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Pankaj Gupta Roy,1 Laura Mustata,1,2 Jesse Hu,1,3 Ben Phillips,4 Vaishali Parulekar,5 Madhu Bhattacharyya,5 Adrian Harris,6 Sileida Oliveros6 1Department of Breast Surgery, Oxford University Hospitals NHSFT, The Churchill Hospital, Oxford, UK; 2Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Filantropia Clinical Hospital, Bucharest, Romania; 3Department of General Surgery, National University Health System, Singapore; 4Department of Breast Pathology, Oxford University Hospitals NHSFT, The Churchill Hospital, Oxford, UK; 5Department of Breast Radiology, Oxford University Hospitals NHSFT, The Churchill Hospital, Oxford, UK; 6Department of Breast Oncology, Oxford University Hospitals NHSFT, The Churchill Hospital, Oxford, UKCorrespondence: Pankaj Gupta RoyDepartment of Breast Surgery, Oxford University Hospitals NHSFT, The Churchill Hospital, Old Road, Oxford, OX3 7LF, UKTel +44 1865220932Email pankaj.roy@ouh.nhs.ukBackground: This is a prospective cohort study of partial breast reconstruction (PBR) with a lateral chest wall perforator flap (LCWPF) to facilitate breast conservation surgery (BCS) for women undergoing surgery for breast cancer. The study was undertaken to study the clinical and cancer outcomes.Methods: Patients diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) or breast cancer who consented to undergo BCS with PBR with LCWPF were included in the study. A prospective database has been maintained to collect information on clinico-pathological features, complications, and follow-up. Patients were asked to complete an anonymised PROM questionnaire over the years. The hospital electronic records were interrogated for women who have completed 5 years follow-up to assess for development of recurrence/events.Results: A total of 105 patients underwent PBR with LCWPFs between 2011 and 2018. Of these, 74% underwent cancer resection and PBR as one operation whilst 26% underwent PBR as a two-stage approach. The median tumor size on pre-op imaging was 30 mm for the one-stage approach and 39.5 mm for the two-stage approach (p-value=0.003). The complication rates were low and the re-operation rate for close margins was 10%, with 4% eventually requiring mastectomy. Good-to-excellent esthetic outcomes were reported in more than 80% of cases by patients and clinicians. The local recurrence rate (LR) was 2%, distant recurrence rate 10.5%, disease free survival (DFS) 86%, distant disease-free survival (DDFS) 89% and overall survival (OS) 94.8% at 4.5 years median follow-up. This procedure provides an effective oncological approach, avoiding mastectomy with a good-to-excellent cosmetic outcome. The follow-up data establishes the safety of this approach.Discussion: This is the first published series of recurrence and survival data in patients undergoing PBR. We intend to continue with data collection to assess long-term outcomes beyond 10 years. The authors would recommend consideration of this technique to facilitate BCS and avoid mastectomy.Registration: Not applicable.Keywords: lateral chest wall perforator flap, breast conservation surgery, partial breast reconstruction, PBR, PROMs, breast cancer, breast cancer outcomes

In this work, poly(styrene)@poly( N -isopropylmethacrylamide- co -2-( N , N -dimethyl)aminoethyl methacrylate [p(sty)@p(NIPMAM-DMAEMA)] core/shell microgel particles were produced by a two-step free-radical precipitation polymerization process. Ag nanoparticles were successfully embedded inside the sieves of a crosslinked network by using silver nitrate as the precursor salt and NaBH 4 as the reductant. The synthesized pure and hybrid microgels were analyzed by various characterization tools, including Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and UV-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopies, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS). Results indicate the successful fabrication of spherical silver nanoparticles with diameters ranging from 10 to 15 nm within the sieves of the poly(styrene)@poly( N -isopropylmethacrylamide- co -2-( N , N -dimethyl)aminoethyl methacrylate) core/shell microgels, which have a hydrodynamic diameter of 155 ± 25 nm. The Ag nanomaterial exhibited long-term stability in the p(sty)@p(NIPMAM-DMAEMA) system due to the strong donor-acceptor relationship between the lone pair of the amide moiety in the polymer microgels and the Ag nanomaterial. The catalytic activity of the Ag-p(sty)@p(NIPMAM-DMAEMA) material was determined by performing the catalytic reduction of p -nitrophenol (4-NPh) as a model reaction under diverse concentrations of the catalyst. UV-vis spectrophotometry was used to check the progress of the reaction. The apparent rate constant ( k app ) was