Neo-Adjuvant chemotherapy and its affects to the axilla-Can we safely downgrade axillary surgery to mirror the approach in the breast.

The use of neo-adjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) to downgrade surgery in the breast from mastectomy to breast-conserving surgery is well-established. In certain patients, the use of adjuvant axillary radiotherapy can be safe and effective in place of axillary node clearance. What remains less clear are the alternative surgical options to the axilla following NACT.

Phylloides tumours of the breast: best practice for follow-up.

Phylloides tumours are rare fibroepithelial breast tumours accounting for 1% of breast cancers. No UK guidance exists on the assessment, treatment and follow-up of these patients. To assess the diagnostic accuracy of the clinical core biopsy compared to the gold standard excision biopsy and determine the current follow-up practice and recurrence rate of phylloides tumours across two UK hospital trusts.

Immunohistochemical expression of insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 in invasive breast cancers and ductal carcinoma in situ: implications for clinicopathology and patient outcome.

Introduction: Insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) differentially modulates breast epithelial cell growth through insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-dependent and IGF-independent pathways and is a direct (IGF-independent) growth inhibitor as well as a mitogen that potentiates EGF (epidermal growth factor) and interacts with HER-2. Previously, high IGFBP-3 levels in breast cancers have been determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and immunoradiometric assay methods. In vitro, IGFBP-3's mechanisms of action may involve cell membrane binding and nuclear translocation.