Search

Purpose: There is few evidence regarding the optimal salvage treatment options for loco-reginal recurrence of esophageal cancer. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical outcomes of salvage radiotherapy (RT) in patients with loco-regional recurrence (LRR) after surgery for esophageal cancer. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 147 esophageal cancer patients who received salvage RT for loco-regional recurrence between 1996 and December 2019. A total dose of 60 Gy in 20 fractions was used for RT alone and 60-70 Gy in 30-35 fractions for concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT). Results: The patients' median age was 65 years (range, 41 to 86 years). The median disease-free interval was 13.5 months (1.0 to 97.4 months). After a median 18.8 months follow-up, the 2-year overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) rates were 38.1% and 25.9%, respectively. The median OS and PFS were 18.8 and 8.4 months, respectively. The CCRT could not improve OS compared to RT (p=0.336), but there was a trend of better PFS in the CCRT group. Regarding toxicities, the rate of grade 3 or higher toxicity was 10.9% occurring in 16 patients, and it was higher in patients who received CCRT than in the RT alone group (19.6% vs. 6.3%, p=0.023). Conclusion: Salvage RT alone as well as CCRT could be effective in patients with locoregionally recurrent esophageal cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Identifying suitable predictive biomarkers is critical for preventing recurrence and improving the survival rate in individuals with Oral Squamous Cell Carcinomas (OSCC). HOTAIR is a novel type of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) that has been linked to initiation and progression in OSCC. Most previous studies on HOTAIR have included a small number of OSCC cohorts, only a few studies have performed multivariate analyses adjusting for confounding factors, and there has been little emphasis on HOTAIR's potential to predict loco-regional recurrence. Methodology: The study included 96 OSCC Formalin Fixed Paraffin Embedded (FFPE) tissue samples and gender and age-matched 30 normal mucosa who had received surgical therapy. HOTAIR expression in OSCC was analysed using qRT-PCR and correlated with clinic-pathological variables, risk practices, loco-regional recurrence, and Overall Survival (OS). Results: HOTAIR was overexpressed in OSCC compared to NM. High HOTAIR expression was related to regional lymph node metastases, perineural invasion, and locoregional recurrence. The Kaplan-Meier curve followed by Log-rank test survival estimates revealed a significantly associated with high HOTAIR expression and poor OS (p<0.05). In multivariate analysis, lymph node metastasis (Hazard ratio 4.39, p ≤ 0.001, 95% confidence interval, 1.775-10.886) and high HOTAIR expression (Hazard ratio 3.337, p ≤ 0.001, 95% confidence interval, 1.396-7.973) were the independent predictors of poor OS. Age, TNM staging, and high HOTAIR expression were all independent predictors of loco regional recurrence. Conclusion: The current study establishes HOTAIR as a novel prognostic marker for OSCC and suggests a therapeutic strategy for targeted therapy of OSCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BackgroundH19, a 2.3 kb lncRNA, has been linked to tumor metastasis and progression, but its significance in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) remains unclear. H19 was initially thought to have a tumor-suppressive function, but recent studies have shown that it possesses both tumor-promoting and suppressive functions. The variation in H19 expression may be due to the influence of tobacco or low basal expression levels. However, there are limited studies available on the association between H19 and its role in the prognosis of OSCC.ObjectiveThe present study analyzes the expression of H19 correlated with clinicopathological parameters, tobacco habit, loco-regional recurrence, and overall survival.MethodsA longitudinal study was undertaken using 96 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) OSCC tissues and 30 FFPE adjacent normal mucosa (NM) tissues from patients who had surgery between 2015 and 2018. The tissues were subjected to quantitative reverse-transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) to determine H19 expression. The differential expression levels of H19 in OSCC were compared to clinicopathological variables and risk habits using the t-test and ANOVA. H19 expression correlated overall survival was analyzed by drawing the Kaplan–Meier curve followed by the log-rank test. A multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was performed to determine the ability of H19 to independently predict loco-regional recurrence and overall survival for OSCC.ResultH19 was significantly underexpressed in OSCC compared to NM in both the study cases and the TCGA OSCC database. The lower expression of H19 was significantly associated with the tobacco smoking habit and was not associated with any clinical or pathological features. Multivariate Cox’s proportional hazards regression analysis indicated that low H19 expression and positive lymph node metastasis were independent predictors of overall survival for OSCC. Higher age, higher TNM staging, and low H19 expression were independent predictors of loco-regional recurrence.ConclusionThe findings in the present study indicate that H19 is a novel prognostic marker and may provide a therapeutic strategy for the targeted treatment of OSCC, and tobacco may play a role in the expression of H19.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the predictive value of radiomic features of pre-treatment T2-weighted magnetic resonance images (MRI) for clinical outcomes of radiotherapy in cervical cancer patients. Material and methods: Ninety cervical cancer patients with stage IB-IVA were retrospectively analyzed. All patients received definitive radiotherapy with or without concurrent chemotherapy. Radiomic features were extracted from gross tumor volume (GTV) on pre-treatment T2-weighted MRI. The association between radiomic features and loco-regional recurrence (LRR) was analyzed with Student's t test, and false discovery rate was controlled using Storey method. Multivariate analysis with significant radiomic features with p-value < 0.01 and known clinical prognostic factors was performed using Cox proportional hazard model. Results: The majority of patients were stage IIIB (47.8%) and stage IIB (36.7%), and the most common histology was squamous cell carcinoma (74.5%). The median GTV volume was 37.5 ml (IQR, 16.3-93.1). The median dose of D90 received by high-risk clinical target volume (HR-CTV) was 86.2 Gy (IQR, 67.2-94.2). In a median follow-up time of 29.2 months, 12 of the 90 patients (13.3%) developed LRR. Eighty radiomic features were collected. There were four radiomic features, which showed significant correlation with LRR: Maximum intensity (p = 0.0002), Correlation135 GLCM (p = 0.0014), Correlation90 (p = 0.0015), and Correlation45 (p = 0.0034). Cox regression analysis yielded a significant hazard ratio for the maximum intensity (p = 0.038) and Correlation135 GLCM (p = 0.013) features. There was no statistically significant association for overall survival with any radiomic features. Conclusions: The maximum intensity and Correlation135 GLCM radiomic features of the pre-treatment T2-weighted MR images are predictive of loco-regional recurrence in cervical cancer patients after definitive radiotherapy with 3D-IGABT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Loco‐regional recurrences attributable to field cancerization and minimal residual cancer, remain prime causes of mortality in oral cancer (OC) subjects. The current study evaluates potential of serum Raman spectroscopy (SRS) to identify recurrence‐prone OC subjects. Methods: Raman spectra of serum from eight healthy subjects (H) and 57 OC subjects (with‐recurrence [R], without‐recurrence [NR], and with suspicious‐lesions [S]), before (BS) and after (AS) surgical excision of tumor were recorded. OC subjects were followed‐up for 7‐years. Results: DNA and protein alterations were observed in AS sera of all groups. 4‐, 3‐, and 2‐model multivariate analyses were used to stratify BS and AS groups. H spectra were 100% distinguishable from all other groups. AS, R and NR were distinguished with high accuracy (84%) in all models. No stratification (~50%) was observed BS. Conclusion: SRS shows potential to identify recurrence prone subjects, post‐surgery, using serum collected as early as 1 week after surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and purpose: Radiomics models trained with limited single institution data are often not reproducible and generalisable. We developed radiomics models that predict loco-regional recurrence within two years of radiotherapy with private and public datasets and their combinations, to simulate small and multi-institutional studies and study the responsiveness of the models to feature selection, machine learning algorithms, centre-effect harmonization and increased dataset sizes. Materials and methods: 562 patients histologically confirmed and treated for locally advanced head-and-neck cancer (LA-HNC) from two public and two private datasets; one private dataset exclusively reserved for validation. Clinical contours of primary tumours were not recontoured and were used for Pyradiomics based feature extraction. ComBat harmonization was applied, and LASSO-Logistic Regression (LR) and Support Vector Machine (SVM) models were built. 95% confidence interval (CI) of 1000 bootstrapped area-under-the-Receiver-operating-curves (AUC) provided predictive performance. Responsiveness of the models’ performance to the choice of feature selection methods, ComBat harmonization, machine learning classifier, single and pooled data was evaluated. Results: LASSO and SelectKBest selected 14 and 16 features, respectively; three were overlapping. Without ComBat, the LR and SVM models for three institutional data showed AUCs (CI) of 0.513 (0.481–0.559) and 0.632 (0.586–0.665), respectively. Performances following ComBat revealed AUCs of 0.559 (0.536–0.590) and 0.662 (0.606–0.690), respectively. Compared to single cohort AUCs (0.562–0.629), SVM models from pooled data performed significantly better at AUC = 0.680. Conclusions: Multi-institutional retrospective data accentuates the existing variabilities that affect radiomics. Carefully designed prospective, multi-institutional studies and data sharing are necessary for clinically relevant head-and-neck cancer prognostication models.

