Metformin in neoadjuvant systemic therapy of breast cancer patients with metabolic syndrome

Background: The aim of this prospective randomized trial was to investigate the influence of metformin on the effectiveness of neoadjuvant systemic therapy in breast cancer patients with metabolic syndrome. Patients and methods: The study included 72 patients (from 31 to 77 years of age) who received neoadjuvant systemic treatment for stage II-III breast cancer at the National Medical University named after O.O Bogomolets, Municipal City Clinical Oncological Center, Department of Oncology, Kyiv during 2010 - 2014. Metabolic syndrome was diagnosed in all patients according to the International Diabetes Federation criteria. They were divided in two groups: group 1 that included 36 patients with metabolic syndrome and breast cancer who did not intake metformin during neoadjuvant systemic therapy, and group 2 that included 36 patients with metabolic syndrome and breast cancer who received metformin with neoadjuvant systemic therapy. Results: Complete clinical response was identified in 2 (6%) patients from group 1 and 10 (27.5%) patients from group 2. Overall clinical response rate (cCR + cPR) was achieved in 28 (77.5%) patients treated with metformin compared to 9 (25%) patients from group 1. A stable disease was observed in 19 (53%) patients who were not taking metformin. The rate of pathological complete response was 26.5% (9 patients) in the metformin group and 6% (2 patients) in the non-metformin group. Conclusions: Combined neoadjuvant systemic anticancer therapy of breast cancer patient with metabolic syndrome with metformin has a higher clinical and pathological overall response rate than treatment without metformin

Peculiarities of the mammographic density of the synchronic bilateral breast cancer

In this article it was made an analysis of the case history out-patient medical records of 30 patients with synchronic bilateral breast cancer (SBBC), 34 patients with unilateral breast cancer (BC) and 32 healthy patients. The obtained results show the higher mammographic density in patients having the synchronic BBC in comparison with the healthy patients and lesser density compared with the unilateral BC. The 2nd grade of the mammographic density is 60% in the group of the synchronic BBC and is higher on 34-35% than that of the two other groups. The presence of the 2nd grade of the mammographic density of the mammary gland requests the more thorough examination (Ultrasonic examination, MRT) for excluding the synchronic BBC