The Relationship of Pathological Response and Visceral Muscle and Fat Volume in Women With Breast Cancer Who Received Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy

Objective

Differences in individual muscle/fat volumes may change the effectiveness of chemotherapy. In this study, the relationship between trunkal muscle and fat volume and body mass index (BMI) obtained before receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NCT) in patients with breast cancer and complete pathological response (pCR) was investigated.

Materials and Methods

The volumes of psoas, abdominal and paraspinal muscles, and trunkal subcutaneous and visceral fat were calculated using CoreSlicer AI 2.0 opensource program from the F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (CT) and CT images before NCT and postoperative pCR rates to NCT were recorded. Muscle/fat volumes and BMI prior to NCT were compared in terms of pathological pCR rates. Patients were followed up regularly for recurrence and survival.

Results

Ninety-three patients were included with median (range) values for age, BMI, and body weights of 48 (28-72) years, 27 (16.8-51.6) kg/m2, and 71.94 (43-137) kg, respectively. The median follow-up time was 18.6 (6.7-59.6) months. No significant correlation was found between total muscle or fat volumes of patients with and without pCR. BMI [26.2 (16.8-51.6) kg/m2 vs. 24.6 (20.3-34.3) kg/m2, p = 0.03] and pCR rates in patients with low right-psoas muscle volume [11.74 (7.03-18.51) vs. 10.2 (6.71-13.36), p = 0.025] were significantly greater. A significant relationship was found between right psoas muscle volume and disease-free survival (DFS) (11.74 cm3 (7.03-18.51) vs. 10.2 cm3 (6.71-13.36), p = 0.025). However, no significant relationship was detected between total muscle-fat volume, BMI and overall survival and DFS (p>0.05).

Conclusion

This is the first published study investigating the relationship between the pCR ratio and body muscle and fat volume measured by CoreSlicer AI 2.0 in patients with breast cancer who received NCT. No correlation was found between the pCR ratio and total muscle plus fat volume. However, these results need to be validated with larger patient series.

A Rare Complication Following Breast Conserving Surgery: Pyoderma Gangrenosum

Pyoderma gangrenosum (PG) after breast-conserving surgery is rare, and its diagnosis is often delayed because of the similarity to wound infection and the broad differential diagnosis for PG, making it a diagnosis of exclusion. A 60-year-old woman who underwent breast conserving surgery and sentinel lymph node biopsy for invasive breast carcinoma presented with increasing erythema, fever and serosanguinous discharge in the lower outer quadrant of the right breast at the site of tumour excision on postoperative day (POD) 9. Fever persisted despite antibiotics and the patient was noted to have leucocytosis (0.9 x 109/L), neutrophilia (37.8 x 109/L) and elevated C-reactive protein levels (136 μg/mL) on POD 16. Microbiology and blood culture results were negative but the breast ulcer continued to expand at a rate of 1-2 cm a day. The patient underwent surgical debridement on POD 21 to rule out necrotising soft tissue infection. Persistent ulcer progression, despite debridement and antibiotics, led to clinical suspicion of PG and the patient was started on prednisolone and cyclosporin. A rapid response was seen with treatment and an optimum healing process was noted over the subsequent three-month follow-up period. Early suspicion, careful macroscopic evaluation of disease progression and appropriate use of immunosuppressive therapy are important for the management of PG. Prompt initiation of immunosuppressive therapy may avoid unnecessary treatment and aggravation of the surgical wound.

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors: A clinical and histopathological presentation of 27 cases

OBJECTIVE

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are mesenchymal tumors that express type 3 tyrosine kinase receptors and are thought to develop from the neoplastic transformation of the interstitial Cajal cells. The present study was performed to morphologically and immunohistologically evaluate GISTs, to compare their qualities using a GIST risk categorization system, and to identify the diagnostic and prognostic parameters of GISTs.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A total of 27 patients with GISTs underwent treatment and were followed up at the Gaziosmanpaşa Taksim Training and Research Hospital. Descriptive statistics was used to calculate the mean and median values. Survival analysis was performed by the Kaplan-Meier method. The analyses were performed using the SPSS version 22.0 software.

