Intra-Operative Electron Radiation Therapy (IOERT) Anticipated Boost in Breast Cancer Treatment: An Italian Multicenter Experience

In breast cancer, the use of a boost to the tumor bed can improve local control. The aim of this research is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the boost with intra-operative electron radiotherapy (IOERT) in patients with early-stage breast cancer undergoing conservative surgery and postoperative whole breast irradiation (WBI). The present retrospective multicenter large data were collected between January 2011 and March 2018 in 8 Italian Radiation Oncology Departments. Acute and late toxicity, objective (obj) and subjective (subj) cosmetic outcomes, in-field local control (LC), out-field LC, disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were evaluated. Overall, 797 patients were enrolled. IOERT-boost was performed in all patients during surgery, followed by WBI. Acute toxicity (≥G2) occurred in 179 patients (22.46%); one patient developed surgical wound infection (G3). No patients reported late toxicity ≥ G2. Obj-cosmetic result was excellent in 45%, good in 35%, fair in 20% and poor in 0% of cases. Subj-cosmetic result was excellent in 10%, good in 20%, fair in 69% and poor in 0.3% of cases. Median follow-up was 57 months (range 12–109 months). At 5 years, in-field LC was 99.2% (95% CI: 98–99.7); out-field LC 98.9% (95% CI: 97.4–99.6); DFS 96.2% (95% CI: 94.2–97.6); OS 98.6% (95% CI: 97.2–99.3). In conclusion, IOERT-boost appears to be safe, providing excellent local control for early-stage breast cancer. The safety and long-term efficacy should encourage use of this treatment, with the potential to reduce local recurrence.

Modelling a new approach for radio-ablation after resection of breast ductal carcinoma in-situ based on the BAT-90 medical device

The majority of local recurrences, after conservative surgery of breast cancer, occurs in the same anatomical area where the tumour was originally located. For the treatment of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), a new medical device, named BAT-90, (BetaGlue Technologies SpA) has been proposed. BAT-90 is based on the administration of 90Y β-emitting microspheres, embedded in a bio-compatible matrix. In this work, the Geant4 simulation toolkit is used to simulate BAT-90 as a homogenous cylindrical 90Y layer placed in the middle of a bulk material. The activity needed to deliver a 20 Gy isodose at a given distance z from the BAT-90 layer is calculated for different device thicknesses, tumour bed sizes and for water and adipose bulk materials. A radiobiological analysis has been performed using both the Poisson and logistic Tumour Control Probability (TCP) models. A range of radiobiological parameters (α and β), target sizes, and densities of tumour cells were considered. Increasing α values, TCP increases too, while, for a fixed α value, TCP decreases as a function of clonogenic cell density. The models predict very solid results in case of limited tumour burden while the activity/dose ratio could be further optimized in case of larger tumour beds.

Conservative Surgery in Endometrial Cancer

Endometrial cancer (EC) is the sixth most common female cancer worldwide. The median age of diagnosis is 65 years. However, 4% of women diagnosed with EC are younger than 40 years old, and 70% of these women are nulliparous. These data highlight the importance of preserving fertility in these patients, at a time when the average age of the first pregnancy is significantly delayed and is now firmly established at over 30 years of age. National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN guidelines state that the primary treatment of endometrial endometrioid carcinoma, limited to the uterus, is a total hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy and surgical staging. Fertility-sparing treatment is not the standard of care, and patients eligible for this treatment always have to undergo strict counselling. Nowadays, a combined approach consisting of hysteroscopic resection, followed by oral or intrauterine-released progestins, has been reported to be an effective fertility-sparing option. Hysteroscopic resection followed by progestins achieved a complete response rate of 95.3% with a recurrence rate of 14.1%. The pregnancy rate in women undergoing fertility-sparing treatment is 47.8%, but rises to 93.3% when only considering women who tried to conceive during the study period. The aim of the present review is to provide a literature overview reflecting the current state of fertility-sparing options for the management of EC, specific criteria for considering such options, their limits, the implications for reproductive outcomes and the latest research trends in this direction.

PORTAL VEIN AND LIVER BARIUM EMBOLISM

Background. An upper and lower gastrointestinal (GI) series is an available and informative diagnostic test. Side effects are extremely rare. Objective. To present a case description of portal vein and liver barium embolism with a fatal outcome and explain the mechanism of its occurrence. Material and methods. The clinical manifestations, laboratory and instrumental findings, as well as autopsy of a female patient who died after lower GI radiography were analyzed. Results. To exclude intestinal obstruction, the patient underwent a barium follow through. Three days later, during X-ray computed tomography, barium and gas were detected in the inferior mesenteric vein, portal vein and its intrahepatic branches. During colonoscopy, diverticula of the sigmoid colon were detected, but the localization of the intestinalvenous fistula wasn’t determined. Conservative surgery failed and the death occurred 15 days after radiography. Conclusions. The autopsy revealed that the site of entry for the development of barium embolism as well as for gas, were diabrotic veins in peridiverticular abscesses localized in pericolic tissue.

