Breast Cancer Flashcards
Signs/symptoms - Early BC may be …?
Asymptomatic, and pain and discomfort are typically NOT present.
If a lump is discovered, the following may indicate the possible presence of BC:
- Change in breast size or shape.
- Skin dimpling or skin changes.
- Recent nipple inversion or skin change, or nipple abnormalities.
- Single-duct discharge, particularly if blood-stained.
- Axillary lump.
Diagnosis:
BC is often first detected as an abnormality on a mammogram before it is felt by the patient or health care provider.
Evaluation of BC includes the following:
- Clinical examination.
- Imaging.
- Needle Bx.
The following physical findings should raise concern:
- Lump or contour change.
- Skin tethering.
- Nipple inversion.
- Dilated veins.
- Ulceration.
- Paget disease.
- Edema or peau d’orange.
If a palpable lump is found and possesses any of the following features, BC may be present:
- Hardness.
- Irregularity.
- Focal nodularity.
- Fixation to skin or muscle.
Screening modalities for BC:
- BSE.
- Clinical exam.
- Mammography.
- U/S.
- MRI.
U/S + MRI are more sensitive than mammo for …?
INVASIVE Ca in NON FATTY BREASTS.
Bx:
Core Bx with image guidance is the recommended diagnostic approach for newly diagnosed BC.
*Can eliminate need for additional surgeries.
Management - General:
- Surgery + RT, along with adjuvant hormone or chemo when indicated = Primary Tx.
- Surgery = lumpectomy or total mastectomy.
- RT may follow surgery in an effort to eradicate residual disease while reducing recurrence rates.
2 General approaches for delivering RT:
- External-beam radiotherapy (EBRT).
2. Partial-breast irradiation (PBI).
Standard Tx for DCIS:
Surgery +/- RT.
Pharmacologic agents in management:
Hormone therapy + Chemotherapy are the 2 main interventions for treating METASTATIC breast cancer.
Common chemo regimens include:
- Docetaxel.
- Cyclophos.
- Doxorubicin.
- Carboplatin.
- MTX.
- Trastuzumab.
2 SERMS are approved for REDUCTION OF BC RISK IN HIGH-RISK WOMEN:
- Tamoxifen.
2. Raloxifene.
In pts receiving adjuvant AI for BC who are at high risk of fracture, what do we give?
- Denosumab.
- Biphosphonates = Zolendronic acid, pamidronate.
+ Along with Ca + VitD.
Background - The general approach to evaluation of breast cancer has been formalized as TRIPLE ASSESSMENT:
- Clinical exam.
- Imaging (mammo, u/s, both).
- Needle Bx.
Depending on the model of risk reduction, adjuvant therapy has been estimated to be responsible for …?
35-72% of the decrease in mortality.
BC pathophysiology - Etiopathogenesis - Genomic profiling has demonstrated the presence of …?
Discrete breast tumor subtypes with distinct natural histories and clinical behavior.
==> These generally align with the presence of ER, PR , HER2.
Evidence from the The Cancer Genome Atlas Network (TCGA) confirms the following 4 main breast tumor subtypes, with distinct genetic and epigenetic aberrations:
- Luminal A.
- Luminal B.
- Basal-like.
- Her2(+).
Luminal A:
ER(+) +/- PR(+) + HER2(-).
- MC subtype.
- Less aggressive.
- Low grade.
- Good prognosis.
- Hormone responsive.
- Increasing age.
Luminal B:
ER(+) +/- PR(+) + HER2(+).
- Similar to luminal A.
- More frequently ER(+)/PR(-).
- Worst outcome than Luminal A.
Her2(+) (ER-):
- Less common, highly aggressive subtype.
- High grade.
- Risk at young age (<40) greater than luminal subtypes.
- African American may be a risk factor.
- Outcome improved with HER2.
Basal-like:
Triple Negative, cytokeratin 5/6(+), and/or EGFR(+).
- Aggressive subtype.
- High grade.
- High mitotic rate.
- Risk at <40.
- More likely premenopausal African American women.
It is noteworthy that the basal-like BC subgroup shares a number of molecular characteristics common to …?
