Breast Flashcards
Breast Cancer
Affects 1/10 women
20 000 cases/yr in UK
Commonest cause of cancer death in females 15-54
Second commonest cause of cancer deaths overall
Breast Cancer RF aetiology
Family Hx
10% Ca breast is familial
(One 1st degree relative = 2x risk)
5% assoc. c¯ BRCA mutations
BRCA1 (17q) → 80% breast Ca, 40% + ov Ca
BRCA2 (13q) → 80% breast Ca
Oestrogen Exposure Early menarche, late menopause HRT, OCP (Million Women Study) First child >35yrs Obesity
Other RF Proliferative breast disease w atypia Previous Ca breast ↑ age (v. rare <30) Breast feeding is protective
Breast Cancer Types
DCIS/LCIS
Non-invasive pre-malignant condition
Microcalcification on mammography
10x ↑ risk of invasive Ca
Breast Cancer Types Invasive Ductal Carcinoma
Invasive Ductal Carcinoma, NST/NOS
Commonest: ~70% of cancers
Feels hard (scirrhous)
Breast cancer Other subtypes (not DCIS, LCIS, Invasive ductal carcinoma)
Invasive lobular: ~20% of cancers
Medullary: affects younger pts, feels soft
Colloid/mucinous: occur in elderly
Inflammatory: pain, erythema, swelling, peau d’orange
Papillary
Breast Cancer Types
Phyllodes Tumour
Stromal tumour
Large, non-tender mobile lump
Breast Cancer Spread
Direct extension → muscle and/or skin
Lymph → p’eau d’orange + arm oedema
Blood → Bones: bone pain, #, ↑Ca Lungs: dyspnoea, pleural effusion Liver: abdo pain, hepatic impairment Brain: headache, seizures
Breast Cancer Screening
Every 3yrs from 47-73
Craniocaudal and oblique views
↓ breast Ca deaths by 25%
10% false negative rate.
Breast Cancer Presentation
Lump: commonest presentation of Ca breast
Usually painless
50% in upper outer quadrant
± axillary nodes
Skin changes
Paget’s: persistent eczema
Peau d’orange
Nipple
Discharge
Inversion
Mets Pathological # SOB Abdominal pain Seizures
May present through screening
Breast Cancer Skin changes
Cysts
Fibroadenomas
DCIS
Duct ectasia
Triple Assessment Breast Cancer
Any Breast Lump
Hx + Clinical Examination
Radiology
<35yrs: US
>35ys: US + mammography
Pathology Solid lump: tru-cut core biopsy Cystic lump: FNAC (green / 18G needle) Reassure if clear fluid Send cytology if bloody fluid Core biopsy residual mass Core biopsy if +ve cytology
Breast Cancer other Ix
Bloods
FBC, LFTs, ESR, bone profile
Imaging: help staging CXR Liver US CT scan Breast MRI: multifocal disease or c¯ implants Bone scan and PET-CT
May need wire-guided excision biopsy
Breast Cancer Staging
Clinical Staging
Stage 1: confined to breast, mobile, no LNs
Stage 2: Stage 1 + nodes in ipsilateral axilla
Stage 3: Stage 2 + fixation to muscle (not chest wall)
LNs matted and fixed, large skin involvement
Stage 4: Complete fixation to chest wall + mets
TNM Staging Tis (no palpable tumour): CIS T1: <2cm, no skin fixation T2: 2-5cm, skin fixation T3: 5-10cm, ulceration + pectoral fixation T4: >10cm, chest wall extension, skin involved N1: mobile nodes N2: fixed nodes
Breast Cancer Management Surgery
2 options WLE + Radiotherapy (80% treated as such) Mastectomy Typically large tumours >4cm Multifocal or central tumours Nipple involvement Pt. choice Not radical: no longer used Same survival, but WLE has ↑ recurrence rate
Breast Cancer Mx Sentinal Node Biopsy
Gold Standard
Sentinal Node = first node that a section of breast drains to.
If clinically –ve axillary LNs, no need for further dissection
Procedure
Blue dye / radiocolloid injected into tumour
Visual inspection / gamma probe @ surgery to ID SN
SN removed and sent for frozen section
If node +ve → axillary clearance or radiotherapy
Breast Cancer other axillary options (not sentinal node biopsy
Axillary sampling
Removal of lower nodes
Clearance or DXT if +ve
Axillary clearance
Can be done to various levels
Surgical Complications Breast Cancer
Surgical Complications Haematoma, seroma Frozen shoulder Long-thoracic nerve palsy Lymphoedema
Breast Cancer Systemic Rx
chemo/radio
Radiotherapy Post-WLE: ↓ local recurrence Post-mastectomy: only if high risk of local recurrence Large, poorly differentiated, node +ve Axillary: node +ve disease Palliation: bone pain
Chemotherapy
Pre-menopausal, node +ve, high grade or recurrent
tumours.
