Impact of adjuvant systemic chemotherapy on wound healing and cosmetic outcome in 224 women treated with accelerated partial breast irradiation using interstitial brachytherapy

The use of closed incision negative pressure therapy for incision and surrounding soft tissue management: Expert panel consensus recommendations

As the use of closed incision negative pressure therapy (ciNPT) becomes more widespread, dressing designs have evolved to address implementation challenges and meet surgeon demand. While traditional application of ciNPT was limited to the immediate suture line, a novel dressing that covers the incision and additional surrounding tissues has become available. To expand upon previous ciNPT recommendations and provide guidance on this new dressing, an expert panel of plastic surgeons convened to review the current literature, identify challenges to the implementation and sustainability of ciNPT, and use a modified Delphi technique to form a consensus on the appropriate use of ciNPT with full‐coverage dressings. After three rounds of collecting expert opinion via the Delphi method, consensus was reached if 80% of the panel agreed upon a statement. This manuscript establishes 10 consensus statements regarding when ciNPT with full‐coverage foam dressings should be considered or recommended in the presence of patient or incision risk factors, effective therapeutic settings and duration, precautions for use, and tools and techniques to support application. The panel also discussed areas of interest for future study of ciNPT with full‐coverage dressings. High‐quality, controlled studies are needed to expand the understanding of the benefits of ciNPT over the incision and surrounding tissues.

A comparison of long-term clinical outcomes of accelerated partial breast irradiation using interstitial brachytherapy as per GEC-ESTRO, ASTRO, updated ASTRO, and ABS guidelines

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study is to evaluate long-term clinical outcomes of women treated with accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) using multicatheter interstitial brachytherapy (MIB-APBI) with risk groups defined by Groupe Européen de Curie-thérapie and the European Society for Radiotherapy & Oncology (GEC-ESTRO), American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO), updated ASTRO, and American Brachytherapy Society (ABS) guidelines and to elucidate the most appropriate guideline that could differentiate outcomes among its risk groups.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

Two hundred forty women underwent MIB-APBI during July 2000 to March 2013. Comparisons of long-term clinical outcomes (local control [LC], disease-free survival [DFS], cause-specific survival [CSS], and overall survival [OAS]) stratified by the risk groups proposed by the aforementioned patient selection guidelines were carried out on a prospectively maintained database.

RESULTS

At a median follow-up of 114 months, 10-year LC, DFS, and OAS were 90%, 81%, and 83.5%, respectively, for the entire group. There was no statistically significant difference in the LC rates for risk groups by ESTRO, ASTRO, updated ASTRO and ABS guidelines. The 10-year DFS and OAS for GEC-ESTRO low-, intermediate-, and high-risk group was 75%, 88%, and 60% (p = 0.02) and 86%, 93%, and 62% (p = 0.001), respectively. Ten-year DFS and OAS in the ABS 2018-acceptable and ABS 2018-unacceptable group were 78% and 67% (p = 0.01) and 88% and 69% (p = 0.001), respectively. No significant difference in any of the outcomes was observed with risk groups suggested by ASTRO or updated ASTRO consensus guidelines.

CONCLUSIONS

None of the current patient selection guidelines for APBI could differentiate LC (main APBI endpoint) among its risk groups, whereas GEC-ESTRO and ABS guideline could differentiate DFS and OAS.

Breast brachytherapy

Accelerated partial breast irradiation with brachytherapy is a treatment method with a very low risk profile. In fact, accelerated partial breast irradiation brachytherapy has been proven in randomized trials to have fewer late side effects than whole-breast irradiation. Notably, Grade 3 late side effects are extremely rare, and excellent to good cosmetic results are observed in well over 90% of patients. In this article, published side effects of breast brachytherapy are reviewed and appropriate management discussed.

Complex Wound Management Using Negative Pressure Wound Therapy With Instillation and Dwell Time in a Cancer Care Setting

INTRODUCTION

Unresolved wound healing represents a major health care cost with a negative impact on patient quality of life, especially among oncology patients who exhibit a delay in the wound healing cascade due to chemotherapy and radiation. In order to address this problem, the author utilized negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) with instillation and dwell time (NPWTi-d) to cleanse wounds of debris and help promote healing.

OBJECTIVE

The author examines the impact of NPWTi-d on multiple indicators of wound healing progress in 6 cancer patients with complex wounds and multiple comorbidities.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The NPWTi-d was initiated with instillation of normal saline or 0.125% hypochlorite solution, which was allowed to dwell for 3 to 20 minutes, followed by 2 to 3.5 hours of -125 mm Hg continuous negative pressure. Dressing changes were performed every 2 to 3 days. Debridements, incision and drainage, and antibiotics were administered as necessary.

RESULTS

A total of 1 woman and 5 men (average age, 62 years; range, 53-78 years) presented with the following wounds: surgical dehiscence (n = 3), pressure injury (n = 1), chronic seroma (n = 1), and abdominal wall abscess (n = 1). Malignancy was not detectable in any wounds. Patient comorbidities included diabetes, hypertension, and past treatment for cancers. The NPWTi-d was applied for 1 to 2 weeks, after which the wounds exhibited a reduction in slough, an improvement in granulation tissue, and a decrease in wound volume. Wounds were closed with a flap or transitioned to conventional NPWT prior to discharge home or to a rehabilitation facility for outpatient recovery.

CONCLUSIONS

As shown in this case series, NPWTi-d was a beneficial tool for cleansing the wound bed, thus creating a moist, closed wound environment conducive to healing. Using NPWTi-d supported the formation of a healthy wound bed and contributed to rapid, positive outcomes in this patient population.

A prospective comparison of subjective and objective assessments of cosmetic outcomes following breast brachytherapy

Purpose

We evaluated agreement between subjective and objective methods of cosmesis scoring in an accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) cohort.

Material and methods

Consecutive women treated with APBI using interstitial brachytherapy reported for clinical follow-up every 6 months. Single cross-sectional assessment of the breast cosmesis was done by a radiation oncologist (subjective method) using Harvard scale and by photographic assessment using BCCT.core (Breast Cancer Conservative Treatment. Cosmetic results, version 3.1) software (objective method) at 18-36 months post-APBI. The agreement between subjective and objective methods for the overall score as well as individual subjective/objective subdomains was computed using kappa statistics. ANOVA was used to test the correlation between objective indices and subjective subdomains.

Results

The agreement between the subjective (physician) and objective assessment was good with a kappa of 0.673. Overall, 77 (98.7%) patients were satisfied with the overall outcomes of breast conservation therapy. The kappa agreement between physician and patient scoring was 0.457 (95% CI: 0.240-0.674). Among the subjective subdomains, location of the nipple areola complex (NAC) had good agreement with both the overall subjective and objective score, with the kappa of 0.778 and 0.547, respectively. In the objective indices, BCE (breast compliance evaluation), LBC (lower breast contour), and UNR (unilateral nipple retraction) correlated significantly with the subjective subdomains: location of the NAC, breast size, and shape (p < 0.05 for all indices).

Conclusions

Good agreement exists for overall cosmetic outcomes measured by subjective and objective methods. Location of the NAC, breast size and shape are the most important parameters determining cosmetic outcomes irrespective of the method of assessment.