measured by applying the pseudo-first-order kinetics model. It was observed that k app increased with increasing catalyst dose, demonstrating occurrence of the reaction on the surface of the catalyst., Competing Interests: Authors declare no conflict of interest., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Breast cancer care is a costly global health issue where effective management depends on early detection and treatment. A breast cancer diagnosis can result in financial catastrophe especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). Large inequities in breast cancer care are observed and represent a global challenge to caregivers and patients. Strategies to improve early diagnosis include awareness and clinical breast examination in LMIC, and screening in high-income countries (HIC). The use of clinical guidelines for the management of breast cancer is needed. Adapted guidelines from HIC can address disparities in populations with limited resources. Locally developed strategies still provide effective guidance in improving survival. Integrated practice units (IPU) with timely multidisciplinary breast care conferences and patient navigators are required to achieve high-value, personalized breast cancer management in HIC as well as LMIC. Breast cancer patient care should include a quality of life evaluation using ideally patient-reported outcomes (PROM) and experience measurements (PREM). Evaluation of breast cancer outcomes must include the financial cost of delivered care. The resulting value perspective should guide resource allocation and program priorities. The value of care must be improved by translating the findings of social and economic research into practice and resolving systemic inequity in clinical breast cancer research. Cancer survivorship programs must be put in place everywhere. The treatment of patients with metastatic breast cancer must require more attention in the future, especially in LMIC., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press.)

Background: 18 F-fluciclovine is a synthetic amino acid positron emission tomography (PET) radiotracer that is approved for use in prostate cancer. In this clinical study, we characterised the kinetic model best describing the uptake of 18 F-fluciclovine in breast cancer and assessed differences in tracer kinetics and static parameters for different breast cancer receptor subtypes and tumour grades., Methods: Thirty-nine patients with pathologically proven breast cancer underwent 20-min dynamic PET/computed tomography imaging following the administration of 18 F-fluciclovine. Uptake into primary breast tumours was evaluated using one- and two-tissue reversible compartmental kinetic models and static parameters., Results: A reversible one-tissue compartment model was shown to best describe tracer uptake in breast cancer. No significant differences were seen in kinetic or static parameters for different tumour receptor subtypes or grades. Kinetic and static parameters showed a good correlation., Conclusions: 18 F-fluciclovine has potential in the imaging of primary breast cancer, but kinetic analysis may not have additional value over static measures of tracer uptake., Clinical Trial Registration: NCT03036943., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Background: Breast cancers located centrally require excision of nipple-areola complex. A simple central wide excision is a safe option but results in suboptimal aesthetic outcome. An oncoplastic option involves therapeutic mammoplasty with or without areolar reconstruction, limited to moderate and large ptotic breasts. For small non-ptotic breasts, most surgeons would resort to mastectomy with/without reconstruction., Methods: Lateral chest wall perforator flap (CWPF) is an option for partial breast reconstruction in small to moderate sized, non-ptotic breasts for laterally located tumours. We have extended the application of CWPF for central tumours to avoid mastectomy in selected patients., Results: We here present a case series of four patients with small to medium-sized non-ptotic breasts, who had centrally located breast cancer or ductal carcinoma in-situ (DCIS). Three patients had single stage CWPF reconstruction, and one had central excision with immediate reconstruction following a failed attempt at therapeutic mammoplasty. All had the areola reconstructed using flap skin; one patient had simultaneous nipple reconstruction., Conclusions: CWPF is an option for treatment of centrally located breast cancers/DCIS needing nipple-areola complex excision for patients wishing to avoid mastectomy. Patients with small to medium-sized non-ptotic breasts are suitable, and need to be carefully selected., (© the authors; licensee ecancermedicalscience.)

