COVID-19 pandemic and breast cancer management: A retrospective observational clinical study from Pakistan

Background: COVID-19 outbreak has adversely affected care of breast cancer patients world-wide. There is paucity of available data on cancer management in lower-middle income countries during this pandemic, we sought to determine the institutional approach towards management of breast cancer patients and the outcomes during COVID-19 pandemic at our institution.Materials and methods: Clinicopathological and treatment record of cancer patients who presented to the Breast Clinic from 15th March to 31st December 2020 was retrieved from the institutional database for this retrospective clinical observational study.Results: A total of 292 patients were qualified for the analysis in which 206 patients (70.5%) underwent breast cancer surgeries. Only 10 of them (4.9%) were identified to be COVID-19 virus positive on routine pre-operative RT-PCR test before elective surgeries. All were asymptomatic, received home-based care via telecommunication and were operated at a later date when test turned out negative. None of them developed any complications post-operatively. Another group of 86 patients (29.5%) were referred for Neoadjuvant/Systemic chemotherapy in which COVID-19 infection was detected in only 4 patients (4.6%) while receiving cycles. Two patients shown symptoms of cough and fever hence hospitalised but were not candidates for Intensive Care Unit admission while other two patient were asymptomatic and isolated at home. All patients recovered well and chemotherapy was commenced again after negative RT-PCR test. No mortality was observed.Conclusion: Despite of being a global crisis particularly for cancer patients we observed infectivity, complications and fatality much lower among breast cancer cases. Further research is needed in this regard including public and private sector hospitals for better understanding behavior of COVID-19 disease and achieve common goal to combat COVID-19 and cancer together

Recurrent phyllodes tumour of the breast transforming to a fibrosarcoma

Phyllodes tumours of the breast are characterized by having both an epithelial as well as stromal component and these usually comprise almost 3% of all fibroepithelial tumours. They are exceptional in this aspect to convert into a stromal sarcoma of the breast after multiple recurrences. To the best of our knowledge, there are only three case reports regarding this in the available literature as it is an exceptional change. In this case report, we present a case of recurrent phyllodes transforming into a breast fibrosarcoma in a middle age postmenopausal woman. Histopathological examination and immunohistochemistry of the lesion were performed to confirm the diagnosis of breast fibrosarcoma

Current perspectives of oncoplastic breast surgery in Pakistan

Oncoplastic breast surgery is based on the concept of tumour-specific immediate reconstruction. It combines both local and distant techniques to maintain breast texture, symmetry and cosmesis without compromising oncological outcome. The current narrative review was planned to highlight the current state and future of oncoplastic breast surgery in low- and middle-income countries where its utilisation in surgical practice remains insubstantial because majority of the surgeons who are treating breast cancer are either general surgeons or breast surgeons who do not have expertise in oncoplastic breast surgery or reconstructive surgery. Moreover, scarcity of financial resources, ignorance about oncoplastic breast surgery techniques, disfigurement distress and cultural taboos coerce women to hide in the shadows with their breast disease. Oncoplastic breast surgery needs more exposure in a developing country like Pakistan. There is a need to establish dedicated oncoplastic breast surgery training centres, fellowship programmes, workshops, and webinars to incorporate such techniques in the practice of breast surgeons

Primary angiosarcoma of breast in an octogenarian woman: A case report with literature review

Introduction and importance: Primary breast angiosarcomas are endothelial derived breast sarcomas found in younger to middle age groups. The diagnosis of primary breast angiosarcoma in an octogenarian woman is a rare incidence. Case presentation: We report a case of 87-year-old postmenopausal woman presenting with history of lump in her right breast for four months. Ultrasound guided biopsy was performed which confirmed the diagnosis of angiosarcoma hence, subjected to simple mastectomy. She was doing quite well for one year when ultimately, she developed metastatic disease and couldn\u27t survive more. Clinical discussion: Microscopically, these tumours are classified into grades I, II and III. Hematogenous route has been taken for metastasis having lungs being most involved. There are limited case reports and studies that have investigated the use of adjuvant radio/chemotherapy. Conclusion: Primary angiosarcoma of breast is a rare disease in old age group with limited treatment options which resulted in poor prognosis and early relaps

A rare case of a recurrent atypical adenomyoepithelial tumor of the breast: Case report

