Efficacy of Breast Ultrasonography for Detection of Local, Regional, and Contralateral Recurrence of Breast Cancer / 한국유방암학회지

PURPOSE: Breast ultrasonography (US) is not recommended for recurrence monitoring after breast cancer surgery due to the lack of evidence for its advantage. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of US for detecting local recurrence (LR), regional recurrence (RR) and contralateral breast cancer (CBC) in breast cancer patients during follow-up. METHODS: The medical records of 5,833 breast cancer patients who underwent breast cancer surgery between January 2003 and December 2009 were reviewed retrospectively. Physical examination (PE), mammography (MMG), and US were done routinely to detect recurrences. Detection rate for locoregional and contralateral recurrence was compared between the three modalities. RESULTS: During the follow-up period, 125 LR, 46 RR, 83 CBC, and 29 synchronous local and regional recurrences developed in 245 patients among the study population of 5,833 breast cancer patients. Median time to recurrence was 34.7 months. The recurrence detection rate was 51.9%, 43.5%, and 90.1% for PE, MMG, and US, respectively. Mean size of the recurrent lesions detected by US (1.57 cm) was smaller than that of PE (2.69 cm) and MMG (2.03 cm) (p=0.002). CONCLUSION: Breast US had higher recurrence detection rate for LR, RR, and CBC than PE or MMG after breast cancer surgery.

Anal Diseases from Ingested Foreign Bodies

PURPOSE: Anal problems due to ingested foreign bodies are rare and usually present as acute anal pain. However, various clinical presentations are possible. This study was performed to identify the diverse manifestations of and the outcomes of treatments for anal diseases caused by ingested foreign bodies. METHODS: Between September 1995 and June 2003, seven patients were treated for anal diseases due to the impaction of ingested foreign bodies in Seoul National University Hospital and Daehang Hospital. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of those unusual patients. RESULTS: All patients were males, and their mean age was 49.4 yr (range, 37 to 74 yr). The detected foreign bodies were fish bones (n=3), fish fins (n=2), a chicken bone (n=1), and a toothpick (n=1). Four patients had acute anal pain as the primary symptom while two patients presented anal pus discharge, and one patient presented anal bleeding. In the four patients with acute anal pain, the foreign bodies were easily found on digital rectal examination and inspection with anoscopy. Those patients underwent simple removal of the foreign body at the outpatient clinic. In three patients, the foreign bodies were found during surgery for hemorrhoids or fistulas. The two fistulas detected were complex types and needed seton placement. CONCLUSION: Anal problems caused by ingested foreign bodies usually involve acute anal pain, but our results indicate that, in some cases, the anal foreign bodies are also the cause or an aggravating factor in chronic anal disease.