Ines Buccimazza

Ines Buccimazza
University of KwaZulu-Natal | ukzn · Department of Surgery

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85
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Publications

Publications (85)
Article
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Background. Monitoring quality indicators to improve breast cancer care is well established in high-income countries. This is the first evaluation of diagnostic and surgical quality indicators for initial benchmarking of breast cancer care in South Africa (SA). Objective. To measure the adherence rates to quality indicators among women with breast...
Article
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Background Breast cancer is the most common malignancy diagnosed among women in South Africa, with the aggressive triple-negative subtype comprising approximately 15% of breast cancers in this population. South Africa has the largest population of people with HIV in the world. This study aims to evaluate the association between HIV status and the p...
Article
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Aim The incidence rates of colorectal cancer are rapidly increasing in South Africa. Previous studies have shown that the prevalence of inherited colorectal cancer in South Africa is 3-5 times higher than in high-income countries. Targeted screening and surveillance programmes for individuals with known colorectal cancer-causing mutations have resu...
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The South African Breast Cancer and HIV Outcomes prospective cohort (SABCHO) study was established to investigate survival determinants among HIV-positive and HIV-negative SA women with breast cancer. This paper describes common and unique characteristics of the cancer centres and their participants, examining disparities in pathways to diagnosis,...
Article
6583 Background: Breast cancer (BC) mortality in South Africa (SA) is double that of the United States. The aggressive triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) subtype comprises 20.9% of BC cases among Black women in Southern Africa. SA has the second highest HIV prevalence worldwide, but if and how HIV affects the risk of developing TNBC is not well u...
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Background: Breast conserving therapy (BCT) is the mainstay therapy in patients with early breast cancer and selected patients with locally advanced breast cancer. No formal audit has been performed on BCT at our institution. Objectives: To determine the incidence and risk factors for ipsilateral breast tumour recurrence (IBTR). Study the imagin...
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Introduction: In the South African Breast Cancer and HIV Outcomes (SABCHO) study, we previously found that breast cancer patients living with HIV and treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy achieve lower rates of complete pathologic response than patients without HIV. We now assess the impact of comorbid HIV on receipt of timely and complete neoadju...
Article
Introduction In the South African Breast Cancer and HIV Outcomes (SABCHO) study, early-stage breast cancer patients living with HIV, compared to their HIV-negative counterparts, demonstrated higher overall mortality and lower rates of pathologic complete response if treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy. We aimed to determine if comorbid HIV also i...
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We report a very rare complication from metastatic breast cancer of right-sided blindness and ophthalmoplegia in a 70-year-old female. Cavernous sinus syndrome, superior orbital fissure syndrome and complicated sinusitis were considered in the differential diagnosis but involvement of cranial nerves II, III, IV, VI and the ophthalmic division of V...
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Objective In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), advanced-stage diagnosis of breast cancer (BC) is common, and this contributes to poor survival. Understanding the determinants of the stage at diagnosis will aid in designing interventions to downstage disease and improve survival from BC in LMICs. Methods Within the South African Breast Canc...
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Background Breast cancer survival in South Africa is low, but when diagnosed with breast cancer, many women in South Africa also have other chronic conditions. We investigated the impact of multimorbidity (≥ 2 other chronic conditions) on overall survival among women with breast cancer in South Africa. Methods Between 1 July 2015 and 31 December 2...
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Background: Oncoplastic breast surgery permits tumours traditionally requiring total mastectomy to be excised with acceptable oncological and aesthetic outcomes. The purpose of this study was to evaluate outcomes following oncoplastic breast surgery in the breast unit at Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital in Durban. Methods: This was a retro...
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Background: Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women worldwide with an estimated 2.3 million breast cancer cases diagnosed annually. The outcome of breast cancer management varies widely across the globe which could be due to a multitude of factors. Hence, a blanket approach in standardisation of care across the world is neither practical...
Preprint
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Background Breast cancer survival in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is low, but when diagnosed with breast cancer, many women in SSA also have other chronic conditions. We investigated the impact of multimorbidity (≥ 2 other chronic conditions) on overall survival among women with breast cancer in South Africa. Methods Between July 1, 2015 and December...
