Disease extent according to baseline [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose PET/CT and molecular subtype: prediction of axillary treatment response after neoadjuvant systemic therapy for breast cancer.

Background: Axillary disease extent according to baseline [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose PET/CT combined with pathological axillary treatment response has been proposed to guide de-escalation of axillary treatment for clinically node-positive breast cancer patients treated with neoadjuvant systemic therapy. The aim of this study was to assess whether axillary disease extent according to baseline [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose PET/CT and breast cancer molecular subtype are predictors of axillary pCR.

Methods: This study included clinically node-positive patients treated with neoadjuvant systemic therapy in the prospective Radioactive Iodine Seed placement in the Axilla with Sentinel lymph node biopsy ('RISAS') trial (NCT02800317) with baseline [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose PET/CT imaging available.

Recurrence of breast cancer after reconstruction with macro-textured silicone breast implants: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: Recently, old concerns linking silicone breast implants (SBIs) with breast cancer have resurfaced. These concerns apply specifically to the risk of breast cancer recurrence in patients who received breast reconstructions with macro-textured SBIs. In this study, the authors investigated the effect of breast reconstruction with macro-textured SBIs on long-term oncologic outcomes of breast cancer patients.

Let's talk about sex! Why should healthcare professionals address sexual distress in breast cancer patients and survivors?

Purpose: Sexual distress impacts the quality of life (QoL) of breast cancer patients but is often overlooked in standard care pathways. This study evaluated the prevalence and factors of sexual distress among Dutch breast cancer patients, compared them to the general population, and explored how sexual distress is discussed in clinical settings from the perspectives of patients and healthcare professionals (HCPs).

Methods: Questionnaires containing the Female Sexual Distress Scale (FSDS) and demographic variables were distributed to women with breast cancer.

Internal Responsiveness of EQ-5D-5L and EORTC QLQ-C30 in Dutch Breast Cancer Patients during the First Year Post-Surgery: A Longitudinal Cohort Study.

The EuroQoL 5-Dimension 5-Level questionnaire (EQ-5D-5L) and the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core-30 (EORTC QLQ-C30) are commonly used Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) for breast cancer. This study assesses and compares the internal responsiveness of the EQ-5D-5L and EORTC QLQ-C30 in Dutch breast cancer patients during the first year post-surgery. Women diagnosed with breast cancer who completed the EQ-5D-5L and EORTC QLQ-C30 pre-operatively (T0), 6 months (T6), and 12 months post-surgery (T12) were included.

Systematic review of targeted axillary dissection in node-positive breast cancer treated with neoadjuvant systemic therapy: variation in type of marker and timing of placement.

Background: In node-positive (cN+) breast cancer treated with neoadjuvant systemic therapy, combining sentinel lymph node biopsy and targeted lymph node excision, that is targeted axillary dissection, increases accuracy. Targeted axillary dissection procedures differ in terms of the targeted lymph node excision technique. This systematic review aimed to provide an overview of targeted axillary dissection procedures regarding definitive marker type and timing of placement: before neoadjuvant systemic therapy (1-step procedure) or after neoadjuvant systemic therapy adjacent to a clip placed before the neoadjuvant therapy (2-step procedure).

Health utility values of breast cancer treatments and the impact of varying quality of life assumptions on cost-effectiveness.

In breast cancer research, utility assumptions are outdated and inconsistent which may affect the results of quality adjusted life year (QALY) calculations and thereby cost-effectiveness analyses (CEAs). Four hundred sixty four female patients with breast cancer treated at Erasmus MC, the Netherlands, completed EQ-5D-5L questionnaires from diagnosis throughout their treatment. Average utilities were calculated stratified by age and treatment.

Prognostic effect of nodal status before and after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer: a Dutch population-based study.

Purpose: In breast cancer, neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) can downstage the nodal status, and can even result in a pathological complete response, which is associated with improved prognosis. This study aimed to determine the prognostic effect of nodal status before and after NAC.

