Predictive value of ultrasound doppler parameters in neoadjuvant chemotherapy response of breast cancer: Prospective comparison with magnetic resonance and mammography.

BACKGROUND: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) is a treatment option for breast cancer patients that allows for the assessment of tumor response during treatment. This information can be used to adjust treatment and improve outcomes. However, the optimal imaging modalities and parameters for assessing tumor response to NACT are not well established. METHODS: This study included 173 breast cancer patients who underwent NACT. Patients were imaged with ultrasound (US), mammography (MMG), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at baseline, after two cycles of NACT, and before breast surgery. US parameters included lesion morphology, Doppler variables, and elastography measurements. MMG and MRI were evaluated for the presence of nodules and tumor dimensions. The pathological response to NACT was determined using the residual cancer burden (RCB) classification. RESULTS: The US parameter with the highest power for predicting pathological complete response (pCR) was shear wave elastography (SWE) maximum speed inside the tumor at baseline. For nonluminal tumors, the end diastolic velocity measured by US after two cycles of NACT showed the highest predictive value for pCR. Similarly, SWE maximum speed after two cycles of NACT had the highest discriminating power for predicting RCB-III in luminal tumors, while the same parameter measured at baseline was most predictive for nonluminal tumors. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides evidence that mid-treatment Doppler US and other imaging modalities can be used to predict the response to NACT in breast cancer patients. Functional parameters, such as blood flow velocities and SWE measurements, demonstrated superior predictive value for pCR, while morphological parameters had limited value. These findings have implications for personalized treatment strategies and may contribute to improved outcomes in the management of breast cancer.

Perinodal fibrosis developed after ultrasonography-guided core-needle biopsy of a contrast-enhanced ultrasound-detected sentinel axillary node interferes with subsequent surgical sentinel node dissection.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate perinodal fibrosis after 14-gauge staging core-needle biopsy (CNB) of the axillary sentinel lymph node (SLN) identified using contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) and its interference with subsequent surgical SLN dissection in breast cancer patients. METHODS: Frequencies or means of main clinical, sonographic, pathological, and surgical characteristics were calculated. We also compared patient groups with and without perinodal pathological fibrosis. RESULTS: Forty-eight patients who underwent CEUS + CNB and axillary surgery were eligible for this cross-sectional study. Axillary surgical specimens showed perinodal fibrosis in 9/48 (18.7%) patients. Interference with SLN dissection was reported in 4/48 (8.3%) patients (two hematomas, three abnormal palpation findings, and four difficult dissections). The overall surgical detection rate of SLN was 43/48 (89.6%). In the majority of cases, perinodal fibrosis was described as moderate (4/9 [44.4%]) or severe (4/9 [44.4%]). The mean time elapsed between CEUS + CNB and axillary dissection was shorter in patients with perinodal fibrosis (P = .04). Interference with SLN dissection was only reported in patients with perinodal fibrosis (P < .001). Surgical SLN detection was successful in all nine cases in which perinodal pathological fibrosis or interference with SLN dissection was reported. CONCLUSION: Perinodal fibrosis may impair the surgical SLN dissection in early stage breast cancer patients who were staged using CEUS + CNB using a14-gauge needle.

Power Doppler Ultrasonography and Shear Wave Elastography as Complementary Imaging Methods for Suspected Local Breast Cancer Recurrence.

OBJECTIVES: To prospectively investigate the diagnostic accuracy and clinical consequences of power Doppler morphologic criteria and shear wave elastography (SWE) as complementary imaging methods for evaluation of suspected local breast cancer recurrence in the ipsilateral breast or chest wall. METHODS: Thirty-two breast masses with a suspicion of local breast cancer recurrence on B-mode ultrasonography underwent complementary power Doppler and SWE evaluations. Power Doppler morphologic criteria were classified as avascular, hypovascular, or hypervascular. Shear wave elastography was classified according to a 5-point scale (SWE score) and SWE maximum elasticity. Diagnostic accuracy was assessed by the sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve. A decision curve analysis assessed clinical consequences of each method. The reference standard for diagnosis was defined as core needle or excisional biopsy. RESULTS: Histopathologic examinations revealed 9 (28.2%) benign and 23 (71.8%) malignant cases. Power Doppler ultrasonography (US) had sensitivity of 34.8% (95% confidence interval [CI], 6.6%-62.9%) and specificity of 45.4% (95% CI, 19.3%-71.5%). The SWE score (≥3) had sensitivity of 87.0% (95% CI, 66.4%-97.2%) and specificity of 44.4% (95% CI, 13.7%-78.8%). The SWE maximum elasticity (velocity > 6.5cm/s) had sensitivity of 87% (95% CI, 66.4%-97.2%) and specificity of 77.8% (95% CI, 40.0% to 97.2%). The areas under the curves for the SWE score and SWE maximum elasticity were 0.71 (95% CI, 0.53-0.87) and 0.82 (95% CI, 0.64-0.93), respectively (P = .32). CONCLUSIONS: Power Doppler US is unsuitable for discrimination between local breast cancer recurrence and fibrosis. Although the SWE score and SWE maximum elasticity can make this discrimination, the use of these methods to determine biopsy may lead to poorer clinical outcomes than the current practice of performing biopsies of all suspicious masses.