Background: Oncoplastic breast-conserving surgery (O-BCS) involves removing the tumour in the breast and using plastic surgery techniques to reconstruct the breast. The adequacy of published evidence on the safety and efficacy of O-BCS for the treatment of breast cancer compared to other surgical options for breast cancer is still debatable. It is estimated that the local recurrence rate is similar to standard breast-conserving surgery (S-BCS) and also mastectomy, but the aesthetic and patient-reported outcomes may be improved with oncoplastic techniques., Objectives: Our primary objective was to assess oncological control outcomes following O-BCS compared with other surgical options for women with breast cancer. Our secondary objective was to assess surgical complications, recall rates, need for further surgery to achieve adequate oncological resection, patient satisfaction through patient-reported outcomes, and cosmetic outcomes through objective measures or clinician-reported outcomes., Search Methods: We searched the Cochrane Breast Cancer Group's Specialized Register, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE (via OVID), Embase (via OVID), the World Health Organization's International Clinical Trials Registry Platform and ClinicalTrials.gov on 7 August 2020. We did not apply any language restrictions., Selection Criteria: We selected randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and non-randomised comparative studies (cohort and case-control studies). Studies evaluated any O-BCS technique, including volume displacement techniques and partial breast volume replacement techniques compared to any other surgical treatment (partial resection or mastectomy) for the treatment of breast cancer., Data Collection and Analysis: Four review authors performed data extraction and resolved disagreements. We used ROBINS-I to assess the risk of bias by outcome. We performed descriptive data analysis and meta-analysis and evaluated the quality of the evidence using GRADE criteria. The outcomes included local recurrence, breast cancer-specific disease-free survival, re-excision rates, complications, recall rates, and patient-reported outcome measures., Main Results: We included 78 non-randomised cohort studies evaluating 178,813 women. Overall, we assessed the risk of bias per outcome as being at serious risk of bias due to confounding; where studies adjusted for confounding, we deemed these at moderate risk. Comparison 1: oncoplastic breast-conserving surgery (O-BCS) versus standard-BCS (S-BCS) The evidence in the review found that O-BCS when compared to S-BCS, may make little or no difference to local recurrence; either when measured as local recurrence-free survival (hazard ratio (HR) 0.90, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.61 to 1.34; 4 studies, 7600 participants; very low-certainty evidence) or local recurrence rate (HR 1.33, 95% CI 0.96 to 1.83; 4 studies, 2433 participants; low-certainty evidence), but the evidence is very uncertain due to most studies not controlling for confounding clinicopathological factors. O-BCS compared to S-BCS may make little to no difference to disease-free survival (HR 1.06, 95% CI 0.89 to 1.26; 7 studies, 5532 participants; low-certainty evidence). O-BCS may reduce the rate of re-excisions needed for oncological resection (risk ratio (RR) 0.76, 95% CI 0.69 to 0.85; 38 studies, 13,341 participants; very low-certainty evidence), but the evidence is very uncertain. O-BCS may increase the number of women who have at least one complication (RR 1.19, 95% CI 1.10 to 1.27; 20 studies, 118,005 participants; very low-certainty evidence) and increase the recall to biopsy rate (RR 2.39, 95% CI 1.67 to 3.42; 6 studies, 715 participants; low-certainty evidence). Meta-analysis was not possible when assessing patient-reported outcomes or cosmetic evaluation; in general, O-BCS reported a similar or more favourable result, however, the evidence is very uncertain due to risk of bias in the measurement methods. Comparison 2: oncoplastic breast-conserving surgery (O-BCS) versus mastectomy alone O-BCS may increase local recurrence-free survival compared to mastectomy but the evidence is very uncertain (HR 0.55, 95% CI 0.34 to 0.91; 2 studies, 4713 participants; very low-certainty evidence). The evidence is very uncertain about the effect of O-BCS on disease-free survival as there were only data from one study. O-BCS may reduce complications compared to mastectomy, but the evidence is very uncertain due to high risk of bias mainly resulting from confounding (RR 0.75, 95% CI 0.67 to 0.83; 4 studies, 4839 participants; very low-certainty evidence). Data on patient-reported outcome measures came from single studies; it was not possible to meta-analyse the data. Comparison 3: oncoplastic breast-conserving