breast cancer Archives - Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia
Summary
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. 2002;24(3):195-199
DOI 10.1590/S0100-72032002000300008
Purpose: to evaluate, in a prospective way, the importance of ultrasound features of solid breast lesions in the differentiation between benign and malignant lumps. Methods: one hundred and forty-two patients with solid breast lesions, from the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics of the Federal University of Goias (Brazil), were included in the trial. All ultrasound examinations were performed by a training doctor, always supervised by an experienced professional. The characteristics of the lesions studied were: shape, retrotumoral echoes, internal echoes, oriented diameter, halo of bright echoes and Cooper ligaments. Each of the ultrasound features was compared to the results of the histological examination. Results: among the 142 patients included in the trial, 90 (63%) had their lesions excised, and 77 (86%) had pathologic diagnoses of benign tumors and 13 (14%) of malignant tumors. The following characteristics were statistically significant in the diagnosis of the breast cancer (c²): masses with retrotumoral shadowing (p=0.0001), irregular shape (p=0.0007), heterogeneous internal echoes (p=0.0015) and vertically oriented - taller than wide (p<0.0001). The presence of halo of bright echoes anterior to the lump and the presence of wider Cooper ligaments were not related to the correct diagnosis of malignancy in this trial. Conclusion: ultrasound is a diagnostic method that can help physicians between the differentiation of benign and malignant breast lumps. The presence of retrotumoral shadowing, irregular shape, heterogeneous internal echoes and vertical orientation - lesions taller than wide - were related to the pathologic diagnosis of breast malignancies.
Summary
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. 2002;24(3):195-199
DOI 10.1590/S0100-72032002000300008
Purpose: to evaluate, in a prospective way, the importance of ultrasound features of solid breast lesions in the differentiation between benign and malignant lumps. Methods: one hundred and forty-two patients with solid breast lesions, from the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics of the Federal University of Goias (Brazil), were included in the trial. All ultrasound examinations were performed by a training doctor, always supervised by an experienced professional. The characteristics of the lesions studied were: shape, retrotumoral echoes, internal echoes, oriented diameter, halo of bright echoes and Cooper ligaments. Each of the ultrasound features was compared to the results of the histological examination. Results: among the 142 patients included in the trial, 90 (63%) had their lesions excised, and 77 (86%) had pathologic diagnoses of benign tumors and 13 (14%) of malignant tumors. The following characteristics were statistically significant in the diagnosis of the breast cancer (c²): masses with retrotumoral shadowing (p=0.0001), irregular shape (p=0.0007), heterogeneous internal echoes (p=0.0015) and vertically oriented - taller than wide (p<0.0001). The presence of halo of bright echoes anterior to the lump and the presence of wider Cooper ligaments were not related to the correct diagnosis of malignancy in this trial. Conclusion: ultrasound is a diagnostic method that can help physicians between the differentiation of benign and malignant breast lumps. The presence of retrotumoral shadowing, irregular shape, heterogeneous internal echoes and vertical orientation - lesions taller than wide - were related to the pathologic diagnosis of breast malignancies.
Summary
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. 2002;24(2):81-86
DOI 10.1590/S0100-72032002000200002
Purpose: to evaluate the predictive capacity of the sentinel lymph node (SLN) in relation to the axillary lymph node status in patients with initial invasive breast carcinoma submitted or not to neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Method: a prospective study was performed in 112 patients divided into two groups. The first group comprised 70 patients who had not received previous chemotherapy (Group I) and the second consisted of 42 patients who were submitted to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in three cycles of AC (adriamycin + cyclophosphamide) (Group II). Regarding chemotherapy, we observed partial response >50% in 21 patients, being complete in three of them, and <50% in 19 patients; in two patients progression of the disease occurred. A peritumoral injection of 99mTc dextran was applied with the help of stereotaxy in 29 patients with nonpalpable tumors, 16 of Group I and 13 of Group II. The radioactive accumulation shown by scintigraphy guided the biopsy of the axillary SLN with the help of a probe. The anatomopathologic study of SLN was based initially on a single section. When the LSN was free, it was submitted to serial sections at 50 mum intervals, stained with HE. Results: SLN was identified in 108 patients. No identification has been obtained in four patients, all with nonpalpable lesions (3 patients of Group I and 1 of Group II). The method's accuracy in predicting the axillary lymph node status was 100% in patients who did not receive neoadjuvant chemotherapy and 93% in those to whom this kind of treatment was administered. This difference proved to be statistically significant. Conclusions: the present study allowed us to conclude that in all patients who did not receive previous chemotherapy treatment, the SLN study was effective in predicting the axillary lymph node status. The high rate of false-negative results in the group of patients submitted to neoadjuvant chemotherapy seems to invalidate the use of SLN study these patients.
Summary
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. 2002;24(2):81-86
DOI 10.1590/S0100-72032002000200002
Purpose: to evaluate the predictive capacity of the sentinel lymph node (SLN) in relation to the axillary lymph node status in patients with initial invasive breast carcinoma submitted or not to neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Method: a prospective study was performed in 112 patients divided into two groups. The first group comprised 70 patients who had not received previous chemotherapy (Group I) and the second consisted of 42 patients who were submitted to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in three cycles of AC (adriamycin + cyclophosphamide) (Group II). Regarding chemotherapy, we observed partial response >50% in 21 patients, being complete in three of them, and <50% in 19 patients; in two patients progression of the disease occurred. A peritumoral injection of 99mTc dextran was applied with the help of stereotaxy in 29 patients with nonpalpable tumors, 16 of Group I and 13 of Group II. The radioactive accumulation shown by scintigraphy guided the biopsy of the axillary SLN with the help of a probe. The anatomopathologic study of SLN was based initially on a single section. When the LSN was free, it was submitted to serial sections at 50 mum intervals, stained with HE. Results: SLN was identified in 108 patients. No identification has been obtained in four patients, all with nonpalpable lesions (3 patients of Group I and 1 of Group II). The method's accuracy in predicting the axillary lymph node status was 100% in patients who did not receive neoadjuvant chemotherapy and 93% in those to whom this kind of treatment was administered. This difference proved to be statistically significant. Conclusions: the present study allowed us to conclude that in all patients who did not receive previous chemotherapy treatment, the SLN study was effective in predicting the axillary lymph node status. The high rate of false-negative results in the group of patients submitted to neoadjuvant chemotherapy seems to invalidate the use of SLN study these patients.