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Background: Intralesional steroid injection has recently evolved as a novel treatment modality for localized idiopathic granulomatous mastitis (= IGM). We aimed to explore the therapeutic efficacy of local steroid injections (LSI) in patients with severe IGM., Methods: Fifty-one patients diagnosed with severe IGM were included in the study and treated with either local steroid injection (LSI) alone ( n = 25) or combined LSI with systemic oral steroid treatment (OST) ( n = 26). The local steroid injection protocol included an intralesional triamcinolone acetonide injection into the palpable granulomas every 4-week, and topical administration of steroid-containing pomades twice a day on the affected surface of the breast. Patients with a combined LSI and OST received low-dose oral methylprednisolone (<16 mg)., Results: Patients with LSI alone required more LSI applications than those in the combined LSI with OST group (LSI: 5 ± 2.9; vs. LSI/OST: 3.5 ± 2.5; p = 0.080) to obtain an effective optimum therapeutic response. At a median of 12 months (range, 4-42), no difference was found in complete response rates between patients in the LSI group and the combined LSI group with OST (52 vs. 53.9%, p = 0.999). However, steroid-related systemic side effects were lower in the LSI alone group ( p < 0.008)., Conclusion: Local steroid injection could be considered as the first-line treatment in patients with severe IGM until a therapeutic response has been obtained either as the sole treatment modality or combined with oral steroids. Compared with systemic oral steroid therapy, local steroid administration can be considered a new treatment modality with fewer side effects., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Cabioglu, Uras, Mutlu, Sezgin, Emiroglu, Dulgeroglu, Yılmaz, Tukenmez, Arikan, Kara and Muslumanoglu.)

Background: Breast cancer is the most frequently detected cancer and the leading cause of cancer-related death in women. Although it is mostly seen in older patients, breast cancer affects women aged 24 to >70 years, with poorer prognosis in young patients. Young age remains a controversial topic in the literature. This study aimed to identify subtype differences and the effect of age on early-stage breast cancer outcomes., Methods: A total of 300 consecutive patients underwent surgery between 2011 and 2015 for early-stage breast cancer. Of these, 248 were eligible for this study and were divided into three groups: group Y (aged ≤35 years), group M (aged >35 and ≤45 years), and group E (aged >45 years). The clinical and pathological features and data related to recurrence, metastasis, and death were recorded., Results: No statistical differences were found between groups regarding histopathological features except for higher histological grade and Ki-67 levels in group M. Additionally, group Y recorded no progression (recurrence or metastasis) or death. Disease-free survival was 117.8 months (95% CI 111.8-123.8) for group M, which was significantly shorter than that for group E ( p  < 0.001). Additionally, the hazard ratio (HR) for progression from group M to group E was 10.21 with significant difference ( p  = 0.003, 95% CI 2.26-46.08). However, the HR of group Y to group E was 0.04, without significance ( p  = 0.788, 95% CI 0.18-345 × 10 6 ). The overall 5-year survival was 100% in group Y, 98.8% in group M, and 99.3% in group E, without significance., Conclusion: A very young age cannot be considered an independent risk factor for poor prognosis. Rather than age, histological grade and Ki-67 index are more important factors in early-stage breast cancer., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (© 2022 Arikan, Kara, Dülgeroğlu, Erdoğan, Çapkınoğlu and Uras.)

Background: This study investigates the effects of COVID-19 on the breast cancer stage and the volume of breast cancer surgery in a specialized breast institute., Methods: Data of 332 patients who were diagnosed and treated for breast cancer between December 2019 and November 2020 were evaluated retrospectively according to periods of pandemic., Results: A significant decrease in the number of operations, especially upfront surgeries rather than surgeries after neoadjuvant chemotherapy, was detected in the early period of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was found that patients with complaints were mostly admitted during this period ( p = 0.024). No statistical significance was found for age, sex, side of the tumor, type of tumor, surgery to breast, and axilla. Following the early period of the pandemic, it was observed that patients with mostly luminal, early-stage, and less axillary nodal involvement ( p < 0.05) were admitted, and as a result, it was founded that upfront surgeries increased, although no change in TNM staging was observed. However, it did affect the decision of initial treatment. Thus, the number of upfront surgeries was significantly higher than the NCT group ( p = 0.027) following the early period., Conclusion: Surgical volume is significantly affected in the early period of the COVID-19 pandemic. To overcome overload due to delayed surgeries related to pandemics, some hospitals should be spared for oncological treatments. Following the early period, mostly luminal type, early-stage patients were admitted, probably because of increased self-awareness and short wave duration, but the breast cancer stage was not affected., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Kara, Arikan, Dulgeroglu, Tutar, Tokat and Uras.)