Methods: Women with breast cancer treated with NAC were selected from the Netherlands Cancer Registry if diagnosed between 2005 and 2019, and classified based on nodal status before NAC: node-negative (cN0), or node-positive based on fine needle aspiration cytology or core needle biopsy (cN+).

European quality indicators developed by the European Commission Initiative on Breast Cancer: a first nationwide assessment for the Dutch setting.

Purpose: This observational study aims to assess the feasibility of calculating indicators developed by the European Commission Initiative on Breast Cancer (ECIBC) for the Dutch breast cancer population.

Methods: Patients diagnosed with invasive or in situ breast cancer between 2012 and 2018 were selected from the Netherlands Cancer Registry (NCR). Outcomes of the quality indicators (QI) were presented as mean scores and were compared to a stated norm.

Patient-Reported Outcome Measures to Improve the Care Continuum for Patients With Metastatic Breast Cancer: Opportunities and Implications for Nursing Practice.

Objectives: Albeit treatable, metastatic breast cancer (MBC) remains incurable. To achieve remaining life years lived well, extended survival should be balanced with optimal health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and timely initiated supportive, palliative, and end-of-life care. The Advanced Breast Cancer (ABC) Global Alliance identified 10 urgent and actionable goals for the decade between 2015 and 2025 to achieve substantial improvement in the lives of patients living with ABC, including MBC.

Proof-of-concept study linking ex vivo sensitivity testing to neoadjuvant anthracycline-based chemotherapy response in breast cancer patients.

We developed a functional ex vivo anthracycline-based sensitivity test. Surgical resection material of primary breast cancer (BC) was used to determine criteria for the ex vivo sensitivity assay based on morphology, proliferation and apoptosis. Subsequently, a proof-of-concept study was performed correlating results of this assay on primary BC biopsies with in vivo response after treatment with anthracycline-containing neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC).

Comparing quality of breast cancer care in the Netherlands and Norway by federated propensity score analytics.

Purpose: The aim of the study was to benchmark and compare breast cancer care quality indicators (QIs) between Norway and the Netherlands using federated analytics preventing transfer of patient-level data.

Methods: Breast cancer patients (2017-2018) were retrieved from the Netherlands Cancer Registry and the Cancer Registry of Norway. Five European Society of Breast Cancer Specialists (EUSOMA) QIs were assessed: two on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), two on surgical approaches, and one on postoperative radiotherapy.

What affects women's decision-making on breast reconstruction after mastectomy for breast cancer?

Purpose: To establish the breast reconstruction rate in a large Dutch teaching hospital, and to gain insight into the motives of women to opt for or reject post-mastectomy breast reconstruction.

Methods: In a retrospective, cross-sectional study, all consecutive patients who underwent mastectomy for invasive breast cancer or ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) were identified and categorized into two groups based on subsequent breast reconstruction or not. Patient-reported outcomes were assessed with the validated Breast-Q and a short survey about the decision-making process in breast reconstruction.

Risk-adjusted benchmarking of long-term overall survival in patients with HER2-positive early-stage Breast cancer: A Swedish retrospective cohort study.

Aim: The main objective of the current study was to explore the value of risk-adjustment when comparing (i.e. benchmarking) long-term overall survival (OS) in breast cancer (BC) between Swedish regions.

Dutch normative data of the sexual distress scale and the body image scale.

Purpose: Sexual health is an important contributing factor for health-related quality of life, but research in this domain is scarce. Moreover, normative data are needed to interpret patient-reported outcome measures on sexual health. The aim of this study was to collect and describe normative scores of the Female Sexual Distress Scale (FSDS) and the Body Image Scale (BIS) from the Dutch population and assess the effect of important demographic and clinical variables on the outcome.

Surgical outcomes following breast reconstruction in patients with and without a history of chest radiotherapy for Hodgkin lymphoma: a multicentre, matched cohort study.

