Objective: to analyze the results of early-stage breast cancer patients’ treatment using accelerated partial breast irradiation technique after breast-conserving surgery.

Materials and methods. The study enrolled 100 patients with histologically proven breast cancer pT1–2N0–micM0 who were treated in N.N. Blokhin National Medical Research Center of Oncology in 2008–2017. Median age – 65 years, median of follow-up – 36 months. All patients underwent breast-conserving surgical treatment (radical resection), radiation therapy and hormonal therapy if needed. Radiation therapy was performed in accelerated partial breast irradiation technique. All patients corresponded strict selection bias. For proper visualization and accurate delineation of tumor bed 94 % underwent clipping with radiopaque metal clips. All patients were treated with 3D-conformal radiation therapy in 2.5 Gy per fraction twice a day, overall dose 40 Gy (in 16 fractions).

Results. Median follow-up was 36 months. No locoregional recurrences or distant metastases were observed. Excellent and good cosmetic results were observed in 96 % patients.

Conclusions. Accelerated partial breast irradiation in very selected patients after breast-conserving surgery gives excellent clinical results, quite similar with those after whole breast irradiation.

Background. Breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease with a variety of phenotypic forms. Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is one of the most aggressive subtypes characterized by high sensitivity to chemotherapy and early recurrence. Due to the lack of efficiency of standard therapeutic approaches, it appears extremely important to search for new regimens of neoadjuvant polychemotherapy (NAPCT). Objective: to assess the efficiency of different NAPCT regimens for treatment of stages T1N1–3 and T2–4N0–3 locally advanced TNBC and to compare the efficiency of eribulin and paclitaxel in NAPCT of TNBC.

Materials and methods. A randomized prospective study to evaluate the efficacy of TNBC treatment is being conducted in the N.N. Petrov National Medical Research Center of Oncology since October, 2015. The study included 61 patients with a median age of 45 years (range 31–76 years). Study participants were treated with 2 different NAPCT regimens: patients in the 1^st group received eribulin at a dose of 1.1 mg/m² on the days 1 and 8 of a 21-day cycle in combination with carboplatin AUC6, patients in the 2^nd group received paclitaxel at a dose of 80 mg/m² on the days 1 and 8 of a 21-day cycle in combination with carboplatin AUC6. Then all patients underwent surgery in different volume (radical mastectomy, organ-preserving surgery, reconstructive plastic surgery) with subsequent FAC adjuvant chemotherapy.

Results. So far, 61 patients have been randomized (further calculations are based on the number of operated patients: 24 in the 1^st group and 27 in the 2^nd group). During the preoperative stage, complete clinical regression was achieved in 11 patients from the 1^st group and 15 patients from the 2^nd group; partial clinical regression was observed in 13 and 12 patients in groups 1 and 2 respectively. We found that the therapeutic regimen with paclitaxel + carboplatin induced a higher rate of pathologic complete responses (ypCR). After NAPCT, 51 out of 61 patients (84 %) underwent surgical treatment. Pathomorphological examination showed that the frequency of pathologic complete response was 33 % (8 cases) in the 1^st group compared to 60 % (16 cases) in the 2^nd group. Five patients treated with eribulin + carboplatin developed distant metastases in bones, lungs, brain, postoperative scar and lymph nodes in the neck on average 4 months after surgery.

Conclusions. Higher rate of ypCR was observed in patients received paclitaxel + carboplatin.

Low-energy laser radiation has a good anti-inflammatory and stimulating effect on the damaged tissues; therefore, it can be used for the prevention and treatment of both early and late radiation-induced skin injuries in patients receiving radiotherapy. So far, the effect of low-energy laser radiation in the prevention of radiation-induced skin damage remains poorly understood. This article presents a brief overview of the results obtained in the latest foreign studies as well as own experience of laser therapy for the prevention and treatment of both early and late radiation-induced skin injuries in patients with breast cancer after simultaneous reconstructive plastic surgery.

Background. Luminal tumors account for 65 % of all breast cancer (BC) cases; however, within this group, there are multiple subtypes with various clinical and morphological characteristics, disease course and prognosis. Choosing an optimal strategy for adjuvant chemotherapy (ACT) in postmenopausal women with primary operable luminal BC B subtype without overexpression of HER2/neu appears to be the most challenging.

