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The apocrine morphology of the breast is observed in a broad pathological spectrum, ranging from benign cysts to invasive carcinomas. However, the number of clinical research investigating malignant apocrine lesions is limited. This study retrospectively reviewed the data of patients with malignant apocrine lesions admitted in a tertiary center between January 2004 and December 2021, based on the radiology-pathology correlation and the recent advances in their status to enhance the therapeutic implications of androgen receptor (AR). Among the 37 patients with lesions, 27 (73.0%) had triple-negative subtypes with predominant AR expression. The radiological features of malignant apocrine lesions did not differ from those of typical invasive ductal carcinoma or ductal carcinoma in situ. This study demonstrated that knowledge on the imaging features of malignant apocrine lesions and their histological basis could enhance the adoption of new targeted therapies in patients with this particular type of breast cancer.

Purpose Breast cancer is one of the most common malignancies worldwide and the second most common cancer among Korean women. The prognosis of breast cancer is poor in patients with other primary cancers. However, there have been few clinical studies regarding this issue. Therefore, we analyzed the characteristics and prognosis of patients with breast cancer with multiple primary cancers (MPCs). Methods Data from the Korean Breast Cancer Society Registry were analyzed. Data from enrolled patients who underwent surgery for breast cancer were analyzed for differences in prognosis dependent on the presence of MPCs, and which MPC characteristics affected their prognosis. Results Among the 41,841 patients analyzed, 913 patients were found to have MPCs, accounting for 950 total MPCs. There was a significant difference in survival rates between the breast cancer only group and the MPC group. The 5-year survival rates were 93.6% and 86.7% and the 10-year survival rates were 87.5% and 70.4%, respectively. Among the 913 patients with MPCs, patients with two or more MPCs had significantly worse prognoses than patients with a single MPC. With respect to the time interval between breast cancer and MPC occurrence, patients with a 5-year or greater interval had significantly better prognoses than patients with less than 1 year between occurrences. Among MPCs, thyroid cancer was the most common primary cancer. However, this type was not related to the prognosis of breast cancer. Gynecologic cancer, colorectal cancer, upper gastrointestinal cancer, and lung cancer were related to breast cancer prognosis. Conclusion MPCs were a poor prognostic factor for patients with breast cancer. Two or more MPCs and a shorter time interval between occurrences were worse prognostic factors. Although MPCs were a poor prognostic factor, thyroid cancer did not affect the prognosis of patients with breast cancer.

Purpose In this trial, we investigated the efficacy and safety of adjuvant letrozole for hormone receptor (HR)-positive breast cancer. Here, we report the clinical outcome in postmenopausal women with HR-positive breast cancer treated with adjuvant letrozole according to estrogen receptor (ER) expression levels. Methods In this multi-institutional, open-label, observational study, postmenopausal patients with HR-positive breast cancer received adjuvant letrozole (2.5 mg/daily) for 5 years unless they experienced disease progression or unacceptable toxicity or withdrew their consent. The patients were stratified into the following 3 groups according to ER expression levels using a modified Allred score (AS): low, intermediate, and high (AS 3-4, 5-6, and 7-8, respectively). ER expression was centrally reviewed. The primary objective was the 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) rate. Results Between April 25, 2010, and February 5, 2014, 440 patients were enrolled. With a median follow-up of 62.0 months, the 5-year DFS rate in all patients was 94.2% (95% confidence interval [CI], 91.8-96.6). The 5-year DFS and recurrence-free survival (RFS) rates did not differ according to ER expression; the 5-year DFS rates were 94.3% and 94.1%in the low-to-intermediate and high expression groups, respectively (p = 0.6), and the corresponding 5-year RFS rates were 95.7% and 95.4%, respectively (p = 0.7). Furthermore, 25 patients discontinued letrozole because of drug toxicity. Conclusion Treatment with adjuvant letrozole showed very favorable treatment outcomes and good tolerability among Korean postmenopausal women with ER-positive breast cancer, independent of ER expression. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01069211.

