Over the past few months, regular care has been postponed where possible in order to increase the healthcare capacity for COVID-19 patients. The pressure imposed on the healthcare system by the new coronavirus has led to the need for the prioritising of breast cancer care. Several professional scientific and medical organisations have published proposals to prioritise oncological care. Due to the poor prognosis, care for patients with progressive disease during neoadjuvant systemic therapy and a triple negative, may not be postponed. In certain groups of patients, including those with ductal carcinoma in situ or an endocrine sensitive tumour, treatment may be postponed or modified, although with certain reservations.At the initiative of the NationaalBorstkankerOverleg Nederland, prospective data are currently being collected in order to gain more insight into the impact of COVID-19 on breast cancer care.

Background: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) is increasingly used in patients with operable disease due to the potential of converting patients requiring mastectomy to breast conserving surgery (BCS) or lowering resection volumes to improve cosmetic outcome. This nationwide retrospective study aims to determine margin status and specimen volume in patients with invasive breast cancer who underwent BCS after NACT.Methods: All patients who underwent BCS in 2012-2013 for invasive breast cancer were selected from a nationwide network and registry of histology and cytopathology in the Netherlands (PALGA).Results: Of the 9901 patients, 626 (6.3%) received NACT. After primary surgery 949 (10.2%) patients had tumour-involved margins compared to 152 (24.3%) after NACT. Close margins (<= 1 mm) were seen in another 111 (17.7%) patients after NACT. The adjusted odds ratio for involved margins after NACT was 2.94, meaning a three times higher risk of involved margins compared with primary surgery. In patients with lobular carcinoma (54.9%) and no response to NACT (42.1%) higher tumour-involved margins were seen. High resection volumes >60 cc were observed in 224 (36%) patients after NACT of which 37 (16.5%) had tumourinvolved margins and 32 (14.3%) close margins <= 1 mm.Conclusion: The primary goal of the surgeon performing BCS after NACT, to reach tumour-free margins, is not accomplished in one out of four patients. Patients especially at risk are patients with ILC and no pathological tumour response. Excessive resection volumes after NACT do not guarantee tumour-free margins. Further research is necessary to analyze whether we are counterproductive when NACT is given in order to lower resection volumes. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

AIM OF THE STUDY:The current study aims to assess margin status in relation to amount of healthy breast tissue resected in breast-conserving surgery (BCS) on a nationwide scale. METHODS:Using PALGA (a nationwide network and registry of histology and cytopathology in the Netherlands), all patients who underwent BCS for primary invasive carcinoma in 2012-13 were selected (10,058 excerpts). 9276 pathology excerpts were analyzed for a range of criteria including oncological margin status and distance to closest margin, specimen weight/volume, greatest tumor diameter, and with or without localization method. Calculated resection ratios (CRR) were assessed to determine excess healthy breast tissue resection. RESULTS:Margins for invasive carcinoma and in situ carcinoma combined were tumor-involved in 498 (5.4%) and focally involved in 1021 cases (11.0%) of cases. Unsatisfactory resections including (focally) involved margins and margins ≤ 1 mm were reported in 33.8% of patients. The median lumpectomy volume was 46 cc (range 1-807 cc; SD 49.18) and median CRR 2.32 (range 0.10-104.17; SD 3.23), indicating the excision of 2.3 the optimal resection volume. CONCLUSION:The unacceptable rate of tumor-involved margins as well as margins ≤ 1 mm in one third of all patients is also achieved at the expense of healthy breast tissue resection, which may carry the drawback of high rates of cosmetic failure. These data clearly suggest the need for improvement in current breast conserving surgical procedures to decrease tumor-involved margin rates while reducing the amount of healthy breast tissue resected.

Background Breast-conserving surgery currently focuses on improving margin clearance and excision volume, the main pathology report parameters for oncological and cosmetic outcomes.Aim To quantitatively evaluate discrepancies in surgical and pathological estimates of breast specimen sizes, including the influence of formalin fixation.Methods This prospective multicentre study included 68 breast specimens of consecutive patients undergoing breast-conserving surgery for breast cancer in three affiliated hospitals between November 2010 to May 2011. Specimens were weighed immediately after excision. Specimen volumes were calculated from the length, width and height. Actual specimen volumes were measured using volume displacement. Specimens were weighed once again after arrival at the pathology department, and volumes recalculated. The smallest pre- and post-fixation distances to the tumour-free margin were compared.Results The mean surgical specimen weight was 47.7 g and was approximately similar to the actual specimen volume of 49.8 cm(3). The weights of specimens immediately following surgery and on pathological appraisal were equal (p = 0.94). The calculated volumes differed significantly from the actual specimen volumes (p>0.05). The mean distance to the closest tumour-free margin, 0.35 cm, was not altered by formalin fixation (p=0.1).Conclusions No evidence was found to suggest that surgical breast specimens shrink in the period between the surgical procedure and pathological examination, or following formalin fixation. The pathological appraisal of specimen margins and volumes is not affected by changes in specimen size. As calculations of specimen volumes are unreliable, the use of water displacement or the more readily available specimen weight is recommended for accurate volume measurement. Pathologists should be encouraged to always measure and record specimen weight.

Three women, aged 37, 39 and 29 years, presented with unilateral painful swelling of the breast. Ultrasound revealed inflammation with abscess formation. Histological biopsies contained granulomatous tissue without necrosis. Corynebacterium species were cultured in the first two patients. All 3 patients were diagnosed with granulomatous mastitis and were successfully treated with doxycycline. Granulomatous mastitis is a rare disorder that may mimic breast carcinoma. It occurs most frequently in fertile women. Diagnosis is based on histological biopsy which shows granulomas without necrosis, while other causes of granulomatous inflammation, especially tuberculosis, have been excluded. The aetiology is not fully understood. It is hypothesised that the granulomatous mastitis is caused by a type IV allergic reaction. Recently an association with Corynebacterium species was suggested. Best practice treatment methods are unclear. Most patients are treated with surgical intervention and steroids, but the rate of recurrence is high (50%). Treatment with doxycycline must be considered in patients with cultured Corynebacterium species.