European Journal of Breast Health

Breast cancer stands as the most prevalent malignancy, necessitating a well-established approach to its management due to its sustained prevalence over decades. The implementation of intensive treatments, combining various modalities, has yielded excellent survival outcomes. Consequently, the optimization of quality of life and the mitigation of long-term side effects emerge as critical considerations for clinicians. As a result, discussions regarding treatment de-intensification strategies have been initiated for all treatment modalities, including surgery, radiotherapy (RT), and chemotherapy...

OBJECTIVE: Idiopathic granulomatous mastitis (IGM) is a benign inflammatory breast disease of unknown etiology that affects women in their reproductive period. The most commonly preferred option as first-line treatment is steroids, but the lack of a standard treatment protocol and high recurrence rate after treatment constitutes a recurring challenge during its management. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the decision to end the treatment should be made radiologically or clinically...

OBJECTIVE: Local recurrence rate may show no significant differences between women aged 60 and older who receive breast-conserving surgery followed by radiotherapy and those in the same age group who undergo breast-conserving surgery without subsequent radiotherapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrospective cohort study from a single practice with median follow-up time 44 months (interquartile range: 16, 82), comparing women older than 60 years old at diagnosis of breast cancer, treated with breast conserving surgery and either receiving or not receiving radiation therapy postoperatively...

OBJECTIVE: Breast cancer is an important topic worldwide, posing morbidity and mortality to women. Considerable efforts have been put in the early recognition of malignancy through different screening methods, such as mammography and ultrasound. The precise localization of infraclinical malignant lesions is key in surgical management and magnetic seeds gather particular interest for this purpose. As with other systems, a need for reintervention may be needed to obtain adequate surgical margins...

The landscape of breast imaging has transformed significantly since mammography's introduction in the 1960s, accelerated by ultrasound and imageguided biopsies in the 1990s. The emergence of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the 2000s added a valuable dimension to advanced imaging. Multimodality and multiparametric imaging have firmly established breast radiology's pivotal role in managing breast disorders. A shift from conventional to digital radiology emerged in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, enabling advanced techniques like digital breast tomosynthesis, contrast-enhanced mammography, and artificial intelligence (AI) integration...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

OBJECTIVE: Breast-conserving surgery (BCS) followed by radiotherapy (RT) is the standard treatment for early-stage breast cancer. The use of an additional RT dose (boost) to the tumour bed improves local control but may worsen quality of life (QOL) and cosmetic results. Multifocal/multicentric tumours (MMTs) pose a challenge as they require larger boost volumes. This study investigated the impact of RT volumes on late-term cosmetic outcomes and QOL in patients with unifocal and MMTs who underwent adjuvant RT after BCS...

Pyoderma gangrenosum (PG) after breast-conserving surgery is rare, and its diagnosis is often delayed because of the similarity to wound infection and the broad differential diagnosis for PG, making it a diagnosis of exclusion. A 60-year-old woman who underwent breast conserving surgery and sentinel lymph node biopsy for invasive breast carcinoma presented with increasing erythema, fever and serosanguinous discharge in the lower outer quadrant of the right breast at the site of tumour excision on postoperative day (POD) 9...

OBJECTIVE: Breast imaging for male patients is a controversial topic due to the high prevalence of gynecomastia compared to male breast cancer. Worldwide, men are undergoing more breast imaging despite the low incidence of male breast cancer. Gynecomastia is a benign condition, but the anxiety it causes and unnecessary medical costs are still high. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In accordance with Royal College of Radiology guidelines, a retrospective study was performed in two cycles to determine if mammography or ultrasound should be included in the workup of male patients who were referred to a breast care unit for a lump that was deemed benign by doctors...

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate efficiency of time use for radiologists and operational costs of automated breast ultrasound (ABUS) versus handheld breast ultrasound (HHUS). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board, and informed consent was waived. One hundred and fifty-three patients, aged 21-81 years, underwent both ABUS and HHUS. The time required for the ABUS scanning and radiologist interpretation and the combined scanning and interpretation time for HHUS were recorded for screening and diagnostic exams...