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In some countries of sub‐Saharan Africa, the prevalence of HIV exceeds 20%; in South Africa, 20.4% of people are living with HIV. We examined the impact of HIV infection on the overall survival (OS) of women with nonmetastatic breast cancer (BC) enrolled in the South African Breast Cancer and HIV Outcomes (SABCHO) study. We recruited women with new...
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Background In high-income settings, delays from breast cancer (BC) diagnosis to initial treatment worsen overall survival (OS). We examined how time to BC treatment initiation (TTI) impacts OS in South Africa (SA). Methods We evaluated women enrolled in the South African BC and HIV Outcomes study between July 1, 2015 and June 30, 2019, selecting w...
Preprint
Full-text available
Objective In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), advanced stage diagnosis of breast cancer (BC) is common, and this contributes to poor survival. By understanding the determinants of the stage at diagnosis will aid in designing interventions to downstage disease and improve survival from BC in LMICs. Methods Within the South African Breast Ca...
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PURPOSE High-quality histopathology reporting forms the basis for treatment decisions. The quality indicator for pathology reports from the European Society of Breast Cancer Specialists was applied to a cohort from four South African breast units. METHODS The study included 1,850 patients with invasive breast cancer and evaluated 1,850 core biopsi...
Article
Background: There are many barriers to pursuing a surgical career in South Africa, some of which are unique to females. Mentorship has been proposed as a solution to mitigate these barriers. The value of mentorship has not been formally assessed among South African general surgeons and trainees. Methods: The study was part of a larger study desi...
Article
Background: Sustaining a surgical career can be challenging and there are numerous barriers to pursuing a career in surgery. These barriers and challenges are well reported in international literature, but there is a lack of knowledge on how this affects surgeons in South Africa. This study aimed to determine the barriers and challenges that South...
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Background: The current surgical workload assessments in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) are inadequate to inform strategies to improve surgical services. Breast diseases have a well-defined spectrum and surgical treatment options, analysis of which could guide health policy in the field. This project aimed to quantify and analyse the operative workload for b...
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Purpose Advanced breast cancer (BC) at diagnosis is common in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), including among women living with HIV (WLWH). In public hospitals across South Africa (SA), 10–15% of women present with stage IV BC, compared to < 5% in the United States (US); 20% of new BC diagnoses in SA are in WLWH. We evaluated the impact of HIV on overall...
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Knowledge of the genetic landscape of a specific population group is vital for population-specific diagnosis and treatment of familial breast cancer. Although BRCA-related diagnostic testing has long been implemented in South Africa, the genotyping approach previously failed for the SA Indian population as it was based on other SA population groups...
Article
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Background: Fibroadenomas (FAs) usually present in young women and, despite being the commonest benign breast masses, are often excised. This study aimed to assess the results of a conservative management protocol in the setting of dedicated breast clinics to reassess the validity of this conservative approach. Method: A retrospective chart revi...
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6559 Background: Advanced stage at breast cancer (BC) diagnosis is common in sub-Saharan Africa. In public hospitals across South Africa (SA), 10-15% of women present with metastatic BC, compared to <5% in the U.S., and 20% of new BCs are diagnosed in women living with HIV (WLWH). We evaluated the impact of HIV on overall survival (OS) among women...
Article
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PurposeAmong patients diagnosed with breast cancer (BC), women also living with HIV (WLWH) have worse survival than women without HIV. Chronic HIV infection may interfere with the effectiveness of BC treatment, contributing to this disparity. We attempted to determine the impact of HIV infection on response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) among...
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Background: In preparation for the COVID-19 pandemic, South Africa (SA) began a national lockdown on 27 March 2020, and many hospitals implemented measures to prepare for a potential COVID-19 surge. Objectives: To report changes in SA hospital surgical practices in response to COVID-19 preparedness. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, surg...
