The Potential Role of Preoperative Trabecular Bone Score in Predicting Changes in Bone Mineral Density After Parathyroidectomy.

BACKGROUND: The skeletal indication for parathyroidectomy for primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) is based on bone mineral density (BMD) T-score < - 2.5. Whether trabecular bone score (TBS) additionally identifies patients who benefit from parathyroidectomy in terms of bone health is unknown. We aimed to study changes in BMD and TBS among Chinese who underwent curative parathyroidectomy for PHPT, in relation to their preoperative parameters, especially in those with worst site BMD T-score ≥ - 2.5 (non-osteoporotic range). METHODS: We included consecutive Chinese individuals who underwent curative parathyroidectomy during 2002-2015 for PHPT and completed preoperative and postoperative BMD and TBS measurements in Queen Mary Hospital. Correlations between preoperative parameters and changes in densitometric parameters were studied. RESULTS: 45 Chinese individuals (13 men, 32 women) were included (mean age 62.0 ± 10.0 years and BMI 24.6 ± 4.7 kg/m2). After parathyroidectomy, BMD at lumbar spine (LS) improved by 6.7% (p < 0.001) while TBS did not change. Among women, peak preoperative parathyroid hormone and calcium levels independently predicted LS BMD gain. Among women with BMD in non-osteoporotic range, LS BMD also improved after parathyroidectomy, where preoperative TBS was the only significant variable inversely correlating with percentage change in LS BMD (ρ - 0.775, p = 0.005). Particularly, those with preoperative TBS ≤ 1.25 gained 7.1% LS BMD post-parathyroidectomy (p = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: LS BMD, but not TBS, improved after parathyroidectomy. Among non-osteoporotic PHPT women, preoperative TBS inversely correlated with postoperative BMD improvement. Hence, low preoperative TBS may be an additional indication for surgical benefit with parathyroidectomy in non-osteoporotic PHPT women, as those with worse preoperative TBS tend to benefit more from surgery.

Liver transplantation using hepatitis B core positive grafts with antiviral monotherapy prophylaxis.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: The impact of hepatitis B core antibody (anti-HBc) positive liver grafts on survival and the risk of de novo hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection after liver transplantation (LT) remain controversial. Therefore, we aimed to analyze this risk and the associated outcomes in a large cohort of patients. METHODS: This was a retrospective study that included all adults who underwent LT at Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong, between 2000 and 2015. Data were retrieved from a prospectively collected database. Antiviral monotherapy prophylaxis was given for patients receiving grafts from anti-HBc positive donors. RESULTS: A total of 964 LTs were performed during the study period, with 416 (43.2%) anti-HBc positive and 548 (56.8%) anti-HBc negative donors. The median follow-up time was 7.8 years. Perioperative outcomes (hospital mortality, complications, primary nonfunction and delayed graft function) were similar between the 2 groups. The 1-, 5- and 10-year graft survival rates were comparable in anti-HBc positive (93.3%, 85.3% and 76.8%) and anti-HBc negative groups (92.5%, 82.9% and 78.4%, p = 0.944). The 1-, 5- and 10-year patient survival rates in anti-HBc positive group were 94.2%, 87% and 79% and were similar to the anti-HBc negative group (93.5%, 84% and 79.7%, p = 0.712). One-hundred and eight HBsAg negative recipients received anti-HBc positive grafts, of whom 64 received lamivudine and 44 entecavir monotherapy prophylaxis. The risk of de novo HBV was 3/108 (2.8%) and all occurred in the lamivudine era. There were 659 HBsAg-positive patients and 308 (46.7%) received anti-HBc positive grafts. The risk of HBV recurrence was similar between the 2 groups. Donor anti-HBc status did not impact on long-term patient and graft survival, or the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma recurrence after LT. CONCLUSIONS: De novo HBV was exceedingly rare especially with entecavir prophylaxis. Anti-HBc positive grafts did not impact on perioperative and long-term outcomes after transplant. LAY SUMMARY: The risk of de novo hepatitis B infection after liver transplantation was rare when using hepatitis B core positive liver grafts with entecavir monotherapy prophylaxis. Hepatitis B core antibody status did not impact on perioperative and long-term outcomes after liver transplantation. This provides support for the clinical use of hepatitis B core positive liver grafts when required.

Rare Breast Cancer Histotypes-A Retrospective Study and Literature Review.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women globally and can be classified according to various histological subtypes. Current treatment strategies are typically based on the cancer stage and molecular subtypes. This article aims to address the knowledge gap in the understanding of rare breast cancer. A retrospective study was conducted on 4393 breast cancer patients diagnosed from 1992 to 2012, focusing on five rare subtypes: mucinous, invasive lobular, papillary, mixed invasive and lobular, and pure tubular/cribriform carcinomas. Our analysis, supplemented by a literature review, compared patient characteristics, disease characteristics, and survival outcomes of rare breast cancer patients with invasive carcinoma (not otherwise specified (NOS)). Comparative analysis revealed no significant difference in overall survival rates between these rare cancers and the more common invasive carcinoma (NOS). However, mucinous, papillary, and tubular/cribriform carcinomas demonstrated better disease-specific survival. These subtypes presented with similar characteristics such as early detection, less nodal involvement, more hormonal receptor positivity, and less human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) positivity. To conclude, our study demonstrated the diversity in the characteristics and prognosis of rare breast cancer histotypes. Future research should be carried out to investigate histotype-specific management and targeted therapies, given their distinct behavior.