Eco-logistical comparison of non-radioactive seeds and the wire-guided localization for intraoperative detection of breast lesions.

Background: The current standard for the preoperative marking of non-palpable breast lesions is wire guided localization (WGL) which is associated with logistical efforts and patient discomfort. Non-radioactive seeds (NRS) recently challenged the use of WGL; but do they provide a better alternative from a logistical and environmental perspective?

Methods: WGL standard was compared with NRS available in Germany: Magseed®, Pintuition®, SAVI SCOUT ® and LOCalizer™ on a logistical and carbon-footprinting basis. In the logistical analysis the number of patient contacts with the healthcare system for lesion localization/removal and the number of breast punctures were evaluated in two different clinical scenarios (primary surgery and secondary surgery after neoadjuvant treatment).

Novel Antibody-Drug-Conjugates in Routine Clinical Practice for the Treatment of Metastatic Breast Cancer: Adherence, Efficacy and Tolerability - Real-World Data from German Breast Centers.

Introduction: The third-generation antibody-drug conjugates (ADC), trastuzumab deruxtecan (T-DXd) and sacituzumab govitecan (SG), recently obtained approval for metastatic breast cancer treatment across various subtypes and therapeutic contexts.

Materials And Methods: This retrospective, multicentric study evaluated real-world tolerability, feasibility and efficacy in a pre-treated, real-world cohort at three major German breast cancer centers.

Results: 125 patients treated with T-DXd or SG from November 2020 to June 2023 were included (T-DXd: 77 patients; SG: 48 patients).

Changes in Endometriosis-Associated Symptoms Following Immunization against SARS-CoV-2: A Cross-Sectional Study.

: There are many reports about variations in the menstrual cycle after infection with SARS-CoV-2 or vaccination against it. However, data on SARS-CoV-2 infection or vaccination-related changes in menstruation-associated endometriosis-typical symptoms such as dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, dyschezia, dysuria, and bloating are rare or missing. : This retrospective study was performed as an online survey among employees and students at the University Hospital Ulm, Germany.

Effect of histological breast cancer subtypes invasive lobular versus non-special type on survival in early intermediate-to-high-risk breast carcinoma: results from the SUCCESS trials.

Background: Invasive lobular breast carcinomas (ILC) have different histological features compared to non-special type carcinomas (NST), but the effect of histological subtypes on survival is controversial. In this study, we compared clinicopathological characteristics and outcomes between ILC and NST based on a large pooled data set from three adjuvant breast cancer trials (SUCCESS A, B, and C) and investigated a potential differential effect of recurrence risk related to nodal stage on survival.

Methods: From 2005 to 2017, the large randomized controlled SUCCESS A, B, and C trials enrolled 8190 patients with primary, intermediate-to-high-risk breast carcinoma.

The use of axillary ultrasound (AUS) to assess the nodal status after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) in primary breast cancer patients.

Introduction: Axillary Ultrasound (AUS) is standard for pre-therapeutic axillary staging in early breast cancer patients. 35-75 % of the breast cancer (BC) patients with positive axillary lymph nodes receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) convert to pathological node negative. For those patients, axillary surgery after NACT could be de-escalated, if an accurate prediction of the pathologic nodal status following NACT was possible.

The Clinical Relevance of the NATALEE Study: Application of the NATALEE Criteria to a Real-World Cohort from Two Large German Breast Cancer Centers.

The NATALEE study showed a significant benefit in invasive disease-free survival (iDFS) for patients with HR+/HER2- early breast cancer (eBC) at intermediate and high risk of recurrence who were treated with the CDK4/6 inhibitor Ribociclib in combination with endocrine therapy (ET). This retrospective study aims to apply the NATALEE inclusion criteria to a representative real-world cohort to estimate the proportion of HR+/HER2- breast cancer patients eligible for adjuvant Ribociclib therapy. Patients who underwent full surgical treatment for eBC between January 2018 and December 2020 at two large German university breast cancer centers (University of Ulm, University of Tuebingen) were included.