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Background: Data on the association between HIV and breast cancer mammographic patterns and histological subtypes are limited. Objectives: To determine whether specific mammographic findings, histological features and patient profiles were unique to a cohort of HIV-positive patients who developed breast cancer, by comparing them with a HIV-negat...
Article
Background: The clinical profile of gynaecomastia patients, both in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive and HIV-negative patients, in resource-limited settings remains largely undocumented. The aim of this study was to compare and contrast these groups with a view to developing an appropriate treatment algorithm for the South African popul...
Article
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PURPOSE The quality of breast cancer care in sub-Saharan Africa contributes to the region’s dismal breast cancer mortality. ASCO has issued quality measures focusing on delivery of adjuvant chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and endocrine therapy. We applied these measures in five South African public hospitals and analyzed factors associated with care co...
Article
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Multimorbidity in women with breast cancer may delay presentation, affect treatment decisions and outcomes. We described the multimorbidity profile of women with breast cancer, its determinants, associations with stage at diagnosis and treatments received. We collected self‐reported data on five chronic conditions (hypertension, diabetes, cerebrova...
Article
Hereditary breast cancers, mainly due to BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations, account for only 5–10% of this disease. The threshold for genetic testing is a 10% likelihood of detecting a mutation, as determined by validated models such as BOADICEA and Manchester Scoring System. A 90–95% reduction in breast cancer risk can be achieved with bilateral risk-redu...
Article
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Background In the U.S., neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) for nonmetastatic breast cancer (BC) is used with extensive disease and aggressive molecular subtypes. Little is known about the influence of demographic characteristics, clinical factors, and resource constraints on NAC use in Africa. Materials and Methods We studied NAC use in a cohort of wo...
Article
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Background: The African Surgical Outcomes Study (ASOS) showed that surgical patients in Africa have a mortality twice the global average. Existing risk assessment tools are not valid for use in this population because the pattern of risk for poor outcomes differs from high-income countries. The objective of this study was to derive and validate a...
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Background: There is a need to increase access to surgical treatments in African countries, but perioperative complications represent a major global health-care burden. There are few studies describing surgical outcomes in Africa. Methods: We did a 7-day, international, prospective, observational cohort study of patients aged 18 years and older...
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Abstract Background The surgical safety checklist is widely used to improve the quality of perioperative care. However, clinicians continue to debate the clinical effectiveness of this tool. Methods Prospective analysis of data from the International Surgical Outcomes Study (ISOS), an international observational study of elective in-patient surger...
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Background As global initiatives increase patient access to surgical treatments, there remains a need to understand the adverse effects of surgery and define appropriate levels of perioperative care. Methods We designed a prospective international 7-day cohort study of outcomes following elective adult inpatient surgery in 27 countries. The primary...
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Background: The diagnosis of breast cancer and concurrent HIV in South Africa is common. The limited current evidence on this subject suggests that the patients thus afflicted appear to be younger, have a more advanced stage of breast cancer, have a higher treatment related complications and poorer outcomes. This paper reviews the literature relat...
Article
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Everyone ages, and so do surgeons. No one seemed to mind that Professor Michael DeBakey was 88 years old and still performing open heart surgery when he operated on the Russian President Boris Yeltsin.1 But is there a point beyond which the surgeon's age becomes a risk factor?
Article
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Purpose In low- and middle-income, HIV-endemic regions of sub-Saharan Africa, morbidity and mortality from the common epithelial cancers of the developed world are rising. Even among HIV-infected individuals, access to antiretroviral therapy has enhanced life expectancy, shifting the distribution of cancer diagnoses toward non–AIDS-defining maligna...
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Background: The effect of breast cancer on elderly South African (SA) patients is not well characterised. The lack of data with regard to disease burden, post-treatment surveillance and breast cancer relapse poses a challenge to providing optimum follow-up care to this group of patients. Objectives: To assess the effect of breast cancer and adhe...
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Background: Histological confirmation of a breast lesion is an important step to determine the aetiology and direct further management. Evidence supports ultrasound-guided large core needle biopsy (US-LCNB) (14 gauge) as the preferred diagnostic method over traditional open surgical biopsy.Objective: To assess the influence of technical variables o...
