INTRODUCTION:The present analysis aims to evaluate the consequences of a 2-month interruption of mammographic screening on breast cancer (BC) stage at diagnosis and upfront treatments in a region of Northern Italy highly affected by the severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus.METHODS:This retrospective single-institution analysis compared the clinical pathological characteristics of BC diagnosed between May 2020 and July 2020, after a 2-month screening interruption, with BC diagnosed in the same trimester of 2019 when mammographic screening was regularly carried out.RESULTS:The 2-month stop in mammographic screening produced a significant decrease in in situ BC diagnosis (-10.4%) and an increase in node-positive (+11.2%) and stage III BC (+10.3%). A major impact was on the subgroup of patients with BC at high proliferation rates. Among these, the rate of node-positive BC increased by 18.5% and stage III by 11.4%. In the subgroup of patients with low proliferation rates, a 9.3% increase in stage III tumors was observed, although node-positive tumors remained stable. Despite screening interruption, procedures to establish a definitive diagnosis and treatment start were subsequently carried out without delay.CONCLUSION:Our data showed an increase in node-positive and stage III BC after a 2-month stop in BC screening. These findings support recommendations for a quick restoration of BC screening at full capacity, with adequate prioritization strategies to mitigate harm and meet infection prevention requirements.

Background: Male breast cancer (MBC) accounts for less than 1% of all cancers in men. Several genetic disorders, such as Lynch, Cowden, Klinefelter and Li-Fraumeni syndrome contribute to increase the lifetime risk to develop breast cancer in males.

Background: The optimal time interval between the end of neoadjuvant systemic therapy (NST) and breast surgery is still unclear. It is not known if a delay in surgery might influence the benefit of primary chemotherapy. The aim of this study is to evaluate the relationship between time to surgery (TTS) and survival outcomes.Patients and methods: According to TTS, women with diagnosis of BC treated with NST were divided into two cohorts: group A = 21 days or fewer and group B = longer than 21 days. OS and RFS were estimated and compared according to TTS and known prognostic factors.Results: A total of 319 patients were included in the study: 61 in group A and 258 in group B. Median TTS was 34 days. No association between clinical stage, nuclear grade, type of chemotherapy, type of surgery and TTS was detected. OS and RFS were significantly worse for group B compared with group A, with a hazard ratio of 3.1 (95% CI, 1.1-8.6 p = 0.03) and 3.1 (95% CI, 1.3-7.1 p = 0.008) respectively. Multivariate analysis confirmed that TTS was an independent prognostic factor in term of OS (p = 0.03) and RFS (p = 0.01). Even in the subgroup of patients with pCR, TTS continued to be an independent prognostic factor for both OS and RFS (p = 0.05 and p = 0.03).Conclusions: TTS after NST seems to influence survival outcomes. BC patients underwent surgery within 21 days experienced maximal benefit from previous treatment: this advantage is consistent and maintained over time. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd, BASO similar to The Association for Cancer Surgery, and the European Society of Surgical Oncology. All rights reserved.

BACKGROUND:Risk-reducing mastectomy (RRM) decreases breast cancer (BC) risk in BRCA1/2 mutation carriers by up to 95%, but the Italian attitude towards this procedure is reluctant.PATIENTS AND METHODS:This is an observational study with retrospective design, using quantitative and qualitative research methods, aimed at evaluating the attitude towards RRM by rapid genetic counselling and testing (RGCT), at the time of BC diagnosis, compared with traditional genetic counselling and testing (TGCT), after previous BC surgery. Secondary aims were to investigate patient satisfaction after RRM and the rate of occult tumour in healthy breasts. A total of 1168 patients were evaluated: 1058 received TGCT, whereas 110 underwent RGCT.RESULTS:In TGCT, among 1058 patients, 209 (19.7%) mutation carriers were identified, with the rate of RRM being 4.7% (10 of 209). Conversely in RGCT, among 110 patients, 36 resulted positive, of which, 15 (41.7%) underwent bilateral mastectomy at the BC surgery time, showing an overall good satisfaction, measured by interpretative phenomenological analysis 12 months after the intervention.CONCLUSIONS:Our study shows that RGCT in patients with a hereditary profile is associated with a high rate of RRM at the BC surgery time, this being the pathway offered within a multidisciplinary organization.

1511 Background: The life-time risk to developing breast cancer in BRCA1/2 mutation carriers is 43% and 46%, respectively, whereas the ten years risk of developing a contralateral breast cancer is 25%. The bilateral prophylactic mastectomy (BPM) can reduce the risk of developing a breast cancer in BRCA1/2 mutation carriers up to 95%. Since Italian women show a low acceptability rate of this procedure a rapid genetic testing was developed, aimed to increase the number of BPM. METHODS Since 1995, at the Modena Centre for Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer (Italy), by performing a standard oncogenetic counselling, 1929 mutational analysis have been carried out, identifying 342 (18%) mutation carriers. Among the 342 carriers, 195 are affected by breast and/or ovarian cancer, whereas 147 are healthy people. When a positive result is disclosed, a BPM or a contralateral prophylactic mastectomy is offered, respectively, to healthy people or to patients previously affected by breast cancer. From January 2008, a rapid genetic testing for people with hereditary profile was proposed at the time of breast cancer diagnosis. The entire oncogenetic counselling path is completed within three weeks. So BRCA1/2 carriers have the opportunity to immediately undergo BPM. RESULTS The rate of BPM significantly differs between the conventional genetic counselling and the rapid one. In fact, in the first case only ten healthy women among 147 BRCA1/2 mutation carriers (6.8%) accepted to undergo BPM. In the last case, 71 mutational analyses were performed and 25 (35%) patients were mutated. Among the 25 patients with a positive result, 13 (52%) had a BPM at the surgery time for the breast cancer. CONCLUSIONS Our study shows that a rapid genetic testing in patients with a hereditary profile can significantly improve the rate of BPM at the surgery time for breast cancer. This oncogenetic counselling model was allowed thanks to new automated diagnostics methodologies. Finally it was due to a multidisciplinary organization in which different health professional figures, such as oncologists, psychologists, and surgeons, cooperate within the same unit.

