2-directed therapy on HER2-positive DCIS is unknown and is currently the subject of ongoing clinical trials.

Prognostic impact of radiation therapy in tubular carcinoma of the breast.

Purpose: Tubular carcinoma (TC) is an invasive breast cancer with favorable prognosis. While pathology-specific guidelines exist for TC regarding adjuvant chemotherapy and endocrine therapy, no recommendations exist regarding locoregional treatment based on tumor histology. Prognostic impact of radiotherapy for patients with TC remains unclear.

Omission of radiation therapy following breast conservation in older (≥70 years) women with T1-2N0 triple-negative breast cancer.

Background: Although randomized data support omitting adjuvant radiotherapy (RT) following breast conservation for T1-2N0 estrogen receptor positive breast cancer in ≥70-year-old women, there remains a knowledge gap regarding its omission for triple-negative BC (TNBC).

Methods And Materials: The National Cancer Database (NCDB) was queried for ≥70-year-old females with newly diagnosed T1-2N0M0 TNBC treated with breast conservation. Multivariable logistic regression ascertained factors associated with adjuvant RT administration.

Prognostic Factors, Treatment, and Outcomes in Early Stage, Invasive Papillary Breast Cancer: A SEER Investigation of Less Aggressive Treatment in a Favorable Histology.

Objectives: Invasive papillary breast cancer (IPBCA) represents 0.5% of invasive BCA, and is thought to carry a favorable prognosis. This population-based study reports on prognostic factors, treatment, and outcomes of early-stage IPBCA to explore whether there is any evidence to support less aggressive treatment.

Granulomatous mastitis: a 10 year experience from a large inner city county hospital.

Background: Granulomatous mastitis (GM) is a rare, chronic, inflammatory condition of the breast with unknown etiology that affects women of child-bearing age. It can be mistaken radiographically and clinically for breast cancer and due to its rarity can cause a delay in establishing a definitive diagnosis and subsequent initiation of treatment. Furthermore, GM has a progressive clinical course with multiple recurrences.

Factors associated with phyllodes tumor of the breast after core needle biopsy identifies fibroepithelial neoplasm.

Background: Phyllodes tumors represent less than 1% of all breast neoplasms and can mimic fibroadenoma on core needle biopsy (CNB). The treatment of fibroepithelial (FE) neoplasms identified on CNB is controversial. We sought to identify factors that were associated with phyllodes tumors after CNB suggested FE neoplasm.

Imaging of lymph flow in breast cancer patients after microdose administration of a near-infrared fluorophore: feasibility study.

Purpose: To prospectively demonstrate the feasibility of using indocyanine green, a near-infrared (NIR) fluorophore at the minimum dose needed for noninvasive optical imaging of lymph nodes (LNs) in breast cancer patients undergoing sentinel lymph node mapping (SLNM).

Materials And Methods: Informed consent was obtained from 24 women (age range, 30-85 years) who received intradermal subcutaneous injections of 0.31-100 microg indocyanine green in the breast in this IRB-approved, HIPAA-compliant, dose escalation study to find the minimum microdose for imaging.