Article
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Background. Breast tuberculosis (BTB) is uncommon, but not rare. Knowledge of the ways in which it can present can prevent unnecessary invasive procedures and delay in diagnosis. Objectives. To describe the clinical and radiological findings in patients with BTB, including evaluation of current treatment methods. Methods. We retrospectively analyse...
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Background. Centralised multidisciplinary management of breast cancer occurs in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, and requires a diagnostic and staging pathway at the referring hospital. Delays in this pathway are unknown. This study, conducted at a referring hospital, R K Khan (RKK), quantifies and analyses these delays. Methods. A retrospective folder...
Article
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women world-wide. Incidence rates in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are lower than in high income countries; however, the rates are increasing very rapidly in LMICs due to social changes that increase the risk of breast cancer. Breast cancer mortality rates in LMICs remain high due to late presen...
Article
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Communicable diseases are the major cause of mortality in lower-income countries. Consequently, local and international resources are channelled mainly into addressing the impact of these conditions. HIV, however, is being successfully treated, people are living longer,and disease patterns are changing. As populations age, the incidence of cancer i...
Article
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Oncoplastic surgery (OPS) has emerged as a new approach for extending breast conserving surgery (BCS) possibilities, reducing both mastectomy and re-excision rates, while avoiding breast deformities. OPS is based upon the integration of plastic surgery techniques for immediate reshaping after wide excision for breast cancer. A simple guide for choo...
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The relationship between pancreatitis and dyslipidaemia is unclear. Admissions with acute pancreatitis were prospectively evaluated. A comparison of the demographic profile, aetiology, disease severity scores, complications and deaths was made in relationship to the lipid profiles. From June 2001 to May 2005, there were 230 admissions. The pancreat...
Article
Purpose: To demonstrate various possibilities of local pedicle perforator flaps use (mainly L-ICAP and also A-ICAP, LoTP and TAP flaps) for different types of partial mastectomy defects .Specific modifications are proposed to enhance aesthetic outcomes of these procedures. To determine suitability of these flaps as a method of choice for selected p...
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Oncoplastic surgery is the seamless joining of the extirpative and reconstructive aspects of breast surgery that is performed by a single surgeon. A symposium was held at ISW 2007 in Montreal with a prearranged aim to publish an article on the current and historical record of the developing specialty of oncoplastic breast surgery. The presenters an...
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Human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) has resulted in a resurgence of abdominal tuberculosis in South Africa, and these patients often present to general surgeons. We describe a single-hospital experience in a region of high HIV prevalence. A prospective database of all patients with suspected abdominal tubercul...
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Jaundice secondary to a malignant hilar obstruction can be relieved by operative bypass or percutaneous stenting. Comparative trials involving these techniques are scarce. We reviewed our experience with these competing techniques in the palliation of malignant hilar obstruction. All patients with malignant hilar obstruction managed at our institut...
Article
We present our experience with the rare injury of isolated major pancreatic duct disruption. From 1997 to 2003, 3 females and 13 males whose age ranged from 4 to 46 years were identified. Stabs caused 2 and blunt trauma 14 injuries. Nine presented acutely. Delay occurred in 7 patients, 6 with pseudocysts and 1 with infected pancreatic necrosis. Nin...
Article
A pictorial review of colorectal foreign bodies and their extraction. A prospective data-base and photographic record of patients who presented with retained colorectal foreign bodies at our institution has been maintained since 1995. Information regarding the foreign body, clinical presentation and extraction technique were documented. All 13 pati...
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Intestinal atresias and duplications of the alimentary tract commonly present in the neonatal period or early infancy, but in rare cases they can persist and present de novo during adolescence. We report on these two abdominal congenital anomalies, the clinical presentations of which in adolescence and young adulthood are unique.
Article
There are many differences in the clinical features of intussusception between African and temperate countries. The records of 192 patients with intussusception who presented to the Pediatric Surgical Service at King Edward VIII Hospital, Durban, South Africa during a 10-year period were reviewed. Compared with temperate countries, the patients wer...

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