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Background: The framework of breast care is changing rapidly due to the increasing success of systemic therapies for breast cancer and consequently, surgeons need to adapt themselves to the changing role of surgery in its management. Real-world evidence indicates that breast cancer patient-related outcomes are better if they are managed by specialized physicians and surgeons. On the other hand, the curriculum for the training of breast surgeons is expanding and includes skills that involve newer surgical techniques and non-surgical technologies. De-escalation of surgery and also the fact that quality of life is becoming one of the priorities in breast cancer management require breast surgeons to be competent in all aspects of multidisciplinary management. Classical teaching including master-apprentice relation-based training is no more sufficient to satisfy the expectations of the trainees. However, on the other hand, the sources for contemporary postgraduate education are relatively scarce when considering these fast changes in the field. Therefore, there is a continuing quest among breast surgeons for finding ways to maintain their professional development. Summary: Classrooms and operating theaters without walls that came with the internet boom brought substantial opportunities for breast surgeons. Platforms such as BreastGlobal, Breastics24h, Global Breast Hub, Oncoplastic Academy-Brazil, ibreastbook, Virtual Breast Oncoplastic Surgical Simulator and CluBreast helped surgeons who needed to get contemporary training and interaction for their professional continuous development. Networking sites such as YouTube, Facebook and Twitter are also among the social media platforms for professional groups to interact. National and global breast surgery societies also provide periodical online meetings and congresses for their members in order to satisfy the ongoing demand for training, interaction and networking. Therefore, web-based platforms helped many surgeons from different parts of the world who could not afford to travel or did not have time to attend the necessary meetings due to their limited time and resources. Moreover, these online programs may have also encouraged surgeons to pursue specialized training in breast surgery which in turn should be expected to increase the quality of breast care in their countries. Key messages: The platforms have downsides such as practical training and role modeling are limited and the opportunity of receiving real-time feedback on skills requirements lacks and networking would not be productive as expected. Nevertheless, web-based platforms require certain technology and infrastructure which still could not be provided everywhere.

Simple Summary Most breast cancers are small and can be treated using breast-conserving surgery. Since these tumors are non-palpable, they require a localization step that helps the surgeon to decide which tissue needs to be removed. The oldest localization technique is a guidewire placed into the tumor before surgery, usually using ultrasound or mammography. Afterwards, the surgeon removes the tissue around the wire tip. However, this technique has several disadvantages: It can cause the patient discomfort, requires a radiologist or another professional specialized in breast diagnostics to perform the procedure shortly before surgery, and 15-20% of patients need a second surgery to completely remove the tumor. Therefore, new techniques have been developed but most of them have not yet been examined in large, prospective, multicenter studies. In this review, we discuss all available techniques and present the MELODY study that will investigate their safety, with a focus on patient, surgeon, and radiologist preference. Background: Surgical excision of a non-palpable breast lesion requires a localization step. Among available techniques, wire-guided localization (WGL) is most commonly used. Other techniques (radioactive, magnetic, radar or radiofrequency-based, and intraoperative ultrasound) have been developed in the last two decades with the aim of improving outcomes and logistics. Methods: We performed a systematic review on localization techniques for non-palpable breast cancer. Results: For most techniques, oncological outcomes such as lesion identification and clear margin rate seem either comparable with or better than for WGL, but evidence is limited to small cohort studies for some of the devices. Intraoperative ultrasound is associated with significantly higher negative margin rates in meta-analyses of randomized clinical trials (RCTs). Radioactive techniques were studied in several RCTs and are non-inferior to WGL. Smaller studies show higher patient preference towards wire-free localization, but little is known about surgeons\" and radiologists\" attitudes towards these techniques. Conclusions: Large studies with an additional focus on patient, surgeon, and radiologist preference are necessary. This review aims to present the rationale for the MELODY (NCT05559411) study and to enable standardization of outcome measures for future studies.

The authors' aim is to provide breast surgeons' perspectives on the relative importance of the criteria for choosing an appropriate surgery method between mastectomy (total removal of a breast) and breast-conserving surgery (removal of a breast cancer tumor and some of the normal tissue that surrounds it) for women with breast cancer by using the multicriteria decision-making method (MCDM). The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS), and Vise Kriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje (VIKOR) methods are utilized. A decision hierarchy is set with a goal, criteria, and alternatives. We developed our model based on three main criteria, tumor-related, patient-related, and post-operative process-related factors and nineteen sub-criteria, as well as two alternatives, mastectomy and breast-conserving surgery (BCS). An online questionnaire was sent to the breast surgeons; we showed that the most important criteria are post-operative process-related factors, especially the demand for esthetic appearance based on 39 breast surgeons. Conversely, the least significant criteria are tumor-related factors. Furthermore, breast-conserving surgery is selected as the most appropriate surgery method for breast cancer patients using the AHP, TOPSIS, and VIKOR.

Multifocal and multicentric breast cancers (MFMCBCs) have traditionally been considered a contraindication to breast-conserving surgery (BCS) because of concerns about locoregional control.The most common definition of MFMCBC is anatomical, based on the presence of cancer foci either in a single breast quadrant (multifocal) or in more than one (multicentric). Other definitions are based on the distance between tumours, with multifocal tumours defined as being within 2 cm of each other (up to 5 cm in some articles), and multicentric tumours further away.The reported incidence of MFMCBC varies between 4 and 60 per cent, and has increased, possibly owing to improved imaging accuracy resulting in better detection rates. Similarly, BCS rates for MFMCBC have increased over time as a result of the introduction of advanced oncoplastic techniques that allow en bloc resection of all cancer foci while preserving (or even improving) breast cosmesis. These advances in oncoplastic breast surgery, together with the support of the St Gallen expert panel and emerging evidence of no significant difference in disease-free or overall survival between MFMCBC and unifocal cancers, have resulted in changing practice, with many surgeons considering BCS in selected patients. This topic is still, however, debated as other authors have questioned the oncological safety of BCS in this setting because of a lack of RCTs or high-quality prospective cohort studies.