surgery (O-BCS) versus mastectomy with reconstruction O-BCS may make little or no difference to local recurrence-free survival (HR 1.37, 95% CI 0.72 to 2.62; 1 study, 3785 participants; very low-certainty evidence) or disease-free survival (HR 0.45, 95% CI 0.09 to 2.22; 1 study, 317 participants; very low-certainty evidence) when compared to mastectomy with reconstruction, but the evidence is very uncertain. O-BCS may reduce the complication rate compared to mastectomy with reconstruction (RR 0.49, 95% CI 0.45 to 0.54; 5 studies, 4973 participants; very low-certainty evidence) but the evidence is very uncertain due to high risk of bias from confounding and inconsistency of results. The evidence is very uncertain for patient-reported outcome measures and cosmetic evaluation., Authors' Conclusions: The evidence is very uncertain regarding oncological outcomes following O-BCS compared to S-BCS, though O-BCS has not been shown to be inferior. O-BCS may result in less need for a second re-excision surgery but may result in more complications and a greater recall rate than S-BCS. It seems that O-BCS may give better patient satisfaction and surgeon rating for the look of the breast, but the evidence for this is of poor quality, and due to lack of numerical data, it was not possible to pool the results of different studies. It seems O-BCS results in fewer complications compared with surgeries involving mastectomy. Based on this review, no certain conclusions can be made to help inform policymakers. The surgical decision for what operation to proceed with should be made jointly between clinician and patient after an appropriate discussion about the risks and benefits of O-BCS personalised to the patient, taking into account clinicopathological factors. This review highlighted the deficiency of well-conducted studies to evaluate efficacy, safety and patient-reported outcomes following O-BCS., (Copyright © 2021 The Cochrane Collaboration. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

Importance: The use of acellular dermal matrix (ADM) in implant-based breast reconstructions (IBBRs) is established practice. Existing evidence validating ADMs proposed advantages, including improved cosmetics and more single-stage IBBRs, is lacking., Objective: To evaluate whether IBBR with ADM results in fewer reoperations and increased health-related quality of life (HRQoL) compared with conventional IBBR without ADM., Design, Setting, and Participants: This was an open-label, multicenter, randomized clinical trial of women with primary breast cancer who planned for mastectomy and immediate IBBR, with a 2-year follow-up for all participants. Participants were enrolled at 5 breast cancer units in Sweden and the United Kingdom between 2014 and May 2017. Exclusion criteria included previous radiotherapy and neo-adjuvant chemotherapy. Data were analyzed until August 2017., Interventions: Participants were allocated to immediate IBBR with or without ADM., Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary trial end point was number of reoperations at 2 years. HRQoL, a secondary end point, was measured as patient-reported outcome measures using 3 instruments from the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of life Questionnaire., Results: From start of enrollment on April 24, 2014, to close of trial on May 10, 2017, a total of 135 women were enrolled (mean [SD] age, 50.4 [9.5] years); 64 were assigned to have an IBBR procedure with ADM and 65 to the control group who had IBBR without ADM. There was no statistically significant difference between groups for the primary outcome. Of 129 patients analyzed at 2-year follow-up, 44 of 64 (69%) had at least 1 surgical event in the ADM group vs 43 of 65 (66%) in the control group. In the ADM group, 31 patients (48%) had at least 1 reoperation on the ipsilateral side vs 35 (54%) in the control group. The overall number of reoperations on the ipsilateral side were 42 and 43 respectively. Within the follow-up time of 24 months, 9 patients (14%) in the ADM group had the implant removed compared with 7 (11%) in the control group. We found no significant mean differences in postoperative patient-reported HRQoL domains, including perception of body image (mean difference, 3; 99% CI, -11 to 17; P = .57) and satisfaction with cosmetic outcome (mean difference, 8; 99% CI, -6 to 20; P = .11)., Conclusions and Relevance: Immediate IBBR with ADM did not yield fewer reoperations compared with conventional IBBR without ADM, nor was IBBR with ADM superior in terms of HRQoL or patient-reported cosmetic outcomes. Patients treated for breast cancer contemplating ADM-supported IBBR should be informed about the lack of evidence validating ADM's suggested benefits., Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02061527.

