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E Lifrange

Publications and source records attributed to E Lifrange.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

[Hormone replacement therapy after breast cancer. Yes...or no?].

Clinical and experimental studies indicate that combined unique conjugated estrogens and medroxyprogesterone acetate moderately increase the risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women. Classically, hormone replacement therapy is contra-indicated in women with a past history of breast cancer due to the fear of recurrence. However, these postmenopausal patients complain about hot flushes and adjuvant hormonal therapies (such as aromatase inhibitors, SERMs and Tamoxifen...) aggravate their symptoms. Observational studies and their meta-analyses do not show a deleterious effect but rather a beneficial impact of hormone replacement therapy among women with a past history of breast cancer. We summarise all these studies and their biological, clinical and epidemiological interpretations. We conclude that short term hormone replacement therapy is safe among those women requesting a replacement therapy after complete information. It is however advisable to conclude definitely only when prospective randomised trials with estradiol or tibolone (a promising alternative) will be available. Such ongoing studies will allow to conclude definitely the possible benefits and risks of hormone replacement therapy among patients with a past history of breast cancer.

Breast Neoplasms↗

[Postmenopausal hormone replacement therapy and breast cancer risk: an update].

Numerous studies have examined the risk of breast cancer in patients with postmenopausal hormone substitution. Most of these studies are retrospective, and a few recent studies are prospective. The observed results present with weak variations from baseline and major heterogeneity. Some studies highlight a slightly increased relative risk of breast cancer. A reanalysis of 51 studies demonstrates a relative risk of 1.35 for developing breast cancer during hormone substitution, with a 2.3% increased risk per year of use. Recently, the results of the WHI study have shown a slight increase of some risks of disease, including breast cancer (relative risk, 1.26). These results have induced the interruption of one of the 3 arms of the study (that of the patients treated with an estrogen-progestin combination), and have provoked a new discussion about the benefits and risks associated with hormone substitution. These facts have been largely related and commented in the general press. In this article, we review the important studies concerning this topic.

Breast Neoplasms↗

[Benefits and limitations of mammography].

The literature on screening mammography provides ample opportunity for doubt (the sceptics) and dogma (the screening zealots), and can be interpreted to prove both benefit and harm. The benefit of mammography screening, if any, is modest and the balance between beneficial (potentially, a 20% relative reduction in breast cancer mortality with no significant benefit on all-cause mortality) and harmful (physical and psychological morbidity related to the 15-40% missed cancers and the 80-90% false-positive diagnoses) effects is still delicate. The mammogram alone is a modest weapon. Concurrent clinical breast examination is mandatory. Women that are concerned about breast cancer should be fully informed of the potential benefits and risks of screening mammography. These women should benefit from mammography with concurrent clinical breast examination, and possible whole-breast ultrasound in heterogeneously dense and extremely dense breast patterns.

Age Factors↗

Percutaneous stereotactic en bloc excision of nonpalpable breast carcinoma: a step in the direction of supraconservative surgery.

Recently, the advanced breast biopsy instrumentation (ABBI) system has been introduced as an alternative to conventional breast biopsy techniques. This study was prospectively conducted to evaluate the potential of the ABBI method in locoregional management of a consecutive series of patients with nonpalpable mammographically detected breast carcinomas. Sixty-one consecutive patients underwent an ABBI procedure as a first step before possible surgery for nonpalpable breast lesions that would in any case require complete excision. For the 27 patients in whom the ABBI biopsy revealed malignancy further surgery was recommended, including re-excision of the biopsy site and axillary dissection in cases of infiltrating carcinoma. We calculated the probabilities that the ABBI specimen would have tumor-free margins and that a definitely complete excision had been achieved as a function of the mammographic or pathological diameter of the cancer. For cancer with a pathological diameter less than 10 mm measured on the ABBI specimen, the probability (92%) of obtaining complete resection was significantly better than for larger lesions (P=0.01, Fisher's exact test). Although the therapeutic perspectives for the ABBI method are limited at present, we suggest that this approach is a first step in the direction of a surgical strategy that is better adapted to the pathological characteristics peculiar to these small tumors, whose incidence is increasing.

Journal Article↗

En bloc excision of nonpalpable breast lesions using the advanced breast biopsy instrumentation system: an alternative to needle guided surgery?