Background and Objectives: Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is a rare and aggressive breast cancer treated up-front with systemic treatment. Both breast-conserving surgery and sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) are controversial issues in the management of IBC. In this study, we aimed to assess the feasibility of SLNB in pathologically proven node-positive IBC patients. Methods: All patients with a histopathological diagnosis of IBC and biopsy-proven metastatic axillary lymph nodes underwent systemic treatment. Patients with a complete clinical response in the axilla who underwent SLNB followed by standard axillary dissection were analyzed. Results: The study consisted of 25 female patients. The identification rate (IR) and the false negativity rate (FNR) were 17/25 and 2/10, respectively. Overall, 9/25 and 7/25 of patients had a complete pathological response (pCR) in the breast and axilla after systemic treatment, respectively. Although the pCR in the axilla was 2/4 in nonluminal HER2-positive patients, the highest IR 4/4 and the lowest FNR 0/2 were determined in these patients. In triple-negative patients, however, the IR was 2/4 and the FNR was found to be 0/2. Conclusions: SLNB may be considered in selected axilla-downstaged IBC patients including patients with a pCR with HER2-positive and triple-negative tumors. Axillary dissection may be, therefore, omitted in those with negative SLNs.

Idiopathic granulomatous mastitis (IGM) rarely occurs with erythema nodosum (EN) as a systemic finding. However, the impact of their coexistence on disease severity and response to steroids has not been investigated yet. Patients diagnosed with IGM between September 2014 and October 2018 were divided into two groups according to the presence or absence of EN during the first admission retrospectively. The IGM was more severe in patients with EN as it was presented more often as bilateral and diffuse involvement of the breast. Findings of mastitis did not resolve with steroids in 50% of this group. Repetitive excisions and mastectomy with reconstructions were required to control the disease. Coexistence of EN and IGM was found to be related to bilateral and aggressive involvement, which could be associated with insufficient response to steroids. Associated patients should be informed in terms of the aggressive course, and surgery can be highlighted as a first-line treatment.

Background/Objective: Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) is not routine in DCIS. Guidelines suggest SLNB when there is high risk for underlying invasion (large size, high grade, symptomatic lesion) ...

Objective A high frequency of PI3K signalling pathway abnormalities and TP53 mutations are critical in the development and progression of breast cancer (BCa). We aimed to detect PIK3CA and TP53 mutations via an expression analysis of PIK3R1, PTEN and SALL4 and correlate the expression of these genes with clinical parameters of BCa. Materials and methods PIK3CA and TP53 mutations in BCa samples were analysed by High-Resolution Melting (HRM) analysis, followed by Sanger sequencing, and the expression levels of PIK3R1, PTEN and SALL4 were evaluated by RT-PCR methods. Results The frequency of PIK3CA and TP53 mutations was 42% and 38% according to the HRM and Sanger sequencing. There was a significantly high frequency of these mutations in ER( +), N0 and HER2( −) tumour samples. PIK3R1 and PTEN expression levels were high in tumour samples, whereas SALL4 expression was low. In patients with TP53 mutations, PIK3R1 expression was low, and this finding was statistically significant. PIK3R1 and PTEN expression levels showed statistically significant, respectively in G3 grades, ER(+), (PR)( +), HER2(+) and ER( +). Conclusions We suggest that these candidate genes could be potential prognostic biomarkers of BCa and that they should be considered in the evaluation of clinical parameters of BCa.

Background: Primary hyperparathyroidism (pHPT) caused by a single benign parathyroid adenoma is a common endocrine disorder that is affected by regional differences. Living in different geographical regions reveals differences in the laboratory results and pathological findings, but studies on this subject are not sufficient. The article focuses on biochemical and pathological effects of geographical differences in parathyroid adenoma. In addition, the present study seeks to elaborate on treatment methods and effectiveness of screening in geographical area of Bulgaria and Turkey. Method: In this prospective study, 159 patients were included from 16 centres. Demographic characteristics, symptoms, biochemical markers and pathologic characteristics were analysed and compared between 8 different regions. Results: Patients from Turkish Black Sea had the highest median serum calcium (Ca) level, whereas patients from Eastern Turkey had the lowest median serum phosphorus (P) level. On the other hand, there was no significant difference between Ca, parathormone (PTH) and P levels according to regions. Patients from Eastern Turkey had the highest adenoma weight, while patients from Bulgaria had the lowest adenoma weight. The weight of adenoma showed statistically significant differences between regions (p < 0.001). There was a correlation between adenoma weight and serum PTH level (p = 0.05) and Ca level (p = 0.035). Conclusion: This study has provided a deeper insight into the effect of the regional differences upon clinicopathological changing and biochemical values of pHTP patients with adenoma. Awareness of regional differences will assist in biochemical screening and treatment of this patient group. (c) 2021 Asian Surgical Association and Taiwan Robotic Surgery Association. Publishing services by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Although guidelines recommend some of the most expensive diagnostic methods and therapies, some patients do have the opportunity to use them, but some others have overused or misused such methods. The cost of cancer care is increasing, but the satisfaction levels of patients and healthcare workers have not increased in line with this rise. Value-based care for cancer, especially breast cancer, should be implemented. For this reason, all unnecessary screening, tests, treatments, and follow-up parameters should be avoided.

Simple Summary Despite the impressive progress in the treatment of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), oncologists still face several provocative clinical scenarios in daily practice where clear evidence-based recommendations are lacking, and expert opinion is of utmost importance. In an attempt to seek guidance for these controversial topics in TNBC management, a consensus recommendations session for TNBC was held during the 12th round of the Breast-Gynaecological & Immuno-oncology International Cancer Conference (BGICC) Egypt, 2020. This special session convened a multidisciplinary committee of 35 panellists who specialize in breast cancer care from 13 countries. The consensus covered all the aspects of TNBC management starting from defining TNBC to the management of metastatic disease and highlighted the rapidly evolving landscape in this field. Consensus was reached in 70% of the statements (35/50). In addition, areas of warranted research were identified to guide future prospective clinical trials. Background: The management of patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is challenging with several controversies and unmet needs. During the 12th Breast-Gynaecological & Immuno-oncology International Cancer Conference (BGICC) Egypt, 2020, a panel of 35 breast cancer experts from 13 countries voted on consensus guidelines for the clinical management of TNBC. The consensus was subsequently updated based on the most recent data evolved lately. Methods: A consensus conference approach adapted from the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) was utilized. The panellists voted anonymously on each question, and a consensus was achieved when >= 75% of voters selected an answer. The final consensus was later circulated to the panellists for critical revision of important intellectual content. Results and conclusion: These recommendations represent the available clinical evidence and expert opinion when evidence is scarce. The percentage of the consensus votes, levels of evidence and grades of recommendation are presented for each statement. The consensus covered all the aspects of TNBC management starting from defining TNBC to the management of metastatic disease and highlighted the rapidly evolving landscape in this field. Consensus was reached in 70% of the statements (35/50). In addition, areas of warranted research were identified to guide future prospective clinical trials.