Postoperative Morbidity Risk Factors After Conservative Surgery of Hydatic Cyst of the Liver: A Retrospective Study of 151 Hydatic Cysts of the Liver

Background: Hepatic hydatid cyst is an endemic parasitosis in Tunisia. Although most of these cysts are benign; their treatment may lead to several complications which can cause an important post-operative morbidity and mortality.The purpose of the present paper is to assess the morbidity and mortality specifics risk factors of hepatic hydatid cysts after conservative surgery.Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of 102 patients over a period of 13 years, from 2006 to 2019. We included all patients operated on for hydatid cyst of the liver, complicated and uncomplicated, in the Department of General Surgery of Mahdia, Tunisia.We excluded patients who received an exclusive medical treatment and those who have other hydatic cyst localizations.Descriptive statistics,bivariate analysis using chi-squared test and Fisher’s exact test for categorical variables;t-test,ANOVA , and Kruskal–Wallis for continuous variables; odds ratio calculations, ordinal and multivariate logistic regression models were appliedResults: The cohort was composed of 102 patients with a total of 151 cysts operated on using conservative surgery, among them there was 75 women (73, 5%) and 27 men (26.5%). The median age was 43, with extremes ranging from 12 to 88 years. The majority of patients (94. 1%) were from rural areas. The cysts were uncomplicated in about half of the cases (48%), elsewhere complications such as compression of neighboring organs (25,5%), opening in the bile ducts (16,7%), infection (9,8%), and rupture in the peritoneum (2%) were found. Conservative surgery was the mainstay of treatment with an overall mortality rate of 1. 9%. The overall morbidity rate was 22%: 14% specific morbidity and 8% non-specific morbidity. External biliary fistula was the most common postoperative complication (9%). The predictive factors of morbidity in univariate analysis were Preoperative hydatid cyst infection (P = 0.01), Compressive cysts (P=0.05), preoperative fever and jaundice, (respectively P=0. 03 and P=0. 02), no one achieved statistical significance in the multivariate modelConclusions:Preoperative hydatid cyst infection, compressive cysts and preoperative fever and jaundice are significant predictor factors of morbidity after conservative surgery for liver hydatid cyst. They must be considered in the treatment and the surgical decision for patients with hydatid cyst.

Adenoid cystic carcinoma of the breast and intraoperative electron radiotherapy: single case report and review of literature

Adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) of the breast is a very rare neoplasm. It presents a triple-negative phenotype in most cases, but its prognosis is generally considered to be better than other breast cancers with the same immunohistochemical pattern. Due to its controversial features, no data are available in the literature regarding a consensus approach for ACC treatment, especially for subtypes with worse prognosis like solid basaloid ACC. We present for the first time a rare case of ACC with multifocal presentation treated with breast-conservative surgery and intraoperative electron radiotherapy, thus supporting this treatment of ACC in selected patients like young women affected by the solid basaloid variant who commonly present a worse prognosis. In this case, no local or systemic recurrence was detected after 30 months of follow-up.

MANAGEMENT OF ORBITAL RHABDOMYOSARCOMA: ABOUT 2 CASES AND LITERATURE REVIEW

Rhabdomyosarcoma is the most common primary malignancy in children. It constitutes a therapeutic emergency. The ocular region, particularly the orbital soft tissues, is an important anatomic location for RMS, which is the most common primary orbital malignancy of childhood. Radio-chemotherapy with conservative surgery allows a recurrence-free survival of 87% at 5 years. The aim of this study was to improve the understanding of the clinical features by reviewing the literature and analysing the medical records of patients who were diagnosed with orbital Rhabdomyosarcoma in our hospital. We report 2 cases of patients treated for an orbital Rhabdomyosarcoma at the radiotherapy department of the Hassan II University Hospital of FES.

Maternal outcome in accreta cases. Conservative surgery and hysterectomy in Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital, Jakarta, Indonesia, from January 2017 to January 2018