This study was prospectively conducted to evaluate the clinical potential of the advanced breast biopsy instrumentation (ABBI) system as an alternative to needle localization and open surgery in the management of nonpalpable breast lesions (NPBL). One hundred and eighty-six consecutive patients were referred for management of NPBL. Thirty-six underwent an ABBI procedure, offered as a first step before possible surgery for lesions which would in any case have required complete excision. The 18 patients with a malignant ABBI biopsy underwent re-excision of the biopsy site and axillary dissection was carried out in cases of infiltrating carcinoma. The other 150 patients underwent image-guided needle biopsy. Following these procedures, 60/150 (40%) patients underwent needle-guided surgery. Finally, 96/186 (51%) patients required complete excision. A total of 43 benign lesions and 53 carcinomas were confirmed. Thirty-six out of 96 (38%) excisions were obtained with the ABBI system; 17/43 (40%) benign lesions and 11/53 (21%) carcinomas were completely removed with the ABBI system. Out of 9 malignant specimens with a pathological size less than 10 mm, 5/9 (55%) had tumor-free margins and in 8/9 (89%) no residual disease was found at re-excision. The preliminary results of this study suggest that, in selected cases, en bloc excision using the ABBI procedure could be an alternative to conventional surgery.

Adult↗

[Supraconservative breast surgery].

Currently, 30% of the breast biopsies are performed for patients with nonpalpable lesions. The surgical management of these lesions had to evolve to a better three-dimensional targeting and a reduction of the tissue traumatism. The ABBI procedure allows the percutaneous one bloc excision of suspicious mammographically detected lesions with a diameter of less than 2cm. We prospectively evaluated this procedure as a therapeutic tool. Of the 10 malignant lesions with a pathologic size <10mm, 9 (90%) were completely resected with the ABBI device (no residual disease at re-excision of the biopsy site). The results of this preliminary study suggest a potential therapeutic role of the ABBI procedure in the therapeutic arsenal against mammary lesions.

Biopsy↗

[Hidden factors of breast cancer: recommended follow-up for hyperplasia or carcinoma in situ].

After the diagnosis of breast epithelial hyperplasia or carcinoma in situ, the clinical follow-up must take into account several parameters. First, the adequacy of the diagnostic and the therapeutic approach is to be evaluated. Second, the patient must be informed of her risk of subsequent breast cancer. In such a protocol, one can recommend a program of close follow-up in an attempt at early detection. An annual clinical examination combined with a mammographic and a sonographic exam is considered as the method of choice. In between annual check-ups, clinical exam is encouraged. The potential benefits of magnetic-resonance imaging in these circumstances is currently evaluated. In rare instances, the absolute risk of breast cancer is so high that a prophylactic mastectomy can be considered.

Breast Neoplasms↗

Stereotaxic needle-core biopsy and fine-needle aspiration biopsy in the diagnosis of nonpalpable breast lesions: controversies and future prospects.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the advantages and limitations of a combined stereotaxic fine-needle aspiration biopsy and needle-core biopsy in the diagnosis of 353 nonpalpable breast lesions with special attention given to the collection of follow-up data. METHODS AND MATERIAL: 353 nonpalpable breast lesions underwent 'one pass' stereotaxic fine-needle aspiration (21 gauge needle) and needle-core biopsy (18 gauge needle) at our institution from January 1990 to October 1993. Stereotaxic biopsies were carried out by means of an 'add-on unit'. Surgical biopsy was usually recommended for highly suspicious radiologic patterns and/or needle biopsy reports classified as atypical or malignant. In all other cases mammographic follow-up was advised at 6 months and then annually for 3 years. The data were collected retrospectively during September 1995 (theoretical average follow-up of greater than 3 years). RESULTS: Following the combined needle biopsy technique procedure, surgery was recommended for 83 lesions. Fifty-four cancers were associated to these suspicious lesions. Because of changing radiological or clinical pattern during follow-up (mean follow-up: 22 months), 11 cancers were detected among the 270 lesions initially considered not to need surgery. Forty-three percent of the 65 malignant lesions were initially read as having less than highly suspicious mammographic features. There was no significant difference between the sensitivity and the specificity of one pass fine-needle aspiration biopsy (57% and 96% respectively) and needle-core biopsy (60% and 97% respectively), but noncontributive samples were not included in the false negative diagnoses and atypical samples were included in the true positive diagnoses. Of the 11 missed cancers, nine were manifested initially by clusters of calcifications. Our diagnostic approach was significantly less sensitive (P = 0.006) and less specific (P = 0.032) in cases of clusters of calcifications (31% false negative diagnoses) than in cases of soft-tissue masses (5.5% false negative diagnoses). In this study, an average delay in diagnoses of 22 months was responsible for a significantly increased percentage of axillary node positive invasive cancer (P < 0.001) and six of the 11 missed cancers were palpable at the time of the delayed diagnosis. For the nine cancers initially manifested by calcifications, the 22 months delay in diagnosis was responsible for a nonsignificant increase of microinvasive type at the expense of carcinoma in situ. CONCLUSION: Our enthusiasm with the sensitivity of this double stereotaxic needle sampling has been tempered by the results of this reanalysis in the light of a mean theoretical follow-up of three years. Our diagnostic approach was adequate in the presence of soft-tissue masses but not valid in the presence of clustered calcifications. When dealing with calcifications, multiple samplings must be done in order to improve the sensitivity of the diagnosis. Furthermore, this study does not favour the theory that the majority of mammographically detected cancers are indolent and highlights the poor sensitivity of the mammographic follow-up of nonpalpable lesions.

