17 research outputs found
Clinical implication of subcategorizing T2 category into T2a and T2b in TNM staging of breast cancer
Regarding TNM staging in breast cancer, T2 category is currently not divided into subcategories even though it covers a wider range of tumor sizes than T1 category. Using Korean Breast Cancer Registry database, data of 41 071 women diagnosed as non-metastatic T2 breast cancer between 2001 and 2014 were analyzed. Cutoff value for optimal tumor size was approximated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve to subcategorize T2 tumors. Overall survival (OS) was compared between two subcategories. Median follow-up period was 65 months. Of 41 071 patients, 4504 (11.0%) died. Based on ROC curve analysis, 3.0 cm was selected as the cutoff value. Five-year OS rate was 91% in patients with breast tumors <= 3.0 cm (T2a) and 86% in patients with breast tumors >3.0 cm (T2b) (log-rank P < 0.001). T2b subcategory showed worse OS than T2a subcategory regardless of node status (log-rank P < 0.001 for all node categories). Within every subgroup defined by primary OS analysis covariates, T2b subcategory consistently showed worse outcome compared to T2a subcategory. By multivariate analysis, T2b subcategory was a significant independent prognostic factor of OS (hazard ratio: 1.26, 95% CI = 1.18-1.34). T2 category of breast cancer could be subcategorized into T2a and T2b with a cutoff value of 3 cm. These subcategories definitely showed different OSs even after adjusted for known prognostic factors. Subcategorization of T2 category might be useful for predicting prognosis more accurately and tailoring adjuvant therapy
The Emerging Crisis of Stakeholders in Implant-based Augmentation Mammaplasty in Korea
Background: Korea is no longer safe from the risk of breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL); the first reported case was a Korean woman in her 40s who had a 7-year-history of receiving an implant-based augmentation mammaplasty using a textured implant. We conducted this study to discuss the emerging crisis of stakeholders in implant-based augmentation mammaplasty and to propose a multi-disciplinary approach to early detection of its complications. Methods: We analyzed medical examination data that was collected from patients who visited us between August 12 and September 27, 2019. We evaluated a total of 114 women (n = 114) in the current study. They were evaluated for whether they were in healthy condition. Moreover, their baseline characteristics were also examined; these included age, gender, height (cm), weight (kg), duration since surgery (years), possession of a breast implant card, the site of surgical incision, side of symptoms and reasons for outpatient visit. Furthermore, the patients were also evaluated for their subjective awareness of the manufacturer, surface and shape of the breast implant. Potential complications include malrotation, folding, seroma, capsule thickening, upside-down rotation, rupture, capsule mass and breast mass. Results: A majority of the patients had a past history of receiving textured implants. The corresponding percentage was 78.95% (90/114) and 85.09% (97/114) based on their subjective awareness of a breast implant and sonographic findings, respectively. That is, it was slightly increased with the use of a breast ultrasound. Conclusion: Here, we propose the following approaches. First, patient data should be prospectively collected. By tracking outcomes and complications of an implant-based augmentation mammaplasty, both high-quality care and patient safety can be ensured. Second, stakeholders in implant-based augmentation mammaplasty should collaborate with customers and regulatory authorities. Third, surgeons should consider applying imaging modalities for early detection of postoperative complications
Changing patterns in the clinical characteristics of Korean Breast Cancer from 1996-2010 using an online nationwide breast cancer database
Purpose: Breast cancer is one of the most frequent malignancies in Korean women, and its incidence is increasing at a rapid rate. Since 1996, the Korean Breast Cancer Society has collected nationwide breast cancer data using an online registration program and analyzed the data biennial. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the characteristics of Korean breast cancer and to analyze changes in these characteristics over the period of time. Methods: Data were collected from 41 medical schools (74 hospitals), 24 general hospitals, and 6 private clinics. Data on the total number, gender, and age of newly-diagnosed breast cancer patients were collected through a questionnaire. Additional data were collected and analyzed from the online database. Results: In 2010, 16,398 patients in Korea were newly diagnosed with breast cancer. The crude incidence rate of female breast cancer was 67.2 cases per 100,000, and the median age at diagnosis was 49 years. The incidence of breast cancer was highest in patients aged between 40 and 49 years. Since 1996, there has been a significant increase in the proportion of early-stage cancers (detected in stage 1 or 2), the percentage of estrogen receptorpositive cancers, and in the proportion of patients receiving breastconserving surgery. Conclusion: The incidence and clinical characteristics of Korean breast cancer are slowly changing to the patterns of Western countries. To understand changing patterns in the characteristics of Korean breast cancer, the nationwide data should be continuously analyzed