Objective: This review article summarises the latest evidence for commonly undertaken procedures in aesthetic breast surgery with a focus on key principles of breast augmentation, reduction, and mastopexy. The paper also outlines various approaches and controversies as well as complications such as breast implant associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL) and breast implant illness (BII) which are increasingly being recognised and becoming a challenge to manage., Background: Changing trends of aesthetic breast surgery over the decades has warranted a continuous evolution of this field. The ability to deliver safe and appropriate care is dependent upon sound reconstructive principles and proper training. The lack of uniformity in either is a cause of concern. The impact of social media and changing perception of body image can also no longer be overlooked in the field of aesthetics and reconstruction., Methods: Review of literature including recent journals, textbook chapters, online databases like PubMed, and current government and surgical society guidelines., Conclusions: Breast reconstruction is based on sound surgical principles and it is imperative to follow these for the practice of this speciality. There are two important issues that revolve around this aspect of surgery. First relates to the urgent need to invest time and effort in improving regulations and outcomes in the cosmetic surgery industry. Second, it is crucial to promote and prioritize the development and training in this field as the principles of aesthetic breast surgery underpins oncoplastic breast surgery for management of cancer., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at https://dx.doi.org/10.21037/gs-20-892). The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (2021 Gland Surgery. All rights reserved.)

Background: Breast cancer is the most frequent type of cancer in women. The methodological quality of clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) on breast cancer has been shown to be heterogeneous. The aim of our study was to evaluate the quality of breast cancer CPGs published in years 2018-2020, using the Reporting Items for Practice Guidelines in Healthcare (RIGHT) checklist., Methods: We searched Medline (via PubMed), Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang and Chinese Biomedical Literature (CBM) as well as websites of guideline organizations for CPGs on breast cancer published between 2018 and 2020. We used the RIGHT checklist to evaluate the reporting quality of the included guidelines by assessing whether the CPGs adhered to each item of the checklist and calculated the proportions of appropriately reported RIGHT checklist items. We also presented the adherence reporting rates for each guideline and the mean rates for each of the seven domains of the RIGHT checklist., Results: A total of 45 guidelines were included. Eighteen (40.0%) guidelines had an overall reporting rate below 50% and only three (6.7%) reported more than 80% of the items. The domains "Basic information" and "Background" had the highest reporting rates (75.9% and 62.5%, respectively). The mean reporting rates of the domains "Evidence", "Recommendation", "Review and quality assurance", "Funding and declaration and management of interests" and "Other information" were 42.7%, 53.0%, 33.3%, 45.0%, and 44.4%, respectively., Conclusions: The reporting quality varied among guidelines for breast cancer, showing the need for improvement in reporting the contents. Guideline developers should pay more attention to reporting the evidence, review and quality assurance, and funding and declaration and management of interests in future., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at https://dx.doi.org/10.21037/atm-21-2884). The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (2021 Annals of Translational Medicine. All rights reserved.)