Biopsy, Needle↗

Abdominal sequelae after pedicled TRAM flap breast reconstruction.

A considerable interest in autologous tissue breast reconstructions has developed recently, especially since Food and Drug Administration (FDA) experts have raised the polemic on silicone implants. Although such enthusiasm for the transverse rectus abdominis musculocutaneous (TRAM) flap is justified in what concerns the final cosmetic result of the reconstructed breast, the risk of abdominal sequelae should be explained to the patient. Abdominal scarring, parietal weakness, strength loss, and back pain have been recorded in a series of pedicled TRAM flap reconstructions performed at the Institut Gustave-Roussy before 1991. Cosmetic results of the abdomen were tested by three independent judges on the photographs taken of 132 patients. The global appearance of the abdomen was rated as "natural" in 70 percent of the patients. The umbilical scar was unacceptable in 25 percent and very good or not visible in 21 percent. The lower abdominal scar was rated as "not acceptable" in 35 percent. Abdominal strength was tested among the 38 patients who underwent both preoperative and postoperative muscular testing, of whom 18 had single-pedicled and 20 had bipedicled TRAM flap reconstructions. In the first group, the physiotherapist observed an impairment of function of the upper portion of the rectus abdominis and of the oblique muscle in almost 50 percent. In the second group, the same muscles were more severely impaired (in 60 percent), as well as the function of the lower portion of the rectus (in 15 percent). The percentage of patients complaining of "light back pain" in the 6-month postoperative period was 55 percent in the single-pedicle group and 30 percent in the double-pedicle group. However, 20 percent of the bipedicled patients complained of "severe" back pain, while there was none in the single-pedicled group. In conclusion, abdominal sequelae after TRAM flap breast reconstruction should not be underestimated and constitute one of the drawbacks of the technique when it is compared with reconstruction with a prosthesis.

Abdominal Muscles↗

High rate of multiple genital HPV infections detected by DNA hybridization.

Cervical smears collected from 450 patients involved in a clinical follow-up of cervical human papillomaviruses (HPV) infections were screened for the presence of HPV 6b, 11, 16, and 18 DNA by both dot blot and southern blot hybridization methods. Using very high stringency hybridization assays, the four HPV types could be easily distinguished by dot blotting. After a preliminary clinical sorting, 42.9% of the samples were found to be HPV-positive. Among the samples infected by a single HPV, type 16 was the most frequent (25.4% of the positive samples) followed by 6b (19.7%), 11 (8.3%), and 18 (7.2%). Double or even multiple infections by the different HPV types were detected at a very high rate (39.4% of the positive samples).

Belgium↗

[Cytological and histological studies in stereotactic punctures of non-palpable solid breast lesions].

Cytologic aspiration and core biopsy were performed on 50 nonpalpable breast lesions by using a stereotactic localization technique. Cytologic and histologic results were correlated with mammographic findings and therapeutic decisions were based on the results of both procedures. Representative material was obtained in 100% of the lesions. The sensitivity was 90% and specificity was 97.5%. The predictive values were high except for the predictive value of a negative histologic finding in a suspicious cluster of microcalcifications (50%).

Biopsy, Needle↗

Immunodetection of the metastasis-associated laminin receptor in human breast cancer cells obtained by fine-needle aspiration biopsy.

Fine-needle aspiration biopsy of the breast is a very useful technique for the evaluation of a suspect lesion before surgical removal. Increased expression of the 67-kd laminin receptor has been associated with the metastatic phenotype of cancer cells, particularly in colon and breast cancers. In this study, the expression of laminin receptor was evaluated using the immunoperoxidase technique in 81 breast aspirates (26 benign and 55 neoplastic lesions). Cells obtained from benign samples exhibited a low level of laminin receptor antigen detected by affinity-purified antibody raised against a cDNA-derived laminin receptor peptide. In contrast, 71% of smears obtained from malignant breast lesions contained cells that were strongly stained by the antibody. Heterogeneous expression of the laminin receptor was noted in both breast aspirates and fixed tissue specimens. These data suggest that the immunodetection of laminin receptor in cells obtained by fine-needle aspiration of breast lesions could be a valuable adjunct in the prognostic evaluation of breast lesions.

Antibodies↗