Introduction: Adenomyoepithelial tumors of the breast are very rare tumors comprising of - fibroepithelial and myoepithelial components.Presentation of the case: We present the case of a 66 years old lady who presented with a right breast lump 5 cm in size, diagnosed as an atypical adenomyoepithelioma who underwent successful excision and returned two and half years later with a recurrence. Discussion: These tumors present a diagnostic dilemma needing histopathology for definitive diagnosis. Recurrence is not uncommon.Conclusion: Adenomyoepitheliomas demand regular surveillance for early detection of any recurrence

An unusual large size ductal carcinoma in situ in a patient on lithium therapy: A case report with literature review

Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is the earliest and most curable form of breast cancer. Patients who harbour this disease for quite some time usually have micro invasion by virtue of high-grade disease or big size. Herein, we report a case of 56-year-old postmenopausal woman presenting with a one-year history of blood-stained nipple discharge from right breast. She was a known case of depression receiving oral anti-depressants containing lithium for 20 years. Her mammogram was performed followed by ultrasound breast. Mammogram identified suspicious clusters of micro calcifications hence subjected to stereotactic core biopsy which revealed two separate foci of high-grade DCIS. Therefore, based on her clinical, radiological, and pathological findings she was subjected to mastectomy and sentinel node biopsy. Final histopathology showed big DCIS (10×8×3 cm in size) with immunohistochemical stains confirmed no invasive focus on extensive sampling. Therefore, we postulated that it might be correlated to the use of Lithium which has anti-cancer properties

Analysing the trends in breast surgery practice during COVID-19 pandemic: A comparative study with the Pre-COVID era

Background: The emergence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has crippled the healthcare systems all over the world. Cancer treatment is indispensable and disruption in its provision can lead to unanticipated consequences. No local data exists that has quantified the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on breast cancer surgery in a lower middle-income country (LMIC), therefore, the present retrospective comparative cohort study is directed to determine the trends in breast surgery operative volumes and its outcomes at our institution in Pakistan. Materials and methods: Data was collected retrospectively from Pre-COVID-19 and COVID-19 era to determine impact of the current pandemic on breast cancer management practices and outcomes. Results: Cohort results showed a decline in the number of surgeries during COVID-19 era. A total 149 cases were operated during study period vs. 231 during same Pre-COVID-19 i.e. a 35.5% drop in cancer surgeries. In early COVID-19 time frame, only 4 patients had breast reconstruction, 12 out of 149 (8.05%) surgical candidates were identified having positive COVID-19 status preoperatively and one ASA class 3 patient caught COVID-19 post-surgery and succumbed to virus. Conclusion: Pandemic has a negative effect on cancer management in a LMIC with compromised access and care of cancer patients

Quality of life of breast cancer survivors: A comparison of breast conserving surgery versus total mastectomy with and without immediate reconstruction: A prospective cohort study

Quality of life after breast cancer surgery is frequently ignored during and after treatment in many cancer survivors. To enhance this aspect of patient\u27s life should be the primary goal of every cancer treatment. Therefore, the present study aimed to highlight the quality of life and patients\u27 satisfaction with their breast cosmesis following breast conserving surgery (BCS), total mastectomy with and without reconstruction.Material and methods: Data were collected prospectively from cancer patients who had undergone breast surgery at our institution from 1 January 2015 to 31 December 2021. The validated Breast-Q questionnaires were utilized for conducting patient interviews and mean scores between three cohorts were compared using one-way ANOVA test / Kruskal-Wallis test.Results: Overall, 210 patients were recruited in which 70 patients (33.3%) had undergone BCS, 71 patients (33.8%) had total mastectomy only and 69 (32.9%) patients had total mastectomy with reconstruction. Physical well-being scores were consistent between the three groups while patients operated with total mastectomy with reconstructive surgery scored higher in sexual and psychosocial health measures as compared to patients of total mastectomy. However, BCS patients were the most satisfied with their cosmetic outcome following patients of total mastectomy with reconstruction and without reconstruction.Conclusion: Reconstruction postmastectomy has a positive impact on sexual and psychosocial well-being of survivors; however, those who had breast conservation were more satisfied with cosmetic outcome post-surgery as compared with mastectomy with or without reconstruction