[Safety and feasibility of vacuum-assisted biopsy by ultrasound-guidance for non-distinctive soft-tissue lesions]. / Sicherheit der Vakuumsaugbiopsie von dignitätsunklaren Weichgewebstumoren durch sonographische Unterstützung.

BACKGROUND: Only the exact pretherapeutical, histopathological diagnosis of non-distinctive soft tissue tumours leads to adequate therapy. Next to the standardized incisional biopsy, current needle biopsy techniques are limited by the small size of the tissue samples and error rate. This study was performed to explore whether the ultrasound-guidance can support the vacuum-assisted biopsy of soft tissue tumors in technical safety. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between 2004-2006, 116 patients with non-distinctive soft tissue tumours underwent ultrasound-guided vacuum-assisted biopsy (uVAB). The results were compared to a cohorte with standardized incisional biopsy (IB). RESULTS: The procedure was successful in 115 patients (success rate: 99,1%). Rate of complications was 4,3% (n=5/116). This closed biopsy technique was performed as an outpatient procedure with local anaesthesia. Diagnosis by uVAB was comparable to the control group (concordance of entity in 94,7%, grading: 89,3%, sensitivity: 93,5%, specificity: 100%, accuracy: 96,2%). CONCLUSION: Ultrasound-guided the vacuum-assisted biopsy is a safe procedure for soft tissue tumors. The results of this minimal invasive method are comparable to open the gold-standardized incisional biopsy.

Vacuum-assisted minimally invasive biopsy of soft-tissue tumors.

BACKGROUND: Although exact histological characterization of soft-tissue tumors is essential for determining the appropriate therapy, the quality of the histological assessment is often limited by the size of the tissue samples. Incisional biopsy and core needle biopsy have been the most effective techniques for obtaining tissue samples from soft-tissue tumors. This study was performed to investigate whether vacuum-assisted biopsy can serve as a new diagnostic tool for soft-tissue neoplasms. METHODS: This retrospective study compared the characterization made with use of vacuum-assisted biopsy of soft-tissue tumors in seventy-five patients between 2004 and 2006 and the characterization made with use of incisional biopsy of tumors in a comparison group of seventy-four patients between 2000 and 2005 with the final characterization made after radical tumor excision. All vacuum-assisted and incisional biopsies were performed by the same experienced surgeons and evaluated by the same experienced pathologists at a single tumor center. The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and accuracy of the preliminary characterization made with use of each method were calculated on the basis of the final characterization made after excision. RESULTS: The vacuum-assisted biopsy procedure was performed successfully in seventy-four (99%) of the seventy-five patients. The accuracy of vacuum-assisted biopsy (96%) was comparable with that of incisional biopsy (99%). Vacuum-assisted biopsy correctly characterized the tumor as benign or malignant in 96% (95% confidence interval [CI], 92% to 100%) of the seventy-five patients compared with 99% (95% CI, 96% to 100%) of the seventy-four patients who underwent incisional biopsy. Vacuum-assisted biopsy correctly characterized the tumor diagnosis in 95% (95% CI, 90% to 100%) of the patients compared with 95% (95% CI, 89% to 100%) for incisional biopsy. Vacuum-assisted biopsy correctly characterized the tumor grade in 89% (95% CI, 82% to 96%) of the patients compared with 88% (95% CI, 80% to 95%) for incisional biopsy. The sensitivity of vacuum-assisted biopsy was 93% (95% CI, 71% to 100%), the specificity and the positive predictive value were both 100%, and the negative predictive value was 91% (95% CI, 85% to 98%). The overall accuracy of vacuum-assisted biopsy was 96% (95% CI, 92% to 100%). CONCLUSIONS: Vacuum-assisted biopsy appears to be safe and provides a new tool for the diagnosis of soft-tissue tumors. One advantage of vacuum-assisted biopsy is that it can be performed with use of local anesthesia in an outpatient setting.

High rate of solitary sentinel node metastases identification by fluorescence-guided lymphatic imaging in breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: The lymph node status was shown to be an important prognostic factor for breast cancer, but controversial issues remain. There has been increased focus on optimizing the visualization of lymph nodes for an accurate and selective approach to axillary lymph nodes. Fluorescence-guided lymphatic imaging is a potential candidate for further research on remaining controversies. METHODS: Forty-seven patients were subject to injection of indocyanine green for navigation to the SLN based on fluorescent dye retention detection. In two groups, patients either received intended axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) and sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) for superstaging or isolated SLNB for minimal-invasive staging. The prospective study was designed to evaluate the technical feasibility with focus on solitary positive SLN. RESULTS: Visualization of lymphatic vessels with bright fluorescence of the SLN was feasible in 46 of 47 patients. Eighteen of 19 nodal positive patients were correctly identified with a sensitivity of 94.7% in all patients after ALND. After immunohistochemistry, in 19 of 25 overall nodal positive patients (76%) the SLN was the only positive lymph node. CONCLUSION: Fluorescence-guided imaging using fluorescence retention detection allows transcutaneous navigation with a high rate of solitary positive SLN identification as an alternative technique for further research.