Which Patients Do We Need to Test for BRCA1/2 Mutation? Feasibility of Adjuvant Olaparib Treatment in Early Breast Cancer-Real-World Data from Two Large German Breast Centers.

Background: Approximately 6% of women with breast cancer carry pathogenic germline variants in predisposition genes such as BRCA1 and BRCA2. Depending on personal and family cancer history, it is therefore recommended to test for hereditary breast cancer. Moreover, as shown by the phase III OlympiA trial, olaparib significantly improves overall survival in patients with HER2 negative (HER2-) early breast cancer who (1) carry a BRCA1 or BRCA2 germline mutation (gBRCA1/2-positive), (2) have received (neo)adjuvant chemotherapy and (3) are at high clinical risk.

Evaluating ChatGPT as an adjunct for the multidisciplinary tumor board decision-making in primary breast cancer cases.

Background: As the available information about breast cancer is growing every day, the decision-making process for the therapy is getting more complex. ChatGPT as a transformer-based language model possesses the ability to write scientific articles and pass medical exams. But is it able to support the multidisciplinary tumor board (MDT) in the planning of the therapy of patients with breast cancer?

Material And Methods: We performed a pilot study on 10 consecutive cases of breast cancer patients discussed in MDT at our department in January 2023.

Awareness, offer, and use of psychosocial services by breast cancer survivors in Germany: a prospective multi-centre study.

Purpose: This study examined the pattern of psychosocial care in breast cancer survivors.

Methods: In a prospective study with measurements before surgery, 1 month, 8 months, and 5 years thereafter, we examined the proportion of breast cancer survivors who were aware about, had been offered and received various types of psychosocial services from psychologists, social workers, doctors, self-help groups etc. The degree of helpfulness per service among users was ascertained with Likert scales.

Consensus Recommendations of the German Consortium for Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer.

Background: The German Consortium for Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer (GC-HBOC) has established a multigene panel (TruRisk®) for the analysis of risk genes for familial breast and ovarian cancer.

Summary: An interdisciplinary team of experts from the GC-HBOC has evaluated the available data on risk modification in the presence of pathogenic mutations in these genes based on a structured literature search and through a formal consensus process.

Key Messages: The goal of this work is to better assess individual disease risk and, on this basis, to derive clinical recommendations for patient counseling and care at the centers of the GC-HBOC from the initial consultation prior to genetic testing to the use of individual risk-adapted preventive/therapeutic measures.

Association of social service counseling in breast cancer patients with financial problems, role functioning and employment-results from the prospective multicenter BRENDA II study.

Background: This study examined the relationship between social service counseling (SSC) and financial and role functioning problems in primary breast cancer (BC) patients over a 5-year observation period.

Methods: In the multicenter prospective study, patients were approached before surgery (t1), before initiation of adjuvant treatment (t2), after therapy completion (t3), and 5 years after surgery (t4). We examined the proportion of BC survivors who had financial and role functioning problems and the proportion who were employed at t4.

Financial difficulties in breast cancer survivors with and without migration background in Germany-results from the prospective multicentre cohort study BRENDA II.

Purpose: We aimed to explore the trajectory of financial difficulties among breast cancer survivors in the German health system and its association with migration background.

Methods: In a multicentre prospective study, breast cancer survivors were approached four times (before surgery, before and after adjuvant therapy, five years after surgery) and asked about their migration history and financial difficulties. Migrants were defined as born/resided outside Germany or having citizenship/nationality other than German.

Two-year follow-up after a six-week high-intensity training intervention study with breast cancer patients: physiological, psychological and immunological differences.

Purpose: Previously we demonstrated the feasibility of a six-week-long combination of high-intensity interval endurance and strength training (HIT/HIRT) for women with nonmetastatic breast cancer leading to improvements in psychological well-being and performance. Now we report results of a 24-month follow-up.

Methods: Previous intervention (IG,  = 10; 58.

To which extent do breast cancer survivors feel well informed about disease and treatment 5 years after diagnosis?

