PURPOSE: Oncoplastic breast conserving surgery is a new concept in breast cancer surgery. We performed immediate latissimus dorsi flap reconstruction after breast conserving surgery (BCS) to get an adequate resection margin and a good cosmetic results. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of immediate latissimus dorsi flap reconstruction after BCS. METHODS: From January to December, 2007, we performed BCS and immediate latissimus dosi myocutaneous flap reconstruction for 44 breast cancer patients. We evaluated the status of the post operative resection margin, the complications and the cosmetic results. The cosmetic results were evaluated with paying particular attention to the symmetry of the breasts, the breast shape, the location of the nipple and the post-operative scar by a three person panel that consisted of one doctor and two nurses. RESULTS: Reoperation was performed in 3 patients out of 44 (6.8%) because of positive resection margin. Flap complications didn't occurred and donor-site complications such as seroma occurred in only 3 cases. The mean score for the overall cosmetic outcome by the panel was 7.03 (SD=1.36) out of 10 and the cosmesis was deemed to be fair for 52% and, good for 48%. The mean subjective score by the patients was 6.5 (SD=2.29) out of 10 and the cosmesis was deemed to be poor for 14%, fair for 46% and, good for 40%. The most influential factors for the overall cosmetic results were breast symmetry and shape, and the breast scar in descending order (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: BCS with immediate latissimus dorsi flap reconstruction allows an adequate resection margin and good cosmetic results without serious complications.
Breast ; Breast Neoplasms ; Cicatrix ; Cosmetics ; Female ; Humans ; Mammaplasty ; Mastectomy, Segmental ; Nipples ; Reoperation ; Seroma

PURPOSE: PET/CT is useful in preoperative evaluation of invasive breast cancer (IBC) to predict axillary metastasis and staging workup. The usefulness is unclear in cases of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) diagnosed at biopsy before surgery, which sometimes is upgraded to IBC after definitive surgery. The aim of this study is to find out the usefulness of PET/CT on DCIS as a preoperative evaluation tool. METHODS: We investigated 102 patients preoperatively diagnosed with DCIS who subsequently underwent definitive surgery between 2010 and 2015. The uptake of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose was graded by visual and semiquantitative methods. We analyzed the maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) of each patient with clinicopathologic variables. We determined optimal cutoff values for SUVmax by receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. RESULTS: Fifteen cases out of 102 cases (14.7%) were upgraded to IBC after surgery. The SUVmax was higher in patients upgraded to IBC (mean: 2.56 vs. 1.36) (P = 0.007). The SUVmax was significantly higher in patients who had symptoms, palpable masses, lesions over 2 cm in size and BI-RAD category 5. Both visual and semiquantitative analysis were significant predictors of IBC underestimation. SUVmax of 2.65 was the theoretical cutoff value in ROC curve analysis in predicting the underestimation of IBC. The underestimation rate was significantly higher in patients with SUVmax >2.65 (P < 0.001), over the moderate enhanced uptake on visual analysis (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: PET/CT can be used as a complementary evaluation tool to predict the underestimation of DCIS combined with the lesion size, palpable mass, symptomatic lesion, and BI-RAD category.
Biopsy ; Breast Neoplasms ; Carcinoma, Ductal ; Carcinoma, Intraductal, Noninfiltrating ; Humans ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Positron-Emission Tomography and Computed Tomography ; ROC Curve

Background: As the prevalence of hypertension increases with age and the proportion of the older population is also on the rise, research on the characteristics of older hypertensive patients and the importance of frailty is necessary. This study aimed to identify clinical characteristics of older hypertension in Korea and to investigate these characteristics based on frailty status. Methods: The HOW to Optimize eLDerly systolic BP (HOWOLD-BP) is a prospective, multicenter, open-label, randomized clinical trial that aims to compare intensive (target systolic blood pressure [SBP] ≤ 130 mmHg) with standard (target SBP ≤ 140 mmHg) treatment to reduce cardiovascular events in older hypertensive Korean patients aged ≥ 65 years. Data were analyzed through a screening assessment of 2,085 patients recruited from 11 university hospitals. Demographic, functional (physical and cognitive), medical history, laboratory data, quality of life, and medication history of antihypertensive drugs were assessed. Results: The mean age was 73.2 years (standard deviation ± 5.60), and 48.0% (n = 1,001) were male. Prevalent conditions included dyslipidemia (66.5%), obesity (body mass index ≥ 25 kg/m 2 , 53.6%), and diabetes (28.9%). Dizziness and orthostatic hypotension were self-reported by 1.6% (n = 33) and 1.2% (n = 24), respectively. The majority of patients were on two antihypertensive drugs (48.4%), while 27.5% (n = 574) and 20.8% (n = 433) were on 1 and 3 antihypertensive medications, respectively. Frail to pre-frail patients were older and also tended to have dependent instrumental activities of daily living, slower gait speed, weaker grip strength, lower quality of life, and lower cognitive function. The frail to pre-frail group reported more dizziness (2.6% vs. 1.2%, P < 0.001) and had concerning clinical factors, including lower glomerular filtration rate, more comorbidities such as diabetes, stroke, and a history of admission. Frail to pre-frail older hypertensive patients used slightly more antihypertensive medications than robust older hypertensive patients (1.95 vs. 2.06, P = 0.003). Pre-frail to frail patients often chose beta-blockers as a third medication over diuretics. Conclusion This study described the general clinical characteristics of older hypertensive patients in Korea. Frail hypertensive patients face challenges in achieving positive clinical outcomes because of multifactorial causes: they are older, have more morbidities, decreased function, lower quality of life and cognitive function, and take more antihypertensive medications. Therefore, it is essential to comprehensively evaluate and monitor diseaserelated or drug-related adverse events more frequently during regular check-ups, which is necessary for pre-frail to frail older patients with hypertension.