Background and purpose: Loco-regional recurrence (LRR) dominates the failure pattern after curative radiotherapy in anal cancer. The aim of this study was to estimate dose of LRRs in anal cancer using a point of origin-based method. Method and materials: Of 321 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the anus, 31 patients with LRR (29 local recurrences and 5 regional lymph node recurrences) were available for analysis. The recurrence volumes were delineated on recurrence magnetic resonance imaging (rMRI). Rigid and subsequent deformable co-registration of planning computerised tomography scans and rMRI were performed. Point of origin was estimated as the centre of mass (COM) and an observer-based point of origin (obs-PO). Doses to COM and obs-PO, as well as the full recurrence volume, were estimated and the relation to target volumes was extracted. Results: The median minimum dose to COM was 63.8 Gy (range 32.5–65.1 Gy) and 63.7 Gy (range 35.5–65.2 Gy) to obs-PO of local recurrences. COM was included in the high dose volume (64 Gy) in 86 % of cases, and obs-PO was included in 75 % of cases. There was no difference in minimum dose to COM and obs-PO, and the median distance between the two points was 3.3 mm (range 0.6–19.8 mm). No recurrences occurred in primarily boosted lymph nodes. Conclusion: The majority of LLRs were located within the high dose volume indicating radioresistance as the primary cause of recurrence in anal cancer. No difference between the use of COM and obs-PO was evident.

Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare and aggressive endocrine malignancy with a high recurrence rate. Approximately half of the patients are asymptomatic, while others experience symptoms due to the tumor's size or hormone secretion. Ro resection if possible is the best option for treatment of primary as well as locoregional recurrent ACC. A 20-year-old female who previously underwent open left adrenalectomy for Stage III ACC presented with complaints of heaviness and vague discomfort in the left upper abdomen. Current hormonal assays were normal. Imaging revealed a lesion in the spleen suggestive of recurrence. She underwent elective surgery involving en bloc resection of the spleen, diaphragm, and associated structures. Postoperative recovery was uneventful, histopathology confirmed recurrence and subsequent PET-CT showed no recurrence. She is currently on mitotane and remains symptom-free with no signs of recurrence after initial surgery. Complete resection (Ro) if possible, for recurrent and metastatic disease has been linked to long-term survival and offers significant palliative benefits, particularly in cases involving symptomatic steroid production. ACC has a high frequency of local recurrence therefore management of recurrence should be considered from the initial diagnosis. Ro resection of recurrence is the best potential treatment. Follow-up protocols and improving integration between surgical, oncological, and supportive care departments are crucial for overcoming healthcare challenges in Nepal. • ACC is an aggressive tumor with a high recurrence rate. • Half of the patients are asymptomatic, while others experience symptoms due to the tumor's size or hormone secretion • R0 resection if possible is the best option for treatment of primary as well as locoregional recurrent ACC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We present a comprehensive analysis of the DBCG 82bc randomized trial with a 30-year long-term follow-up. • I am study with 3083 patients did we evaluate the importance of postmastectomy irradiation (PMRT) in high-risk pre- and postmenopausal breast cancer patients who also received adjuvant systemic therapy. • We observed that PMRT strongly improved the loco-regional tumor control and subsequent long-term survival. • Such benefit could be achieved without any excess ischemic heart damage or other non-breast cancer related death. • Thus, radiotherapy has an important role in the multidisciplinary treatment of breast cancer. Between 1982 and 1990 the Danish Breast Cancer Cooperative Group (DBCG) conducted a randomized trial in high-risk pre- and postmenopausal (<70 years) breast cancer patients comparing mastectomy plus adjuvant systemic therapy alone versus the same treatment plus postoperative irradiation. To present a comprehensive analysis of the complete DBCG 82bc study with a 30-year long-term follow-up of the cancer therapeutic effect and survival, together with an additional focus on the potential long-term life-threatening morbidity related to cardiac irradiation and/or the risk of secondary cancer induction. A total of 3083 patients with pathological stage II and stage III breast cancer were after mastectomy randomly assigned to receive adjuvant systemic therapy and postoperative irradiation to the chestwall and regional lymph nodes (1538 pts), or adjuvant systemic therapy alone (1545 pts). Pre- and menopausal patients (DBCG 82b) received 8–9 cycles of CMF with an interval of 4 weeks, whereas postmenopausal patients (DBCG 82c) received tamoxifen 30 mg daily for one year. The median follow-up time was 34 years. The primary endpoints were loco-regional recurrence (LRR) and overall mortality, and the secondary endpoints were distant metastasis, breast cancer mortality, and irradiation related late morbidity. Overall the 30-year cumulative incidence of loco-regional recurrence was 9% in irradiated patients versus 37% in non-irradiated patients who received adjuvant systemic therapy alone (HR: 0.21 [95% cfl 0.18–0.26]). Distant metastasis probability at 30 years was 49% in irradiated patients compared to 60% in non-irradiated (HR: 0.77 [0.70–0.84]). Consequently, these figures resulted in a reduced breast cancer mortality: 56% vs 67% (HR: 0.75 [0.69–0.82], and overall mortality (81% vs 86% at 30 years (p < 0.0001), HR: 0.83 [0.77–0.90] in favor of irradiation. Radiotherapy did not result in any significant excess death of other courses, such as ischemic heart disease, HR: 0.82 [0.58–1.18]; nor secondary lung cancer HR: 1.44 [0.92–2.24], or other non-cancer related death HR: 1.15 [0.92–1.45]. The study definitely demonstrate that optimal long-term treatment benefit of high-risk breast cancer can only be achieved if both loco-regional and systemic tumor control are aimed for. Therefore, radiotherapy has an important role in the multidisciplinary treatment of breast cancer. The PMRT treatment did not result in excess ischemic heart damage, nor in other non-breast cancer related death. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) is one of the most prevalent types of head and neck malignancies, and its treatment typically involves surgery combined with radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Despite advancements in treatment, TSCC recurrence remains a significant concern, affecting approximately 20% of treated patients. This study aims to assess the impact of the time interval between radiotherapy and surgery on oncological outcomes in TSCC patients. A total of 215 patient records (98 females and 117 males) with biopsy-proven TSCC receiving various treatments were extracted. The Inclusion criteria were patients who received external beam radiotherapy, had no detectable metastasis, underwent oncological surgery, and received a minimum radiation dose of 60 Gy. Ultimately, 108 patients met these criteria and were included in the analysis. The surgical procedure involved glossectomy, and the prescribed radiotherapy dose exceeded 60 Gy. Patients were stratified based on tumor stage (early-stage and locally advanced stage) and the timing of radiotherapy initiation after surgery (less than 47 days and more than 47 days). The study analyzed loco-regional control, loco-regional recurrence, disease-free survival, and overall survival as endpoints. These endpoints were compared between different subgroups based on tumor stage and surgery to radiotherapy interval. A retrospective analysis was conducted on the medical records of 108 patients who underwent surgical treatment followed by radiotherapy between 2011 and 2022. In early-stage patients, radiotherapy within 47 days after surgery demonstrated superior disease-free survival (DFS) outcomes. However, in locally advanced-stage patients, the opposite trend was observed, with a longer interval between surgery and radiotherapy associated with improved DFS outcomes. These patterns were similarly reflected in overall survival (OS) outcomes. Notably, the difference in loco-regional recurrence (LLR) outcomes was more pronounced among advanced-stage patients. In conclusion, this study