Phyllodes tumor (PT) of the breast is a relatively rare fibroepithelial tumor that accounts for < 1% of primary breast neoplasms. PT is classified histologically as benign, borderline, or malignant, and a malignant PT has greater potential to metastasize than benign PT. Although almost all other organs can be affected, common metastatic sites are the lung and bone via the hematogenous route. There have been several studies reporting cutaneous and soft tissue metastases of PT, though the incidence is rare. Herein, we report a very rare case of scalp metastasis of malignant PT that was diagnosed via skin biopsy and surgical excision.

Purpose: Lymphovascular invasion (LVI) is an important prognostic factor in patients with lymph node-negative patients with invasive breast cancer. However, the prognostic value of LVI it is unclear and controversial about its prognostic value in patients with lymph node-positive breast cancer patients. So, we report the an analysis of the prognostic significance of LVI in a large cohort study of patients with lymph node-positive patients with invasive breast cancer. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 967 patients with invasive breast cancer that had undergone surgical treatment at our hospital, from January 2004 to December 2007. Among these thempatients, 349 patients with lymph node-positive breast cancer patients are were included in this study. We evaluated clinical and pathological data in these patients, we compared with 5-year overall survival and disease-free survival between an LVI-present group and an LVI-absent group. Results: The median follow-up was 48 months (range, 12-78 months), and the mean age of the patients was 48 years (range, 23-78 years). LVI was present in 192 patients (55%) of with tumors and was associated with age ≤ 40 years (p= 0.009), high histologichistological grade (p= 0.007), estrogen receptor status (p= 0.001), tumor size ≥ 2 cm (p< 0.001), and number of involved lymph nodes (p< 0.001), but not with progesterone receptor status, HER2 status, p53 status, or tumor multiplicity. LVI was a significant independent prognos tic factor for disease-free survival (p< 0.001) and overall survival (p= 0.006). By multivariate analysis revealed that LVI (p= 0.003), number of involved lymph nodes (≥ 4; p= 0.005), and high histological grade (II and III; p= 0.02) was were an independent significant predictors of disease-free survival and overall survival in the whole group of patients. Conclusion: In this case, we demonstrated that LVI is a significant predictor of poor prognosis in patients with lymph node-positive patients with primary invasive breast cancer, LVI is a significant predictive predictor value of poor prognosis. So, LVI should be considered in the therapeutic strategy as a decision making tool in the adjuvant chemotherapy setting.

The development of ectopic breast tissue is attributable to the failure of primitive mammary tissue to regress after the development of the mammary ridge, except at pectoral breast sites, and is most often evident in the axillae. Several benign and malignant breast diseases have been reported in ectopic axillary breast tissues. The most common cancerous pathology of ectopic breast tissue is invasive ductal carcinoma. Ectopic breast cancer presenting with simultaneous primary cancer of the pectoral breast is extremely rare. Herein, we report an invasive micropapillary carcinoma of an axillary ectopic breast, combined with a synchronous ductal carcinoma in situ in the contralateral pectoral breast of a 61-year-old woman.

PURPOSE Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NC) is yet to be established as the definitive treatment regimen for locally advanced breast cancer (LABC). The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy and toxicity of NC with epirubicin and paclitaxel. METHODS Between March 2007 and January 2009, 50 patients with LABC were enrolled in an open-label, phase II, multicenter study carried out at five distinct institutions. All patients were scheduled to receive four cycles of 60 mg/m(2) epirubicin and 175 mg/m(2) paclitaxel every 3 weeks, preoperatively, unless they developed profound side effects or disease progression. After curative surgery, two additional cycles of chemotherapy were administered to patients who had shown a positive response to NC. RESULTS In all, 196 cycles of chemotherapy were administered preoperatively; 47 of the 50 patients (94%) underwent all four cycles of designated treatment. Complete disappearance of invasive foci of the primary tumor, and negative axillary lymph nodes were confirmed in eight patients (16.0%), post operation. The cumulative 5-year disease-free survival rate was 70.0% for patients with complete remission (CR) and partial remission (PR), and 33.3% for patients with stable disease (SD) and progressive disease (PD) (p=0.018). The cumulative 5-year overall survival was 90.0% for patients who achieved CR and PR and 55.6% for patients who had SD and PD (p=0.001). Neutropenia (42.0%) was the most common grade 3/4 toxicity. However, none of the toxicities resulted in cessation of the treatment. CONCLUSION The encouraging pathologic response observed in the patients treated with epirubicin plus paclitaxel NC in this study suggests that epirubicin could be a substitute for doxorubicin, which is the most cardiotoxic agent.

