Background: Breast pain is one of the leading complaints that ends up with referral to breast surgery clinics. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the factors that cause mastalgia, and its relation with benign or malignant breast disease. Methods: The study was performed in 700 patients. Data obtained from surveys, and imaging findings were prospectively recorded, and analyzed. Results: The mean age was 45.20 ± 10.78 years. The mastalgia group included 500 cases; the asymptomatic group comprised 200 individuals. Stressful lifestyle, caffeine consumption, and smoking were associated with mastalgia (p < 0.05). Rates of women who had breast fed 3 times or more were higher in the mastalgia group (p < 0.05). Increased breast density, and breast imaging-reporting and data system (BI-RADS) 2 mammography findings were related with mastalgia (p < 0.05). Cysts and fibroadenomas were more common in the mastalgia group (p < 0.05). The incidence of a past history of malignant breast disease was significantly higher in the mastalgia group (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Stress, caffeine, smoking, lactation frequency, and benign disorders were factors detected to be related with mastalgia. Although a significant relation between mastalgia and malignant breast disease was detected in our study, more controlled studies are still required to investigate this issue further.

OBJECTIVE:The present study evaluated effects of incidental parathyroidectomy, surgical technique, and presence of thyroiditis or hyperthyroidism on occurrence of postoperative persistent or transient hypocalcemia.METHODS:Patients who underwent thyroidectomy at İstanbul Medeniyet University between 2013 and 2015 were included in the study. Patient information, postoperative serum calcium levels, and pathology reports were investigated retrospectively. Group 1 was made up of patients who were found to have hypocalcemia (calcium ≤8.5 mg/dL) according to postoperative serum level and normocalcemic patients were placed in Group 2. Groups were compared statistically in terms of rate of incidental parathyroidectomy, surgical technique, and presence of thyroiditis or hyperthyroidism.RESULTS:Mean age was 49.8±12.8 years (range: 20-88). A total of 417 patients were included in the study, 74 (17.7%) were male and 343 (82.3%) were female. Group 1 consisted of 205 (49.2%) patients who had hypocalcemia according to postoperative serum level, and remaining 212 (50.8%) patients were placed in Group 2. In Group 1, 38 (18.5%) patients had incidental parathyroidectomy, and with only 18 (8.5%) patients in Group 2, a statistically significant relationship was found between incidental parathyroidectomy and hypocalcemia (p=0.003). There was no statistically significant difference in terms of presence of thyroiditis or hyperthyroidism between groups. There was statistically significant decrease in postoperative hypocalcemia rate in patients with lobectomy compared to patients with bilateral total thyroidectomy or central neck dissection (p<0.01).CONCLUSION:Risk of postoperative hypocalcemia may be reduced with lobectomy for selected patients. In addition, delicate dissection during thyroidectomy is important in order to protect parathyroid glands and prevent hypocalcemia.

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OBJECTIVES: We aimed to analyze the factors that affect the axillary lymph node involvement in Turkish breast cancer patients with clinically non-palpable axillary lymph node. BACKGROUND: Sentinel lymph node biopsy is the gold standard technique to evaluate the axillary lymph node status that directly infl uences the prognosis and the treatment options in breast cancer. METHODS: Breast cancer patients without axillary lymph node involvement in clinic examination were enrolled the study. Patients were categorized into the two groups according to existence of axillary lymph node metastasis or not. Demographic, histopathological and clinical data of patients were revealed retrospectively. RESULTS: One-hundred and eighty-seven patients were analyzed and 101 of patients fulfi lled the criteria and were included the study. Metastatic lymph node was detected in 38 (37.6 %) patients (Group 1), and was negative in 63 (62.4 %) patients (Group 2). Sentinel lymph node metastasis were statistically signifi cant higher in patients with Ki-67 ≥ 14 % than patients with Ki-67 < 14 % (51.9 % vs 22.4 %; p < 0.01). Likewise, the mean size of the sentinel lymph node was statistically signifi cant higher in Group 1 compared to Group 2 (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Ki-67 proliferation index and sentinel lymph node size may provide a higher prediction about the sentinel lymph node involvement in patients with clinically negative axillary lymph nodes (Tab.

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