highlights that advanced-stage TSCC patients tend to experience earlier recurrence, potentially necessitating additional surgical interventions or precluding the administration of radiotherapy, as investigated in our study. These findings shed light on the significance of the time interval between surgery and radiotherapy in TSCC management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Examine the association between circulating lipids and breast cancer outcomes in patients enrolled in the Malmö Diet and Cancer Study (MDCS). Patients and methods: Circulating lipid levels were measured in blood sampled upon enrollment in the female MDCS cohort (N = 17,035). We identified all MDCS participants with incident invasive breast cancer diagnosed between 1991 and 2014. Follow-up time began at breast cancer diagnosis and continued until the first event of breast cancer recurrence, death, emigration, or 5 years of follow-up. We estimated the incidence rates of recurrence at 5 years and fit Cox regression models to compute crude and adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) of breast cancer recurrence as well as all-cause mortality according to cohort-specific tertiles of apolipoprotein A-1 (Apo A-1) and apolipoprotein B (Apo B). Results: We enrolled 850 eligible patients. During the 5 years of follow-up, 90 invasive breast cancer recurrences were diagnosed over 3807 person-years. In multivariable analyses, high baseline levels of Apo B were associated with an increased rate of recurrence (tertile 3 vs. 1, HR = 2.30 [95% CI 1.13–4.68]). However, high baseline levels of Apo B were not associated with all-cause mortality (tertile 3 vs. 1, HR = 1.23 [95% CI 0.68–2.25]). We observed no associations between levels of Apo A-1 and recurrence (tertile 3 vs. 1, HR = 1.34 [95% CI 0.70–2.58]) or all-cause mortality (tertile 3 vs. 1, HR = 1.12 [95% CI 0.61–2.05]). Conclusion: High pre-diagnostic levels of Apo B were associated with an increased risk of recurrence among breast cancer patients. Circulating Apo A-1 was not associated with breast cancer outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To evaluate the oncologic outcomes and risk factors for locoregional recurrence (LRR) and nipple-areola complex recurrence (NR) in a large series of breast cancer patients who underwent nipple-sparing mastectomy (NSM) and immediate reconstruction after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT). Summary of Background Data: The use of NSM and immediate reconstruction in breast cancer patients receiving NACT is increasing. However, the oncologic safety of this approach is unclear. Patients and Methods: A total of 310 breast cancer patients (319 breasts) who underwent NACT and NSM between February 2010 and November 2016 were retrospectively analyzed. Clinical and pathologic factors associated with increased risks of LRR and NR were analyzed using univariate (Chi-square or Fisher exact test) and multivariate (Cox proportional hazard regression model) analyses. Results: During a mean follow-up of 63 ± 22 months, 38 cases had LRR as the first event, including 6 cases of NR as the first event. The 5-year cumulative LRR and NR rates were 11.0% and 1.9%, respectively. In univariate analysis, clinical T stage, pathologic nodal status, histologic grade, lymphovascular invasion, and post-NACT Ki67 status were associated with increased LRR risk, and post-NACT Ki67 status was the only significant risk factor for NR. In multivariate analysis, post-NACT Ki67 ≥10% (hazard ratio, 4.245; 95% confidence interval, 1.865–9.663; P = 0.001) was an independent risk factor for LRR. Conclusions: NSM and immediate reconstruction seem to be oncologically safe with acceptable LRR and NR rates for appropriately selected breast cancer patients treated with NACT. Post-NACT Ki67 ≥10% was associated with increased risk of LRR or NR, and therefore, necessitates cautious follow-up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prognostic significance of radial margin (RM) involvement in esophagectomy cancer specimens is unclear. Our study investigated survival and recurrence rates between different depths of RM involvement. We retrospectively analyzed 1103 esophagectomies at our institution from 2005 to 2019. Patients were grouped by three-tier stratification: negative RM > 1 mm away, direct RM involvement at 0 mm, and close RM between 0 mm and 1 mm. Survival, loco-regional and distant recurrences were analyzed. 1103 esophageal cancer patients were analyzed. 389 patients had recurrence (35.3%). Median survival (13.2 months) and recurrence rates (71%) were worst with direct RM (p < 0.001) as compared to negative RM (median survival not achieved within 5-years from surgery and 30%). Without nodal involvement, RM involvement of <1 mm was associated with decreased overall survival, and overall, loco-regional and distant recurrence-free survival compared to negative RM (log rank p-value <0.05). In those with persistent nodal disease, only direct RM was associated with decreased overall and loco-regional recurrence-free survival as compared to negative margins (p < 0.05). Direct RM tended to do worse compared to close RM in terms of median survival and trended worse for recurrence. Direct RM (baseline negative RM), but not close RM, was an independent RF in a multivariable Cox model for worse overall survival (HR 2.74; p < 0.001), recurrence-free survival (HR 1.96; p = 0.019), and loco-regional recurrence-free survival (HR 3.19; p = 0.011). RM involvement affects survival and recurrence. Tumor at 0 mm remained an independent RF for worse survival and overall and loco-regional recurrence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Lacking quantitative evaluations of clinicopathological features and the risk factors for loco-regional recurrence (LRR) in gastric cancer after D2 gastrectomy, we aimed to develop a competing risk nomogram to identify the risk predictors for initial LRR. Methods We retrospectively analysed 1105 patients who underwent radical gastrectomy with D2 resection for stage I-III gastric cancer. A nomogram predicting initial LRR of gastric cancer was conducted based on Fine and Grey’s competing risk analysis. The predictive accuracy and discriminative ability of the model were determined using the concordance index (C-index) and calibration curve. Decision tree analysis was performed for patient grouping. Results At a median follow-up of 28.4 months, 274 patients developed 373 first recurrence events (local, regional, and distant disease). The median recurrence-free survival (RFS) was 16.7 months. Multivariate competing risk analysis showed that age (SHR, 1.72; 95% CI, 1.10–2.83, p = 0.031), CEA (SHR, 1.94; 95% CI, 1.09–3.46, p = 0.024), pT4 (SHR, 2.77; 95% CI, 1.01–7.57, p = 0.047), lymph node metastasis (SHR 1.92, 95% CI: 1.09–3.38, p = 0.024) and LVI (SHR, 1.84; 95% CI, 1.06–3.20, p = 0.028) were independent risk factors for LRR (all p

Abstract Background Population-based estimates of the long-term risk of loco-regional recurrence and distant metastases of breast cancer (BRC) patients are scant, as most published studies used hospital-based cohorts or participants of clinical trials. This work aims to extend available knowledge by providing population-based long-term estimates of the cumulative risk of BRC recurrence up to 10 years after diagnosis. Methods Data from the population-based Saarland Cancer Registry were used and included 9359 female patients with primary invasive BRC diagnosed between 1999 and 2009. Estimates of the cumulative incidence (CI) of BRC recurrence were derived for patients who had received local surgery with free resection margins by type of recurrence and stratified by age, tumor characteristics and major treatment options, taking into account mortality from any cause as a competing risk. Results The 10-year CI of BRC recurrence was 16%. For loco-regional recurrence and distant metastases alone it was 8 and 11%, respectively. The estimates showed substantial variation and were particularly increased if tumors were advanced (T1/2N+ 23%, T3/4N0 24%, T3/4N+ 34%), of high grade (23%), or of ‘HER2/neu positive’ (28%) or ‘triple negative’ subtype (23%), respectively. Conclusions The derived estimates reflect the risk of ‘real world’ patients and may therefore extend available knowledge. These data are thus of great relevance for clinicians, their patients and researchers. The study likewise demonstrated the usefulness of cancer registries for a population-based monitoring of the effectiveness of cancer care in terms of disease recurrence as a major treatment related outcome measure.

