The Breast : official journal of the European Society of Mastology
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Paget's disease of the breast is characterized by eczematous changes of the nipple-areolar complex and is associated with an underlying in situ or invasive breast carcinoma in most cases. Histologically, Paget's disease is identified by epithelial cells with abundant basophilic or amphophilic, finely granular cytoplasm with a large, centrally situated nucleus, most abundant in the lower epidermal layers. Due to the rarity of the condition among breast cancers, compounded by the rarity of breast cancer in men, understanding of the disease's presentation, course, and optimal treatment in men is largely derived from case reports and extrapolation of findings from studies in female patients. ⋯ This article provides an update on cases of Paget's disease of the breast in men reported in the published literature together with a comprehensive analysis of the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Data, 1973-2012. Current understanding and management of the disease in the context of male patients is reviewed. However, additional research is required to further understand the overall pathogenesis and molecular profile of Paget's disease to provide improved insight for personalized, precision-based therapeutic options.
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Paget's disease of the breast is characterized by eczematous changes of the nipple-areolar complex and is associated with an underlying in situ or invasive breast carcinoma in most cases. Histologically, Paget's disease is identified by epithelial cells with abundant basophilic or amphophilic, finely granular cytoplasm with a large, centrally situated nucleus, most abundant in the lower epidermal layers. Due to the rarity of the condition among breast cancers, compounded by the rarity of breast cancer in men, understanding of the disease's presentation, course, and optimal treatment in men is largely derived from case reports and extrapolation of findings from studies in female patients. ⋯ This article provides an update on cases of Paget's disease of the breast in men reported in the published literature together with a comprehensive analysis of the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Data, 1973-2012. Current understanding and management of the disease in the context of male patients is reviewed. However, additional research is required to further understand the overall pathogenesis and molecular profile of Paget's disease to provide improved insight for personalized, precision-based therapeutic options.
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Tamoxifen (TAM) and aromatase inhibitors (AI) are adjuvant therapy options for postmenopausal women with estrogen receptor positive (ER+) breast cancer. This systematic review of seven randomized controlled studies comparing TAM and AI, and one study comparing extended therapy with an AI with placebo after about 5 years of tamoxifen, aims to assess long-term clinical efficacy and adverse events. The literature review was performed according to the principles of the Cochrane Collaboration. ⋯ AIs are superior to TAM as adjuvant hormonal therapy for postmenopausal ER-positive breast cancer. TAM can be considered for individual patients due to the different toxicity profile compared with AI. Cardiovascular events related to AI treatment deserve further attention.
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Tamoxifen (TAM) and aromatase inhibitors (AI) are adjuvant therapy options for postmenopausal women with estrogen receptor positive (ER+) breast cancer. This systematic review of seven randomized controlled studies comparing TAM and AI, and one study comparing extended therapy with an AI with placebo after about 5 years of tamoxifen, aims to assess long-term clinical efficacy and adverse events. The literature review was performed according to the principles of the Cochrane Collaboration. ⋯ AIs are superior to TAM as adjuvant hormonal therapy for postmenopausal ER-positive breast cancer. TAM can be considered for individual patients due to the different toxicity profile compared with AI. Cardiovascular events related to AI treatment deserve further attention.
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The introduction of trastuzumab as adjuvant treatment for patients with HER2-positive breast cancer changed the natural course of early-stage disease. Currently, one year of trastuzumab given concurrently with a taxane and following an anthracycline regimen is the preferred standard of care in Europe. The first attempt to escalate this approach, though the implementation of dual HER2 blockade with lapatinib added to trastuzumab, as assessed by the ALTTO trial, failed to improve further clinical outcomes; clinical assessment of the adjuvant trastuzumab/pertuzumab regimen is still ongoing in the APHINITY trial. ⋯ Despite the clear association of pCR achieved through neoadjuvant trastuzumab-based chemotherapy with clinical outcome, results from neoadjuvant trials have not been always consistent with what was seen in the adjuvant setting. Similarly, inconsistent results have been reported for the predictive ability of alterations affecting the PI3K signaling pathway or the quantification of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes. In the era of personalized oncology, rigorous translational and clinical collaborative efforts are needed to further advance the field of treatment of patients with HER2-positive breast cancer.