HIGHLIGHT1. As the incidence of placenta accreta is increasing which seems to parallel the increasing cesarean delivery rate, advance planning should be made for the management of delivery. 2. Maternal outcome of placenta accreta cases in a national hospital was reported based on the surgical technique performed.3. No significant results of maternal outcome undergoing conservative surgery and conventional hysterectomy in managing accreta cases in the national hospital.ABSTRACTObjectives: To report maternal outcome based on surgical technique on the management of accreta. The study was conducted in Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital, Jakarta, Indonesia from January 2017 to January 2018.Case Report: There were 1609 cases of pregnant women delivered during the study period. From these, the prevalence of previous caesarean section was 73 cases, including 20 cases of accreta. Total maternal mortality for 1 year in Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital, Jakarta, Indonesia, was 11, and accreta contributed 3 cases. We reported 20 cases of accreta in pregnancy The maternal outcomes, including bladder injury, duration of operation, intraoperative bleeding, length of hospitalization, and mortality, were evaluated. From 20 cases, 8 patients had one previous caesarean history, 11 had second previous caesarean section, while 2 patient had third previous caesarean section history. Of women with placenta accreta, about 7 patients (35%) had delivery in fullterm pregnancies, while 13 (65%) had delivery in preterm pregnancy. Surgical technique in accreta management mostly was hysterectomy to override bleeding complication along the delivery. From 20 cases, 16 caesarean sections were followed-up with hysterectomy. Four cases were with conservative management. From all the hysterectomy performed, four were complicated with bladder injury. The mean intraoperative bleeding was 600 - 5500 cc of blood, while the mean of post-operative transfusion was 1000 -3000 cc. There were 2 maternal deaths in this study. Thirteen patients were admitted to the ICU after the procedure.Conclusion: Accreta increases morbidity due to massive bleeding. It is important to have algorithm for managing abnormal implantation of the placenta. Our cases revealed no significant results of maternal outcome between conservative surgery and conventional hysterectomy in managing accreta cases in Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital, Jakarta, Indonesia.

Frühes Zervixkarzinom: Über das onkologische Outcome nach konservativer OP

<b>Objective:</b> The objective of the ConCerv Trial was to prospectively evaluate the feasibility of conservative surgery in women with early-stage, low-risk cervical cancer. <b>Methods:</b> From April 2010 to March 2019, a prospective, single-arm, multicenter study evaluated conservative surgery in participants from 16 sites in nine countries. Eligibility criteria included: (1) FIGO 2009 stage IA2-IB1 cervical carcinoma; (2) squamous cell (any grade) or adenocarcinoma (grade 1 or 2 only) histology; (3) tumor size &#x3c;2 cm; (4) no lymphovascular space invasion; (5) depth of invasion &#x3c;10 mm; (6) negative imaging for metastatic disease; and (7) negative conization margins. Cervical conization was performed to determine eligibility, with one repeat cone permitted. Eligible women desiring fertility preservation underwent a second surgery with pelvic lymph node assessment, consisting of sentinel lymph node biopsy and/or full pelvic lymph node dissection. Those not desiring fertility preservation underwent simple hysterectomy with lymph node assessment. Women who had undergone an ‘inadvertent’ simple hysterectomy with an unexpected post-operative diagnosis of cancer were also eligible if they met the above inclusion criteria and underwent a second surgery with pelvic lymph node dissection only. <b>Results:</b> 100 evaluable patients were enrolled. Median age at surgery was 38 years (range 23–67). Stage was IA2 (33%) and IB1 (67%). Surgery included conization followed by lymph node assessment in 44 women, conization followed by simple hysterectomy with lymph node assessment in 40 women, and inadvertent simple hysterectomy followed by lymph node dissection in 16 women. Positive lymph nodes were noted in 5 patients (5%). Residual disease in the post-conization hysterectomy specimen was noted in 1/40 patients-that is, an immediate failure rate of 2.5%. Median follow-up was 36.3 months (range 0.0–68.3). Three patients developed recurrent disease within 2 years of surgery-that is, a cumulative incidence of 3.5% (95% CI 0.9% to 9.0%). <b>Discussion:</b> Our prospective data show that select patients with early-stage, low-risk cervical carcinoma may be offered conservative surgery.

Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy For Stage II–III Breast Cancer: A Single-Center Experience

Introduction: We conducted this study to reflect a single-center experience with the use of neoadjuvant systemic chemotherapy for the management of women with operable breast cancer.Methods: We conducted a retrospective chart review on all women presenting with operable, stage II-III, breast cancer and were scheduled for neoadjuvant systemic chemotherapy at Suez Canal University Hospital. The primary outcome of this study was to estimate the proportion of patients with operable breast cancer who become eligible for breast conservative surgery (CBS) after neoadjuvant systemic chemotherapy.Results: A total of 147 patients were included. Before the initiation of chemotherapy, only 66 (44.9%) patients were indicated for breast conservative surgery (CBS). A total of 40 (50.6%) new patients, out of the 81 patients who were ineligible before chemotherapy, became eligible for breast conservative surgery after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (95% CI 39.3 – 61.9%). On the other hand, nine (13.6%) patients became ineligible for breast conservative surgery after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Out of the 98 eligible patients for breast conservative surgery after chemotherapy, 72 (73.5%) patients underwent the surgery and the remaining 26 patients chose total modified radical mastectomy (MRM). A total of 55 (76.4%) patients achieved pathological complete response pCR. One woman (0.1%) experienced relapse at the 3rd year of follow-up and three women (2%) experienced relapse at the 5th year of follow-up. The difference between patients who underwent breast conservative surgery and total mastectomy was not statistically significant (p =0.22 and 0.07, respectively).Conclusion: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy can play a crucial role in increasing the rate of eligibility for breast conservative surgery among women with operable, stage II-III, breast cancer.