Neo-adjuvant chemo improves survival in large tumours
6 x FEC: 5-FU, Epirubicin, Cyclophosphamide
Trastuzumab (anti-Her2) is used if Her2+ve
SE: cardiac toxicity
Breast Cancer Systemic Rx
Endocrine
Used in ER or PR +ve disease: ↓ recurrence, ↑ survival
5yrs of adjuvant therapy
Tamoxifen
SERM: antagonist @ breast, agonist @ uterus
SE: menopausal symptoms, endometrial Ca
Anastrazole
Aromatase inhibitor → ↓ oestrogen
Better cf. tamoxifen if post-men (ATAC trial)
SE: menopausal symptoms
If pre-menopausal and ER+ve may consider ovarian
ablation or GnRH analogues (e.g. goserelin)
Treating Advanced Disease (Stage 3-4) Breast Cancer
Tamoxifen if ER+ve
Chemo for relapse
Her2+ve tumours may respond to trastuzumab
Supportive
Bone pain: DXT, bisphosphonates, analgesia
Brain: occasional surgery, DXT, steroids, AEDs
Lymphoedema: decongestion, compression
Breast Cancer Reconstruction
Offered either at 1O surgery or as delayed procedure.
Implants - silastic or saline inflatable
Lat dorsi myocutaneous flap
Pedicled flap: skin, fat, muscle and blood supply
Supplied by thoracodorsal A. via subscapular A.
Usually used w an implant
Transverse rectus abdominis myocutaneous flap
Gold-standard
Pedicled (inf. epigastric A.)
Or free: attached to internal thoracic A
No implant necessary and combined tummy tuck
CI if poor circulation: smokers, obese, PVD, DM
Risk of abdominal hernia
Nipple Tattoo
Mastalgia
Cyclical ~35yrs Pre-menstrual pain Relieved by menstruation Commonly in upper outer quadrants bilaterally
Non-cyclical
~45yrs
Severe lancing breast pain (often left)
May be assw back pain
Rx Reassurance + good bra for most 1st line: EPO (contains gamma-linoleic acid) OCP Topical NSAIDs (e.g. ibuprofen) Bromocriptine Danazol Tamoxifen
Acute Mastitis
Usually lactating
Presents - painful, red breast
May > abscess (lump near nipple)
Rx - fluclox alone in early stages
Fluclox + I&D if fluctuant abscess
Fat necrosis
Assw previous trauma
painless,palpable, non-mobile mass
May calcify > simulating cancer
Rx - Analgesia, no follow up needed
Duct Ectasia
Post menopausal 50-60
Slit like nipple (oft bilateral)
+/- periareolar mass
thick white green discharge
may be calcified on mammography
Rx
Need to distinguish from Ca
Surgical duct excision if mass present or discharge troublesome
Close follow up
Periductal Mastitis
Smokers 30y
Painful erythematous subarealar mass
assw inverted nipple +/- purulent discharge
May > abscess or discharging fistula
Rx - broad spectrum abx
Benign mammary dysplasia
30-50y benign
Pre-menstrual breast nodularity + pain, often in upper outer quadrant
> tender lumpy breasts
Aberration of normal development + involution
- Fibroadenosis
- Cyst formation
- Epitheliosis (hyperplasia)
- Papillomatosis
Rx
Triple assessment
reassurance, analgesia, good bra, evening primrose oil
Danazol occasionally
Cystic Disease (benign breast lesions)
perimenopausal >40 benign
Distinct, fluctuant round mass, oft painful
Rx
- aspiration gree, brown fluid persistence or blood > triple assessment
Duct papilloma
40-50 years benign
Common cause of bloody discharge - not usually palpable
Triple assessment
Excise due to ^risk of ca
Fibroadenoma (breast)
<35 years (rare postmenopause) ^black
Commonest benign tumour
Stromal tumour
painless mobile rubbery mass, oft multiple + bilateral
popcorn calcification
Rx
Reassure + follow up if <2.5cm
Shell out surgically
- > 2.5cm
- FH breast Ca
- Pt choice
Phyllodes tumour
50+ stromal tumour
Large, fast growing mass
mobile, non-tender
Epithelial + connective tissue elements
Rx
- Wide local excision
Ductal Carcinoma In Situ (malignant)
Presents as Microcalcification on mammogram
Rarely assoc. with symptoms:
- lump
- discharge
- eczematous change = Paget’s disease
→ Ca @ 1%/yr (10x ↑ risk) in ipsilateral breast
Rx - WLE + radio
- Extensive or multifocal > mastectomy + reconstruction + SNB
Paget’s Disease of the breast
Unilateral, scaly, erythematous, itchy +/- palpable mass (invasive carcinomas)
Rx
- usually underlying invasive or DCIS breast cancer
- mastectomy + radio +/- chemo/endo
Lobular Carcinoma In situ
Incidental biopsy finding (no calcification)
oft bilateral (20-40%)
young women
^risk ca in both breasts
Rx
Bilateral prophylactic mastectomy or lose watching w mammographic screening