Carcinoma lobular invasivo de mama com pólipo endometrial metastático / Breast invasive lobular carcinoma with metastatic endometrial polyp

Tumores extragenitais com metástase para o útero são raros, e destes o mais comum é o da mama. O tamoxifeno é uma droga utilizada como terapia adjuvante em mulheres com câncer de mama. Trata-se de droga antiestrogênica; no entanto, no endométrio sua ação é agonista para receptores de estrogênio. Esta descrição de caso relata rara associação do uso do tamoxifeno em paciente com câncer de mama que apresentou metástase para pólipo endometrial. Trata-se de paciente de 70 anos, em hormonioterapia com tamoxifeno há 19 meses, com queixa de sangramento vaginal. Em histeroscopia, evidenciaram-se pólipo endometrial e sua exérese, com diagnóstico de adenocarcinoma metastático, com provável sítio primário em mama. A paciente havia sido submetida à mastectomia radical modificada há três anos, seguida de adjuvância. Pólipos endometriais são achados comuns em mulheres menopausadas e também são complicações da terapia com tamoxifeno. A metástase de carcinoma mamário em pólipo endometrial é rara. Na literatura, foram descritas as seguintes metástases em pólipos endometriais: cinco casos por carcinoma lobular invasivo, três casos por carcinoma ductal e um caso do carcinoma apócrino. Portanto, existe dificuldade em determinar o prognóstico para essas pacientes.

Extragenital tumors metastasizing to the uterine corpus is uncommon; out of those, the most common primary site is the breast. Tamoxifen is used as adjuvant treatment for breast carcinoma. It is an antiestrogenic drug; however has a partial agonist effect on estrogen receptor in the endometrium. This case report relates rare association between the use of tamoxifen in patient with breast cancer which presented metastasis to endometrial polyps. A 10 years old woman received tamoxifen for 19 months after surgery treatment and presented vaginal bleeding. She underwent hysteroscopy with biopsy, which showed endometrial polyp. The polyp was taken out and the pathological diagnosis was metastasis from breast adenocarcinoma. Endometrial polyps are found relatively common in postmenopausal women and they are also related complications to the tamoxifen therapy. Breast carcinoma metastasis to endometrial polyp is rare. There were some descriptions in the literature: five cases of invasive lobular carcinoma, three cases of ductal carcinoma and one case of the apocrine carcinoma. There are few cases shown in the literature and, therefore, there are difficulties in determining the prognosis of these patients.

Angiossarcoma de mama após tratamento com cirugia conservadora e radioterapia / Breast angiossarcoma after conservative surgery and radiotherapy

Dois cirúrgico conservador para carcinoma ductal invasor seguido de radioterapia, vieram a desenvolver lesão violácea em mama operada e irradiada, cujo diagnóstico foi angiossarcoma, sendo uma bem diferenciada e outra pouco diferenciada. Trata-se de neoplasia rara de mama, cujo relatos de casos referentes a pacientes com média de idade de 81 anos, que, após tratamento tratamento tem base mais no procedimento cirúrgico, no qual a quimioterapia e a radioterapia não têm sua indicação bem estabelecida e clara. O prognóstico é desfavorável, com média de sobrevida de 15,5 meses.

This study features two case reports of patients with the average age of 81 years, that after conservative surgical therapy for invasive ductal carcinoma followed by radiotherapy developed purple nodule in the operated irradiated breast, whose diagnosis was angiosarcoma, being one well-differentiated and other little differentiated. It is a rare breast neoplasm, whose treatment relies more on surgery when chemotherapy and radiotherapy dont’t have well established and cleary indication. The prognostic is unfavorable, with survival prospect of 15,5 months.