BCC 2021 | Breast cancer surveillance in PTEN hamartoma tumor syndrome

Alma Hoxhaj, MD, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, Netherlands, shares the findings of a retrospective study of breast cancer surveillance in women with PTEN hamartoma tumor syndrome (PHTS), assessing the frequency, imaging features and pathology of breast lesions in women with PHTS. 64 patients were included in the study. 30.2% were diagnosed with breast cancer during the mean 5.8 years of follow-up. Owing to the difficulty in diagnosing PTEN mutations, most women were diagnosed with a tumor before their PHTS diagnosis and surveillance onset. The study provides evidence of the insights and harms of breast cancer surveillance in these patients, revealing the diagnostic benefits of MRI and issues with the biopsy of benign findings. This interview took place during the 17th St. Gallen International Breast Cancer Conference.