Breast lesions with atypia are a spectra of diseases that confer increased risk of breast cancer because of an increased probability of finding concomitant cancer after excision, or evolution toward in situ or invasive cancer over the long term. The widespread use of radiologic tools and core needle breast biopsies, in recent years, has led to an increase in the diagnosis of these atypical breast lesions. Concurrent with this has been an improvement in the classification and pathogenesis of these lesions. Current evidence suggests that the recognition and treatment of patients with atypical histology after biopsy and surgical excision requires a multidisciplinary approach to decrease the overdiagnosis and overtreatment risks. This focused review investigates the controversy and current management of atypical ductal hyperplasia, lobular neoplasia, flat epithelial atypia, and intraductal papilloma with atypia along with the risk-reducing strategies.

OBJECTIVE: Aim of this prospective study was to determine the complications of different treatment modalities for breast cancer and assess their impact on patients’ quality-of-life and psychological status. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients surgically treated for early-stage breast cancer were enrolled in the study. Complications after treatment and quality-of-life parameters were measured and recorded. RESULTS: 218 patients, all female with a median age of 48 (19–82) years, were included in the study. In early period, significant limitation of shoulder movements, increased pain and decreased in functional capacity were observed, whereas in mid-term, all shoulder movements, as well as pain and functional capacity returned normal. In both early period and mid-terms, anxiety scores were significantly decreased, whereas depression scores were significantly increased. In early period, there was a significant decrease in physical and mental area scores. Social area scores were significantly increased, whereas environmental, mental and physical area scores were significantly decreased in mid-term and late period. CONCLUSION: Overall, patients’ quality-of-life was found to be significantly deteriorated in both early period and mid-term and returned to pre-treatment period at long term follow up.

Background The aim of this randomized clinical trial was to evaluate the overall survival (OS) data of patients diagnosed with de novo stage IV breast cancer (BC) who received locoregional treatment (LRT) over a 10-year follow-up. Study Design The MF07-01 is a 1:1 multicenter, randomized clinical trial comparing the LRT with systemic therapy (ST), where ST was given to all patients either immediately after randomization or after surgical resection of the intact primary tumor. Results A total of 278 patients were randomized and 265 patients were in the final analysis. At 10-year follow-up, survivals were 19% (95% CI 13%–28%) and 5% (95% CI 2%–12%) in the LRT group and ST group, respectively. Median survival was 46 months for the LRT group and 35 months for the ST group, and hazard of death was 29% lower in the LRT group compared with the ST group (hazard ratio [HR] 0.71; 95% CI 0.59–0.86; p = 0.0003). Conclusions Patients with a diagnosis of de novo stage IV BC who underwent LRT followed by ST had a 14% higher chance of OS by the end of the 10-year follow-up compared with the patients who received only ST. The longer study follow-up revealed that LRT should be presented to patients when discussing treatment options.

The aims of the Oncoplastic Breast Consortium initiative were to identify important knowledge gaps in the field of oncoplastic breast-conserving surgery and nipple-sparing or skin-sparing mastectomy with immediate breast reconstruction, and to recommend appropriate research strategies to address these gaps. A total of 212 surgeons and 26 patient advocates from 55 countries prioritised the 15 most important knowledge gaps from a list of 38 in two electronic Delphi rounds. An interdisciplinary panel of the Oncoplastic Breast Consortium consisting of 63 stakeholders from 20 countries obtained consensus during an in-person meeting to select seven of these 15 knowledge gaps as research priorities. Three key recommendations emerged from the meeting. First, the effect of oncoplastic breast-conserving surgery on quality of life and the optimal type and timing of reconstruction after nipple-sparing or skin-sparing mastectomy with planned radiotherapy should be addressed by prospective cohort studies at an international level. Second, the role of adjunctive mesh and the positioning of implants during implant-based breast reconstruction should ideally be investigated by randomised controlled trials of pragmatic design. Finally, the BREAST-Q questionnaire is a suitable tool to assess primary outcomes in these studies, but other metrics to measure patient-reported outcomes should be systematically evaluated and quality indicators of surgical morbidity should be further assessed.

The Breast Surgery theoretical and practical knowledge curriculum comprehensively describes the knowledge and skills expected of a fully trained breast surgeon practicing in the European Union and European Economic Area (EEA). It forms part of a range of factors that contribute to the delivery of high quality cancer care. It has been developed by a panel of experts from across Europe and has been validated by professional breast surgery societies in Europe. The curriculum maps closely to the syllabus of the Union of European Medical Specialists (UEMS) Breast Surgery Exam, the UK FRCS (breast specialist interest) curriculum and other professional standards across Europe and globally (USA Society of Surgical Oncology, SSO). It is envisioned that this will serve as the basis for breast surgery training, examination and accreditation across Europe to harmonise and raise standards as breast surgery develops as a separate discipline from its parent specialties (general surgery, gynaecology, surgical oncology and plastic surgery). The curriculum is not static but will be revised and updated by the curriculum development group of the European Breast Surgical Oncology Certification group (BRESO) every 2 years.

Managing elderly breast cancer patients brings challenges both to physicians and patients themselves. There are certain controversial issues regarding local treatment of early breast cancer in this population. Since elderly patients are more likely to have comorbidities and functional limitations, they are more prone to undertreatment. Although surgical treatment in elderly patients were reported to be safe, severity and number of comorbidities are shown to be related with increased complications, hence may lead to higher mortality and lower life quality. Therefore, frailty is one of the concerns which prevents elderly patients to receive standard-of-care local treatment. Nevertheless, breast cancers developing in elderly are more likely to be low grade and luminal type. Until now, primary endocrine treatment without surgical resection, omitting whole breast irradiation after partial mastectomy and avoiding sentinel lymph node biopsy, which are otherwise accepted as standard-of-care, were questionned in healthy, low-risk, elderly fit patients. Two main issues were suggested to be considered when assessing the impact of local treatment options in this patient group; the clinical significance of treatments' effects, and the patients' expectations. Due to their vulnerability, baseline geriatric assessment should be the initial step for management in elderly breast cancer patients. Even in those who are healthy and fit with long life-expectancy, de-escalation in management might be an option in low-risk patients after considering patients' individual expectations and limited clinical benefits of standard local treatment options.

