ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Assessment of the sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) is used to stage the axilla in patients with breast cancer. There are a variety of methods to assess metastatic disease within the SLN. One-step nucleic acid amplification (OSNA) has a high sensitivity for detecting metastatic disease within the SLN and avoids the use of staged axillary surgery. However there remains a paucity of data within the literature on the psychological effects upon patients with the use of OSNA. METHODS: All patients undergoing breast surgery (breast-conserving surgery or mastectomy) and assessment of the SLNB with OSNA from December 2011 to June 2012 were included in the study. A questionnaire was sent to patient within four weeks of surgery to assess their understanding and satisfaction with the OSNA procedure. RESULTS: 60 patients responded to the questionnaire (83% response rate). All patients were female with a mean age of 63 years (range 38-71 years). 19 patients had positive SLNB as assessed by OSNA and all had ALND. 15 patients expressed pre-operative anxiety about having OSNA although 97% stated that they would be happy to undergo the same procedure again. CONCLUSION: Our study has identified the anxiety points that patients experience with OSNA based management and this will allow improved direct emotional support and provision of information.
Subject(s)
Anxiety/psychology , Breast Neoplasms/psychology , Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques/methods , Sentinel Lymph Node/metabolism , Adult , Aged , Breast Neoplasms/genetics , Breast Neoplasms/pathology , Breast Neoplasms/surgery , Female , Humans , Lymphatic Metastasis , Mastectomy , Mastectomy, Segmental , Middle Aged , Neoplasm Staging/methods , Neoplasm Staging/psychology , Patient Satisfaction , Sentinel Lymph Node/pathology , Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
AIM: New onset gynaecomastia is a relatively common presentation to breast surgical services. The main aim of clinical and radiological evaluation is to exclude the presence of concurrent breast cancer. There exists much variability in the clinical assessment of male patients presenting with new onset gynaecomastia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In the presented pilot study, all the male patients presenting with new onset gynaecomastia to our department over a period of two years were studied. RESULTS: Fifty three patients presented with new onset gynaecomastia during the study period. Clinical examination allied with ultrasonography confirmed benign breast disease in 50 patients with only three patient requiring breast biopsy to exclude malignancy. We detail the efficacy of utilising clinical examination in conjunction with ultrasonography to evaluate new onset gynaecomastia. CONCLUSIONS: We show that clinical examination used in conjunction with ultrasonography is both highly sensitive and specific for detecting male breast cancer in patients presenting with new onset gynaecomastia.