BackgroundLoco-regional recurrences (LRR) following breast-conserving surgery (BCS) remain a heterogeneous class of disease that has significant variation in its biological behavior and prognosis.MethodsTo delineate the spatiotemporal patterns of LRR after BCS, we analyzed the data of 4325 patients treated with BCS from 2006 to 2016. Clinico-pathological and treatment specific factors were analyzed using the Cox proportional hazards model to identify factors predictive for LRR events. Recurrence patterns were scrutinized based on recurrence type and recurrence-free interval (RFI). Annual recurrence rates (ARR) were compared according to recurrence type and molecular subtype.ResultsWith a median follow-up of 66 months, 120 (2.8%) LRRs were recorded as the first site of failure. Age, pathologic stage, and molecular subtype were identified as predictors of LRR. The major recurrence type was ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence, which mainly (83.6%) occurred ≤5y post surgery. In the overall population, ARR curves showed that relapse peaked in the first 2.5 years. Patients with regional nodal recurrence, shorter RFI, and synchronous distant metastasis were associated with a poorer prognosis. HER2-positive disease had a higher rate of LRR events, more likely to have in-breast recurrence, and had an earlier relapse peak in the first 2 years after surgery.ConclusionsLRR risk following BCS is generally low in Chinese ethnicity. Different recurrence patterns after BCS were related to distinct clinical outcomes. Management of LRR should be largely individualized and tailored to the extent of disease, the molecular profile of the recurrence, and to baseline clinical variables.

Background: Loco-regional recurrences (LRR) following breast-conserving surgery (BCS) remain a heterogeneous class of disease that has significant variation in its biological behavior and prognosis. Methods: To delineate the spatiotemporal patterns of LRR after BCS, we analyzed the data of 4325 patients treated with BCS from 2006 to 2016. Clinico-pathological and treatment specific factors were analyzed using the Cox proportional hazards model to identify factors predictive for LRR events. Recurrence patterns were scrutinized based on recurrence type and recurrence-free interval (RFI). Annual recurrence rates (ARR) were compared according to recurrence type and molecular subtype. Results: With a median follow-up of 66 months, 120 (2.8%) LRRs were recorded as the first site of failure. Age, pathologic stage, and molecular subtype were identified as predictors of LRR. The major recurrence type was ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence, which mainly (83.6%) occurred ≤5y post surgery. In the overall population, ARR curves showed that relapse peaked in the first 2.5 years. Patients with regional nodal recurrence, shorter RFI, and synchronous distant metastasis were associated with a poorer prognosis. HER2-positive disease had a higher rate of LRR events, more likely to have in-breast recurrence, and had an earlier relapse peak in the first 2 years after surgery. Conclusions: LRR risk following BCS is generally low in Chinese ethnicity. Different recurrence patterns after BCS were related to distinct clinical outcomes. Management of LRR should be largely individualized and tailored to the extent of disease, the molecular profile of the recurrence, and to baseline clinical variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immediate autologous tissue breast reconstruction after skin- and nipple-sparing mastectomy, is becoming increasingly popular, while the benefits are evident, the concern is in leaving breast tissue under the skin envelope, which could potentially lead to a higher chance of recurrence. We aim to determine the incidence and study the management of loco-regional recurrence (LR) of breast cancer following immediate autologous free flap reconstruction (AFFR) from a 10-year database at a single tertiary breast unit. This is a retrospective analysis of a prospectively maintained database of consecutive patients who underwent AFFR between July 2008 and December 2018. All patients undergoing delayed reconstruction and risk-reducing surgery were excluded, leaving a total of 216 patients. Statistical analysis was performed to determine significance in the prediction of LR. Management and outcome of the LR was also studied. LR was found in 7/216 cases (3.25%). The median age at surgery for patients with LR, was 45 (range 31–54). Median time to recurrence was 54 months (7–79 months). Three patients presented with self-detected lesions. In all, 6/7 patients were ER/PR positive, 2/7 were HER2 + at recurrence, and 1/7 was triple negative. All patients underwent surgical excision for the LR followed by radiotherapy, either chemotherapy (n-5) and/or hormone therapy (n-2). No patients have developed further LR. Because of low numbers of recurrences, no statistical significance was observed for factors causing recurrence. The low LR we report demonstrates that immediate AFFR is oncologically safe. Timely recognition through post-reconstruction patient education and appropriate management results in good outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Gastric cancer is the fourth most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Despite many advances in the diagnosis and treatment of gastric cancer, the overall five-year survival rate does not exceed 25–30 %, and distant metastases and loco-regional recurrence develop in more than 50 % of patients. Disease recurrence is not only associated with the presence of tumor micro-metastases at the time of surgery, but also with dissemination of tumor cells during mobilization of the stomach or lymph node dissection. Even after performing radical surgery, the prognosis remains extremely unfavorable. No standardized methods of treatment for isolated loco-regional recurrence have been developed yet. Cases of successful treatment of distant metastases and regional recurrence are sporadic. Case report. We present the case of a 75-year-old patient with histologically proven well-differentiated tubular adenocarcinoma of the stomach. The patient underwent neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy (total radiotherapy dose was 45 Gy, modified Capox regimen) followed by gastrectomy and D2lymph node dissection. The control examination revealed an isolated regional recurrence of gastric cancer. It was decided to perform surgical treatment for isolated regional gastric cancer recurrence. Conclusion. There is no standardized approach to the treatment of regional recurrence of gastric cancer. Surgical treatment in such cases is a method of choice, especially for patients who previously received neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy. According to the worldwide literature, the median survival of such patients does not exceed a few months. The key point that determines the effectiveness of neoadjuvant therapy is the achievement of complete or partial pathological response to therapy, thus demonstrating improved survival compared to surgery alone. Therefore, it is extremely important to search for immunohistochemical and molecular genetic markers for predicting tumor response to neoadjuvant therapy in order to administer it for only potential responders.