In Turkey there are 83 medical schools and the oldest six are regarded as the best institutions. Marmara University School of Medicine (MUSM) is one of the 6 leading institutions. MUSM Hospital was delivered to Turkish Ministry of Health (TMoH) for its operational management in 2010. In this study, we aim to assess the current status and trend of productivity and attractiveness of MUSM, by comparing them to other medical schools which are run independently from TMoH. The data between 2010 and 2016 were collected, and eight medical degree programs in 6 medical schools were included in the study. The numbers of publications, ranking in entrance exams and score of graduate students during residency entrance exam, were investigated for comparison. In the ranking of university entrance exams, MUSM ranked 8th in 2010 and dropped to 18th in 2016, while others except one remained stable. When the postgraduate exam for specialist in medicine results were taken into consideration, MUSM ranked 7th in 2008 and 37th in 2016, showing the same downhill slope; while others remained stable or even improved. The ranking of MUSM declined in exams after cooperation, while other medical programs in 5 schools kept their positions or even improved. High work load and low teaching times in pay-for-service system seem to have a negative impact on medical education. Key words: Medical education, pay-for-service, health care reform.

Kuru, Bekir/0000-0001-7774-6431 WOS: 000395502400010 PubMed: 28331769 The Oncoplastic and Reconstructive Breast Surgery course was held in Izmir by the Izmir Breast Diseases Federation in collaboration with the Breast Diseases Federation of Turkey. The techniques of oncoplasty, the application details and experience in this subject were shared. In this text, the main topics and outcomes are briefly summarised. These evaluations can be considered highly valuable on both local and regional scales.

[No abstract available]

Objectives The algorithms that define most of the application of oncoplastic breast conserving surgery (OBCS) in breast cancer patients are not clearly defined. Therefore, a consensus survey was conducted between the leading and experienced breast surgeons and oncoplastic breast surgeons in Turkey on the controversial areas of oncoplastic breast surgery. Material and methods This consensus survey was carried out on-line through the Consensus software program (www.consensuss.com) under the roof of Turkish Federation of National Societies for Breast Diseases (TFNSBD). After finalizing each proposition, web-based remote access consensus process was performed on the Likert scale using Delphi method with the Consensus (www.consensuss.com) software program. Through the related software, an invitation was sent to 111 people who had at least 5 years of general surgery expertise in Turkey, and who devoted more than 50% of their daily clinical practice to the treatment and surgery of breast diseases. Results Sixty-two out of 111 people accepted to participate in the panel and made an on-line evaluation. According to the consensus results; Lumpectomy area should be done by placing the clips on at least four walls of the cavity, if the margin of the tumor is clear in central tumors, the distance between the tumor and the nipple is not significantly important, oncoplastic techniques may be used in patients with locally advanced breast cancer after neoadjuvant chemotherapy, in patients who have macromastia with ductal carcinoma in situ or breast cancer, OBCS techniques can be performed, and OBCS should be evaluated in terms of breast aesthetics. After OBCS, re-excision can be performed at a re-do setting in cases with involved surgical margins. Conclusion Our consensus results may provide a basis for the development of some standards in OBCS.

Idiopathic granulomatous mastitis (IGM) is a benign disorder of the breast, for which the optimal treatment modality remains missing. A total of 124 patients with a histopathologically proven diagnosis of IGM were enrolled in a prospective, randomized parallel arm study. Patients were treated with topical steroids in Group T (n: 42), systemic steroids (0.8 mg/kg/day peroral) in Group S (n: 42), and combined steroids (0.4 mg/kg/day peroral + topical) in Group C (n: 40). Compliance with the therapy, response to the therapy, the duration of therapy, side effects and the recurrence rates were compared. Sixteen patients did not comply with the treatment, and the highest ratio of compliance with therapy was seen in Group T (p

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES It is not clear whether sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) can be applied to patients with a second breast cancer or recurrence occurring at previously treated breast. The purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility of SLNB procedure in patients with recurrent breast cancer. METHODS Patients with non-metastatic recurrent N0 breast cancer at ipsilateral breast were included. Patients were grouped according to their initial breast, axilla, and overall surgery. Presence of drainage and its pattern as well as SLNB success rate and overall axillary involvement rates were assessed. Findings were compared. RESULTS Out of 75 patients, mean age was 52.5 years and disease-free interval was 82 (9-312) months. Lymphatic drainage was successful in 42 (56%) patients. Drainage positivity was more frequent in patients who were previously treated with SLNB (82.6%) than in patients who underwent axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) (44.2%; P = 0,002). Aberrant lymphatic drainage was detected in 64.3% of drainage positive patients. Success rate of reoperative SLNB was 92.9%. Adjuvant treatment plan was altered in 12 (16%) patients. In 15 patients, negative SLNB prevented axillary dissection. CONCLUSIONS Reoperative SLNB seems to be technically feasible in N0 recurrent breast cancer patients. It may further avoid unnecessary ALND and lead changes in adjuvant treatment plans. J. Surg. Oncol. 2016;114:796-802. © 2016 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

IGFBP5 is an important regulatory protein in breast cancer progression. We tried to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between breast tumor tissues with IGFBP5 overexpression and their adjacent normal tissues. In this study, thirty-eight breast cancer and adjacent normal breast tissue samples were used to determine IGFBP5 expression by qPCR. cDNA microarrays were applied to the highest IGFBP5 overexpressed tumor samples compared to their adjacent normal breast tissue. Microarray analysis revealed that a total of 186 genes were differentially expressed in breast cancer compared with normal breast tissues. Of the 186 genes, 169 genes were downregulated and 17 genes were upregulated in the tumor samples. KEGG pathway analyses showed that protein digestion and absorption, focal adhesion, salivary secretion, drug metabolism-cytochrome P450, and phenylalanine metabolism pathways are involved. Among these DEGs, the prominent top two genes (MMP11 and COL1A1) which potentially correlated with IGFBP5 were selected for validation using real time RT-qPCR. Only COL1A1 expression showed a consistent upregulation with IGFBP5 expression and COL1A1 and MMP11 were significantly positively correlated. We concluded that the discovery of coordinately expressed genes related with IGFBP5 might contribute to understanding of the molecular mechanism of the function of IGFBP5 in breast cancer. Further functional studies on DEGs and association with IGFBP5 may identify novel biomarkers for clinical applications in breast cancer.