Background: Acellular dermal matrix (ADM) in implant-based breast reconstructions (IBBRs) aims to improve cosmetic outcomes. Six-month data are presented from a randomized trial evaluating whether IBBR with ADM provides higher health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and patient-reported cosmetic outcomes compared with conventional IBBR without ADM., Methods: In this multicentre open-label RCT, women with breast cancer planned for mastectomy with immediate IBBR in four centres in Sweden and one in the UK were allocated randomly (1 : 1) to IBBR with or without ADM. HRQoL, a secondary endpoint, was measured as patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) using three validated instruments (EORTC-QLQC30, QLQ-BR23, QLQ-BRR26) at baseline and 6 months., Results: Between 24 April 2014 and 10 May 2017, 135 women were enrolled, of whom 64 with and 65 without ADM were included in the final analysis. At 6 months after surgery, patient-reported HRQoL, measured with generic QLQ-C30 or breast cancer-specific QLQ-BR23, was similar between the groups. For patient-reported cosmetic outcomes, two subscale items, cosmetic outcome (8·66, 95 per cent c.i. 0·46 to 16·86; P = 0·041) and problems finding a well-fitting bra (-13·21, -25·54 to -0·89; P = 0·038), yielded higher scores in favour of ADM, corresponding to a small to moderate clinical difference. None of the other 27 domains measured showed any significant differences between the groups., Conclusion: IBBR with ADM was not superior in terms of higher levels of HRQoL compared with IBBR without ADM. Although two subscale items of patient-reported cosmetic outcomes favoured ADM, the majority of cosmetic items showed no significant difference between treatments at 6 months. Registration number: NCT02061527 ( www.clinicaltrials.gov)., (© 2020 The Authors. BJS Open published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Journal of Surgery Society.)

Background: Epidemiological studies suggest that metformin may reduce the incidence of cancer in patients with diabetes and multiple late phase clinical trials assessing the potential of repurposing this drug are underway. Transcriptomic profiling of tumour samples is an excellent tool to understand drug bioactivity, identify candidate biomarkers and assess for mechanisms of resistance to therapy., Methods: Thirty-six patients with untreated primary breast cancer were recruited to a window study and transcriptomic profiling of tumour samples carried out before and after metformin treatment., Results: Multiple genes that regulate fatty acid oxidation were upregulated at the transcriptomic level and there was a differential change in expression between two previously identified cohorts of patients with distinct metabolic responses. Increase in expression of a mitochondrial fatty oxidation gene composite signature correlated with change in a proliferation gene signature. In vitro assays showed that, in contrast to previous studies in models of normal cells, metformin reduces fatty acid oxidation with a subsequent accumulation of intracellular triglyceride, independent of AMPK activation., Conclusions: We propose that metformin at clinical doses targets fatty acid oxidation in cancer cells with implications for patient selection and drug combinations., Clinical Trial Registration: NCT01266486.