Autologous fat transfer (AFT) is widely adopted for breast reconstruction, but its long-term oncologic safety is still not clearly established. The aim of the present study was to compare the 10-year loco-regional recurrence (LRR)-free and distant metastases (DM)-free survival probabilities in AFT vs. control patients, also evaluating the impact of AFT in different intrinsic molecular subtypes of breast cancer. 464 AFT patients were exactly matched with a cohort of 3100 control patients treated between 2007 and 2017. A multivariate survival analysis was performed accounting for all variables related to LRR and DM, including adjuvant/neoadjuvant treatments. End-points were analyzed both overall and in each molecular subtype. LRR occurred in 6.4% of AFT and in 5.0% of control patients (p = 0.42), while DM were observed respectively in 7.7% and 5.4% of cases (p = 0.20). AFT showed no effect on the 10-year LRR-free survival probability (adjusted HR 0.87, 95%CI 0.43–1.76, p = 0.69) or the 10-year DM-free survival probability (adjusted HR 0.82, 95%CI 0.43–1.57, p = 0.55). Luminal A patients treated by AFT showed a decreased LRR-free survival probability (HR 2.38, 95%CI 0.91–6.17, Log-Rank p = 0.07), which was significantly lower than controls after 80 months (Log-Rank p = 0.02). No differences in the 10-year event-free survival probability were found in Luminal B, HER2-positive or triple-negative patients. AFT does not increase breast cancer recurrence, with the possible exception of late LRRs for Luminal A patients, but further clinical and preclinical data are required to better clarify this data. The use of AFT should not be discouraged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: preoperative chemotherapy can reduce the size of the tumor, thus allows some patients with advanced tumor the opportunity of conserving breast surgery. The aim of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NC) on the possibility of breast-conserving surgery (BCS) in patients for whom mastectomy (MT) was the only accepted surgical option. Methods: between 2016 and 2019 thirty patients who had stage III breast cancer received neoadjuvant chemotherapy comprised of doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide, followed by surgery. Results: Among the 30 patients included, 27(90%) presented with an invasive ductal carcinoma. The mean tumor size before NCwas 37 mm (range, 20-75 mm) and 29 mm (range, 12.5-75 mm) after NC. Ten patients (33.3%) underwent BCS and 20 patients (66.7%) underwent MT. The mean follow-up survival time for all patients was 32±1.2 months range (29.8-34.8) months with (95% CI; 29.8-34.8). One case (3.3%) of BCS had locoregional recurrence and three cases (10%) had distant metastasis. Patients with IDC had significant higher DFS (33.5 ±1.04) months than patients with combined IDC+ILC (20±6) months and ILC (18) months. Patients with negative safety margin had significant higher DFS (33±1) months than patients with positive safety margin (19.5±6.7) months. Patients with MT had better numerical (not significant) DFS (32.25±1.5) months than patients with BCS (31.6±2.3) months. Conclusion: NC was effective in reducing the size of the tumor and should be applied in patients with advanced breast cancer. It improved local control and increased the chance of BCS without affecting overall survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To analyze the concordance rates of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER-2), and Ki67 statuses between the primary and loco-regional recurrence (LRR) lesions and its influence on the following treatment in breast cancer patients. Methods: The breast cancer patients undergoing surgery in Comprehensive Breast Health Center, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine January 2009 to September 2018, who were reported recurrence only in loco-regional site were retrospectively analyzed. ER, PR, HER-2, and Ki67 statuses were detected in primary and LRR lesions. Concordance rates and their influence on following treatment were further analyzed. Results: A total of 7 823 breast cancer patients received surgery, among whom 106 cases experienced LRR without distant metastasis. There were 56 patients having full information about ER, PR, HER-2, and Ki67 statuses of LRR lesions, with the positive rates of 48.2%, 25.0%, 35.2%, and 81.5%, respectively. Concordance rates of ER, PR, HER-2, and Ki67 between primary and LRR lesions were 76.8%, 76.8%, 89.1% and 77.8%, with κ values at 0.538, 0.469, 0.729, and 0.402, respectively. Hormone receptor (ER or PR) (14 cases) and/or HER-2 (6 cases) statuses were altered in 18 patients. The hormone receptor status changed positive to negative in 9 cases, of which 4 cases did not receive following endocrine therapy. The HER-2 status changed negative to positive in 4 patients, and 1 of them received following anti-HER-2 targeted therapy. Conclusion: The concordance rates between primary and LRR breast cancer lesions of ER, PR, and Ki67 are moderate, and the concordance rate of HER-2 is high. Changes in receptor status in LRR lesions may affect the choice of following treatment options. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Population-based estimates of the long-term risk of loco-regional recurrence and distant metastases of breast cancer (BRC) patients are scant, as most published studies used hospital-based cohorts or participants of clinical trials. This work aims to extend available knowledge by providing population-based long-term estimates of the cumulative risk of BRC recurrence up to 10 years after diagnosis.Methods: Data from the population-based Saarland Cancer Registry were used and included 9359 female patients with primary invasive BRC diagnosed between 1999 and 2009. Estimates of the cumulative incidence (CI) of BRC recurrence were derived for patients who had received local surgery with free resection margins by type of recurrence and stratified by age, tumor characteristics and major treatment options, taking into account mortality from any cause as a competing risk.Results: The 10-year CI of BRC recurrence was 16%. For loco-regional recurrence and distant metastases alone it was 8 and 11%, respectively. The estimates showed substantial variation and were particularly increased if tumors were advanced (T1/2N+ 23%, T3/4N0 24%, T3/4N+ 34%), of high grade (23%), or of 'HER2/neu positive' (28%) or 'triple negative' subtype (23%), respectively.Conclusions: The derived estimates reflect the risk of 'real world' patients and may therefore extend available knowledge. These data are thus of great relevance for clinicians, their patients and researchers. The study likewise demonstrated the usefulness of cancer registries for a population-based monitoring of the effectiveness of cancer care in terms of disease recurrence as a major treatment related outcome measure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate the role of quantitative pre-treatment dual-energy computed tomography (DECT) for prediction of loco-regional recurrence (LRR) in patients with larynx/hypopharynx squamous cell cancer (L/H SCC).Methods: Patients with L/H SCC treated with curative intent loco-regional radiotherapy and that underwent treatment planning with contrast-enhanced DECT of the neck were included. Primary and nodal gross tumor volumes (GTVp and GTVn) were contoured and transferred into a Matlab® workspace. Using a two-material decomposition, GTV iodine concentration (IC) maps were obtained. Quantitative histogram statistics (maximum, mean, standard deviation, kurtosis and skewness) were retrieved from the IC maps. Cox regression analysis was conducted to determine potential predictive factors of LRR.Results: Twenty-five patients, including 20 supraglottic and 5 pyriform sinus tumors were analysed. Stage I, II, III, IVa and IVb constituted 4% (1 patient), 24%, 36%, 28% and 8% of patients, respectively; 44% had concurrent chemo-radiotherapy and 28% had neodjuvant chemotherapy. Median follow-up was 21 months. Locoregional control at 1 and 2 years were 75% and 69%, respectively. For the entire cohort, GTVn volume (HR 1.177 [1.001-1.392], p = 0.05), voxel-based maximum IC of GTVp (HR 1.099 [95% CI: 1.001-1.209], p = 0.05) and IC standard deviation of GTVn (HR 9.300 [95% CI: 1.113-77.725] p = 0.04) were predictive of LRR. On subgroup analysis of patients treated with upfront radiotherapy +/- chemotherapy, both voxel-based maximum IC of GTVp (HR 1.127 [95% CI: 1.010-1.258], p = 0.05) and IC kurtosis of GTVp (HR 1.088 [95% CI: 1.014-1.166], p = 0.02) were predictive of LRR.Conclusion: This exploratory study suggests that pre-radiotherapy DECT-derived IC quantitative analysis of tumoral volume may help predict LRR in L/H SCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the metastasic breast cancer is still an incurable disease, recent advances have increased