Background: The MF07-01 trial is a multicenter, phase III, randomized, controlled study comparing locoregional treatment (LRT) followed by systemic therapy (ST) with ST alone for treatment-naïve stage IV breast cancer (BC) patients. Methods: At initial diagnosis, patients were randomized 1:1 to either the LRT or ST group. All the patients were given ST either immediately after randomization or after surgical resection of the intact primary tumor. Results: The trial enrolled 274 patients: 138 in the LRT group and 136 in the ST group. Hazard of death was 34% lower in the LRT group than in the ST group (hazard ratio [HR], 0.66; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.49–0.88; p = 0.005). Unplanned subgroup analyses showed that the risk of death was statistically lower in the LRT group than in the ST group with respect to estrogen receptor (ER)/progesterone receptor (PR)(+) (HR 0.64; 95% CI 0.46–0.91; p = 0.01), human epidermal growth factor 2 (HER2)/neu(–) (HR 0.64; 95% CI 0.45–0.91; p = 0.01), patients younger than 55 years (HR 0.57; 95% CI 0.38–0.86; p = 0.007), and patients with solitary bone-only metastases (HR 0.47; 95% CI 0.23–0.98; p = 0.04). Conclusion: In the current trial, improvement in 36-month survival was not observed with upfront surgery for stage IV breast cancer patients. However, a longer follow-up study (median, 40 months) showed statistically significant improvement in median survival. When locoregional treatment in de novo stage IV BC is discussed with the patient as an option, practitioners must consider age, performance status, comorbidities, tumor type, and metastatic disease burden. © 2018, Society of Surgical Oncology.

Background and Aims: Glucocorticoid receptor (GR) has been postulated to serve an important role in normal breast and breast carcinoma. On the other hand, studies on its common polymorphisms with breast cancer are very limited. In this study, we aimed to assess the presence and frequency of 4 common polymorphisms of the GR gene in the cancerous tissue samples from breast cancer patients in the Turkish population and compare them with healthy individuals. Methods: DNA samples from 86 Turkish female breast cancer patients and 86 healthy controls analysed for BclI, Tth111I, N363S and ER22/23EK polymorphisms of GR gene by PCR-RFLP. Results: N363S polymorphism was not observed in study samples. Frequency of BclI polymorphism did not differ between cases and controls but it associated with family history of cancer. The polymorphic allele frequency of Tth111I and ER22/23EK was found to be higher in cases compared to healthy samples (pConclusion: The data presented here suggest that polymorphisms of GR gene may be an important risk factor for breast cancer predisposition.

Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma is a highly lethal malignancy. Previously, only five cases of a noninvasive form of anaplastic thyroid carcinoma with excellent prognosis were reported. We report a case of a 68-year-old man who presented with a 3.8 cm thyroid nodule diagnosed by fine needle aspiration biopsy as poorly differentiated spindled and epithelial malignant cells. Lobectomy and isthmusectomy were performed, and the final diagnosis was microinvasive anaplastic thyroid carcinoma arising in a poorly differentiated carcinoma. The patient remains disease-free after six years, even after hemithyroidectomy and radiation treatment. Noninvasive/microinvasive anaplastic thyroid carcinoma appears to be a different disease entity from classical anaplastic thyroid carcinoma, with favorable prognosis and long disease-free survival.

Breast cancer is a very rare disease in the male. Very few data exist about its aetiology, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis. Recommendations are extrapolated from the findings of female breast cancer studies. Its incidence seems to be higher in African populations. In the Western Hemisphere, its incidence is increasing albeit slowly. It has a close association with BRCA2 mutations and Klinefelter’s syndrome. The median age is generally a decade higher than in females. The majority are ductal cancers, ER + ve and Her2 negative. Surgical management to the breast and axilla is similar to that in the female with the omission of reconstructive surgery. Radiotherapy and systemic therapy (with the exception of endocrine therapy) regimes are generally similar to those offered to females.

Background: Both insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 7 (IGFBP7) and telomere length (TL) are associated with proliferation and senescence of human breast cancer. This study assessed the clinical significance of both TL and IGFBP7 methylation status in breast cancer tissues compared with adjacent normal tissues. We also investigated whether IGFBP7 methylation status could be affecting TL. Methods: Telomere length was measured by quantitative PCR to compare tumors with their adjacent normal tissues. The IGFBP7 promoter methylation status was evaluated by methylation-specific PCR and its expression levels were determined by western blotting. Results: Telomeres were shorter in tumor tissues compared to controls (P

The 15th St. Gallen International Breast Cancer Conference 2017 in Vienna, Austria reviewed substantial new evidence on loco-regional and systemic therapies for early breast cancer. Treatments were assessed in light of their intensity, duration and side-effects, seeking where appropriate to escalate or de-escalate therapies based on likely benefits as predicted by tumor stage and tumor biology. The Panel favored several interventions that may reduce surgical morbidity, including acceptance of 2 mm margins for DCIS, the resection of residual cancer (but not baseline extent of cancer) in women undergoing neoadjuvant therapy, acceptance of sentinel node biopsy following neoadjuvant treatment of many patients, and the preference for neoadjuvant therapy in HER2 positive and triple-negative, stage II and III breast cancer. The Panel favored escalating radiation therapy with regional nodal irradiation in high-risk patients, while encouraging omission of boost in low-risk patients. The Panel endorsed gene expression signatures that permit avoidance of chemotherapy in many patients with ER positive breast cancer. For women with higher risk tumors, the Panel escalated recommendations for adjuvant endocrine treatment to include ovarian suppression in premenopausal women, and extended therapy for postmenopausal women. However, low-risk patients can avoid these treatments. Finally, the Panel recommended bisphosphonate use in postmenopausal women to prevent breast cancer recurrence. The Panel recognized that recommendations are not intended for all patients, but rather to address the clinical needs of the majority of common presentations. Individualization of adjuvant therapy means adjusting to the tumor characteristics, patient comorbidities and preferences, and managing constraints of treatment cost and access that may affect care in both the developed and developing world.

BACKGROUND:Surgery is currently the sole treatment modality for anal fistulas. However, surgery is associated with complications such as permanent incontinence, which reduces quality of life.OBJECTIVE:To determine the rate of complete clinical healing of anal fistulas after irrigation of the fistula

To assess the impact of prophylactic antibiotics on the prevention of surgical site infection (SSI) and the cost-effectiveness of this prophylaxis for breast cancer surgery in overweight or obese women.SSI is higher than expected after breast surgery. Obesity was found to be one of the risk factors.The trial was designed as a phase IV randomized, controlled, parallel-group efficacy trial. It was conducted at a tertiary university hospital. Overweight or obese women with clinically early-stage breast cancer who had been assigned to undergo surgery were eligible. Patients were randomly allocated to either a prophylaxis or a control group by using a computer-generated list. The prophylaxis group received 1 g ampicillin-sulbactam intravenously at anesthesia. The control group received no intervention. Patients and observers were blinded to the assignments. The primary outcome was the comparison of SSI incidences of the 2 groups. Patients were monitored for 30 days.A total of 369 patients were included in final analysis, out of which 187 were allocated for prophylaxis and 182 were randomly assigned to the control group. Analysis was done according to the intention-to-treat principle. Prophylaxis significantly reduced the SSI rate (4.8%) in the prophylaxis group when compared with that in the control group [13.7%; relative risk (RR) 0.35; 95% CI: 0.17-0.73]. No adverse reaction was observed. The mean SSI-related cost (20.26 USD) was found to be significantly higher in the control group when compared with that (8.48 USD) in the prophylaxis group.Antibiotic prophylaxis significantly decreased SSI incidence after elective surgery and was shown to be cost-effective in obese breast cancer patients. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00356148.