Purpose Breast conserving surgery using mesh can effectively fill the defective space, but there is the risk of infection. Methods From June 2007 to August 2010, 243 patients who underwent breast conserving surgery with polyglactin 910 mesh insert for breast cancer at our institution were retrospectively studied. Results Infection occurred in 25 (10.3%) of 243 patients. When comparing the infection and non-infection groups in multivariate analysis, there was no significant difference in age, underlying disease, preoperative biopsy methods, mass location, axillary lymph node dissection, operative methods, neoadjuvant or adjuvant chemotherapy use, mass size and removed breast volume. The infection appeared more common only in patients with body mass index (BMI) greater than 25. Infection symptoms occurred, on average, 119.5 days after surgery, and the average duration of the required treatment was 34.4 days. Out of 25 patients with postoperative infection complications, 16 (64%) patients underwent incision and drainage with mesh removal, whereas the remaining 9 (36%) only required conservative treatment. Conclusion During breast conserving surgery, the risk of infection is increased in patients with high BMI, and should be taken into account when considering insertion of a polyglactin 910 mesh. Patient's age, underlying disease and perioperative treatment methods were not significant risk factors for developing mesh infection. Given that most infections seem to develop symptoms one month after surgery, a long enough observation period should be initiated. Early detection and appropriate conservative treatments may effectively address infections, thus reducing the need for more invasive therapies.

gone a mastectomy is performed less frequently in Korea than in Western countries. The aim of this study was to investigate the psychosocial problems related to a mastectomy and awareness of reconstruction after a mastectomy in breast cancer survivors. Methods: From March to April 2010, 252 patients who underwent a mastectomy were recruited for this survey. The questionnaire included sociodemographic characteristics of patients, psychosocial problems related to mastectomy, and reasons not to receive breast reconstruction. Results: Patients had difficulty going to a public bath (70.3%) or going to a swimming pool or the beach (74.6%). More than half of patients answered that their physical activity had decreased due to persistent shoulder or arm pain after the mastectomy. The most common psychological problem that patients experienced was distress over the loss of charm as a woman (66.8%), followed by considering themselves disabled (62.0%), and worries about recurrence (59.4 %). The most common reason not to receive a breast reconstruction was the high cost of the operation (59.4%), followed by anxiety about complications (46.7%). Only 16.2% of patients reported that they did not receive enough information about reconstruction from their doctor. Of 229 patients, 43.7% would consider undergoing breast reconstruction in the future. Conclusion: Breast cancer survivors who underwent a mastectomy suffered from various psychosocial problems, and high cost was a major reason for not undergoing breast reconstruction. Broader health insurance coverage should be provided for breast reconstruction in breast cancer survivors.

Myoid hamartomas of the breast parenchyma are extremely rare, benign breast neoplasms. Only 15 cases of the parenchymal myoid hamartoma of the breast have currently been described in the medical literature written in English. A 46year-old woman presented with a huge right breast myoid hamartoma and synchronous contralateral left periareolar cancer. We discuss the clinical features, the radiologic findings, the pathologic findings and the management of this type of lesion. Surgeons should be aware that myoid hamartoma is a rare benign tumor, but it can be the cause of a palpable mass in the breast.