No abstract
Introduction. The risk of breast cancer is increased among menopausal women using HRT. Routine screening mammograms may be harder to interpret in HRT users; breast tissue may be denser and breast tenderness may reduce tolerance of adequate breast compression during mammography. Studies have reported lower specificity and sensitivity of screening mammograms in HRT users. Women are sometimes advised empirically to stop their HRT before screening mammography. We wanted to determine whether a short break from HRT would make a worthwhile difference to the quality of mammograms. In designing the study, established HRT users were surveyed. Although most said they were willing to stop HRT before mammography, 70% said they would not stop for more than four weeks. Methods. 48 women aged 48 to 65 were recruited from a menopause clinic. All had been using standard dose combined HRT for at least six months. Following bilateral oblique view mammograms the women stopped their HRT for four weeks and attended for repeat mammography. The paired mammograms were read by two consultant radiologists who were blinded to their timing. Study participants recorded any breast tenderness throughout the study and discomfort associated with each mammogram. Results. There was no significant difference between the densities of baseline and follow-up mammograms. There was no significant difference in reported breast tenderness and discomfort of mammograms before or after stopping HRT. There was no correlation between an individual's breast symptoms and the quality of her mammograms. Conclusions. This short break from HRT did not appear to make any important contribution to the quality of mammography. A longer break from HRT might have a greater effect but women in our clinic population said they would not tolerate a longer break. There is no value in advising women to stop their HRT a short time before screening mammography.Effects of red clover isoflavones (Promensil) versus placebo on uterine endometrium, vaginal maturation index and the uterine artery in healthy postmenopausal women R
No abstract
Background: Microcalcifications (MCs) are tiny deposits of calcium in breast soft tissue. They serve as key diagnostic radiological features for localization of malignancy. Approximately 30% of early invasive breast cancers have fine, granular MCs detectable on mammography; however, their role in breast cancer tumorigenesis is currently unknown. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between mammographic MCs and breast cancer pathology. Methods: A retrospective chart review was performed for 1015 women treated for breast cancer between 2000-2012 at St. Michael's Hospital. Demographic information (age and menopausal status), tumor pathology (size, histology, grade, nodal status and lymphovascular invasion), hormonal status (ER and PR), HER-2 overexpression and presence of MCs were collected for breast cancer patients. Chi-square tests were performed for categorical variables and t-tests were performed for continuous variables. All tests were two-sided and p-values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results: A total of 1015 patient charts were included; 78 (7.7%) patients had metastatic carcinoma and were excluded from analysis. About 38.3% (287/1015) of the patients presented with mammographic MCs. Patients were more likely to have MCs if they were HER-2 positive (52.9%) as opposed to being HER-2 negative (33.8%) (p<0.001). There was a significant association between MCs and having heterogeneous breast density (p = 0.031) and having multifocal disease (p = 0.044). Patients with invasive ductal carcinomas (40.9%) were more likely to present with MCs than were patients with other tumor histology (p = 0.001). There was a positive correlation between MCs and tumor grade (p = 0.057), with grade III tumors presenting with the most MCs (41.3%), followed by grade II (39.8%) and grade I (30.7%). There was no significant association between mean age, mean tumor size, ER and PR status with the presence of MCs. Conclusion: This is the largest study analyzing data over a 12 year period, suggesting that the appearance of MCs on mammograms is strongly associated with HER-2 overexpression, invasive ductal carcinoma, heterogeneous breast density and multifocal breast cancers. Since HER-2 is implicated in mediating aggressive tumor growth and metastasis, future studies should investigate the molecular pathways connecting HER-2 overexpression and MC development. This would help better understand the role of MCs in breast cancer tumorigenesis. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2013;73(24 Suppl): Abstract nr P2-01-05.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.