3054 Background: TALL-104 is an irradiated human leukemic T cell line (CD3+, CD4- CD8+, CD56+, CD16-) grown in IL-2- containing medium, that has the ability to kill tumor cells in preclinical models in a MHC unrestricted way. A phase I trial in metastatic breast cancer patients, has shown that multiple i.v. infusions (infs) of TALL-104 cells can be given safely. In order to optimise the tumor:effector cell ratio, we have designed a phase I study of intraperitoneal infs of γ-irradiated TALL-104 cells. Methods: Patients (pts) with peritoneal carcinosis from ovarian or gastrointestinal tumors not responding to at least 2 lines of chemotherapy were eligible for study entry. The treatment included 5 i.p. infs (day 1, 3, 5, 15, 30) and the study aimed to test three cell dose levels: 1 x 108, 5 x 108, 2.5 x 109. End points of the study were: safety, kinetic of TALL-104 cells on ascites (if present) and peripheral blood (PB) by PCR, levels of cytokines (TGF-β, GM-CSF, IL-2, IL-4, IL-10, IFN-γ, TNF-a and -β, HGF, sIL-2R, sICAM-1) on ascites and serum, and cytotoxicity of autologous PB mononuclear cells (MNC) against K562 cells. Results: So far 10 pts have been treated: 6 with GI and 4 with ovarian cancer; 7 patients had ascites. Five pts have been treated at the 1st and 5 pts at the 2nd dose level. No treatment-related adverse events were observed. TALL-104 cells were detected in ascites (100 % of the pts) and PB (43 % of the pts) up to 48 hrs after the infs. Cytotoxicity of MNC showed a mean 5-fold increase at day 3 through 7 and it was still evident at day 30 in both dose levels. Cytokine levels are available for the first 5 pts. In one pt 18-fold increase of TNF-a was observed in ascites after the first infusion with a peak of 40-fold at day 15. sIL-2R and sICAM-1 showed both a mean 1.2-fold and 1.5-fold increase in serum in ascites respectively up to day 45. TGF-β1 level increased in average 3.3-fold in serum and 1.5-fold in ascites during the same observation period. HGF showed a mean 1.2-fold increase both in serum and ascites. Conclusions: These preliminary results show that the i.p. infusion of TALL-104 is safe. Moreover, the increased autologous cell-mediated cytotoxicity and the levels of soluble cytokines after i.p. infs indicate that TALL-104 cells may elicit potential antitumor activity. No significant financial relationships to disclose.

Hiatal hernias are classified into 3 types: sliding hernia (type I), paraesophageal hernia (type II) and mixed hernia (type III), that is a combination of type I and II. The paraesophageal and mixed hernias represent about 5-10% of the surgically treated hiatal hernias. The surgical treatment of the paraesophageal and mixed hernias is unavoidable because of the high risk of severe complications and it has to be considered in a high percentage of cases. The most important technical difficulty in the video-laparoscopic treatment is represented by the hugeness of the hernial defect and by the challenging reduction of the stomach into the abdomen. A cautious dissection of hernial sac and diaphragmatic cruses as well as a careful crural repair make the video-laparoscopic procedure feasible. The operative times are not prolonged and the results are similar to the open technique ones. In literature, the incidence of both intra and postoperative complications doesn't exhibit statistically significant differences between laparoscopic and open techniques. Because of the complexity of the laparoscopic procedure, the minimally invasive access has to be reserved to surgeons who are well trained in those techniques. In this paper we describe 2 cases: one of paraesophageal hernia and the other of mixed hernia which were video-laparoscopically treated with the help, in the second case, of a Gore-Tex mesh. In both cases the technical results were positive. Intra and postoperative complications didn't occur and, one year after the surgical procedure, both patients were in good health and recurrence-free.

La insuficiencia intestinal se define como la pérdida de la autonomía nutricional debido a disfunción intestinal. Su única opción de tratamiento adecuado es la Nutrición Parenteral Total Central. El trasplante de intestino se presenta como una alternativa de tratamiento.Los resultados iniciales del trasplante de intestino evidenciaron una alta incidencia de rechazo, infección y complicaciones técnicas que frenaron el desarrollo de esta técnica, sin embargo con la disminución de los problemas técnicos por la experiencia acumulada y la mejoría de los tratamientos inmunosupresores los resultados mejoraron en forma importante. Si bien en Chile la experiencia es limitada la indicación para su realización existe y aumenta debido al interés creciente por los buenos resultados demostrados a nivel mundial.En este breve artículo se revisan las indicaciones y contraindicaciones del procedimiento, el estudio del receptor y del donante, la técnica de procuramiento y se analizan los resultados actuales y las perspectivas futuras.Intestinal insufficiency is defined as the loss of nutricional autonomy as a result of intestinal malfunction. The only adequate treatment option is Total Central Parenteral Nutrition. Intestinal transplantation is proposed as a treatment alternative.Initial intestinal transplantation results showed a high incidence of rejection, infection and technical complications that stunted the development of this technique. Results have however greatly improved with the enhancement of immunosuppressive therapy and increased experience which has led to a subsequent decrease in technical problems.Even though Chile has limited experience, the demand for intestinal transplantation exists and increases due to a rising interest brought about by the good results presented worldwide.This short article addresses the indications and contraindications of this procedure, receptor and donor studies, the procurement technique and also analyzes current results and future prospects.