Screening Mammography for Males With Elevated Breast Cancer Risk, Mutation Carriers, and Gynecomastia.

Introduction: The recommendations for annual mammography for male carriers with gynecomastia are controversial. This study investigated the potential link between gynecomastia and breast cancer in male carriers.

Patients And Methods: The database of a tertiary medical center was retrospectively searched for all male patients who underwent at least 1 digital mammography study from 2016 to 2023.

Postoperative Complications Following Lumpectomy With Intraoperative X-Ray Radiation Therapy: A Retrospective Comparative Study.

Background: Lumpectomy with intraoperative radiation (IORT) is a relatively new modality for the treatment of early breast cancer. IORT delivers targeted radiation to the tumor bed and obviates the need for external beam radiation (EBRT) in 85% of the cases. IORT is being used increasingly around the world, however information regarding early and late postoperative complications associated with the procedure is limited.

Variations in Practice and Geographic Disparities Between Dedicated Multidisciplinary Clinics for BRCA1/BRCA2 Mutation Carriers in Israel.

Background: Population screening for the BRCA mutations in Ashkenazi Jewish women was recently implemented in Israel and is expected to lead to a 10-fold increase in the diagnosis of asymptomatic carriers. Performing the screening follow-up within multidisciplinary dedicated clinics for carriers is recommended for early detection and risk reduction.

Objectives: : To determine the availability, capacity, and practices of dedicated screening clinic for BRCA carriers in Israel.

Surgical site infection in reconstructive and aesthetic breast surgery: A single center retrospective analysis of the association between healthcare workers and infections.

Background: Reconstructive and aesthetic breast surgeries are frequently performed procedures, and the consequences of a postoperative infection are devastating both for the patient and the healthcare (HC) system. Over the years, there has been heightened interest in the physical and mental well-being of physicians and HC workers. Little is known about the relationship between HC workers and surgical site infections (SSI), and whether HC workers are at an increased risk for SSI.

MRI background parenchymal enhancement in patients with invasive lobular carcinoma: Endocrine hormonal treatment effect.

Objectives: High background parenchymal enhancement (BPE) levels and asymmetric distribution could cause diagnostic uncertainty due to morphological similarity to breast cancer, especially invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC). We investigated BPE in ILC patients, its association with the tumor hormonal profile, and the effect of endocrine treatment (ET).

Methods: The analysis included all MRI examinations performed at our institution between 2010 and 2019 for ILC-diagnosed patients.

Oncoplastic breast consortium recommendations for mastectomy and whole breast reconstruction in the setting of post-mastectomy radiation therapy.

Aim: Demand for nipple- and skin- sparing mastectomy (NSM/SSM) with immediate breast reconstruction (BR) has increased at the same time as indications for post-mastectomy radiation therapy (PMRT) have broadened. The aim of the Oncoplastic Breast Consortium initiative was to address relevant questions arising with this clinically challenging scenario.

Methods: A large global panel of oncologic, oncoplastic and reconstructive breast surgeons, patient advocates and radiation oncologists developed recommendations for clinical practice in an iterative process based on the principles of Delphi methodology.

Potential Refinement of Recurrence Score by pSTAT3 Status.

The likelihood of recurrence in breast cancer patients with hormone receptor-positive (HR-positive) tumors is influenced by clinical, histopathological, and molecular features. Recent studies suggested that activated STAT3 (pSTAT3) might serve as a biomarker of outcome in breast cancer patients. In the present work, we have analyzed the added value of pSTAT3 to OncotypeDx Recurrence Score (RS) in patient prognostication.

Innovative Standards in Surgery of the Breast after Neoadjuvant Systemic Therapy.

Background: The goal of neoadjuvant systemic therapy (NST) in breast cancer is to downstage tumors and downgrade treatment. Indications are constantly evolving. These changes raise practical questions for planning of surgery after NST.

Thyroid Hormones and Morphological Features of Primary Breast Cancer.

Background/aim: Many experimental studies have suggested the importance of thyroid hormones in breast cancer (BC) morphogenesis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of thyroid hormone levels in serum of patients with primary BC with morphological presentations of the disease in pathological specimens and prognosis.

Patients And Methods: We measured the serum levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), free triiodothyronine (FT3), and free thyroxine (FT4), along with serum thymidine kinase 1 activity and examined their relation to pathological features and prognosis of 158 patients with primary BC.

Advanced Breast Cancer at Diagnosis: Over One Third Adherent to Screening Recommendations.

Advanced breast cancer (ABC) at diagnosis carries a worse prognosis, and can be attributed to delay in diagnosis, failure of screening tests, or aggressive biology. Better understanding of factors related with ABC at diagnosis could help decrease the proportion of such cases. This is a retrospective study of all patients diagnosed and treated for breast cancer (BC) at a single institution between 2012 and 2015.

Elevated Free Triiodothyronine Is Associated With Increased Proliferative Activity in Triple-negative Breast Cancer.

Background/aim: Thyroid hormones (THs) stimulate breast cancer (BC) cell proliferation. We hypothesized that these hormones and the proliferative marker thymidine kinase 1 (TK1) represent the initial and final steps of the proliferative pathway, respectively.

Patients And Methods: We measured the serum levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), free triiodothyronine (FT3), and free thyroxine (FT4), along with serum TK1 activity, in 144 newly diagnosed BC patients, and examined the associations between THs and proliferation in different BC receptor profiles.