Objective: to evaluate treatment outcomes in postmenopausal women with primary operable luminal BC without overexpression of HER2/neu depending on the ACT used.

Materials and methods. We analyzed treatment outcomes in 190 postmenopausal women with stages T1–2N0–1M0 primary operable luminal BC without overexpression of HER2/neu. Of them, 105 patients had luminal BC A subtype, whereas 50 patients were diagnosed with luminal BC B subtype. All patients underwent radical mastectomy or organ-preserving surgery + external beam radiotherapy + adjuvant hormonal therapy with tamoxifen or aromatase inhibitors; 35 patients with luminal BC B subtype additionally had 6 cycles of FAC ACT.

Results. We observed no significant differences in overall and relapse-free survival (assessed using the Kaplan–Meier method) across the groups during 37 months of follow-up (p >0.05).

Conclusions. Luminal BC B subtype without overexpression of HER2/neu is an extremely heterogeneous group in terms of planning ACT, especially in postmenopausal women. Our results encourage to pay particular attention to finding additional biological characteristics of the tumor, which will ensure more individual approach to treatment of these patients.

The sequential use of several lines of endocrine therapy is considered the standard for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer, expressing estrogen or progesterone receptors. PALOMA-1, -2 and -3 studies showed that the combination of the inhibitor of CDK4/6, palbociclib, with endocrine therapy significantly increases the time to progression compared to the use of monotherapy with antagonists of the estrogen signaling cascade.

Objective: to explore the possibilities of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in the diagnosis of liver metastases in patients with a diagnosis of cervical cancer.

Materials and methods. We analyzed the results of 4 clinical cases, of which 3 cases according CEUS diagnosed with liver metastases, in 1 case – nodular hyperplasia.

Results and conclusions. Despite the small number of observations, we have concluded that the use of CEUS allows to expand possibilities of the ultrasound method in the differential diagnosis of focal changes in the liver.

Objective: to analyze organizational aspects in the work of ultrasound diagnostic services of Kursk city and Kursk region in terms of cancer patients’ primary examination, specialized treatment, follow-up and seeking medical care in private clinics by these patients.

Materials and methods. The study included 245 patients followed-up in the Kursk Regional Clinical Oncology Dispensary during 2012–2015. We analyzed the reports of ultrasound examination (USE) performed by various healthcare institutions at different stages of diagnostics, treatment and follow-up. We also assessed the quality and completeness of USE as well as the frequency of seeking medical assistance at private clinics.

Results and conclusions. We revealed substantial organizational problems in USE of gynecological cancer patients in Kursk region.

Background. The problem of multiple primary malignant tumors has recently become particularly important.

Objective: to identify risk factors for multiple primary malignant tumors of the ovaries among women residing in the Novosibirsk region.

Materials and methods. The study included 31 patients with synchronous multiple primary tumors (SMPT), 42 patients with metachronous multiple primary tumors (MMPT) and 160 patients without malignant tumors in anamnesis. We used medical records of these patients to conduct a comparative analysis.

Results and conclusions. Patients with multiple primary malignant tumors (both SMPT and MMPT) were more often engaged in mental work (ꭓ² = 8.029, р = 0.012), had family history of cancer (ꭓ² = 10.581, р = 0.001), shorter menstrual cycle (F = 21.082, р = 0.00002) and larger number of abortions (Н = 11.219, р = 0.004) than patients without malignant tumors. Patients with SMPT were more likely to be obese (ꭓ² = 10.679, p = 0.005), had prolonged menstrual bleeding (F = 3.783, p = 0.024), later menopause (H = 9.832, p = 0.007) and a long reproductive period (H = 8.908, p = 0.012).

Implementation of breast cancer screening using digital mammography improved the diagnosis of primary proliferative regressive structural changes in the breast, manifested as diffuse or diffusely-nodal deformations of tissues. Currently, women are significantly more likely to seek medical consultation for damages of the breast that could not be evaluated earlier. This requires the development of special tactics for their treatment and follow-up. Nowadays, searching for prognostic markers and choosing adequate therapy for nodular and diffuse mastopathy are among the most discussed issues in mammology, because up to 25 % of all breast cancer cases are diagnosed during the in situ phase. In this article we try to reassess the problem of dyshormonal changes in the breast and develop an optimal approach to their treatment.