Education level is a strong prognosticator in the subgroup aged more than 50 years regardless of the molecular subtype of breast cancer: A study based on the Nationwide Korean breast cancer registry database
Purpose This study investigated the role of the education level (EL) as a prognostic factor for breast cancer and analyzed the relationship between the EL and various confounding factors. Materials and Methods The data for 64,129 primary breast cancer patients from the Korean Breast Cancer Registry were analyzed. The EL was classified into two groups according to the education period; the high EL group (≥ 12 years) and low EL group (< 12 years). Survival analyses were performed with respect to the overall survival between the two groups. Results A high EL conferred a superior prognosis compared to a low EL in the subgroup aged > 50 years (hazard ratio, 0.626; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.577 to 0.678) but not in the subgroup aged ≤ 50 years (hazard ratio, 0.941; 95% CI, 0.865 to 1.024). The EL was a significant independent factor in the subgroup aged > 50 years according to multivariate analyses. The high EL group showed more favorable clinicopathologic features and a higher proportion of patients in this group received lumpectomy, radiation therapy, and endocrine therapy. In the high EL group, a higher proportion of patients received chemotherapy in the subgroups with unfavorable clinicopathologic features. The EL was a significant prognosticator across all molecular subtypes of breast cancer. Conclusion The EL is a strong independent prognostic factor for breast cancer in the subgroup aged > 50 years regardless of the molecular subtype, but not in the subgroup aged ≤ 50 years. Favorable clinicopathologic features and active treatments can explain the main causality of the superior prognosis in the high EL group. © 2017 by the Korean Cancer Association
Characteristics and prognosis of 17 special histologic subtypes of invasive breast cancers according to World Health Organization classification: comparative analysis to invasive carcinoma of no special type
Background Breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease with various histopathologic subtypes. Except for invasive carcinoma of no special type (NST), other subtypes are rare with limited data. The purpose of this study was to analyze the characteristics and prognosis of special histopathologic subtypes of breast cancer compared to NST. Methods A total of 136,140 patients were analyzed using the Korean Breast Cancer Society Registry database between January 1996 and March 2019. The clinicopathologic features and survival outcomes of special type breast carcinoma were compared with those of NST. Results The prevalence of special subtypes other than NST was 13.7% (n = 18,633). Compared to NST, patients with lobular, medullary, metaplastic, and micropapillary carcinoma had larger tumors (p < 0.001). Patients with mucinous, tubular, medullary, metaplastic, and cribriform carcinoma presented with less node metastasis (p < 0.001), contrary to patients with micropapillary carcinoma. Patients with lobular, mucinous, tubular, papillary, and cribriform carcinoma presented as luminal A subtype much more often (p < 0.001). Micropapillary carcinoma included more luminal B subtype (p < 0.001). Typically, medullary and metaplastic carcinoma included more triple-negative subtypes (p < 0.001). In survival analysis, only medullary (Hazard Ratio (HzR) 0.542, 95% CI 0.345 to 0.852,p = 0.008) and metaplastic carcinoma (HzR 1.655, 95% CI 1.317 to 2.080,p < 0.001) showed significantly different overall survival from NST by multivariate analysis. Conclusion Breast cancer had distinct clinicopathologic features according to histopathologic subtype. However, special types of breast cancer had similar survival outcomes compared to NST when adjusting for other prognostic factors, except for metaplastic carcinoma and medullary carcinoma
Displacement of Surgical Clips in Patients with Human Acellular Dermal Matrix in the Excision Cavity during Whole Breast Irradiation Following Breast-Conserving Surgery
Purpose The purpose of this study was to investigate the displacement of surgical clips in the excision cavity during whole breast irradiation following breast-conserving surgery (BCS) with or without acellular dermal matrix (ADM) insertion, and to analyze clinicopathologic factors associated with the displacement of surgical clips. Materials and Methods From 2016 to 2017, 100 consecutive breast cancer patients who underwent BCS with the placement of surgical clips (superior, inferior, medial, lateral, and deep sides) in the tumor bed were included in this study. All patients took first planning computed tomography (CT) scan (CT 1) before whole breast irradiation and second CT scan (CT 2) before boost irradiation. Between two sets of planning CT, the displacement of surgical clips was calculated from the Delta X (lateral-medial), Delta Y (anterior-posterior), Delta Z (superior-inferior), and three-dimensional (3D) directions. Patients were divided into two groups according to the breast volume replacement with ADM: group A with ADM and group B without ADM. Results The means and 1 standard deviations of 3D displacement for superior, inferior, medial, lateral and deep clips were 5.2 +/- 2.9, 5.2 +/- 3.2, 5.6 +/- 4.5, 5.6 +/- 43, and 4.9 +/- 4.9 mm in entire cohort (n=100); 5.6 +/- 2.6, 6.0 +/- 3.5, 6.7 +/- 5.8, 6.7 +/- 5.7, and 6.1 +/- 7.4 mm in group A (n=38); 4.9 +/- 3.1, 4.8 +/- 3.0, 5.0 +/- 3.5, 5.0 +/- 2.9, and 4.3 +/- 2.8 mm in group B (n=62), respectively. The 3D displacements of group A were longer than those of group B, but only significant difference was observed in lateral clip (p=0.047). Conclusion This study demonstrated displacement of surgical clips during whole breast irradiation in patients with ADM insertion. For patients who had breast volume replacement using ADM, adaptive boost planning should be considered
