Patient satisfaction with cosmetic outcome and the psychological impact of breast cancer surgery were evaluated. A total of 207 patients with primary breast cancer, treated with either breast-conserving surgery (n = 83), modified radical mastectomy without reconstruction (n = 108), or mastectomy with delayed breast reconstruction (n = 16) rated their cosmetic outcome and satisfaction following surgery, and the impact of surgery on their self-esteem and sexual life, by questionnaire. Patients undergoing breast-conserving surgery were most satisfied with their surgery and body image, followed by those treated with mastectomy with delayed reconstruction. Although diagnosis of breast cancer had a negative impact on the psychology of all patients, those undergoing breast-conserving surgery or mastectomy with delayed reconstruction were more satisfied and reported a lower impact on their self-esteem and sexual life versus those who only had mastectomy. Diagnosis of breast cancer has a negative psychological impact on the patient, but the type of surgery has a significant role in post-operative self-esteem and sexual life.

Background/Objectives: There is a growing interest in the research of wound healing mechanisms worldwide. Particular attention has been paid to the expression of tissue remodeling- and inflammation-related factors. Herein, we investigate the expression patterns of TGF-β1, IL-6, TNF-a, uPA, uPA receptors, MMP-2, and MMP-9 through the four phases of the normal wound-healing process in humans. Methods: Twenty-two individuals presenting with a first episode of pilonidal sinus underwent surgical excision and the wound was left to heal by secondary intention. Sequential biopsies were collected on day 0 (operation), day 2 (inflammatory phase), day 9 (proliferative phase), and day 14 (tissue remodeling phase). The expression levels of the proteins were evaluated using reverse transcription–quantitative PCR. Statistical analyses were performed using GraphPad Prism software. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) with Dunn’s Multiple Comparison post hoc test was used. Results: The results showed statistically significant differences in the expressions of the factors during wound healing (p < 0.05). TGF-b1 increased on days 2 and 9. TNF-a increased on day 2 and then decreased on day 9. Il-6 was increased on day 2 and decreased on days 9 and 14. uPa mRNA increased up to day 9 but its receptor exhibited high expression throughout the observation time. Finally, MMP-2 mRNA expression increased on day 2 and declined on days 9 and 14, while MMP-9 was highly expressed until the 14th postoperative day. Conclusions: Each factor investigated in this study has an important and distinct role in the normal wound repair procedure. Further investigation is required to evaluate the tissue-specific regulation of these factors and their potential use as therapeutic targets or prognostic biomarkers in wound healing.

Glycogen-rich carcinoma of the breast is a rare histological subtype of breast cancer, usually reported to have poor prognosis.

A growing body of evidence suggests that oncogenesis is associated with systemic inflammation. The present study investigated white blood cell and platelet indices, whose values change during the inflammatory response, in women with invasive ductal breast carcinoma. Preoperatively obtained white blood cell and platelet counts from 53 patients with early breast cancer, who developed systemic metastases over a mean follow-up period of 65 months, were analyzed and compared with those of a matching control group formed of 37 patients with the same characteristics, who remained recurrence-free during the same time period. Patients who developed distant metastasis had a significantly higher mean platelet volume and lower neutrophil count than patients who did not present with distant metastasis. Furthermore, time to distant metastasis development was longer in patients with a lower mean platelet volume, whilst patients with a lower neutrophil count had a shorter systemic disease-free time interval. However, receiver operating characteristic curve analysis demonstrated that these parameters provided moderate accuracy in predicting which patients may develop distant metastasis. No differences were detected between patient groups regarding additional parameters. Patients who developed systemic disease during a mean follow-up period of 65 months were observed to have an increased mean platelet volume and decreased neutrophil count preoperatively. These results indicate that such parameters may be of prognostic value in patients with breast cancer. Studies with a larger number of patients are required to further investigate this hypothesis.