Late-phase clinical trials investigating metformin as a cancer therapy are underway. However, there remains controversy as to the mode of action of metformin in tumors at clinical doses. We conducted a clinical study integrating measurement of markers of systemic metabolism, dynamic FDG-PET-CT, transcriptomics, and metabolomics at paired time points to profile the bioactivity of metformin in primary breast cancer. We show metformin reduces the levels of mitochondrial metabolites, activates multiple mitochondrial metabolic pathways, and increases 18-FDG flux in tumors. Two tumor groups are identified with distinct metabolic responses, an OXPHOS transcriptional response (OTR) group for which there is an increase in OXPHOS gene transcription and an FDG response group with increased 18-FDG uptake. Increase in proliferation, as measured by a validated proliferation signature, suggested that patients in the OTR group were resistant to metformin treatment. We conclude that mitochondrial response to metformin in primary breast cancer may define anti-tumor effect., (Crown Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Oncoplastic breast surgery allows the excision of larger tumours without compromising cosmetic outcome and can be broadly divided into volume displacement and volume replacement techniques. Although oncoplastic surgery has rapidly gained acceptance and is now widely practised, evidence is still lacking especially in patients who underwent volume replacement techniques. As it is a relatively new technique that has been described in the literature in the recent years, a summary of evidence from this literature can help clinicians to understand the clinical, oncologicalandcosmetic outcomes of such procedures., Methods and Analysis: All original studies including randomised controlled trials, cohort studies, case-control studies and case series involving more than 10 women undergoing partial breast reconstruction using a volume replacement technique will be included. The primary objective is to evaluate the clinical, oncological and cosmetic outcomes following volume replacement in patients undergoing oncoplastic breast-conserving surgery. The secondary objective is to review the patient-reported outcomes (PROMs) associated with oncoplastic breast surgery to help identify any unmet needs and to consider refining the existing PROMs to suit women undergoing volume replacement surgery.A comprehensive literature search, eligibility assessment and extraction of data will be conducted by two trained teams acting independently. Data will be extracted and stored in a database with standardised extraction fields to facilitate easy and consistent data entry. Heterogeneity will be assessed using the Cochrane tests., Ethics and Dissemination: This systematic review requires no ethical approval. It will be published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it will also be presented at nationalandinternational conferences., Prospero Registration Number: CRD42017075700; Pre-results., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2018. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Background: The lateral chest wall perforator flaps (CWPF) offer an excellent option for partial breast reconstruction (PBR) in women undergoing breast conservation surgery (BCS) for laterally placed tumours in small to moderate non-ptotic breasts., Methods: A total of 20 patients underwent PBR with lateral CWPF over the last 4 years, as two-stage approach. This approach was undertaken for patients with high tumour to breast ratio (>30% predicted resection) in an attempt to avoid mastectomy. The reconstruction was carried out 2-4 weeks after wide local excision in order to ensure clear margins prior to undertaking PBR., Results: Twenty-three women were selected for attempt at BCS with 2-stage approach. Three patients had extensive disease so they were then counseled for mastectomy after the first surgery and 20 patients had successful BCS. Out of 20 patients, 13 were symptomatic and 7 were screen-detected with mean age of 49 years. The median tumour size on pre-op imaging was 43 mm (23-75 mm). A percentage of 50% women with unifocal cancers undergoing primary surgery had disease overestimated on pre-op imaging. The complication rate was low. Good to excellent aesthetic outcomes were reported in 90% cases. Patients reported high satisfaction scores., Conclusions: We recommend considering two-stage approach in selected women with high tumour-breast ratio to ensure successful BCS prior to PBR. This approach facilitates BCS and avoids mastectomy in borderline cases, particularly lobular cancers, DCIS, bifocal cancers and post neoadjuvant chemotherapy where pre-operative disease estimation could be challenging. Our small series has shown that this approach results in safe oncological surgery with good aesthetic outcomes in the selected group of women., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Background: Sequential biopsy of breast cancer is used to assess biomarker effects and drug efficacy. The preoperative "window of opportunity" setting is advantageous to test biomarker changes in response to therapeutic agents in previously untreated primary cancers. This study tested the consistency over time of paired, sequential biomarker measurements on primary, operable breast cancer in the absence of drug therapy., Methods: Immunohistochemistry was performed for ER, PR and Ki67 on paired preoperative/operative tumor samples taken from untreated patients within 2 weeks of each other. Microarray analysis on mRNA extracted from formalin fixed paraffin embedded cores was performed using Affymetrix based arrays on paired core biopsies analysed using Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) and Gene Set Analysis (GSA)., Results: In 41 core/resection pairs, the recognised trend to lower ER, PR and Ki67 score on resected material was confirmed. Concordance for ER, PR and Ki67 without changing biomarker status (e.g. ER+ to ER-) was 90, 74 and 80 % respectively. However, in 23 paired core samples (diagnostic core v on table core), Ki67 using a cut off of 13.25 % was concordant in 22/23 (96 %) and differences in ER and PR immunohistochemistry by Allred or Quickscore between the pairs did not impact hormone receptor status. IPA and GSA demonstrated substantial gene expression changes between paired cores at the mRNA level, including reduced expression of ER pathway analysis on the second core, despite the absence of drug intervention., Conclusions: Sequential core biopsies of primary breast cancer (but not core versus resection) was consistent and is appropriate to assess the effects of drug therapy in vivo on ER, PR and Ki67 using immunohistochemistry. Conversely, studies utilising mRNA expression may require non-treatment controls to distinguish therapeutic from biopsy differences.