Ultrastaging of colon cancer by sentinel node biopsy using fluorescence navigation with indocyanine green.

PURPOSE: Lymph node status is the most important prognostic factor in colon cancer, but the role of sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) as a tool for identification of micrometastatic disease and extraanatomical lymph nodes for adjuvant strategies and a tailored approach still remains unclear. Indocyanine green (ICG) fluorescence detection is a new method for SLNB allowing real-time lymphography and lymph node detection. This study was designed to evaluate the feasibility of fluorescence-guided sentinel lymph node detection in colon carcinoma. METHODS: Twenty six patients with colon adenocarcinoma were prospectively included in this study. Intraoperatively, a peritumorous injection with a mean of 2.0 ml ICG was performed, followed by lymphatic mapping and SLNB. Clinical feasibility, detection rate, and sensitivity of the method were analyzed. RESULTS: No adverse reactions occurred due to the injection of ICG. Overall, ICG fluorescence imaging identified 1.7 sentinel lymph node (SLN) in average in 25 out of 26 patients (detection rate, 96%). Metastatic involvement of the SLN was found in nine out of 11 nodal positive patients by conventional histopathology. The sensitivity of the method was 82% for colon carcinoma, respectively. CONCLUSION: ICG fluorescence imaging is a new, feasible method for SLNB of colon carcinoma and enables ultrastaging with improved accuracy but with limited validity due to the small number of cases. One advantage of this technique is real-time visualization of lymphatic vessels and SLNB without radiation exposure. Further, larger series are necessary to analyze the role of fluorescence-guided SLNB for colon cancer.

Perineal colostomy with spiral smooth muscle graft for neosphincter reconstruction following abdominoperineal resection of very low rectal cancer: long-term outcome.

BACKGROUND: To avoid abdominal colostomy and improve quality of life, several types of anorectal reconstruction following abdominoperineal resection have been proposed. The aim of this study was to assess functional results and the quality of life of patients with very low rectal cancer after abdominoperineal resection and neosphincter reconstruction by perineal colostomy with a colonic muscular cuff. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Twenty-seven patients who had undergone neosphincter reconstruction with a perineal spiral cuff plasty after abdominoperineal resection were included in a retrospective study to evaluate long-term outcome. The functional results were analyzed using anal manometry and the continence score. The quality of life was measured with the global and disease-specific questionnaires European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ-C30 and C38. RESULTS: Median follow-up time was 105 months (range, 18-185 mo). The median Holschneider continence score of the study sample was 13 (continent), with a range of 10 (partially continent) to 16 (continent), thus demonstrating satisfactory functional results. The functional assessment was completed by neosphincter manometry which revealed a median resting vs compression pressure of 40 vs 96 cmH2O with a range of 5 to 81 cmH2O vs 49 to 364 cmH2O. The quality-of-life analyses showed an above-average score for both global health and disease-specific status. CONCLUSION: Spiral cuff colostomy with reconstruction after abdominoperineal resection of very low distal rectal cancer offers a surgical option for a selective group of patients with reasonable functional long-term results and an improved quality of life.

ICG fluorescence-guided sentinel node biopsy for axillary nodal staging in breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: Sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy is a selective approach to axillary staging of breast cancer with reduced morbidity. Current detection methods including radioisotope and blue dye show good results but some drawbacks are remaining. Indocyanine green (ICG) fluorescence detection was evaluated as a new method for SLN biopsy in breast cancer allowing both transcutaneous visualization of lymphatic vessels and intraoperative identification of SLN. METHODS: Forty-three women with clinically node negative breast cancer received subareolar injection of ICG for fluorescence detection of SLN. All patients underwent either planned axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) with SLN biopsy or selective SLN biopsy to determine need for ALND. Clinical feasibility, detection rate, sensitivity, and axillary recurrence after isolated SLN biopsy were analyzed. RESULTS: Overall ICG fluorescence imaging identified 2.0 SLN in average in 42 of 43 patients (detection rate: 97.7%). Metastatic involvement of the SLN was found in 17 of 18 nodal positive patients by conventional histopathology (sensitivity: 94.4%). Immunohistochemistry revealed isolated tumor cells in five further cases. There was only one false-negative case in 43 patients (5.6%). In 17 of 23 overall nodal positive patients, the SLN was the only positive lymph node. After a median follow-up of 4.7 years none of the patients presented with axillary recurrence. CONCLUSION: ICG fluorescence imaging is a new method for SLN biopsy in breast cancer with acceptable sensitivity and specificity comparable to conventional methods. One advantage of this technique is that it allows transcutaneous visualization of lymphatic vessels and intraoperative lymph node detection without radioisotope.