RESULTS

The mean follow-up time was 3.5 (5 months to 13 years) years. The mean age was 60.4 (29-82) years. The tumors were localized in the stomach (62.9%), extraintestinal areas (14.8%), intestine (7.4%), esophagus (7.4%), and rectum (7.4%). Twenty-four patients were classified according to the Fletcher system. Of these patients, 7 (25.9%) were classified as very low risk, 8 (29.6%) as low risk, 7 (25.9%) as intermediate risk, and 2 (7.4%) as high risk. Twenty-four patients underwent surgery. Of the 3 patients who did not undergo surgery, 1 had metastatic disease at the time of diagnosis, and 2 had mini- or micro-GISTs in the stomach. On endoscopic surveillance, all tumors remained stable. Three out of the 27 patients were lost to follow-up. Two patients developed recurrence, and 1 patient died of GIST.

CONCLUSION

We analyzed the clinical and pathological characteristics of GIST. The most common site of tumor origin was the stomach. The size, mitotic index, and Ki-67 values were to be found high in intermediate- and high-risk groups and metastatic diseases.

The role of ultrasonographic findings to predict molecular subtype, histologic grade, and hormone receptor status of breast cancer

PURPOSE

The correlation between imaging findings and pathologic characteristics of tumors may provide information for diagnosis and treatment of cancer. The aim of this study is to determine whether ultrasound features of breast cancer are associated with molecular subtype, histologic grade, and hormone receptor status, as well as assess the predictive value of these features.

METHODS

A total of 201 consecutive invasive breast cancer patients were reviewed from the database according to the Breast Imaging and Reporting Data System (BI-RADS). Tumor margins were classified as circumscribed and noncircumscribed. Noncircumscribed group was divided into indistinct, spiculated, angular, and microlobulated. The posterior acoustic features were divided into four categories: shadowing, enhancement, no change, and mixed pattern.

RESULTS

Tumors with posterior shadowing were more likely to be of nontriple negative subtype (odds ratio [OR], 7.42; 95% CI, 2.10-24.99; P = 0.002), low histologic grade (grade 1 or 2 vs. grade 3: OR, 2.42; 95% CI, 1.34-4.35; P = 0.003) and having at least one positive receptor (OR, 3.36; 95% CI, 1.55-7.26; P = 0.002). Tumors with circumscribed margins were more often triple-negative subtype (OR, 6.72; 95% CI, 2.56-17.65; P < 0.001), high grade (grade 3 vs. grade 1 or 2: OR, 5.42; 95% CI, 2.66-11.00; P < 0.001) and hormone receptor negative (OR, 4.87; 95% CI, 2.37-9.99; P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Sonographic features are strongly associated with molecular subtype, histologic grade, and hormone receptor status of the tumor. These findings may separate triple-negative breast cancer from other molecular subtypes.

PET-MRI Findings of Two Patients with Breast Carcinoma before Treatment

Integrated positron-emission tomography-magnetic resonance imaging (PET-MRI) is a new hybrid simultaneous imaging modality with higher soft tissue contrast and lower radiation doses compared with PET-CT. Two patients who were referred to our hospital with left breast masses that were pathologically diagnosed as invasive ductal carcinoma. The women were then scanned using the first PET-MRI system in Turkey, which was established in our department. In this case report, we aimed to determine the advantages of PET-MRI in staging, follow-up, neoadjuvant chemotherapy response, and to compare the usefulness of this modality with PET-CT and dynamic contrast-enhanced breast MRI.

The Relationship between Bone Mineral Density and Estrogen Receptor Positivity in Patients with Breast Cancer

OBJECTIVE

The effect of estrogen on bone mineral density (BMD) and breast cancer has been known for a long time. The aim of this study was to compare of the BMD of patients with breast cancer and healthy individuals, and to investigate the degree of correlation of estrogen receptor (ER) with BMD.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Seventy-one patients with postmenopausal breast cancer and 79 healthy dividuals were included in the study. The patient demographics (age, menopause age, body mass index, number of children, BMD, Z scores, and estrogen status for breast cancer patients) were taken from hospital records.

RESULTS

No significant difference was detected between the case and control groups in lumbar region Z scores (p=0.074). At the femur neck, the control group Z scores was higher than patient group (p=0.002). BMI was higher in the patients with breast cancer (p=0.001). There was no statistically significant correlation between ER positivity, BMD, and BMI in ER-positive patients (p=0.495, p=0.8, p=0.846, respectively). There was no difference between the Z scores when the patients were divided into two groups as ER positive and negative (p=0.156, p=0.335, respectively).

CONCLUSION

This study revealed that there is no difference in lumbar region Z scores between patients with breast cancer and heathy controls; however, the Z scores were higher in the femur neck in the control group, and the BMI was lower in the patient group. Tumor ER positivity does not positively affect BMD.