Serous ovarian tumors, including the types + frequencies of genomic mutations.
**These data support the evidence that some breast cancer share etiologic factors with ovarian cancer.
**Most compelling are the data showing that pts with basal-type breast cancers show Tx responsiveness similar to that of ovarian cancer pts!
Various types of BC by percentage of cases:
- IDC, tendency to metastasize via lymphatics. (75% of cases)
- Over the past 25y, the LCIS incidence has DOUBLED (currently 2.8/100.000). Peak is 40-50y.
- ILC (<15% of inv BC).
- Medullary BC 5% of cases, generally younger women.
- Mucinous (colloid) BC seen in <5% of inv BC cases.
- Tubular BC (1-2%).
- Papillary BC (>60, 1-2%).
- Metaplastic BC (<1%, 6th DECADE, high in blacks).
- Mammary Paget disease (1-4%), 6th DECADE (mean age 57y).
Etiology - Age:
- Sporadic BC <40 is uncommon.
- SEER data ==> Incidence <50 = 44/100.000. Incidence >50 = 345/100.000.
- Bimodal ==> First peak at 50. 2nd peak at 70.
**May reflect the influence of age within the different tumor subtypes; poorly diff, high grade EARLIER, hormone-sensitive, slower-growing tumors LATER.
Etiology - Family Hx of breast cancer:
(+) FHx = the most widely recognized risk factor for BC.
- Lifetime risk is up to 4x if a mother/sister are affected.
- Up to 5x if 2 or more 1o relatives are affected.
- Also greater risk if 1o relative was diagnosed <50y.
* despite FHx, many of these families have normal genetic testing results.
Etiology - A FHx of ovarian cancer:
In a 1o relative, especially if the disease occurred at an early age (<50y) ==> 2x the risk.
*often reflects inheritance of a pathogenic mutation in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene.
The FHx characteristics that suggest increased risk of cancer:
- 2 or more relatives with breast OR ovarian cancer.
- BC occurring in an affected relative younger than 50y.
- Relatives with both BC + Ovarian Cancer.
- 1 or more relatives with 2 cancers (BC and OC or 2 independent cancers).
- Male BC.
- BRCA1/BRCA2.
- Ataxia telangiectasia heterozygotes (4x).
- Ashkenazi Jews (2x).
A small percentage of pts, usually with a strong FHx of other cancers, have cancer syndromes:
- PTEN.
- TP53.
- MLH1, MLH2.
- CDH1.
- STK11.
To aid in the identification of mutation carriers of BRCA1/2, a number of FHx-based risk assessment tools have been developed for clinical use, including the following:
- BRCAPRO.
- Couch.
- Myriad I and II.
- Ontario Family History Assessment Tool (FHAT).
- Manchester.
**All of these assessment tools are highly predictive of carrier status and aid in reducing testing costs for the majority of mutation negative families.
BRCAPRO:
Most commonly used model, identifies approx 50% of mutation negative families, avoiding unnecessary genetic testing, and fails to screen only about 10% of mutation carriers.
Notably, a significant portion of ovarian cancers NOT previously considered familiar can be attributed to BRCA1/2 mutations. This has led to the suggestion that …?
Women with nonmucinous invasive ovarian cancers may benefit from genetic testing to determine mutation status independent of a strong history or no history of BC.
Etiology - Reproductive factors and steroid hormones:
- Late age at pregnancy.
- Nulliparity.
- Early onset of menses.
- Late age of menopause.
*prolonged exposure to elevated levels of sex hormones has long been postulated as a risk factor for developing BC.
A number of epidemiologic and pooled studies support an elevated risk of breast cancer among women with high …?
ESTRADIOL LEVELS.
The Endogenous Hormones and Breast Cancer Collaborative Group (EHBCG) reported a RR of 2.58 among women in the TOP QUINTILE of E2 levels.
Upon thorough review of the collective data, the Breast Cancer Prevention Collaborative Group (BCPCG) prioritized additional factors that might be included in the validation phase of a risk prediction model and gave high priority score to …?
Free plasma E2 levels.