Personalized Screening for Breast Cancer: Rationale, Present Practices, and Future Directions.

Ever since screening for early breast cancer (BC) diagnosis was shown to decrease mortality from the disease, screening programs have been widely implemented throughout the world. Targeted age groups and schedules vary between countries but the majority use a population-based approach, regardless of personal BC risk. The purpose of this review was to describe current population-based screening practices, point out some of the shortcomings of these practices, describe BC risk factors and risk assessment models, and present ongoing clinical trials of personalized risk-adapted BC screening.

Diffusivity in breast malignancies analyzed for b > 1000 s/mm at 1 mm in-plane resolutions: Insight from Gaussian and non-Gaussian behaviors.

Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) can improve breast cancer characterizations, but often suffers from low image quality -particularly at informative b > 1000 s/mm values. The aim of this study was to evaluate multishot approaches characterizing Gaussian and non-Gaussian diffusivities in breast cancer. This was a prospective study, in which 15 subjects, including 13 patients with biopsy-confirmed breast cancers, were enrolled.

Meshed Acellular Dermal Matrix in Immediate Prepectoral Implant-based Breast Reconstruction.

Unlabelled: Prepectoral implant placement has many potential advantages in immediate breast reconstruction. Acellular dermal matrices (ADMs) are commonly used in these surgeries. ADM meshing may enhance integration, decrease seroma and infection rates, and reduce surgical costs.

Thyroid Hormones, Silencing Mediator for Retinoid and Thyroid Receptors and Prognosis in Primary Breast Cancer.

Background/aim: Silencing mediator of retinoid and thyroid receptors (SMRT) is a nuclear corepressor in thyroid and estrogen hormones pathways. The aim was to evaluate SMRT expression in relation to thyroid hormone levels and prognostic markers in breast cancer (BC).

Patients And Methods: Serum and tumor tissues were obtained from 36 patients with benign breast disease (BBD) and 79 BC patients.

Breast-Specific Epigenetic Regulation of DeltaNp73 and Its Role in DNA-Damage-Response of -Mutated Human Mammary Epithelial Cells.

The function of BRCA1/2 proteins is essential for maintaining genomic integrity in all cell types. However, why women who carry deleterious germline mutations in face an extremely high risk of developing breast and ovarian cancers specifically has remained an enigma. We propose that breast-specific epigenetic modifications, which regulate tissue differentiation, could team up with BRCA deficiency and affect tissue susceptibility to cancer.

Tumor-to-Nipple Distance in Selecting Patients for Nipple-sparing Mastectomy.

Unlabelled: Nipple-sparing mastectomy (NSM) is a valid option for carefully selected cases. Oncologic guidelines have not been established, but proximity of the tumor to the nipple, tumor size, lymph node involvement, and neoadjuvant chemotherapy have been suggested as contraindications to nipple preservation. This study describes our experience with NSM in relation to these factors, in particular distance of tumor from the nipple, to help establish evidence-based guidelines for NSM.

Diagnostic yield of multigene panel testing in an Israeli cohort: enrichment of low-penetrance variants.

Background: Carriers of pathogenic variants (PVs) in moderate-high-penetrance cancer susceptibility genes are offered tailored surveillance schemes for early cancer diagnosis. The clinical implications of low-penetrance variant carriers are less clear.

Methods: Clinical and demographic data were retrieved for a cohort of Israeli individuals who underwent oncogenetic testing by the 30-gene cancer panel at Color Genomics laboratory, between 04/2013 and 12/2018.

Breast density does not affect breast cancer tumor size assessment: A comparison of radiologic versus pathologic measurement by different imaging modalities across breast densities.

Background: Tumor size is an important parameter in breast cancer staging. Definitive tumor size is determined by measurement of the pathologic specimen. However, prior to surgery, size must be assessed by imaging with mammography (MMG), ultrasound (US), or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

What Can Breast and Plastic Surgeons Do to Help Fight the Opioid Crisis: The Interpectoral Block for Pain Control Following Aesthetic and Reconstructive Breast Surgery.

With the heightened awareness of the dangers of opioid administration, the importance of providing effective non-opioid postoperative pain management is evident. Regional analgesia for breast surgery has been described, but it is unclear how widely it is utilized. The authors describe a simple block performed during ablative, aesthetic, and reconstructive breast surgery to improve postoperative pain control and significantly decrease the need for postoperative pain medications.

Ultrasound guided tattooing of axillary lymph nodes in breast cancer patients prior to neoadjuvant therapy, and identification of tattooed nodes at the time of surgery.

Background: Breast cancer patients with lymph node (LN) metastases at diagnosis often undergo neoadjuvant therapy (NAT). Identification of a LN which regressed after NAT remains a challenge.

Objective: To evaluate marking of involved nodes by tattooing with carbon suspension, and identifying these nodes during surgery.

Comparative Study of Meshed and Nonmeshed Acellular Dermal Matrix in Immediate Breast Reconstruction.

Background: Acellular dermal matrices are commonly used to support implant-based breast reconstruction. Meshing may enhance integration, reduce drain time and seroma, and decrease surgical costs.

Methods: This was a retrospective, single-center analysis of 83 adult women (115 breasts) undergoing one-stage (84.