significantly the time to progression and the overall survival. However, too much information has been produced in the last 2 years, so a well-based guideline is a valuable document in treatment decision making. The SEOM guidelines are intended to make evidence-based recommendations on how to manage patients with advanced and recurrent breast cancer to achieve the best patient outcomes based on a rational use of the currently available therapies. To assign a level of certainty and a grade of recommendation the United States Preventive Services Task Force guidelines methodology was selected as reference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The optimal treatment for the rare subtype of non‐Hodgkin lymphoma, extranodal natural killer/T‐cell lymphoma (ENKTL), nasal‐type, has not been clearly defined. The purpose of the study was to investigate the efficacy of sequential and "Sandwich" chemotherapy and extended involved‐field intensity‐modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) in patients with stage IE/IIE extranodal ENKTL, nasal‐type. Methods: One hundred and fifty‐five patients with stage IE/IIE nasal‐type ENKTL were enrolled in the study, including 99 patients treated with sequential chemotherapy and extended involved‐field IMRT (SCRT) and 56 patients with "Sandwich" chemotherapy and extended involved‐field IMRT and chemotherapy (SCRCT). All patients were treated with extended involved‐field IMRT with median dose of 54.6 Gy to the primary tumor and positive lymph nodes. Ninety‐four patients had Ann Arbor stage IE disease, and 61 patients had stage IIE disease. Results: The 5‐year rates of loco‐regional recurrence (LRR), progression‐free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS) were 17.0%, 78.5%, and 84.7%, respectively. Univariate analysis revealed that EBV DNA copy after treatment (normal vs elevated level) was significant prognostic factor for LRR, PFS, and OS (P < 0.001); therapeutic method (SCRT vs SCRCT) was significant prognostic factor for PFS (71.0% vs 91.8%, P = 0.011), but there was no significant effect on 5‐year LRR and OS (22.2% vs 8.2%, P = 0.051 for LRR; 80.9% vs 91.8%, P = 0.199 for OS). Conclusions: Compared with SCRT, SCRCT was significantly associated with higher PFS rates and showed a trend toward improved loco‐regional control. EBV DNA copy after treatment is a good index for recurrence and prognosis for stage IE/IIE ENKTL patients. Compared with sequential chemotherapy (Ch) and extended involved‐field intensity‐modulated radiotherapy (EIF‐IMRT), "Sandwich" Ch and EIF‐IMRT and Ch were significantly associated with higher PFS rates and showed a trend toward improved loco‐regional control. EBV DNA copy after treatment is a good index for recurrence and prognosis for stage IE/IIE ENKTL patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In patients undergoing breast-conserving surgery and having positive sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs), the ACOSOG Z0011 trial showed equivalent loco-regional outcomes for patients receiving SLN dissection (SLND) alone and those receiving axillary lymph node dissection (ALND). We conducted a prospective single-arm study to confirm the applicability of the Z0011 criteria to Japanese patients with breast cancer.Methods: Patients meeting the Z0011 inclusion criteria and providing consent to receive no additional ALND were prospectively enrolled at the Osaka International Cancer Institute from April 2012 to December 2016. Cumulative incidence of loco-regional recurrence was estimated and compared to that of the Z0011 study.Results: Among a total of 881 patients who underwent breast-conserving surgery, 189 fulfilling the Z0011 criteria were enrolled and eligible for the subsequent analysis. Adjuvant chemotherapy was given to 113 (59.8%) patients, adjuvant hormone therapy to 170 (89.9%), and whole breast irradiation to 183 (96.8%). The frequency of tumors with positive lymphovascular invasion (p < 0.0001) and macrometastases in SLNs (p < 0.0001) were significantly higher in our study than in the Z0011 study. At the median follow-up of 36 months (range 10-64 months), only 2 of 189 patients (1.1%) experienced loco-regional recurrence. The 5-year cumulative rate of loco-regional recurrences was 1.3% (95% CI 0-3.1%), and the 3-year distant DFS rate was 96.8% (95% CI 94.0-99.6%).Conclusions: Our prospective study showed that it is feasible to apply the Z0011 strategy to Japanese patients with clinically node-negative breast cancer undergoing breast-conserving surgery with planned whole breast irradiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Sternal infiltration of breast cancer (BC) is a rare but known phenomenon. Sternal resection for this cancer is not completely investigated. For this reason, the aim of this study was to examine long-term survival and prognosticators for prolonged survival of our patients after sternal resection. Also, morbidity and mortality were investigated. Materials and Methods We retrospectively analyzed our prospective database of 20 patients who underwent a sternum resection (partial/complete) for BC in our institution between 2003 and 2014. Furthermore, patients with additional lung metastases were included. All patients received a mesh-methyl methacrylate technique ("sandwich technique") and soft tissue coverage with myocutaneous muscle flap. Long-term outcomes and survival curves were performed by the Kaplan-Meier method. Survival differences and prognosticators were investigated using the log-rank test. Results Median survival was 32months (95% confidence interval, 8-56 months). One-, 3-, and 5-year overall survivals were 79, 39, and 39%. There was a low morbidity and mortality with 35% (minor complications 30% and major complications 5%) and 0%. As prognosticators for longer survival, a positive hormone status (estrogen or progesterone) (p = 0.070) showed a trend. Neither age, primary mastectomy, disease-free interval < 24 months, primary N-status, nor preoperative chemotherapy showed a significant influence on survival. Furthermore, additional lung metastases did not influence survival significantly (p = 0.826). Conclusion Sternal resections for BC patients can be associated with promising longterm survival. R0 resection, good functional and cosmetic results are achievable with low morbidity and mortality. Patients with additional lung metastases should not be routinely excluded from resection and should be discussed in interdisciplinary tumor boards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is important to follow breast cancer patients after their initial treatment as loco-regional recurrences are potentially treatable and local failure has shown to adversely affect overall survival. Herein, we present a 49-yearold premenopausal Caucasian woman who was treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy, breast-conserving surgery (BCS), and adjuvant chemo-radiotherapy for invasive ductal carcinoma of the right breast in 1998 that subsequently developed a loco-regional recurrence eight years after treatment that presented with lymphedema and chest wall pain. Her clinical exams, yearly mammograms, consecutive chest x-rays, and bone scans did not reveal evidence of recurrent disease thus, for two years her symptoms were attributed to costochondritis by her primary care physician. She was evaluated in our lymphedema clinic with right arm lymphedema and persisting chest wall pain. A Flurodeoxyglucose-Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography (FDG-PET/CT) scan was performed and it revealed a soft tissue mass between the anterior costochondral junctions of the right sided 3rd and 4th ribs along the internal mammary chain. Fine needle aspiration biopsy confirmed an adenocarcinoma originating from breast. After complete chest wall mass resection and subsequent chemo-radiotherapy, she is free of symptoms. In conclusion, a careful clinical examination and accurate diagnostic work-up to exclude recurrence is essential in the follow-up of patients with a history of breast cancer, before accrediting symptoms to a non-cancerous etiology.