Income level and regional policies, underlying factors associated with unwarranted variations in conservative breast cancer surgery in Spain

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Geographical variations in medical practice are expected to be small when the evidence about the effectiveness and safety of a particular technology is abundant. This would be the case of the prescription of conservative surgery in breast cancer patients. In these cases, when variation is larger than expected by need, socioeconomic factors have been argued as an explanation. Objectives: Using an ecologic design, our study aims at describing the variability in the use of surgical conservative versus non-conservative treatment. Additionally, it seeks to establish whether the socioeconomic status of the healthcare area influences the use of one or the other technique.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>81,868 mastectomies performed between 2002 and 2006 in 180 healthcare areas were studied. Standardized utilization rates of breast cancer conservative (CS) and non-conservative (NCS) procedures were estimated as well as the variation among areas, using small area statistics. Concentration curves and dominance tests were estimated to determine the impact of income and instruction levels in the healthcare area on surgery rates. Multilevel analyses were performed to determine the influence of regional policies.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Variation in the use of CS was massive (4-fold factor between the highest and the lowest rate) and larger than in the case of NCS (2-fold), whichever the age group. Healthcare areas with higher economic and instruction levels showed highest rates of CS, regardless of the age group, while areas with lower economic and educational levels yielded higher rates of NCS interventions. Living in a particular Autonomous Community (AC), explained a substantial part of the CS residual variance (up to a 60.5% in women 50 to 70).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The place where a woman lives -income level and regional policies- explain the unexpectedly high variation found in utilization rates of conservative breast cancer surgery.</p

The Gracilis Myocutaneous Free Flap: A Quantitative Analysis of the Fasciocutaneous Blood Supply and Implications for Autologous Breast Reconstruction

BACKGROUND: Mastectomies are one of the most common surgical procedures in women of the developed world. The gracilis myocutaneous flap is favoured by many reconstructive surgeons due to the donor site profile and speed of dissection. The distal component of the longitudinal skin paddle of the gracilis myocutaneous flap is unreliable. This study quantifies the fasciocutaneous vascular territories of the gracilis flap and offers the potential to reconstruct breasts of all sizes. METHODS: Twenty-seven human cadaver dissections were performed and injected using lead oxide into the gracilis vascular pedicles, followed by radiographic studies to identify the muscular and fasciocutaneous perforator patterns. The vascular territories and choke zones were characterized quantitatively using the 'Lymphatic Vessel Analysis Protocol' (LVAP) plug-in for Image J® software. RESULTS: We found a step-wise decrease in the average vessel density from the upper to middle and lower thirds of both the gracilis muscle and the overlying skin paddle with a significantly higher average vessel density in the skin compared to the muscle. The average vessel width was greater in the muscle. Distal to the main pedicle, there were either one (7/27 cases), two (14/27 cases) or three (6/27 cases) minor pedicles. The gracilis angiosome was T-shaped and the maximum cutaneous vascular territory for the main and first minor pedicle was 35 × 19 cm and 34 × 10 cm, respectively. CONCLUSION: Our findings support the concept that small volume breast reconstructions can be performed on suitable patients, based on septocutaneous perforators from the minor pedicle without the need to harvest any muscle, further reducing donor site morbidity. For large reconstructions, if a 'T' or tri-lobed flap with an extended vertical component is needed, it is important to establish if three territories are present. Flap reliability and size may be optimized following computed tomographic angiography and surgical delay

Quality of life in relation to tamoxifen or exemestane treatment in postmenopausal breast cancer patients: a Tamoxifen Exemestane Adjuvant Multinational (TEAM) Trial side study

Tamoxifen and aromatase inhibitors are associated with side effects which can significantly impact quality of life (QoL). We assessed QoL in the Tamoxifen Exemestane Adjuvant Multinational (TEAM) Trial and compared these data with reported adverse events in the main database. 2,754 Dutch postmenopausal early breast cancer patients were randomized between 5 years of exemestane, or tamoxifen (2.5-3 years) followed by exemestane (2.5-2 years). 742 patients were invited to participate in the QoL side study and complete questionnaires at 1 (T1) and 2 (T2) years after start of endocrine treatment. Questionnaires comprised the EORTC QLQ-C30 and BR23 questionnaires, supplemented with FACT-ES questions. 543 patients completed questionnaires at T1 and 454 patients (84 %) at T2. Overall QoL and most functioning scales improved over time. The only clinically relevant and statistically significant difference between treatment types concerned insomnia; exemestane-treated patients reported more insomnia than tamoxifen-treated patients. Discrepancy was observed between QoL issue scores reported by the patients and adverse events reported by physicians. Certain QoL issues are treatment- and/or time-specific and deserve attention by health care providers. There is a need for careful inquiry into QoL issues by those prescribing endocrine treatment to optimize QoL and treatment adherence

Co-expression of SNAIL and TWIST determines prognosis in estrogen receptor–positive early breast cancer patients

Epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) plays an important role in the development of metastases. One of the hallmarks of EMT is loss of E-cadherin and gain of N-cadherin expression, which are regulated by transcription factors, such as SNAIL, SLUG, and TWIST. We examined the prognostic value of these factors as well as E-cadherin and N-cadherin, in a well-described large cohort of breast cancer patients treated with primary surgery. Analyses were stratified by estrogen receptor (ER) status, because of its crucial role in the regulation of these transcription factors. SNAIL, SLUG, and TWIST expression were examined on a TMA containing 575 breast tumors using immunohistochemistry. Nuclear expression was quantified using a weighted histoscore and classified as high versus low expression, based on the median histoscore. High expression of SNAIL, SLUG, and TWIST was seen in 54, 50, and 50% of tumors, respectively. The level of SNAIL (P = 0.014) and TWIST (P = 0.006) expression was associated with a worse patient relapse-free period, specifically in patients with ER-positive tumors (interaction Cox proportional hazards P = 0.039). Combining both factors resulted in an independent prognostic factor with high discriminative power (both low versus either high: HR 1.15; both low versus both high HR 1.84; P = 0.010). Co-expression of SNAIL-TWIST was associated with low-E-cadherin and high-N-cadherin expression, especially in ER-positive tumors (P = 0.009), suggesting that, through interactions with ER, SNAIL and TWIST may regulate E- and N-cadherin expression, thereby inducing EMT. Our results are indicative that SNAIL and TWIST play a crucial role in EMT through regulation of E- and N-cadherin expression, exclusively in ER-positive breast cancer patients.Molecular tumour pathology - and tumour genetic