I wrote an article a while back called “What Your Core Needle Biopsy Diagnosis Means” to help patients understand why sometimes even a “benign” diagnosis may require a surgical excision. While writing that article, I spoke to many of my colleagues in breast pathology and breast imaging and found out that there is a marked [...]
In the current issue of Cancer (April 1), there is a an interesting news article summarizing the findings of the 3rd International Consensus Conference on Image-Detected Breast Cancer. The expert panel suggests that in up to 35% of cases, patients are undergoing unnecessary open surgical biopsies as a first diagnostic procedure when core needle biopsy [...]
In the online “early view” section of the journal Cancer there is a new research article proposing that using three currently-used immunohistochemical breast markers in a group of patients who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy, doctors can sub-type cancers similar to those described by molecular profiling. They also suggest these sub-types are associated with different responses to treatment and overall survival. [...]
There is controversy in the breast health care community about using the term “carcinoma” for a non-invasive tumor (DCIS or LCIS). I want to share with you the abstract from the NIH State-of-the-Science Conference Statement on Ductal Carcinoma in Situ which was just published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. There is a [...]
The newest edition of the AJCC’s Staging Manual is out and there are some changes to breast cancer staging which took effect January 1, 2010. Several updates in the new edition I felt were good include:
- Moving T0/T1 tumors with only micrometases in the axillary nodes to stage IB from the IIA category.
- Re-affirming the [...]
This past October I was at the XXVII Brazilian Society of Pathology meeting in Buzios, Brazil where I was invited to give a few lectures on breast pathology. I gave one lecture on the traditional grading of breast cancer vs. the new molecular tests that are available. The audience response made me think more on [...]
In the January 1, 2010 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology, a study was released which confirms the belief that tubular carcinomas of the breast have a more favorable prognosis than typical Grade I invasive carcinomas, NST.
I’ve reported before on invasive carcinomas which have been associated with a more favorable prognosis. Tubular carcinoma is [...]
Here is a summary by a special panel of the American Society of Breast Disease on the importance of multidisciplinary breast care which addresses gaps in our current process of trying to obtain optimal breast health care for patients.
As a disclaimer, I am a member of the American Society of Breast Disease, but I was not [...]
I hope you read this article on the importance of having a breast pathologist read your biopsy. I have posted this before, but it’s such an important “white paper” report from Komen that I think it deserves more discussion.
When confronted with a breast health issue, many patients seek out a particular breast center or a [...]
I’ve written before about the controversy over lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) and whether it is just a marker of increased risk or possibly a precursor to invasive carcinoma, like ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). The reason it was felt to be just a marker of increased risk was that most early studies showed that [...]
