Complication after Aquafilling® gel-mediated augmentation mammoplasty—galactocele formation in a lactating woman: a case report and review of literature

Augmentation mammoplasty using hydrogel fillers such as polyacrylamide gel (PAAG) or Aquafilling® has been performed commonly in some countries as an alternative to breast augmentation with saline or silicone implants. However, the safety of this procedure remains controversial, and many complications associated with the use of large-volume hydrogel injection have been reported in recent years. We present the case of a 33-year-old woman with a history of bilateral Aquafilling® injection augmentation mammoplasty who presented with an enlarged left breast while breastfeeding. Based on the clinical presentation and ultrasound findings, the patient underwent surgical incision as abscess formation caused by infection of the filler material could not be ruled out with certainty. Surgery revealed a galactocele with drainage of large amounts of milky fluid. Remaining filler material was removed as thoroughly as possible, and vacuum assisted wound dressing was performed. Galactocele formation in lactating women is a known complication after injection of hydrogel. Hence, it is important to be familiar with this uncommon but possibly severe complication in order to make an accurate diagnosis and initiate adequate treatment. To that end, it is recommended that patients who underwent Aquafilling® injection for breast augmentation should avoid lactation and that women intending to breastfeed should not undergo augmentation mammoplasty with injection of Aquafilling®.Level of Evidence: Level V, risk / prognostic stud

Single-incision for breast-conserving surgery through round block technique

Aims and objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility of using the single-incision round block technique in breast-conserving surgery with sentinel lymph node (SLN) retrieval for breast cancer without compromising oncological safety. Materials and methods: A retrospective observational case-control study was conducted from January 2017 to October 2021. The study population consisted of two groups. In both groups, breast-conserving surgery was carried out through the round-block technique. In group A, SLN retrieval was performed using the round-block incision (study group), while in group B, SLN retrieval was conducted through a second skin incision in the axilla (control group). The study was approved by the local ethics committee Zurich (BASEC-Nr. 2020-02857), and written informed consent was obtained from all participants. Results: Overall, 134 patients met the inclusion criteria, of whom 86 women underwent breast-conserving surgery and SLN retrieval using the single-incision approach (group A), and 48 women underwent conventional surgery, using two independent incisions for tumour resection and SLN retrieval (group B). The overall success rate in group A regarding SLN retrieval was 97.7%, whereas most tumours were located in the upper outer (47.7%) and upper inner quadrant (27.9%). Although the technique was equally successful in the other quadrants, the share of tumours in the lower outer, and the lower inner quadrant, and the retroareolar region was smaller, representing 17.4%, 3.5% and 3.5%, respectively. The median number of dissected lymph nodes was two, with a positivity rate of 24.4%. The occurrence of axillary neuralgia and axillary skin retraction was significantly higher in group B along with tendentially more axillary seroma formation. There were no significant differences regarding reintervention rates, in terms of complications, resection margins, locoregional recurrences, or deaths with a mean follow-up of 11 months. Conclusions: The single-incision method through the round block technique is as safe and effective as the standard two-incision approach regarding nodal staging and resection margins, and seems to be applicable for tumours in all breast quadrants. Keywords: Benelli; Breast-conserving surgery; Minimal-access breast surgery; Round block; Single-incision

Uncertainties and controversies in axillary management of patients with breast cancer

The aims of this Oncoplastic Breast Consortium and European Breast Cancer Research Association of Surgical Trialists initiative were to identify uncertainties and controversies in axillary management of early breast cancer and to recommend appropriate strategies to address them. By use of Delphi methods, 15 questions were prioritized by more than 250 breast surgeons, patient advocates and radiation oncologists from 60 countries. Subsequently, a global virtual consensus panel considered available data, ongoing studies and resource utilization. It agreed that research should no longer be prioritized for standardization of axillary imaging, de-escalation of axillary surgery in node-positive cancer and risk evaluation of modern surgery and radiotherapy. Instead, expert consensus recommendations for clinical practice should be based on current evidence and updated once results from ongoing studies become available. Research on de-escalation of radiotherapy and identification of the most relevant endpoints in axillary management should encompass a meta-analysis to identify knowledge gaps, followed by a Delphi process to prioritize and a consensus conference to refine recommendations for specific trial designs. Finally, treatment of residual nodal disease after surgery was recommended to be assessed in a prospective register

Lesional modulation of peripheral monocyte leucotactic responsiveness in leprosy.

Because the accumulation and activation of mononuclear phagocytes are critical to the host response to intracellular microbial pathogens we evaluated mechanisms of peripheral monocyte leucotactic regulation in leprosy. Plasma from 53 of 67 patients was found to inhibit the locomotion of normal human monocytes. Neither the prevalence nor the magnitude of plasma leucotactic inhibitory activity correlated with disease histology or duration type or duration of chemotherapy or history of erythema nodosum leprosum. Plasma leucotactic inhibitory activity resided principally in a non-immunoglobulin cell-directed inhibitor of 230 000 daltons molecular weight. Fractionation of plasma from patients with lepromatous leprosy revealed an additional immunoglobulincontaining inhibitor of approximately 400 000 daltons weight possibly an IgG-IgA immune complex. Production of leucotactic inhibitors by unstimulated and concanavalin A-stimulated peripheral mononuclear cells was normal; however cutaneous explants from these patients spontaneously produced the 230 000 dalton leucotactic inhibitor in vitro. The ability of the lesions of leprosy to impede monocyte traffic may be an important pathogenetic mechanism. Originally published Clinical and Experimental Immunology Vol. 70 No. 2 Nov 198

Use of sentinel lymph node biopsy in elderly patients with breast cancer – 10-year experience from a Swiss university hospital

Abstract Background The Choosing Wisely initiative recommended the omission of routine sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) in patients ≥ 70 years of age, with clinically node-negative, early stage, hormone receptor (HR) positive and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (Her2) negative breast cancer in August 2016. Here, we assess the adherence to this recommendation in a Swiss university hospital. Methods We conducted a retrospective single center cohort study from a prospectively maintained database. Patients ≥ 18 years of age with node-negative breast cancer were treated between 05/2011 and 03/2022. The primary outcome was the percentage of patients in the Choosing Wisely target group who underwent SLNB before and after the initiative went live. Statistical significance was tested using chi-squared test for categorical and Wilcoxon rank-sum tests for continuous variables. Results In total, 586 patients met the inclusion criteria with a median follow-up of 2.7 years. Of these, 163 were ≥ 70 years of age and 79 were eligible for treatment according to the Choosing Wisely recommendations. There was a trend toward a higher rate of SLNB (92.7% vs. 75.0%, p = 0.07) after the Choosing Wisely recommendations were published. In patients ≥ 70 years with invasive disease, fewer received adjuvant radiotherapy after omission of SLNB (6.2% vs. 64.0%, p < 0.001), without differences concerning adjuvant systemic therapy. Both short-term and long-term complication rates after SLNB were low, without differences between elderly patients and those < 70 years. Conclusions Choosing Wisely recommendations did not result in a decreased use of SLNB in the elderly at a Swiss university hospital