WOS: 000396361900004, PubMed ID: 28251020, Background: Environmental habitat may play a role in clinical disparities of primary hyperparathyroidism (pHPT) patients. Aims: To compare preoperative clinical symptoms and associated conditions and surgical findings in patients with pHPT, living in different geographical regions from the Black Sea, Mediterranean and Anatolia regions. Study Design: Retrospective, clinical-based multicentric study of 694 patients with pHPT. Methods: Patients from 23 centers and 8 different geographical regions were included. Data related to baseline demographics, clinical, pathologic and treatment characteristics of 8 regions were collected and included age, gender, residential data, symptoms, history of fracture, existence of brown tumor, serum total Ca and p levels, serum parathormone (PTH) levels, serum 25-OH vitamin D levels, bone mineral density, size of the resected abnormal parathyroid gland(s), histology, as well as the presence of ectopia, presence of dual adenoma, and multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN)- or familial-related disease. Results: The median age was 54. Asymptomatic patient rate was 25%. The median PTH level was 232 pg/mL and serum total Ca was 11.4 mg/dL. Eighty-seven percent of patients had an adenoma and 90% of these had a single adenoma. Hyperplasia was detected in 79 patients and cancer in 9 patients. The median adenoma size was 16 mm. Significant parameters differing between regions were preoperative symptoms, serum Ca and p levels, and adenoma size. All patients from South-East Anatolia were symptomatic, while the lowest p values were reported from East Anatolia and the largest adenoma size, as well as highest Ca levels, were from Bulgaria. Conclusion: Habitat conditions vary between geographical regions. This affects the clinicopathological features of patients with pHPT.

Aim: To investigate the role of 2-(fluorine-18)-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose ( 18 F-FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) early after breast-conserving surgery (BCS) in patients with breast cancer (BC) and whether we can determine which molecular biomarkers of breast carcinoma put the patients at risk. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study involved 88 patients with histologically proven T1 or T2 BC, who were treated with BCS and underwent 18 F-FDG PET/CT study. The correlation between biological markers (estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 [HER2], and Ki-67) of the primary tumor and 18 F-FDG PET/CT findings was analyzed. Results: 18 F-FDG PET/CT demonstrated the presence of BC disease (locoregional disease [LRD], distant metastases, or contralateral BC) in 26 of 88 patients (29.5%). Regarding immunohistochemical profiles, BC expressing high levels of Ki-67 were associated with an increased percentage of LRD, which was the major recurrence pattern on 18 F-FDG PET/CT. Although the BC disease was observed more commonly in patients with HER2 positivity compared to those of HER2 negative, the difference did not reach statistical significance. The patients with T2 tumor or a higher histopathological grade had a higher percentage of BC disease. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that patients with early stage BC treated with BCS have a remarkable risk of the presence of BC even early after surgery, and there was a clinically important relationship between 18 F-FDG PET/CT findings and biological markers of BC. These findings suggest that high-risk molecular biomarkers (Ki-67, HER2) can be taken into account in the decision-making the process for both preoperative imaging and planning of the surgical approach.

