IntroductionEpidemiological studies have shown that some hormonal contraceptive methods are associated with increased breast cancer risk, especially if used over long periods. Our objective was to conduct a systematic review and meta‐analysis of the literature on the risk of breast cancer development in women using the 52‐mg levonorgestrel‐releasing intrauterine system (LNG‐IUS).Material and methodsWe performed a thorough review of peer‐reviewed publications from 10 January 1999, through 31 July 2019, using combinations of search terms for breast cancer risk and LNG‐IUS in the Medline, EMBASE, LILACS (Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature), and Scielo databases. This review was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42017059076). Studies reporting breast cancer risk estimates among healthy users of LNG‐IUS were included according to the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐analysis) criteria. Two authors performed data extraction, and a third author resolved disagreements. The quality of evidence was evaluated using the Downs and Black instrument. A funnel plot was generated, and a linear regression test of funnel plot asymmetry was used to assess publication bias. Finally, we performed a random‐effects model (owing to high study heterogeneity) meta‐analysis of seven suitable studies, stratified by the age distribution of patients (<50 years, ≥50 years, and mixed).ResultsWe identified 96 studies and manually cross‐referenced and excluded duplicate articles. Seventy articles were excluded on the basis of the inclusion and exclusion criteria, resulting in the assessment of 26 full‐text articles. Eight articles were considered adequate for inclusion in this systematic review, and seven studies were included in the meta‐analysis. Three publications were case‐control studies and five were cohort studies. According to the Downs and Black instrument, 5 studies were rated as “good” and 3 studies were deemed “fair”. Our meta‐analysis results indicated increased breast cancer risk in LNG‐IUS users: for all women, odds ratio (OR) = 1.16 (95% CI 1.06‐1.28, I2 = 78%, P < .01); for women aged <50 years, OR = 1.12 (95% CI 1.02‐1.22, I2 = 66%, P = .02); and for women aged ≥50 years, OR = 1.52 (95% CI 1.34‐1.72, I2 = 0%, P = .84).ConclusionsCurrent evidence suggests that LNG‐IUS users have an increased breast cancer risk regardless of age and indication. The effect of LNG‐IUS on breast cancer risk seems to be larger in older users. However, our systematic review detected methodological issues across the available studies, and confounding factors may be responsible for at least a fraction of the risk effects associated with LNG‐IUS use. Nevertheless, users of LNG‐IUS should be aware of these trends. We believe that caution is needed, and risks should be balanced against proven health benefits (eg effective treatment of heavy menstrual bleeding and avoidance of surgical interventions), when prescribing LNG‐IUS for long periods of use, especially in women with other known breast cancer risk factors such as old age, obesity, and familial predisposition.

BackgroundAxillary reverse mapping (ARM) is a new technique developed with the aim of reducing lymphedema rates by preserving lymphatic drainage of the upper limbs during sentinel lymph node biopsy and axillary lymph node dissection (ALND). However, it is unclear whether preservation of these lymph nodes affects oncological risk. The present study evaluated the presence of metastases in ARM nodes.MethodsA total of 45 patients underwent ARM during ALND. Blue dye was used for ARM nodes localization. All axillary lymph nodes, including ARM nodes, were removed and sent separately for pathological evaluation of metastases.ResultsARM identification was achieved in 40/45 patients (88.9 %). The average number of removed ARM nodes was 1.9. ARM nodes metastasis occurred in 10 of 40 patients (25 %). Patients with an axilla extensively affected by cancer had an elevated risk of metastasis to the arm’s lymph nodes (p < 0.001).ConclusionsThe rate of arm lymph nodes compromised by metastases calls into question the viability of the ARM technique. Larger studies may point to particular patient profiles for which ARM can be safely use.

Gastrointestinal metastases from breast cancer are rare and generally occur several years after the diagnosis of the primary lesion. The diagnosis of gastric metastasis as the initial presentation of breast cancer is even rarer and can potentially mimic gastric carcinoma. We report the case of a 66-year-old female patient submitted to a total gastrectomy because of the histological diagnosis of undifferentiated gastric carcinoma. During the surgical procedure, biopsies of the peritoneum and the liver were performed, which were consistent with metastatic breast invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC). The primary lesion of the breast was detected during the post-operative period, when a 4-cm-long lesion was detected on physical examination and mammography. The revision of the gastric biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of ILC. The authors call attention to the rarity of gastrointestinal metastases as the initial presentation of breast ILC.

Background and Objectives Marking positive lymph nodes (LNs) before neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) may improve the accuracy of sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB). The aim of this study was to determine the feasibility of marking LNs with 4% carbon microparticle suspension (CMS) before NAC and to evaluate if this technique would improve the SLNB identification rate. Methods A prospective study of patients with cT1‐T4, cN1‐N2 breast cancer who underwent US‐guided fine‐needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) of suspected LNs and concomitant marking with 4% CMS was performed. After NAC, LNs marked with 4% CMS and those marked with Patent Blue V dye (PBV) were identified and resected. Results Of the 123 patients included, 74 (60.1%) had positive LNs at FNAB. During axillary surgery, 4% CMS was identified in 121 of 123 patients (98.3%) and blue sentinel LNs in 91% (112 of 123 patients) (P = .0103). Comparing isolated results of PBV and 4%CMS + PBV, the association was better in identifying positive LNs (72.2% vs 97.7%) (P = .02). Conclusion The association of 4% CMS and PBV is feasible and significantly increased the identification rate of positive LNs. 4% CMS may play an important role as a complementary technique in patients submitted to NAC.

The molecular classification of early-stage breast cancer using immunohistochemistry may help predicting the probability of developing axillary lymph node metastasis. Further studies are needed to optimize predictions for nodal involvement, with the aim of aiding the decision-making process for breast cancer treatment.

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Introduction Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) is the standard treatment for locally advanced breast cancer. However, some tumors will not respond to this treatment due to histological and molecular features. The protein EZH2 (enhancer of zest homolog 2) is a histone methyltransferase that is correlated with poorly differentiated breast carcinomas and aggressive tumor behavior. Purpose The present study evaluated the association between EZH2 expression and response to NAC, and its correlation with HER2 overexpression, estrogen and progesterone receptors (ER, PR) and Ki-67 proliferation index. Methods A total of 60 patients with locally advanced breast cancer treated with NAC were selected for this study. Twenty-three paraffin blocks had not enough material for tissue resection, and were not evaluated. A tissue microarray based in immunohistochemistry (IHC) analysis of EZH2 was performed for the remaining 37 specimens. Patients were divided into two groups based on response to NAC. Results EZH2 expression was significantly associated with markers of poor prognosis such as ER negativity (p = 0.001), PR negativity (p = 0.042) and high Ki-67 proliferation index (p = 0.002). High EZH2 expression was not correlated with the response to NAC. Conclusions Our data suggested that EZH2 protein expression may not correlate with the clinical response to NAC. Other studies with more patients are needed to confirm this observation.