Chemotherapy response assay test and prognosis for breast cancer patients who have undergone anthracycline- and taxane-based chemotherapy
Purpose: A chemotherapy response assay test is performed to evaluate the degree of tumor growth inhibition by a chemothera-peutic agent. Several studies have been done on its usefulness; however, to the best of our knowledge, only a few studies concerning the relationship between chemotherapy response assay test results and breast cancer patients' prognoses have been conducted. Thus, we performed this study to analyze this relationship. Methods: Among breast cancer patients who underwent curative surgery and neoadjuvant or adjuvant chemotherapy between August 2004 and December 2009, 102 were enrolled in this study. Chemotherapeutic regimens for patients were doxorubicin plus taxane or doxorubicin plus cyclophosphamide followed by tax-ane. We divided these patients into two groups (sensitive group [n=19] and resistant group [n=83]) and analyzed the relationship between chemosensitivity results and patient prognosis. Results: The sensitive group was associated with poor disease-free survival (DFS) (p=0.003) and overall survival (OS) (p< 0.001). No sig-nifcant differences were observed in tumor histology (p=0.548), tumor size (p=0.479), number of metastatic lymph nodes (p=0.326), histologic grade (p=0.077), or nuclear grade (p=0.216) between the two groups. However, in respect to molecular subtype, the HER2-positive type and triple negative breast cancer were more frequently observed in the sensitive group (p=0.001). In a univariate and multivariate analysis for DFS, doxorubicin sensitivity was signifcantly associated with a poor prognosis (p< 0.05). Conclusion: Better chemosensitivity results are associated with a poor prognosis in breast cancer patients who have undergone anthracycline- and taxane-based chemotherapy, however, examination of additional cases and the use of a longer study period are needed
Increased risk of postoperative complications after total thyroidectomy with Graves' disease
Background: The effect of Graves' disease on the risk of postoperative complications in patients undergoing total thyroidectomy is unclear. Methods: The incidence of recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) injury and hypoparathyroidism were analyzed between 165 patients with Graves' disease (GD group) and 1:1 matched patients with euthyroid states (control group). Results: The matched cohorts did not differ in age, sex, body mass index, pathologic diagnosis, and extent of operation. Excised thyroid weight was higher in the Graves' disease than in the control group (60.1 g vs 22.6 g; P <.001). Multivariate analysis showed that Graves' disease significantly increased risks of transient RLN injury (odds ratio [OR] = 4.7, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.5-15.5; P =.010) and transient hypoparathyroidism (OR = 2.8, 95% CI = 1.3-5.8; P =.007). Rates of permanent complications were comparable in the Graves' disease and control groups. Conclusions: Graves' disease can be a predictive factor for postoperative RLN injury and hypoparathyroidism after total thyroidectomy. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc
Quantitative Assessment of the Learning Curve for Robotic Thyroid Surgery
With the increased utilization of robot thyroidectomy in recent years, surgical proficiency is the paramount consideration. However, there is no single perfect or ideal method for measuring surgical proficiency. In this study, we evaluated the learning curve of robotic thyroidectomy using various parameters. A total of 172 robotic total thyroidectomies were performed by a single surgeon between March 2014 and February 2018. Cumulative summation analysis revealed that it took 50 cases for the surgeon to significantly improve the operation time. Mean operation time was significantly shorter in the group that included the 51st to the 172nd case, than in the group that included only the first 50 cases (132.8 +/- 27.7 min vs. 166.9 +/- 29.5 min; p < 0.001). On the other hand, the surgeon was competent after the 75th case when postoperative transient hypoparathyroidism was used as the outcome measure. The incidence of hypoparathyroidism gradually decreased from 52.0%, for the first 75 cases, to 40.2% after the 76th case. These results indicated that the criteria used to assess proficiency greatly influenced the interpretation of the learning curve. Incorporation of the operation time, complications, and oncologic outcomes should be considered in learning curve assessment