OBJECTIVE: Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) represents the gold standard for axillary surgical staging. The aim of this study was to assess the proportion of axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) that could be avoided after retrospective application of the ACOSOG Z0011 criteria and to evaluate the shortterm complications associated with axillary surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We reviewed breast cancer (BC) patients treated by primary breast-conserving surgery from 2012 to 2015...

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between PREDICT tool overall survival (OS) scores and high-risk patients according to TAILORx risk categorization in elderly hormone reseptor (HR) positive human epidermal growth factor negative early breast-cancer patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study, extracting data from medical records of 64 patients diagnosed with breast cancer. A retrospective analysis was performed on all patients who had Oncotype Dx Recurrence Scores across five medical centers between 2017 and 2022...

OBJECTIVE: Risk-reducing therapy with selective estrogen receptor (ER) modulators and aromatase inhibitors reduce breast cancer risk. However, the effects are limited to ER-positive breast cancer. Therefore, new agents with improved toxicity profiles that reduce the risk in ER-negative breast cancers are urgently needed. The aim of this prospective, short-term, prevention study was to evaluate the effect of dasatinib, an inhibitor of the tyrosine kinase Src, on biomarkers in normal (but increased risk) breast tissue and serum of women at high risk for a second, contralateral primary breast cancer...

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the extent of worry about breast cancer (BC) amongst a sample of women and to examine the effect of this on behavior to prevent BC. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 271 women aged 18 years and above who attended the Family Medicine Outpatient Clinic of a tertiary hospital and met the inclusion criteria. Data were collected using the following tools: Patient Information Form; Breast Cancer Worry Scale (BCWS); Breast Cancer Prevention Behaviors Identification Scale (BCPBIS); and Mammography Processes of Change Scale (MPCS)...

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine the mediating role of psychological resilience as part of the effect of spiritual well-being in the supportive care needs of women with breast cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cross-sectional design. The Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale Short Form, the Spiritual Well-Being Scale, and the Supportive Care Needs Survey Short Form were completed women with breast cancer treated at the oncology clinic of a university hospital...

OBJECTIVE: Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) has a higher proportion of patients with distant recurrence or metastasis. Ki-67 has been suggested as an essential factor in cancer grading and prognostic evaluation, although there is still a debate regarding the Ki-67 cut-off value in TNBC. The aim of this study was to determine the role of Ki-67 expression using a 40% cut-off point as a risk factor for developing distant metastasis within two years in patients with TNBC. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This analytical observational study was conducted with a case-control design from January 2021-2022...

Oral anticoagulants and anti-platelet therapies are used for treatment and especially prophylaxis in clinical situations where there is a risk of thromboembolism or when thromboembolic events occur. The presented case was a patient who was hospitalized due to cellulitis in the leg, and was diagnosed with heart failure, obesity and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. She was started on prophylactic oral anticoagulants for deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary emboli and subsequently developed spontaneous breast hematoma...

OBJECTIVE: Identification of the factors associated with knowledge and practice of breast self-examination (BSE). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The online survey method was used to collect data. Questions were based on an analysis of the literature and instruments used to study BSE awareness, knowledge, and practices. The study included 3536 participants, aged 18 to 71 years. RESULTS: Most participants (62.9%) believed they were not at risk of developing a breast cancer (BC)...

OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of reassurance and proper mechanical support on quality of life (QOL) and visual analogue score (VAS) pain assessment in patients with mastalgia at a range of follow-ups. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prospective follow-up study was conducted among women aged 15-45 years, complaining of breast pain without any abnormality detected clinically and radiologically. After consent to participate and enrollment, all the study participants were counseled and reassured about the non-neoplastic nature of the disease and about wearing proper mechanical support/Bra; this was repeated at each follow-up...

OBJECTIVE: Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) is the standard of care for axillary staging in clinically node negative breast cancer. If predictive factors for sentinel lymph node (SLN) metastasis could be identified, it would allow selection of candidates for SLNB and omit axillary surgery in those with the lowest risk of axillary lymph node involvement. The aim of this study was to determine risk factors associated with SLN metastasis in breast cancer patients in Bahrain. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients with clinically node-negative breast cancer who underwent SLNB at a single institution between 2016 and 2022 were identified from the pathology database...