Introduction: Lymphedema, a sequela of breast cancer and breast cancer therapy, changes functional abilities and may affect a patient's psychosocial adjustment and overall quality of life. Aim of this prospective observational study was to determine the rate of mid-term and late time period lymphedema in breast cancer patients with different loco-regional treatments, and factors associated with lymphedema. Materials and methods: Patients surgically treated for early-stage breast cancer were prospectively enrolled in the study. Demographic, clinical, pathological, and loco-regional treatments data of patients and lymphedema rates were recorded. Patients were divided into six groups regarding different loco-regional treatments. Pre- and postoperative (12 months, and median 64 months after surgery) circumferences of arms were recorded. Results: 218 patients, all female with a median age of 48 (19-82) years, were included in the study. The numbers of patients in breast conservation surgery group (BCS) (N = 104), mastectomy group (N 114), sentinel lymph node biopsy group (SLNB) (N = 80), axillary lymph node dissection group (ALND) (N = 138), group with radiotherapy (RT) (N = 88) and group without radiotherapy (N = 130). Incidence of lymphedema after surgery in mid-term period was 24.8%. The rate of lymphedema at 64 months median follow-up time was 7.3%. (BCS: 11.1%, 4.2% and 0.5%; Mastectomy: 15.0%, 3.2% and 1.4%; SLNB: 8.0%, 1.9% and 0.5%; ALND: 18.0%, 5.3% and 1.4%; RT: 14.7%, 6.3% and 1.4%; without RT: 11.4%, 2.1% and 0.5%). When we excluded patients with both mid-term and late term lymphedema, only four patients developed lymphedema at late time, then re-calculated late term lypmhedema rate was 1.8%. The factors affecting the lymphedema was ALND and radiotherapy (RT) and no lymphedema was detected in patients underwent breast conserving surgery and SLNB. Age and body mass index were not related to lymphedema at any time. Conclusion: The incidence of lymphedema gradually increased in time and a quarter of patients experienced the complication at the end of year. The rate of lymphedema in patients with ALND was significantly higher than patients with SLNB alone. If RT added to SLNB the lymphedema rate was getting higher than SLNB alone. In all patients lymphedema rate was decreased one year after the surgery and further decreased at median 64 months follow-up time period. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Amaç: TP53 geni temel olarak DNA tamiri, apoptozis, hücre yaşlanması ve hücre döngüsü kontrolünde görev alan en önemli tümör baskılayıcı genlerden biridir. TP53 rs1042522 (Arg72Pro) polimorfizmi tümör baskılama sırasında P53 protein yapısında değişikliğe neden olan bir polimorfizmdir. Bu verilere dayanarak, bu çalışmanın amacı TP53 rs1042522 polimorfizmi ve meme kanseri riski arasındaki ilişkiyi araştırmaktır.Yöntem: TP53 rs1042522 polimorfizmi için 508 meme kanserli kadın hastadan ve 367 sağlıklı kadından alınan periferik kanlardan DNA izole edilerek PCR-RFLP yöntemi ile genotipleme yapıldı. İstatistiksel analiz, %95 güven aralığında χ2 testi ile yapıldı ve Hardy-Weinberg eşitliği (HWE) test edilen hastalar ve kontrol popülasyonu için doğrulandı.Bulgular: Genotip frekansları sırasıyla hasta ve kontrollerde GG alleli için %48.6, %46.3, GC alleli için %40.7, %44.7ve CC alleli için de %10.6, %9.0 şeklindedir. Vaka ve control genotipleri arasında istatistiksel olarak fark olmadığı bulundu (χ2=1.591, P= 0.451). Allel frekansı G alleli için vakalarda %69.0 ve kontrollerde %69.0, C alleli için vakalarda %31.0 kontrollerde %31.0 şeklinde ortaya çıktı. Sonuçlar istatistiksel olarak anlamsız bulundu (G allel: p=0.424, C allel: p=0.501). TP53 rs1042522 genotip dağılımı kontrol popülasyonu için Hardy-Weinberg eşitliğine göre kararlı bulundu (p>0.05).Sonuç: Çalışmamızda meme kanseri ile p53 geninde yer alan rs1042522 polimorfizminin tek başına değerlendirildiğinde meme kanseri riski ile ilişkisi olmadığı bulunmuştur. P53’ün karsinogenezdeki rolünden ve özellikle de programlı hücre ölümünden sorumlu çeşitli proteinlerle etkileşime girmesinden dolayı rs1042522 polimorfizmini diğer proteinlerdeki değişimlerle birlikte çalışmak daha anlamlı olabilir. Ayrıca, farklı TP53 polimorfizmleri ile hücre döngüsünde görevli siklin, sikline bağımlı kinazlar ve p21 gibi genlerin ortak etkilerine odaklanılabilinir ya da bu polimorfizmin daha geniş bir hasta popülasyonunda tümörlerin klinikopatolojik özellikleri ile birlikte değerlendirilmesi daha anlamlı sonuçlar verebilir., Objectives: TP53 gene is one of the most important tumour suppressor gene that mainly plays a role in DNA repair, cell apoptosis, cell senescence and cell cycle control. TP53 rs1042522 (Arg72Pro) polymorphism is nonsynonymous polymorphism that alters P53 protein capacity during tumour suppression. Based on the data above, the purpose of this study is to investigate association between TP53 rs1042522 polymorphism and breast cancer risk in hospital-based Turkish women population.Methods: After DNA isolation from peripheral blood of 508 breast cancer patients and 367 healthy women the genotyping for TP53 rs1042522 polymorphism in both groups was done by a PCR-RFLP method. Statistical analysis was done by the χ2 test with 95% confidence intervals and the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium was confirmed for tested patient and control populations.Results: Genotype frequencies were 48.6%, 46.3% for GG, 40.7%, 44.7% for GC and 10.6%, 9.0% for CC in breast cancer and controls, respectively. There was not statistical difference between genotypes in cases and controls (χ2=1.591, P= 0.451). Allele frequencies for G allele were 69.0% in cases and 69.0% in controls, for C allele 31.0% in cases and 31.0 % in controls. Also, this results were found to be not statistically significant for G and C alleles (G allele: p=0.424, C allele: p=0.501). The distribution of TP53 rs1042522 genotypes was in agreement with HWE for controls (p>0.05).Conclusion: There is no statistically significant association between rs1042522 and the risk of breast cancer in studied hospital- based Turkish women population. For further, rs1042522 polymorphism may be associated with other genetic factors due to the interaction of p53 with various proteins that play role in programmed cell death. Also, the combined effect of TP53 polymorphisms and the genes such as cyclins, cyclin-dependent kinases and p21 which are related with cell cycle control can be studied or clinicopathological characteristics of breast cancer patients might be evaluated in terms of p53 rs1042522 genotypes in larger population size.

Breast cancers in Turkey tend to be diagnosed at advanced stages due to lack of organized comprehensive mammographic screening. In this study factors associated with having a mammogram among healthy women of screening age in Bahcesehir county a region in Istanbul were investigated to assess the feasibility of organized breast cancer screening in Turkey. In this cross-sectional study 659 healthy women aged between 40 and 69 years were surveyed. A multiple-choice questionnaire was used to obtain information regarding patient demographics family history of cancer and patient knowledge on mammographic screening. Factors associated with increased likelihood of having a mammogram included age older than 50 (OR = 1.75; 95% CI = 1.23-2.49) higher educational level (high school or university graduate; OR = 1.55; 95% CI = 1.07-2.25) and undergoing periodic gynecologic examinations (OR = 5.53; 95% CI = 3.88-7.89). Women aged between 40 and 49 years who were most likely to have a mammogram within the last 2 years were characterized by a higher educational level (OR = 1.94; 95% CI = 1.14-3.31) periodic gynecologic examinations (OR = 4.06; 95% CI = 2.53-6.51) and a first or second degree family history of breast cancer (OR = 2.2; 95% CI = 1.06-4.50). In contrast women aged between 50 and 69 years were more likely to have undergone mammography within the previous 2 years if they also had undergone periodic gynecologic examinations (OR = 8.63; 5.04-14.77). Our findings suggest that women of lower educational level and those who do not undergo routine wellness visits with their gynecologist will need to be specifically targeted for educational outreach to achieve broad screening compliance within the population.

There is a plethora of partly contradictory reports on somatostatin receptor (SSTR) expression in thyroid tumors. Therefore, our goal was to systematically determine SSTR2 expression in benign cold thyroid nodules (CNs), hot thyroid nodules (HNs), papillary carcinomas (PCs), and Graves' disease (GD) in comparison with intraindividual control tissues by means of immunohistochemistry.Tissue sections from 19 HNs, 10 CNs, 17 PCs and their surrounding tissues, and 8 GD thyroids were immunostained for SSTR2. Membranous SSTR2 staining was quantitated by evaluating 10 high-power fields (HPFs) systematically distributed along the largest diameter of the tissue section.The area covered by thyroid epithelial cells in 10 HPFs expressed as median (in mm(2)) was 0.53 for CNs, 0.44 for HNs, 1.5 for PCs, 1.3 for GD, and 0.3 for the surrounding tissues. The SSTR2 staining density determined by dividing the area of SSTR2 positively stained thyroid epithelial cells (in mm(2)) by the area of all thyroid epithelial cells (in mm(2)) in 10 HPFs was 0.1662 for CNs, 0.0204 for HNs, 0.0369 for PCs, and 0.0386 for GD.SSTR2 expression is inhomogeneous in thyroid disease, with the highest density detected in CNs. It remains to be determined whether this finding could be of pathophysiologic or therapeutic relevance. The high SSTR2 density in CNs should be considered in the interpretation of SSTR scintigraphy-positive findings.