Background: Breast cancer is the most common treatment-related second malignancy among women with previous chest radiotherapy for Hodgkin lymphoma (HL). Little is known about the effects of this kind of radiotherapy on the outcomes of postmastectomy breast reconstruction (BR). This study compared adverse outcomes of BR after HL-related chest radiotherapy to matched controls.

The Areola study: design and rationale of a cohort study on long-term health outcomes in women with implant-based breast reconstructions.

Background: Implant-based breast reconstructions contribute considerably to the quality of life of breast cancer patients. A knowledge gap exists concerning the potential role of silicone breast implants in the development of so-called "breast implant illness" (BII) and autoimmune diseases in breast cancer survivors with implant-based reconstructions. BII is a constellation of non-specific symptoms reported by a small group of women with silicone breast implants.

Trends in emotional functioning and psychosocial wellbeing in breast cancer survivors: a prospective cohort study using patient-reported outcome measures.

Background: A breast cancer diagnosis can threaten every aspect of a woman's wellbeing, including her mental health. With the growing number of breast cancer survivors, studies addressing mental health in this population are of increasing importance now more than ever. Therefore, the current study investigated trends in emotional functioning and psychosocial wellbeing of breast cancer survivors, and the demographic and treatment characteristics that may influence these trends.

Bilateral prophylactic mastectomy: should we preserve the pectoral fascia? Protocol of a Dutch double blinded, prospective, randomised controlled pilot study with a within-subject design (PROFAS).

Introduction: Bilateral prophylactic mastectomy (BPM) in women with a high risk of developing breast cancer has shown to provide the greatest risk reduction. Many surgical guidelines recommend the removal of the pectoral fascia (PF) in mastectomies; however, there is no evidence to support this statement. Reported wound-related complications following mastectomy include seroma, flap necrosis, infection and haematoma.

Sexual well-being in patients with early-stage breast cancer at 1- and 2-year follow-up.

Background: Sexual well-being (SWB) is an important aspect of overall quality of life and should therefore be considered when measuring the effect of breast cancer on daily life.

Aim: To identify positive and negative predictive factors associated with change in SWB 1 year after diagnosis (T12; hereafter, ∆SWB) and whether SWB changes the year after.

Methods: All data were derived from an online patient-reported outcome measure that included patients aged >18 years who were treated for breast cancer between October 2015 and March 2022 at the Erasmus University Medical Center.

Changes in breast cancer treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic: a Dutch population-based study.

Purpose: We aimed to compare (1) treatments and time intervals between treatments of breast cancer patients diagnosed during and before the COVID-19 pandemic, and (2) the number of treatments started during and before the pandemic.

Methods: Women were selected from the Netherlands Cancer Registry. For aim one, odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) were calculated to compare the treatment of women diagnosed within four periods of 2020: pre-COVID (weeks 1-8), transition (weeks 9-12), lockdown (weeks 13-17), and care restart (weeks 18-26), with data from 2018/2019 as reference.

Health-related Quality of Life using the EQ-5D-5L: normative utility scores in a Dutch female population.

Purpose: Normative utility scores represent the health related quality of life of the general population, are of utmost importance in cost-effectiveness studies and should reflect relevant sexes and age groups. The aim of this study was to estimate EQ-5D-5L normative utility scores in a population of Dutch females, stratified by age, and to compare these scores to those of female populations of three other countries.

Methods: Dutch women completed the EQ-5D-5L online between January and July 2020.

Patient-derived breast model repository, a tool for hyperthermia treatment planning and applicator design.

Objective: The addition of hyperthermia in the treatment of intact breast cancer with the aim to improve local response is currently in a research phase. First, optimal hyperthermia devices need to be developed, for which a diverse, anatomically and pathologically accurate set of patient models is necessary.

Methods: To investigate the effects of inter-subject variations on hyperthermia treatment plans, we generated a repository of 22 anatomically and pathologically diverse patient models based on MR images of breast cancer patients.