Immediate Lipo-Filling as a Novel Technique for Volume Replacement in Oncoplastic Breast Conservative Surgery.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to evaluate the feasibility of immediate lipofilling as a volume replacement technique in breast conservative surgery (BCS) in terms of the volume of fat graft resorption after radiotherapy, patient satisfaction, and oncological safety. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This was a prospective study that included female patients with breast cancer, with small- or medium-sized breasts. The patients underwent BCS followed by lipofilling into the deformed areas away from the tumor site that resulted from direct closure of the tumor cavity. They were followed up for early and late postoperative complications, including recurrence. Volumetric computed tomography was performed before and after radiotherapy to determine percentage fat resorption. Postoperative patient satisfaction was assessed using the Kyungpook National University Hospital Breast Reconstruction Satisfaction Questionnaire. RESULTS: The study included 54 female patients with a mean age of 47.57 ± 9.26 years. The mean follow-up period was 31.02 ± 4.47 months. Local recurrence was observed in three patients (5.56%). The volume reduction of the injected fat graft ranged from 10.15% to 55.67%, with a mean of 29.27 ± 10.06%. Fifty-two patients (96.30%) reported postoperative satisfaction, and nine of them expressed satisfaction only after a second lipofilling session. CONCLUSIONS: Immediate lipofilling as a volume replacement technique in BCS is a safe and simple technique without major complications. It has a locoregional recurrence rate similar to BCS alone, with an acceptable fat resorption percentage and high postoperative patient satisfaction. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE IV: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

Evaluation of serum Nestin and HOTAIR rs12826786 C>T polymorphism as screening tools for breast cancer in Egyptian women.

BACKGROUND: Nestin is a neural stem cell protein that plays an important role in cancer stem cells (CSC) development and proliferation. It has been identified as a marker for newly formed endothelial cells and was shown to be preferentially expressed in basal and myoepithelial cells of the mammary gland. HOTAIR is long intergenic non-coding (linRNA) associated with tumorigenesis through promotion of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and stemness as well. HOTAIR gene contains a functioning single nucleotide polymorphic site rs12826786 C>T that has been associated with several cancer types. METHODS: We evaluated serum Nestin and the HOTAIR rs12826786 C>T polymorphism in healthy Egyptian women and those with breast cancer as a possible screening tool to identify patients with breast cancer. Also, we tested the possible association of the two markers with each other and the aggressiveness of the disease. RESULTS: Patients with breast cancer had a median (Min-Max) of serum Nestin 31.3 (6.7-167.3 pg/mL), while control subjects had a median (Min-Max) of serum Nestin 42.3 (25.7-315.95) pg/mL. The best cut-off value for serum Nestin to differentiate normal subjects and patients with breast cancer was 39.9 pg/mL. This cut-off value had a diagnostic sensitivity of 84.8% and specificity of 65.1%. There was a significant difference in the distribution of different alleles in patients with breast cancer than normal subjects (P=0.039 Exact Fisher test). The breast cancer patients group had 23.9% CC, 52.1% CT, and 23.9% TT genotypes, respectively, while the control group had 46.9% CC, 42.8% CT, and 10.2% TT, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: A significantly low serum Nestin below 39.9 pg/mL and a higher percentage of the T/T homozygous variant allele of HOTAIR rs12826786 C>T were found in Egyptian patients with breast cancer. We suggest that the reported cut-off value of serum Nestin and the presence of C/T polymorphism can be used to assess the risk of females for developing breast cancer and might be of potential benefit in screening the disease. Larger studies in different ethnic groups are needed to confirm our findings.

Latissimus Dorsi flap enhancement by lipofilling as an immediate breast reconstruction technique for skin-preserving mastectomy.

AIM: To evaluate Latissimus Dorsi flap (LD) enhancement by lipofilling as an immediate breast reconstruction technique, for skin-preserving mastectomy regarding oncological safety, fat graft resorption after radiotherapy, and patients' satisfaction. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This is a prospective study that included female patients complaining of breast cancer. Patients were subjected to skin-preserving mastectomy associated with Latissimus Dorsi flap enhancement by lipofilling using the multisite, and multilayer fat grafting technique of injection. Patients were followed up for early and late postoperative complications including recurrence. Volumetric CT was performed before and after the radiotherapy to detect the percentage of fat resorption. Postoperative patients' satisfaction was assessed using the Kyungpook National University Hospital (KNUH) Breast Reconstruction Satisfaction Questionnaire. RESULTS: The study included 25 female patients with a mean age of 36.48 ± 5.87 years. The mean period of follow-up was 30.32 ± 5.82 months. Local recurrence was encountered in 1 patient (4%). The mean volume reduction of the injected fat graft was 27.36 ± 8.58%. Twenty-three patients (92%) declared their satisfaction after the operation, one of them was satisfied only after she underwent a second session of lipofilling. CONCLUSIONS: Skin-preserving mastectomy with the enhancement of the LD by lipofilling for immediate reconstruction of the breast seems to be a safe and simple technique for the achievement of autologous breast reconstruction. It has an acceptance rate of locoregional recurrence and minor postoperative complications. The procedure showed high postoperative patients' satisfaction and a reasonable percentage of fat resorption as confirmed by volumetric CT imaging techniques.