• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.81 no.2
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• pp.428-435
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• 2020

Herein, we report a case of synchronous bilateral triple negative invasive ductal breast carcinoma in a patient with discrepant pathologic response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Right and left breast cancer stages at the initial diagnosis were T1cN0M0 and T4dN3aM0, respectively. The patient was identified as a BRCA1 mutation carrier and treated with four cycles of adriamycin and cyclophosphamide, followed by four cycles of docetaxel. Bilateral breast cancer stages decreased with the first regimen. However, the bilateral breast cancers showed discrepant responses to chemotherapy with docetaxel. The right breast cancer showed a continuous tumor volume reduction while the left breast cancer showed marked progression. Finally, the tumor size was 0.3 cm and 12 cm in the right and left mastectomy specimens, respectively. As bilateral breast cancers of the same subtype may show discrepant responses to neoadjuvant chemotherapy, close monitoring and follow-up imaging are required to avoid delayed surgery.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.384-394
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• 2023

Objective: Mammographic density is an independent risk factor for breast cancer that can change after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NCT). This study aimed to evaluate percent changes in volumetric breast density (ΔVbd%) before and after NCT measured automatically and determine its value as a predictive marker of pathological response to NCT. Materials and Methods: A total of 357 patients with breast cancer treated between January 2014 and December 2016 were included. An automated volumetric breast density (Vbd) measurement method was used to calculate Vbd on mammography before and after NCT. Patients were divided into three groups according to ΔVbd%, calculated as follows: Vbd (post-NCT - pre-NCT)/pre-NCT Vbd × 100 (%). The stable, decreased, and increased groups were defined as -20% ≤ ΔVbd% ≤ 20%, ΔVbd% < -20%, and ΔVbd% > 20%, respectively. Pathological complete response (pCR) was considered to be achieved after NCT if there was no evidence of invasive carcinoma in the breast or metastatic tumors in the axillary and regional lymph nodes on surgical pathology. The association between ΔVbd% grouping and pCR was analyzed using univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses. Results: The interval between the pre-NCT and post-NCT mammograms ranged from 79 to 250 days (median, 170 days). In the multivariable analysis, ΔVbd% grouping (odds ratio for pCR of 0.420 [95% confidence interval, 0.195-0.905; P = 0.027] for the decreased group compared with the stable group), N stage at diagnosis, histologic grade, and breast cancer subtype were significantly associated with pCR. This tendency was more evident in the luminal B-like and triple-negative subtypes. Conclusion: ΔVbd% was associated with pCR in breast cancer after NCT, with the decreased group showing a lower rate of pCR than the stable group. Automated measurement of ΔVbd% may help predict the NCT response and prognosis in breast cancer.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.1455-1461
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• 2015

Background: Young onset breast cancer (BC) has a worse outcome as compared to in the elderly. However, some studies have shown that BC in the elderly, despite indolent features, does also cause increase in mortality. In an attempt to compare clinic-pathological characteristics, BC subtypes and survival in patients with BC presenting at extremes of age, we performed a retrospective study. Materials and Methods: Patients were either ${\leq}40$ or ${\geq}70$ years old. Subtypes were defined using immunohistochemistry and histological grade. Chi-Square test was used for evaluation of categorical variables, and Kaplan-meier and log-rank for disease-specific survival (DSS) and disease free survival (DFS). Results: We analyzed 256 patients ${\leq}40$ and 366 patients ${\geq}70$. Younger patients presented with more aggressive disease, with less luminal A but more luminal B and triple negative (TN) subtype. With a median follow-up of 57.5 months, DFS at 5 years in younger patients was 72.3% vs 84.6% in the elderly (p=0.007). Luminal A and B disease presented with worse DFS in younger patients. The opposite was seen in the TN subgroup. Although we found no significant differences in DSS, older patients with TN tumors died of BC more frequently. This group also received less chemotherapy. Conclusions: Young patients present with more aggressive disease, this translating into worse DFS. However, elderly patients with TN disease represent a particular subpopulation with worse DFS and DSS, suggesting that chemotherapy should not be withheld only because of age.