Low-dose treatment with atorvastatin leads to anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory effects in diabetes mellitus.

We investigated whether atorvastatin, given in a dose to low to influence the lipid profile, has any effect on oxidative stress, inflammation and endothelial function under streptozotocin-induced diabetic conditions. Diabetes mellitus was induced in male Sprague Dawley rats by a single injection of streptozotocin. Rats were treated chronically with atorvastatin (50 mg/kg/day; p.o.) or vehicle until day 48 and compared with controls. NAD(P)H activity, protein expression nuclear factor-kappaBp65 (NF-kappaBp65) and phosphorylation of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK1/2) were assessed in the quadriceps muscle. Protein and mRNA levels of intracellular and vascular adhesion molecules (ICAM-1, VCAM-1) and cytokines were measured by Taqman or immunohistochemistry staining, respectively. Endothelial function was investigated in vivo using the autoperfused hind limb model. Diabetic groups displayed similar severe hyperglycemia. Untreated diabetic rats showed enhanced NAD(P)H activity, activation of the ERK1/2/NF-kappaBp65-pathway, enhanced expression of cytokines and cellular adhesion molecules and impaired vascular function. Low-dose therapy by atorvastatin did not alter the lipid profile but led to a reduction of NAD(P)H activity (-28%, P<0.05) associated with reduced protein expression of NF-kappaBp65 (-53%, P<0.05) and phosphorylation of its regulator mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) ERK1/2 in diabetic rats. Also inflammatory markers were reduced after atorvastatin treatment indexed by reduced mRNA expression of VCAM-1 (-24%), tumor necrosis factor alpha (-59%) and interleukin 1beta (-50%) and reduced ICAM-1 (-81%) and VCAM-1 (-74%) positive staining. These beneficial effects were associated with improved endothelium-dependent vasodilatation (maximal vasodilatation: +101%; P<0.05). Lipid-independent anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory effects of low-dose atorvastatin involving the ERK1/2/NF-kappaB-pathway are sufficient to improve endothelial function under experimental diabetic conditions.

Chronic inhibition of p38MAPK improves cardiac and endothelial function in experimental diabetes mellitus.

To investigate the influence of p38 mitogen activated kinase (p38MAPK) on the development of diabetic cardiac and endothelial dysfunction, we assessed left ventricular and vascular function as well as inflammatory markers in diabetic rats after chronic pharmacological inhibition of p38MAPK. Diabetes mellitus was induced in rats by a single injection of streptozotocin. Rats were treated with the p38MAPK inhibitor SB 239063 (40 mg/kg/day, p.o.) or vehicle. 48 days after diabetes mellitus-induction, left ventricular function and vascular function were assessed in vivo by TIP-catheter and the autoperfused hindlimb, respectively. Cell adhesion molecules staining was quantified immunohistochemically in the heart and quadriceps muscle, respectively, as well as cardiac phosphorylation of p38MAPK by Western blot analysis. Treated and untreated diabetic groups displayed similar severe hyperglycemia. Left ventricular and endothelial function were impaired in the untreated diabetic group compared to controls (dp/dtmax: -40%, dp/dtmin: +49%, maximal vasodilatation: -57%; P < 0.05) associated with significantly increased cardiac (3-fold) and peripheral cell adhesion molecules staining, respectively. Treatment of diabetic rats with SB 239063 led to a significant reduction of diabetes-induced enhancement of p38MAPK phosphorylation associated with improved left ventricular function (dp/dtmax: +39%, dp/dtmin: +47%; P < 0.05) and peripheral endothelial function (maximal vasodilatation: +71%; P < 0.05) under diabetic conditions. This was associated with reduced cardiac and peripheral inflammation indexed by reduced adhesion molecules content. Pharmacological inhibition of p38MAPK is sufficient to mitigate the development of diabetic cardiac and endothelial dysfunction despite of hyperglycemia. Our data suggest that the anti-inflammatory properties due to p38MAPK inhibition contribute to these beneficial cardiovascular effects.