CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: Previous studies have suggested that the occurrence of pregnancy concomitantly with a diagnosis of breast cancer may affect the evolution of the neoplasia. The present study aimed to compare pregnancy-associated breast cancer (PABC) patients with non-pregnant cancer patients (controls) in relation to the time taken to diagnose the disease, tumor characteristics and mortality. DESIGN AND SETTING:A retrospective, paired case-control study was conducted at the Hospital da Santa Casa de Misericórdia and Centro de Quimioterapia Antiblástica e Imunoterapia in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. METHODS:The study involved 87 PABC and 252 control patients. The influence of covariables (interval between first symptoms and diagnosis, tumor histology, size of primary tumor, distant metastasis, grade of malignancy, hormone receptor status and axillary lymph node involvement) and the pregnancy variable on overall survival was investigated using univariate and multivariate analyses. RESULTS:The median overall survival for PABC patients of 30.1 months (95% confidence interval, CI: 19.4-40.9 months) was significantly different (P = 0.005) from that of the control group (53.1 months; 95% CI: 35.1-71.0 months). The cumulative overall survivals after five and ten years were, respectively, 29.7 and 19.2% for PABC patients, and 47.3 and 34.8% for control patients (P = 0.005). Tumor size, grade of malignancy, distant metastasis and pregnancy were independent factors that significantly modified disease prognosis. CONCLUSIONS:Pregnancy was an independent prognostic factor. The overall survival of PABC patients was shorter than that of non-pregnant patients.RESUMO CONTEXTO E OBJETIVO: Estudos prévios sugerem que a ocorrência de gravidez simultaneamente com o diagnóstico de câncer de mama pode afetar a evolução da neoplasia. O presente estudo objetivou comparar pacientes com câncer de mama associado à gravidez (PABC) e pacientes com câncer não grávidas (controles) com relação ao tempo decorrido até o diagnóstico de câncer, características tumorais e mortalidade. TIPO DE ESTUDO E LOCAL: Estudo retrospectivo, tipo caso-controle pareado, foi conduzido no Hospital da Santa Casa de Misericórdia e Centro deQuimioterapia Antiblástica e Imunoterapia em Belo Horizonte, Brasil. MÉTODOS:O estudo envolveu 87 pacientes PABC e 252 controles. A influência das covariáveis (intervalo entre os primeiros sintomas e diagnóstico, histologia do tumor, tamanho do tumor primário, metástase a distância, grau de malignidade, dosagem de receptor hormonal e acometimento dos linfonodos axilares) e da variável gravidez sobre a sobrevida global foram avaliados através de análises univariada e multivariada. RESULTADOS:A mediana da sobrevida global para as pacientes PABC de 30,1 meses (intervalo de confiança, IC 95%: 19,4-40,9 meses) foi significativamente (P = 0,005) diferente daquela dos controles (53,1 meses; IC 95%: 35,1-71,0 meses). A sobrevida global acumulada após 5 e 10 anos foi 29,7 e 19,2% no grupo PABC e 47,3 e 34,8% nos controles. Tamanho...

The purpose of the study was to compare the accuracy of FNAC, CNB, and combined biopsy according to tumor size of suspicious breast lesions.FNAC and CNB were performed in 264 patients with suspicious breast lesions from August, 1997 to August, 2002. The procedures were guided by ultrasound and performed in the same session by the same operator. The lesions were divided in four groups according to the tumor size in the histopathology report: lesions smaller than 1 cm, between 1 and 2 cm, between 2 and 5 cm, and lesions greater than 5 cm.The final surgical histopatology results identified 222 (84%) malignant cases and benign lesions summed 42 (16%). For lesions smaller than 1 cm, FNAC, CNB, and combined biopsy were equivalent for all parameters. For lesions between 1 and 2 cm, FNAC and CNB were equivalent. Combined biopsy showed higher absolute sensitivity (P ¼ 0.007) and lower inadequate rate (P ¼ 0.03) when compared to FNAC. However, when combined biopsy and CNB were compared, no difference were found. For lesions between 2 and 5 cm, CNB showed higher absolute sensitivity (P < 0.001) and lower inadequate rate (P < 0.007) when compared to FNAC. Combined biopsy showed higher sensitivity compared to FNAC and CNB alone (P < 0.05) in this group. For lesions greater than 5 cm, FNAC and CNB were equivalent for all parameters. Combined biopsy only showed higher absolute sensitivity (P ¼ 0.04) when compared with FNAC alone.The combination of FNAC and CNB can improve the diagnosis of suspicious breast lesions higher than 1 cm. However, for lesions smaller than 1 cm, our results showed no difference between FNAC, CNB, and combined biopsy, for these lesions any modality has technical limitations. Diagn. Cytopathol. Key Words: breast cancer; tumor size; fine-needle aspiration cytology; core biopsyThe role of fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) and core needle biopsy (CNB) in establishing the diagnosis of breast disease has been clearly demonstrated. Several studies have compared FNAC and CNB 1-5 with heterogeneous results. It is difficult to decide from published studies which method is preferred. Results may be influenced by patient selection, incidence of breast carcinoma in the population, availability of follow-up data, duration of follow-up, differences in biopsy technique, operator expertise, and interpretation of the results.6,7 Many published series are from academic centers and not from a general hospital setting. Calculations for accuracy are made in different ways sometimes reflecting the clinical effectiveness of the procedure, sometimes only evaluating the laboratory performance. Comparisons between series can only be made after recalculation. 7This study compares the results of FNAC and CNB according to the tumor size taken from the same lesion by the same operator in one session under ultrasound guidance. Materials and MethodsFNAC and CNB were performed in 264 patients with suspicious breast lesions from

We found a significant increase in breast reconstruction in public health system in Brazil, and also a reduction in simple mastectomy and axillary lymphadenectomy.

To create an individualized predictive tool for the risk of malignancy in solid breast masses, based on echographic and clinical characteristics. Research Ethics Committee approval and informed consent were obtained. This multi-center study included 1,403 solid breast masses prospectively. Each ultrasound feature was analyzed and compared with the definitive diagnosis. The ultrasound results, women's ages and family histories of breast cancer were included in a multivariate logistic regression model. Among the 1,403 lesions included in the study, 1,390 (99.1%) had a conclusive diagnosis: 343 malignant tumors (24.7%), and 1,047 benign masses (75.3%). The odds ratio (and confidence interval) for breast malignancy for each variable included in the model, as calculated by multivariate analysis, were as follows: irregular shape/noncircumscribed margins, 16.02 (7.75-33.09); heterogeneous echo texture, 4.50 (2.42-8.23); vertical orientation (not parallel to the skin), 2.23 (1.04-4.75); anterior echogenic rim, 2.62 (1.09-6.31); posterior shadowing, 2.38 (1.23-4.62); age more than 40 years, 2.19 (1.26-3.81); positive first-degree family history (mother, sister or daughter), 7.50 (2.65-21.18). There was no advantage in including the presence of internal vascularity, presence of thickened Cooper's ligaments or size of the mass, in the model. The predictive tool was named SONOBREAST and it is freely available for medical purposes on the internet site: http://www.sonobreast.com. The probability of malignancy in breast masses can be specified based on their ultrasound features, the woman's age and the family history of breast cancer.

It appears that 2 cores are sufficient to diagnose breast cancer in this study population assuming no technical error occurred in US guidance of the needle through the mass.