Objective: For thyroid tumors increased as well as decreased vessel densities have been reported. Because of different morphometric methods and specificities of previously used antibodies for small and large vessels our objective was to investigate and compare the density of large vessels and microvessels by different morphometric methods and antibodies in hot nodules(HN), cold nodules (CN), papillary carcinoma (PC) and Graves' disease (GD) to try to clarify some of these discrepancies. Design: Tissue sections from 29 HN, 22 CN, 19 PC and 8 GD thyroids were stained with the antibodies for CD34 and alpha-SMA. A computerized image analysis was used to calculate the mean area of endothelium (mEA) and the mean endothelium to tumor epithelial nucleus area ratio (mE/N) in four hot spots and ten systematically selected fields. Main outcome: We found a consistent increase of the CD34 stained percentage of microvessels in PC as compared to HN and CN determined by the hot spot analysis and systematic field analysis. This increased microvessel density in PC is of a similar magnitude as in GD, which is characterised by a prominent increase of vascularisation during its active disease stage. Our SMA staining results reveal a kind of mirror image of the CD34 staining results with higher vessel counts in the normal surrounding tissues as compared to HN, CN and PC. Conclusions: The specific immunohistologic detection of microvessels with the CD34 antibody combined with their specific evaluation is able to clearly differentiate PCs from normal tissue, HN and CN.

The MF07-01 trial is a phase III randomized controlled trial which compares breast cancer patients with distant metastases at presentation who receive locoregional treatment for intact primary tumor with those who do not receive such treatment. The primary objective of the study is to assess whether locoregional treatment of the primary tumor provides a better overall survival. Secondary objectives include progression-free survival, quality-of-life, and morbidity related to locoregional treatment. Locoregional treatments consist of either mastectomy or breast conserving surgery with level I-II axillary clearance in clinically or sentinel lymph node positive patients. Radiation therapy to the whole breast follows breast conserving surgery. Standard systemic therapy is given to all patients either immediately after randomization in no-locoregional treatment arm or after surgical resection of the intact primary tumor in locoregional treatment arm. The study is conducted in Turkey as a multicenter trial with central randomization. Total accrual target is 271. The trial was activated in October 2007 and authorized centers started to recruit patients since then. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier number is NCT00557986.

The presence of neuroendocrine (NE) cells in gastric adenocarcinoma (GCa) is well documented, however, their significance is controversial. There is no evidence in the literature concerning the possible effect of these cells on the expression of TGF-alpha and EGFR, which are believed to confer growth advantage to tumor cells. 101 partial or total gastrectomy specimens from patients operated for conventional gastric adenocarcinoma were included in the study. In each case immunohistochemistry was performed on sequential tissue sections for chromogranin A (ChrA), TGF-alpha and EGFR. Samples were graded based on the number of ChrA-positive cells (0-3). TGF-alpha and EGFR expressions were evaluated according to both the intensity (0-2) and quantification of the positively stained areas (0-3). Follow-up data was available in 54 patients. Twenty-seven patients died of disease, while 27 patients were alive with a follow-up of at least 15 months. ChrA expression was detected in 54.4% of the tumor specimens. TGF-alpha was stained positively in 42.6% and EGFR in 49.5% of the cases. NE cells in GCa was related to TGF-alpha (p0.0001) and EGFR expression (p0.05), and TGF-alpha/EGFR coexpression (p0.001). Among histopathologic variables, the presence of NE cells was significantly related to grade, stage and lymph node status. Although the presence of NE cells had no effect on survival, the expression of EGFR (p0.0001) and TGF-alpha (p=0.002) were related to survival. The results of our study suggest that the presence of NE cells may have an effect on the expression of TGF-alpha and EGFR in GCa, and the autocrine mechanism between TGF-alpha and EGFR plays an important role in the prognosis of gastric carcinoma.

Phyllodes tumors are large breast tumors representing only 1% of breast neoplasms and are rarely seen in young women. Histologically, phyllodes tumors are classified as benign, borderline, or malignant based on the characteristics of the stroma. Although wide local excision is recommended for the treatment modality, the reoccurrence rate after surgical excision varies between 36% and 65%, with recurrence more likely in those with the tumor at the margins of excision. Our aim was to report - a case in a 15-year-old girl with a 115-mm borderline phyllodes tumor in her left breast mimicking a juvenile fibroadenoma. We presented a 5-year disease-free follow-up after wide local excision with negative margins.

The aim of this present study was to assess the impact of COX-2 over-expression on breast cancer survival.Non-metastatic invasive breast cancer patients who received adequate loco-regional and systemic treatments were evaluated. Patients' demographic, clinical, pathologic, and treatment-related and survival data were retrieved from their hospital files. COX-2, estrogen/progesterone receptor (ER/PR), HER-2/neu expression and Ki67 index of the tumors were determined immunohistochemically. As the primary objective, COX-2 positive and negative patients were compared in terms of overall (OS), disease-free (DFS) and breast cancer-specific survival (BCSS). Secondary objectives were to assess the independent prognostic factors for survival. In addition, the correlation of COX-2 expression with conventional prognostic and predictive factors of breast cancer was assessed.Two hundred and seventeen patients who underwent adequate breast cancer treatment between November 2004 and December 2013 were included in the study. The median follow-up was 37 months (range: 5-107). Eighty-one (37%) patients were COX-2 positive. OS, DFS, and BCSS were similar in COX-2 positive and negative patients. Ki67 index and age were significantly correlated with COX-2 expression (r=-0.116; p=0.02; r=0.159; p=0.02). PR expression was found to be the only independent factor for predicting OS, tumor size and molecular subtype classification were found to be the only independent factors for predicting DFS, and PR expression was found to be the only independent factor for predicting BCSS.Among the independent predictive and prognostic factors of breast cancer, COX-2 over-expression was only correlated with Ki67 index and age.