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to define and investigate the prognostic impact of "R1-Lymph-node dissection" during gastrectomy., Methods: This was a retrospective study conducted with 499 patients undergoing curative-aim gastrectomy. We defined R1-Lymph dissection as an involvement of lymph node stations anatomically connected with lymph node stations outside the declared level of dissection (D1 to D2+). The primary outcomes were disease-free and disease-specific survival (DFS and DSS)., Results: At multivariable analysis, the type of gastrectomy, pT and pN were associated with DFS, and the type of gastrectomy, R1-Margin status, R1-Lymph status, pT, pN and adjuvant therapy were associated with DSS. Moreover, pT and R1-Lymph status were the only factors associated with overall loco-regional recurrence., Conclusions: In this study, we introduced the concept of R1-Lymph-node dissection, which was significantly associated with DSS and appeared to be a stronger prognostic factor for loco-regional recurrence than the R1 status on the resection margin., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None of the authors has any potential financial conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Background: We aimed to evaluate the influence of mammographic breast density at diagnosis on the risk of cancer recurrence and survival outcomes in patients with invasive breast cancer after modified radical mastectomy. Methods: This case-control study included 121 case-control pairs of women diagnosed with invasive breast cancer between 2004 and 2009, and who had undergone modified radical mastectomy and had mammographic breast density measured before or at diagnosis. Women with known locoregional recurrence or distant metastasis were matched by pathological disease stage, age, and year of diagnosis to women without recurrence. Locoregional recurrence was defined as recurrence in the ipsilateral chest wall, or axillary, internal mammary, or supraclavicular nodes. The median follow-up duration was 84.0 months for case patients and 92.9 months for control patients. Results: Patients with heterogeneously dense (50-75% density) and extremely dense (>75% density) breasts had an increased risk of locoregional recurrence (hazard ratios 3.1 and 5.7, 95% confidence intervals 1.1-9.8 and 1.2- 34.9, p = 0.043 and 0.048, respectively) than did women with less dense breasts. Positive margins after surgery also increased the risk of locoregional recurrence (hazard ratio 3.3, 95% confidence interval 1.3-8.3, p = 0.010). Multivariate analysis that included dense breasts (>50% density), positive margin, no adjuvant radiotherapy, and no adjuvant chemotherapy revealed that dense breasts were significant factors for predicting locoregional recurrence risk (hazard ratio 3.6, 95% confidence interval 1.2-11.1, p = 0.025). Conclusions: Our results demonstrate that dense breast tissue (>50% density) increased the risk of locoregional recurrence after modified radical mastectomy in patients with invasive breast cancer. Additional prospective studies are necessary to validate these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radiotherapy has been used to treat loco-regional recurrences located at various intra-thoracic sites, but longterm survival of these patients has been rarely observed. We report herein a lung adenocarcinoma patient with locoregional recurrence, who was successfully treated with high-dose radiotherapy. The patient could survive with no evidence of recurrence 5 years after thoracic irradiation. It is probably safe to administrate high-dose radiotherapy for some loco-regional recurrent patients with favorable prognostic factors such as good PS, no body weight loss. Further studies will be required to define a favorable subset of patients most likely to benefit from an aggressive approach.

Breast-conserving treatment (BCT) has been validated for breast cancer patients receiving adjuvant chemotherapy. Our objective was to evaluate the difference in loco-regional recurrence (LRR) rates between BCT and mastectomy in patients receiving radiation therapy after neo-adjuvant chemotherapy (NCT). A retrospective data base was used to identify all patients with breast cancer undergoing NCT from 2002 to 2007. Patients with initial metastatic disease were excluded from this analysis. LRR was compared between those undergoing BCT and mastectomy. Individual variables associated with LRR were evaluated. Two hundred eighty-four patients were included, 111 (39%) underwent BCT and 173 (61%) mastectomy. Almost all patients (99%) in both groups received postoperative radiation. Pathologic complete response was seen in 37 patients, of which 28 underwent BCT (p < 0.001). Patients receiving mastectomy had more invasive lobular carcinoma (p = 0.007) and a higher American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stage (p < 0.001) at diagnosis than those with BCT. At a median follow-up of 6.3 years, the loco-regional control rate was 91% (95% CI: 86-94%). The 10-year LRR rate was similar in the BCT group (9.2% [95% CI: 4.9-16.7%]) and in the mastectomy group (10.7% [95% CI: 5.9-15.2%]; p = 0.8). Ten-year overall survival (OS) rates (63% [95% CI: 46-79%] in the BCT group; 60% [95% CI: 47-73%] in the mastectomy group, p = 0.8) were not statistically different between the two patient populations. Multivariate analysis showed that AJCC stage ≥ III (HR: 2.6; 95% CI: 1.2-5.8; p = 0.02), negative PR (HR: 6; 95% CI: 1.2-30.6, p = 0.03), and number of positive lymph nodes ≥3 (HR: 2.5; 95% CI: 1.1-5.9; p = 0.03) were independent predictors of LRR. Ten-year OS was similar in the BCT and in the mastectomy group (p = 0.1). The rate of LRR was low and did not significantly differ between the BCT and the mastectomy group after NCT. Randomized trials assessing whether mastectomy can be safely omitted in selected breast cancer patients (nonstage III tumors or those which do not require adjuvant hormone suppression) which respond to NCT are required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As axillary recurrence (AR) after a negative sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) is rare, the prognosis of these patients is unknown. Since treatment paradigms for patients with breast cancer are shifting toward less axillary surgery, the number of ARs might increase. In this study, we evaluated primary and salvage treatment as well as long-term survival of patients diagnosed with an AR. A retrospective analysis of the cancer registry of 16 breast cancer units in the Netherlands was used to identify patients who developed an AR after a negative SLNB performed between 2002 and 2004. Using local hospital records we recorded primary patient-, tumor-, and treatment-characteristics, as well as salvage treatment. We identified 54 patients with an AR, median 30 months (range 3-79) after SLNB. Eighteen patients (33 %) were initially treated with breast conserving therapy, 15 of whom received external beam radiation therapy (EBRT). Thirty-three patients (61 %) did not receive adjuvant systemic treatment. In 45 of the 54 (83 %) patients, a salvage axillary lymph node dissection was performed showing a median of three positive nodes (range 1-24). Nine patients (17 %) were not treated surgically: three were treated with salvage EBRT and six with salvage systemic therapy only. At time of detection of the AR, a total of 7 patients (13 %) had proven distant metastases. After a median follow-up of 47 months (range 3-118), the 5-year 'post-recurrence' distant metastasis free survival was 50 % and overall survival was 58 %. Significant negative predictors of survival were negative estrogen receptor (ER) status and receiving adjuvant chemotherapy at initial treatment. AR following a negative SLNB is associated with a 58 % 5-year OS. Prognostic factors are ER− primary tumor and receiving adjuvant chemotherapy as a part of initial treatment, reflecting an aggressive phenotype. Adequate regional and systemic salvage therapy constitute a chance for long-term survival after AR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conclusion: MASPIN subcellular location can be considered a prognostic marker that is potentially useful for identifying elderly patients with laryngeal carcinoma at higher risk of early loco-regional recurrence, who may benefit from more aggressive therapy. In a targeted treatment setting, re-activated nuclear MASPIN in combination with anti-angiogenic and/or cytotoxic drugs may be effective in treating laryngeal carcinoma in elderly patients. Objectives: Aging is associated with molecular, cellular, and physiological changes that influence carcinogenesis and cancer growth. MASPIN has multifaceted anti-tumor effects and available evidence supports the hypothesis that its subcellular location influences its functions. The aim of the present study was to firstly assess the potential prognostic role of subcellular MASPIN location in elderly patients (>65 years old) with laryngeal carcinoma. Methods: MASPIN expression and location were immunohistochemically determined in 68 consecutive elderly patients with laryngeal carcinoma. Results: Nodal involvement and pathological stage correlated strongly with the prognosis for laryngeal carcinomas in elderly patients, in terms of disease recurrence rate and disease-free survival. The loco-regional recurrence rate was significantly lower ( p == 0.041) and the disease-free survival after treatment was significantly longer ( p == 0.045) in cases with a nuclear pattern of MASPIN subcellular expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Breast conserving therapy is a currently accepted method for managing patients with early stage breast cancer. However, approximately 7% of patients may develop loco-regional tumour recurrence within 5 years. We previously reported that expression of the 26S proteasome may be associated with radio-resistance. Here we aimed to analyse the 26S proteasome in a pilot series of early breast cancers and correlate the findings with loco-regional recurrence. Fourteen patients with early breast cancer who developed loco-regional recurrence within 4 years of completing breast conserving therapy were selected according to strict criteria and compared with those from 14 patients who were disease-free at 10 years. Decreased expression of the 26S proteasome was significantly associated with radio-resistance, manifested as the development of a loco-regional recurrence within 4 years of breast conserving therapy (p =0.018). This small pilot study provides further suggestion that the 26S proteasome may be associated with response to radiotherapy. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