Objective: In this study, we investigated to which extent patients feel well informed about their disease and treatment, which areas they wish more or less information and which variables are associated with a need for information about the disease, medical tests and treatment.

Methods: In a German multi-centre prospective study, we enrolled 759 female breast cancer patients at the time of cancer diagnosis (baseline). Data on information were captured at 5 years after diagnosis with the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Information Module (EORTC QLQ-INFO24).

Beneficial Molecular Adaptations In -Mutation Carriers By Combined HIT/HIRT Intervention: Results From A Pilot Study.

Based on growing evidence that breast cancer (BRCA) also plays a pivotal role in the regulation of skeletal muscle metabolism and the response to anti-oxidative stress, we examined the influence of regular exercise in human mutation carriers on their BRCA1 gene/protein expression and inflammatory/oxidative response. Sixteen -mutation carriers were assigned to an intervention (IG) or control group (CG). IG received a combination of high-intensity interval endurance (HIT) and strength training (HIRT) for six weeks, whereas CG received a low-intensity activity program.

Effect of adjuvant radiotherapy in elderly patients with breast cancer.

Background: Radiotherapy (RT) is of critical importance in the locoregional management of early breast cancer. Although RT is routinely used following breast conserving surgery (BCS), patients may occasionally be effectively treated with BCS alone. Currently, the selection of patients undergoing BCS who do not need breast irradiation is under investigation.

Survivors of primary breast cancer 5 years after surgery: follow-up care, long-term problems, and treatment regrets. Results of the prospective BRENDA II-study.

Purpose: This study aims to answer the questions where breast cancer patients in Germany receive follow-up care (with what types of doctors) and what are the long-term problems and treatment regrets of breast cancer patients.

Methods: In the prospective multicenter cohort study BRENDA II ("Breast Cancer under Evidence-Based Guidelines"), 456 patients with primary breast cancer were sampled consecutively over a period of 4 years (2009-2012) and contacted again 5 years after surgery. Long-term problems were elicited on a 4-point Likert scale ranging from 0 ('not at all') to 3 ('very much').

Does chemotherapy improve survival in patients with nodal positive luminal A breast cancer? A retrospective Multicenter Study.

Background: In this study based on the BRENDA data, we investigated the impact of endocrine ± chemotherapy for luminal A, nodal positive breast cancer on recurrence free (RFS) and overall survival (OS). In addition, we analysed if tumor size of luminal A breast cancer influences survival in patients with the same number of positive lymph nodes.

Methods: In this retrospective multi-centre cohort study data of 1376 nodal-positive patients with primary diagnosis of luminal A breast cancer during 2001-2008 were analysed.

B Prognostic Score: External Validation of a Clinical Decision-making Tool for Metastatic Breast Cancer.

Background: The B Prognostic Score (BPS) is a clinical decision-making tool in metastatic breast cancer (MBC) that provides risk classification based on routine parameters. This study validates the BPS in an independent series of MBC for the whole study group and for each intrinsic subtype.

Patients And Methods: We analyzed 641 metastasized patients, treated in 17 German certified breast cancer centers between 2001 and 2009.

Large scale multifactorial likelihood quantitative analysis of BRCA1 and BRCA2 variants: An ENIGMA resource to support clinical variant classification.

The multifactorial likelihood analysis method has demonstrated utility for quantitative assessment of variant pathogenicity for multiple cancer syndrome genes. Independent data types currently incorporated in the model for assessing BRCA1 and BRCA2 variants include clinically calibrated prior probability of pathogenicity based on variant location and bioinformatic prediction of variant effect, co-segregation, family cancer history profile, co-occurrence with a pathogenic variant in the same gene, breast tumor pathology, and case-control information. Research and clinical data for multifactorial likelihood analysis were collated for 1,395 BRCA1/2 predominantly intronic and missense variants, enabling classification based on posterior probability of pathogenicity for 734 variants: 447 variants were classified as (likely) benign, and 94 as (likely) pathogenic; and 248 classifications were new or considerably altered relative to ClinVar submissions.