Background . Autologous dermal sling with wise pattern skin reducing mastectomy allows one-stage implant reconstruction in women with large and ptotic breasts needing mastectomy for cancer or risk reduction. However, this technique is not suitable for women who lack ptosis and also carries risk of T-junction breakdown. Method . We have performed one-stage nipple sparing mastectomies with implant reconstruction in 5 women (8 breasts) by modifying the autologous dermal sling approach. All these women had small to moderate breasts with no ptosis or pseudoptosis. Results . Three women had bilateral procedures, two underwent bilateral mastectomies simultaneously, and one had contralateral risk reduction surgery a year after the cancer side operation. All women underwent direct to implant reconstruction with implant volumes varying from 320 to 375 cc. There were no implant losses and only one required further surgery to excise the nipple for positive nipple shaves. A low complication rate was encountered in this series with good aesthetic outcome. Conclusion . The modified lower pole dermal sling allows direct to implant reconstruction in selected women with small to moderate sized breasts with minimal ptosis. The approach is safe and cost-effective and results in more natural reconstruction with preservation of nipple.

In the title hydrated salt, C(16)H(38)N(4) (2+)·2ClO(4) (-)·H(2)O, the dication is protonated at the diagonally opposite N atoms proximate to the -C(CH(3))(2)- groups. Within the cavity, there are two ammonium-amine N-H⋯N hydrogen bonds. Supra-molecular layers are formed in the crystal packing whereby the water mol-ecule links two perchlorate anions, and the resultant aggregates are connected to the dications via N-H⋯O hydrogen bonds. Layers, with an undulating topology, stack along the a axis being connected by C-H⋯O inter-actions.

Background: When laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) is performed successfully, recovery is faster than after open cholecystectomy. However, LC results in higher incidences of biliary, bowel and vascular injury., Methods: We performed a retrospective review of LC-related claims reported to the National Health Service Litigation Authority (NHSLA) during 2000-2005. The data were analysed from a medicolegal perspective to assess the effects of type of injury and delay in recognition on litigation costs., Results: A total of 208 claims following laparoscopic procedures in general surgery were reported to NHSLA during 2000-2005, of which 133 (64%) were related to LC. Bile duct injury (BDI) accounted for the majority of claims (72%); bowel injury and 'others' accounted for 9% and 19%, respectively. Only 20% of BDIs were recognized during surgery; the majority were missed and diagnosed later. Claims related to LC resulted in payments totalling 6 m pound sterling, of which 4.3 m pound sterling was paid out for BDIs. The average cost was higher for patients who suffered a delay in diagnosis, as was the chance of a successful claim., Conclusions: Bile duct injury incurred during LC remains a serious hazard for patients. The resulting complications have led to litigation that has caused a huge financial drain on the health care system. Delayed recognition appears to correlate with more costly litigation.

Actinomycosis is an infection commonly seen in tropical countries. It is characterized by chronic and progressive suppurative inflammation, typically presenting on the neck, thorax, and abdomen. Primary cutaneous actinomycosis is a rare entity, and the diagnosis requires a high index of clinical suspicion. Anaerobic cultures may be negative despite repeated attempts. Microscopic examination reveals the diagnosis in the majority of cases, and treatment requires administration of parenteral or oral penicillin for at least 6 weeks. We report a case of cutaneous actinomycosis affecting the arm. This patient was treated with phenoxymethylpenicillin.