It is important to follow breast cancer patients after their initial treatment as loco-regional recurrences are potentially treatable and local failure has shown to adversely affect overall survival. Herein, we present a 49-year-old premenopausal Caucasian woman who was treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy, breast-conserving surgery (BCS), and adjuvant chemo-radiotherapy for invasive ductal carcinoma of the right breast in 1998 that subsequently developed a loco-regional recurrence eight years after treatment that presented with lymphedema and chest wall pain. Her clinical exams, yearly mammograms, consecutive chest x-rays, and bone scans did not reveal evidence of recurrent disease thus, for two years her symptoms were attributed to costochondritis by her primary care physician. She was evaluated in our lymphedema clinic with right arm lymphedema and persisting chest wall pain. A Flurodeoxyglucose-Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography (FDG-PET/CT) scan was performed and it revealed a soft tissue mass between the anterior costochondral junctions of the right sided 3rd and 4th ribs along the internal mammary chain. Fine needle aspiration biopsy confirmed an adenocarcinoma originating from breast. After complete chest wall mass resection and subsequent chemo-radiotherapy, she is free of symptoms. In conclusion, a careful clinical examination and accurate diagnostic work-up to exclude recurrence is essential in the follow-up of patients with a history of breast cancer, before accrediting symptoms to a non-cancerous etiology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To determine which tumor-related factors might predispose the patient to loco-regional recurrence or death and the impact of these factors on the different types of events. We retrospectively analyzed the data of 1991 women between January 1998 and March 2010 for a first primary nonmetastatic breast cancer and treated with surgery and neo-adjuvant/adjuvant therapy. The overall survival distribution was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. The prognostic impact of several factors on cumulative overall and loco-regional recurrence free survival was evaluated by univariate (log-rank test) and multivariate analysis (Cox regression). At log-rank test, pT, nodal status, histotype, grading, lymphangioinvasive growth, tumor diameter, estrogen receptors (ER) status, progesterone receptors (PR) status, expression of Ki67, and expression of Her2/neu had a prognostic value on loco-regional recurrence or overall survival. In the multivariate analysis grading remained the only independent predictor of loco-regional recurrences. With regard to overall survival, the Cox model selected grading along with nodal status and PR status. Loco-regional recurrences after breast cancer surgery are not frequent events. They are markers of tumor aggressiveness and predictor of an increased likelihood of cancer-related death. However, loco-regional recurrence and systemic tumor progression are partially independent events, since some prognostic factors differ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: One of the benefits of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) is its ability to convert patients ineligible for breast conservative treatment (BCT) to be candidates for this treatment, although questions have been raised regarding the effectiveness of BCT in terms of loco-regional recurrence (LRR). The objective of this study is to evaluate LRR in this group and the influence of tumor characteristics in recurrence. Material and Methods: Between 1996 and 2007, 137 patients were treated with BCT after NAC at our Service. After completion of NAC a multidisciplinary team evaluated the cases eligible for BCT. All patients treated with BCT had negative margins and received radiation therapy. Risk factors associated with local recurrence were analyzed using Kaplan–Meier survival curves and long-rang test. Results: Information was obtained in 121 patients. Median age was 54 years old (SD: 12 years). At a median follow-up of 35 months (range, 18–87 months), 6 (4.95%) patients developed an LRR, with an accumulative incidence at 5 years of 7.3% (95% CI: 0.4–14.1%) and at 10 years of 11.5% (95% CI: 2.8–20.1%). Overall survival at 5 and 10 years was 94.8% (95% CI: 90.9–98.6%) and 82.3% (95% CI: 67.3–97.2%) respectively. Tumor size (T3) (p < 0.001) and pathological stage (Stage III) (p = 0.001) after surgery were strongly associated with LRR. Conclusions: The results of this study confirm that BCT is an effective treatment in patients with NAC. Tumor size and pathological stage after systemic treatment influence loco-regional recurrence in patients with BCT. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The purpose of the study was to evaluate and compare the impact of postoperative radiotherapy, whether it was based on the clinical stage at presentation of the disease or on the pathological downstaged disease after initial chemotherapy for non-inflammatory locally advanced breast cancer (LABC). We retrospectively analyzed locoregional recurrence (LRR), relapse free survival (RFS), overall survival (OS) and disease free survival (DFS) in 55 patients treated for non-inflammatory LABC with neoadjuvant chemotherapy and surgery with or without radiotherapy. The mean follow-up was 55 months. The 3-year OS was 74%, DFS 73% and RFS 87%. The OS and DFS benefit was seen in those receiving radiation, with a mean OS of 89 months versus 68 months (p = 0.029) and mean DFS of 72 months versus 54 months (p = 0.029). Total LRR was 11% (8% versus 17% in the non-radiotherapy group, p = 0.349) and mean RFS of 95 months versus 86 months (p = 0.164). If the treatment planning was to be based on the original extent of the disease, then all patients in our study should have received adjuvant radiotherapy. Significantly lower OS and DFS without the addition of radiotherapy suggests that indication for radiation treatment should be based on the clinical pre-chemotherapy stage rather than the pathological post-chemotherapy stage. Radiation should therefore always be considered regardless of the response to initial chemotherapy for non-inflammatory LABC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety of breast conserving surgery in patients with breast tumours satisfactorily downstaged after neoadjuvant therapy. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was undertaken to analyze the loco-regional recurrence (LRR) after breast conserving surgery. We enrolled 88 patients with breast cancer subjected to neoadjuvant therapy (NAT group) who achieved an objective response due to neoadjuvant treatment and compared them with 191 patients with early breast cancer (EBC group) who were submitted to primary conserving surgery. Lumpectomy or quadrantectomy with axillary lymph node dissection was performed in all patients who received adjuvant radiotherapy. Systemic adjuvant therapy was offered to all patients. The mean periods of observation were 61.3 months in the NAT group and 67.5 months in the EBC group. Results: The mean age was 53 years in the NAT group and 56 years in the EBC group (p =0.04). There was no histological type and histological grade difference between groups. In the NAT group, the mean diameter of residual tumour was lower and the mean volume of breast tissue resection was higher than in the EBC group (p =0.01 and p =0.002, respectively). The ipsilateral recurrence rate was 7.9% in the NAT group and 7.8% in the EBC group (p =0.9). The most important predictive factor of recurrence in the NAT group was the age of patient. Conclusion: Breast conserving therapy is a safe procedure in satisfactorily downstaged breast cancer after neoadjuvant therapy. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]