Anna Park

Lessons learned from 416 cases of nipple discharge of the breast.

BACKGROUND For patients with nipple discharge (ND), surgical duct excision is often required to exclude underlying malignancy. Our objective was to define clinical predictors of malignancy and examine the utility of common preoperative studies. STUDY DESIGN We retrospectively identified 475 patients presenting with a chief complaint of ND from 1995 to 2005; 416 (88%) were eligible for review. RESULTS Following standard evaluation (clinical breast examination/mammogram/ultrasound), 129 of 416 (31%) were considered to have physiological ND and were managed expectantly, whereas 287 of 416 (69%) underwent further evaluation (cytology/ductography/magnetic resonance imaging) followed by biopsy +/- surgery. Clinical features associated with pathological ND included bloody ND (adjusted odds ratio 3.7) and spontaneous ND (adjusted OR 3.2). Biopsy/surgery identified a causative lesion in 259 of 287 (90%), of which 37% were either malignant (n = 65) or high-risk (n = 30) lesions. The sole clinical predictor of malignant/high-risk lesion was a palpable mass (adjusted odds ratio 4.3). Preoperative evaluation identified 76 of 95 (80%) malignant/high-risk lesions, whereas 19 of 95 (20%) were identified by duct excision alone. CONCLUSIONS Although clinical stratification alone reliably identified patients with pathological ND, neither the clinical characteristics nor preoperative studies can reliably distinguish between benign and malignant pathology. Surgical duct excision remains the gold standard to exclude underlying malignancy.

Lobular Carcinoma in Situ: A 29-Year Longitudinal Experience Evaluating Clinicopathologic Features and Breast Cancer Risk

PURPOSE The increased breast cancer risk conferred by a diagnosis of lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) is poorly understood. Here, we review our 29-year longitudinal experience with LCIS to evaluate factors associated with breast cancer risk. PATIENTS AND METHODS Patients participating in surveillance after an LCIS diagnosis are observed in a prospectively maintained database. Comparisons were made among women choosing surveillance, with or without chemoprevention, and those undergoing bilateral prophylactic mastectomies between 1980 and 2009. RESULTS One thousand sixty patients with LCIS without concurrent breast cancer were identified. Median age at LCIS diagnosis was 50 years (range, 27 to 83 years). Fifty-six patients (5%) underwent bilateral prophylactic mastectomy; 1,004 chose surveillance with (n = 173) or without (n = 831) chemoprevention. At a median follow-up of 81 months (range, 6 to 368 months), 150 patients developed 168 breast cancers (63% ipsilateral, 25% contralateral, 12% bilateral), with no dominant histology (ductal carcinoma in situ, 35%; infiltrating ductal carcinoma, 29%; infiltrating lobular carcinoma, 27%; other, 9%). Breast cancer incidence was significantly reduced in women taking chemoprevention (10-year cumulative risk: 7% with chemoprevention; 21% with no chemoprevention; P < .001). In multivariable analysis, chemoprevention was the only clinical factor associated with breast cancer risk (hazard ratio, 0.27; 95% CI, 0.15 to 0.50). In a subgroup nested case-control analysis, volume of disease, which was defined as the ratio of slides with LCIS to total number of slides reviewed, was also associated with breast cancer development (P = .008). CONCLUSION We observed a 2% annual incidence of breast cancer among women with LCIS. Common clinical factors used for risk prediction, including age and family history, were not associated with breast cancer risk. The lower breast cancer incidence in women opting for chemoprevention highlights the potential for risk reduction in this population.

MRI Screening in a Clinic Population with a Family History of Breast Cancer

BackgroundBreast MRI is increasingly being used in patients at increased risk for breast cancer; however, guidelines for MRI screening are inadequately defined. We describe our experience with MRI screening in a large population of women with a family history of breast cancer.MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed the Memorial Sloan–Kettering breast cancer surveillance program prospective database from April 1999 to July 2006. Patients with a family history of breast cancer and at least 1 year follow-up were identified. All patients were offered biannual clinical breast examination (CBE) and annual mammography (MMG). MRI screening was performed at the discretion of the physician and patient.ResultsFamily history profiles revealed 1,019 eligible patients; median follow-up was 5.0 years. MRI screening was performed in 374 (37%) patients resulting in a total of 976 MRIs during the study period. Cancer was detected in 9/374 patients (2%) undergoing MRI screening. Seven cancers were detected by MRI only, for a cancer detection rate of 0.7% (7/976) for screening MRI. When stratified by family risk profile, the positive predictive value (PPV) of MRI was higher (13%) in those patients with the strongest family histories and lower (6%) in patients with less significant family histories.ConclusionsMRI screening can be a useful adjunct to CBE and MMG in patients with high-risk family histories of breast cancer, yet it has low yield in patients with lower-risk family histories. These data suggest that MRI screening should be reserved for those at highest risk.

Changing indications for surgery in patients with stage IV breast cancer: a current perspective.

Evolving concepts of cancer biology and emerging evidence of a potential survival benefit from local surgery have raised the question of an expanded role for surgery in select patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC). To determine whether such developments have influenced clinical practice, the authors evaluated surgical practice patterns in the study institution over the last 15 years.

A prospective evaluation of the durability of palliative interventions for patients with metastatic breast cancer.

Although systemic therapy for metastatic breast cancer (MBC) continues to evolve, there are scant data to guide physicians and patients when symptoms develop. In this article, the authors report the frequency and durability of palliative procedures performed in the setting of MBC.