Nagayoshi Ohta

Breast deformity, its correction, and assessment of breast conserving surgery

A combination of quadrantectomy, axillary dissection, and radiotherapy (QUART) is the regimen most favored by Japanese surgeons among a variety of breast conserving therapies currently available against breast cancer. Unfortunately, extensive resections such as quadrantectomy often give poor local cosmetic results in patients with small breasts. With the aim of improving the cosmetic aspect after an extensive resection, immediate transposition of the latissimus dorsi muscle (LDM) was carried out in breast conserving surgery. To date, twenty-one patients have been entered in this study. Post-quadrantectomy breast deformity was not corrected in six patients including one with bilateral breast cancers, but was corrected by transposition of a part of LDM in 14 other patients. In the last patient, who also had bilateral breast cancers, the right breast was treated by QUART and the left breast by subcutaneous mastectomy followed by transposition of LDM. The cosmetic outcome for these patients was assessed both subjectively and objectively; the objective assessment used a Moire topography camera. The postoperative appearance and topography revealed a satisfactory symmetry of breasts in the transposed patients, especially those with small breasts, when compared with non-transposed patients. It may be concluded that the transposition of LDM is useful in preventing breast deformity following an extensive resection in breast conserving surgery.

C-erbB-2 oncoprotein expression Versus internal mammary lymph node metastases as additional prognostic factors in patients with axillary lymph node-positive breast cancer

The relationship was assessed between c‐erbB‐2 oncoprotein expression and other prognostic factors in breast cancer, such as axillary and internal mammary node metastases. The value of these indicators was analyzed in estimating prognosis, especially in patients with axillary node‐positive breast cancer. These results showed that c‐erbB‐2 is significantly related to clinical stage and axillary node metastases. A univariate study revealed that disease‐free and overall survival were correlated significantly with clinical stage, tumor size, axillary and internal mammary node metastases, and 21N status. Among the patients with axillary node involvement, however, 21N status did not appear to be a significant additional prognostic factor. Internal mammary node metastases were significant. In a multivariate study, only axillary and internal mammary node metastases were significant prognostic factors for either the entire group of patients or those with positive axillary nodes. Therefore, axillary node dissection and biopsy of the internal mammary nodes may provide important prognostic information for patients with breast cancer.

Reappraisal of internal mammary node metastases as a prognostic factor in patients with breast cancer

Clinical, histologic, and biologic prognostic factors were examined in 144 patients with invasive breast cancer. It was determined whether variable prognostic factors, especially internal mammary lymph node metastases, would serve as a basis for the prognosis of breast cancer. In a univariate study, overall survival was significantly correlated with tumor size, axillary lymph node status, axillary and internal mammary lymph node metastases, and DNA ploidy status. Especially among patients with one to three positive axillary nodes, survival in case of internal mammary involvement were significantly lower than without internal mammary involvement. In a multivariate study, only axillary and internal mammary lymph node metastases were recognized as important, independent prognostic factors of survival, but neither axillary lymph node status nor DNA ploidy status appeared as important prognostic factors. It was concluded that internal mammary lymph node metastases is additional prognostic factor, especially in patients with one to three positive axillary nodes. Because axillary and internal mammary lymph node metastases could not be predicted from their clinical assessment, axillary lymph node dissection and biopsy of internal mammary nodes may be a useful staging procedure for these patients.

Mastectomy with and without immediate breast reconstruction using a musculocutaneous flap

We compared surgical cosmetic results in 83 patients who underwent mastectomy with immediate breast reconstruction (MIBR) using a myocutaneous flap with those of 153 patients with breast cancer who underwent mastectomy without breast reconstruction. Cosmetic results were significantly better in patients who underwent MIBR than radical mastectomy or extended MIBR, although no intergroup difference existed in the reconstructive technique. Neither did any difference exist in the incidence of complications between patients undergoing MIBR and mastectomy without breast reconstruction, or between patients undergoing modified mastectomy and radical or extended mastectomy. Finally, MIBR did not appear to adversely effect recurrence or overall survival. We conclude that MIBR using a myocutaneous flap is an acceptable treatment option for patients with breast cancer.

Clinical and biological prediction of axillary and internal mammary lymph node metastases in breast cancer

We assessed the relationships among histological axillary (AX) or internal mammary (IM) metastases and clinical and biological variables, and then attempted to evaluate their predictive values for AX and IM metastases in 128 patients with invasive breast cancer. As the results, these clinical and biological variables were significantly correlated with AX and IM metastases. However, a metastatic index calculated from clinical and biological variables was not much better in prediction of the AX metastases than axillary nodal status, whereas it was useful to predict the IM metastases. Thus, the predictive ability was still limited. Since accurate prediction of AX and IM metastases is critical to therapeutic choice, however, further study would be required.

Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma producing the granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF): report of a case.

We report herein the unusual case of a 60-year-old woman with an anaplastic thyroid carcinoma which produced granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF). She presented with large neck masses, respiratory difficulty, and a high fever. Laboratory examinations revealed marked leukocytosis of 43,200/mm3 with 85% granulocytes and an elevated G-CSF level of 67 pg/dl. Total thyroidectomy with bilateral node dissection and tracheostomy was performed, and a histological diagnosis of large-cell anaplastic thyroid carcinoma was confirmed. Immunohistochemical examination with a polyclonal antibody against G-CSF stained the tumor cells. Although the respiratory difficulty, fever, and marked granulocytosis subsequently improved, she died 1 month after undergoing surgery due to metastatic mediastinal disease.

Wide resection with latissimus dorsi muscle transposition in breast conserving surgery

In this study we evaluated whether the immediate transposition of the latissimus dorsi muscle (LDM) improves breast appearance and patient satisfaction after quadrantectomy. Twenty-three patients (transposed group) had the transposition of LDM immediately after quadrantectomy, but eight patients (non-transposed group) had quadrantectomy alone. For evaluation, breast size was classified as small (A or B cup) and large (C or D cup). Consequently, the cosmetic result was evaluated as excellent in 73% of the patients with transposed small breasts, but in only 25% of the patients with non-transposed small breasts and by none of the patients with transposed large breasts. On the other hand, all patients with transposed small breasts reported that they are satisfied with their operation, as opposed to 88% of the patients with transposed large breasts and 63% of the patients with transposed large breasts and 63% of the patients with non-transposed small breasts. It was concluded therefore, that the transposition of LDM is useful in correcting post-quadrantectomy breast deformity, especially in patients with small breasts.

The psychological and cosmetic aspects of breast conserving therapy compared with radical mastectomy

An evaluation of the psychological and cosmetic morbidity of 31 patients who had undergone breast conserving treatment (BCT group) and 71 patients who had undergone radical mastectomy (RM group) revealed that 85% and 73%, respectively, were satisfied with their operative results. BCT appeared superior to RM in relation to body image, with 93% of the BCT group indicating BCT as a future choice of treatment, whereas only 35% of the RM group indicated RM as a future choice of treatment. For 59% of the BCT patients, the results were considered excellent or good by a physician, but fear of recurrence was frequently expressed by both groups even though an early stage of breast cancer had been significantly more common in the BCT group than the RM group. Sexual adjustment was the same in both groups. Body image was thus concluded to have been improved by BCT rather than RM, but psychological morbidity was essentially the same in both groups.

Lymph node metastases versus DNA ploidy as prognostic factors for invasive ductal carcinoma of the breast

We evaluated the relationship between the DNA ploidy status and other variable prognostic factors, especially regional lymph node metastases, in 121 patients with invasive ductal carcinoma of breast, together with the value of these factors in estimating the prognosis of breast cancer. The ploidy status was diploid in 40% of the patients, and aneuploid in 60%. A significantly higher incidence of aneuploidy was found in patients with more than 4 positive axillary lymph nodes, positive internal mammary lymph nodes, or clinical stage 3 of malignancy. In a univariate study, overall survival and disease-free survival were significantly correlated with axillary and internal mammary lymph node metastases, tumor size, and clinical stage of malignancy. The disease-free survival rates for the diploid group tended to be somewhat higher than those for the aneuploid group of patients without axillary lymph node metastases. In the multivariate analysis, however, only axillary lymph node metastasis was significantly correlated with overall survival and disease-free survival. There was also a trend for the internal mammary lymph node metastases to be correlated with survival. As the DNA ploidy status was closely correlated with the axillary and internal mammary lymph node metastases, it did not appear to be an independent prognostic factor in this small series.

A retrospective study on the clinical and biological prediction of axillary lymph node metastasis in breast cancer

If axillary lymph node metastases were able to be accurately predicted, dissection could be avoided in some patients with breast cancer whose axillary nodes are clinically negative. In this study, we assessed the relationships between histological axillary lymph node metastases and clinical axillary nodal status, tumor size, DNA-ploidy, c-erbB-2 expression, and the score of the argyrophilic nucleolar organizer region. We then attempted to evaluate their predictive values for axillary lymph node metastasis in 173 patients with invasive breast cancer, retrospectively. The clinical and biological variables were significantly correlated with the presence and degree of axillary lymph node metastases. A metastatic index, calculated from the clinical and biological variables, proved especially useful for predicting axillary lymph node metastases in patients whose axillary nodes were clinically negative. However, the predictive abilities were still limited and thus it was concluded that as yet, only axillary dissection can provide accurate information on axillary lymph node metastases.