Comparison of the effectiveness of contrast-enhanced mammography in detecting malignant lesions in patients with extremely dense breasts compared to the all-densities population.

Purpose: To assess the effectiveness of contrast-enhanced mammography (CEM) recombinant images in detecting malignant lesions in patients with extremely dense breasts compared to the all-densities population. Material and methods: 792 patients with 808 breast lesions, in whom the final decision on core-needle biopsy was made based on CEM, and who received the result of histopathological examination, were qualified for a single-centre, retrospective study. Patient electronic records and imaging examinations were reviewed to establish demographics, clinical and imaging findings, and histopathology results. The CEM images were reassessed and assigned to the appropriate American College of Radiology (ACR) density categories. Results: Extremely dense breasts were present in 86 (10.9%) patients. Histopathological examination confirmed the presence of malignant lesions in 52.6% of cases in the entire group of patients and 43% in the group of extremely dense breasts. CEM incorrectly classified the lesion as false negative in 16/425 (3.8%) cases for the whole group, and in 1/37 (2.7%) cases for extremely dense breasts. The sensitivity of CEM for the group of all patients was 96.2%, specificity - 60%, positive predictive values (PPV) - 72.8%, and negative predictive values (NPV) - 93.5%. In the group of patients with extremely dense breasts, the sensitivity of the method was 97.3%, specificity - 59.2%, PPV - 64.3%, and NPV - 96.7%. Conclusions: CEM is characterised by high sensitivity and NPV in detecting malignant lesions regardless of the type of breast density. In patients with extremely dense breasts, CEM could serve as a complementary or additional examination in the absence or low availability of MRI.

BIRADS 4 - Is it possible to downgrade lesions that do not enhance on recombinant contrast-enhanced mammography images?

PURPOSE: Analysis of the morphology of lesions classified into the BI-RADS 4 category and assessment of the possibility of downgrade the BI-RADS category in those that did not show enhancement on recombinant contrast-enhanced mammography (CEM) images. METHOD: The retrospective, single-center study included 528 patients who underwent a core needle biopsy performed from January 2017 to November 2022 due to a breast lesion classified as BI-RADS 4 on CEM. Patients' electronic records and imaging examinations were reviewed. Individual lesions were classified into the morphological categories of mass, non-mass, and microcalcifications. Sensitivity, specificity, positive as well as negative predictive values were calculated for the whole group and individual morphological categories. The influence of the lesions' diameter on the results was analyzed. RESULTS: CEM NPV for the whole group was 93.9% (±95% CI: 90.0-96.4), for mass lesions 100% (±95% CI: 94.5-100), for non-mass lesions 97.8% (±95% CI: 87.0-99.9) and 87.9% (±95% CI: 80.3-93.0) for microcalcifications. Given that 230 out of 383 benign lesions were not contrast-enhancing, 60.1% of unnecessary CNBs would have been correctly avoided. CEM sensitivity for lesions < 20 mm was lower than for lesions ≥ 20 mm and was respectively 86.6% (±95% CI: 76.8-92.8) vs 94.6% (±95% CI: 86.0-98.2), respectively. CONCLUSION: CEM is characterized by high sensitivity in the detection of malignant lesions in the case of lesions with mass and non-mass morphology. The high NPV for recombinant images suggests that in the case of these lesions, the lack of enhancement supports the benign nature of the lesion and may lead to a downgrade of the BI-RADS category.

Human Acellular Dermal Matrix in Reconstructive Surgery-A Review.

Reconstructive surgery often confronts large tissue defects. This creates a need to look for materials that are immunogenic but offer the possibility of tissue filling. ADM-acellular dermal matrix-is a biological collagen matrix without immunogenicity, which is more commonly used in surgical treatment. Reconstructive surgery is still searching for various biocompatible materials that can be widely used in surgery. The available materials have their advantages and disadvantages. This paper is a literature review on the use of human acellular dermal matrix (ADM) in reconstructive surgery (surgical oncology, plastic and reconstructive surgery, and gynecologic reconstructive surgery). ADM appears to be a material of increasing use in various fields of surgery, and thus, further research in this area is required.

Multidisciplinary management of chronic pain in elderly oncology patients.

Chronic pain is one of the most common and most bothersome symptoms in cancer patients, which occurs especially often in the elderly population. Although methods of pain treatment are well known, it is not uncommon for individuals with chronic or terminal illnesses to remain underdiagnosed or untreated. Effective pain management has become the measure of success in oncology therapy. For this reason, effective pain management has become an indispensable success factor of multidisciplinary oncological therapy. Along with the growing interest in the holistic approach in medicine, and hence in interdisciplinary treatment, the management of cancer pain in older patients was presented.

Comparative Analysis of Postoperative Complications of Sentinel Node Identification Using the SentiMag® Method and the Use of a Radiotracer in Patients with Breast Cancer.

(1) Background: The purpose of the study was a retrospective, comparative assessment of complications of the surgical sentinel node biopsy (SNB) procedure in breast cancer using the radiotracer method and the SentiMag® method on groups of patients after 3.5 years of use. (2) Methods: The material was a group of 345 patients with primary surgical breast cancer who underwent the SNB procedure with the use of a radiotracer in combination with wide local excision (WLE), simple amputation (SA) with SNB and an independent SNB procedure in the period from May 2018 to January 2021 in the Department of Oncological Surgery. Of the patients who were monitored in the Hospital Outpatient Clinic, 300 were enrolled. The analyzed group was compared in terms of the occurrence of the same complications with the group of 303 patients also operated on in our center in the period from January 2014 to September 2017, in which SN identification was performed using the SentiMag® method. (3) Results: The most common complications found were sensation disorders in the arm, which occurred in 16 (14.1%) patients using the radiotracer method, SentiMag®-11 (9.9%). By comparing the complication rate between the methods with the radiotracer (n = 300) and SentiMag® (n = 303), no significant differences were found. (4) Conclusions: Sentinel node (SN) identification using the radiotracer method and the SentiMag® method are comparable diagnostic methods in breast cancer, with a low risk of complications.

Multifocality and Multicentrality in Breast Cancer: Comparison of the Efficiency of Mammography, Contrast-Enhanced Spectral Mammography, and Magnetic Resonance Imaging in a Group of Patients with Primarily Operable Breast Cancer.

BACKGROUND: The multifocality and multicentrality of breast cancer (MFMCC) are the significant aspects that determine a specialist's choice between applying breast-conserving therapy (BCT) or performing a mastectomy. This study aimed to assess the usefulness of mammography (MG), contrast-enhanced spectral mammography (CESM), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in women diagnosed with breast cancer before qualifying for surgical intervention to visualize other (additional) cancer foci. METHODS: The study included 60 breast cancer cases out of 630 patients initially who underwent surgery due to breast cancer from January 2015 to April 2019. MG, CESM, and MRI were compared with each other in terms of the presence of MFMCC and assessed for compliance with the postoperative histopathological examination (HP). RESULTS: Histopathological examination confirmed the presence of MFMCC in 33/60 (55%) patients. The sensitivity of MG in detecting MFMCC was 50%, and its specificity was 95.83%. For CESM, the sensitivity was 85.29%, and the specificity was 96.15%. For MRI, all the above-mentioned parameters were higher as follows: sensitivity-91.18%; specificity-92.31%. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with MFMCC, both CESM and MRI are highly sensitive in the detection of additional cancer foci. Both CESM and MRI change the extent of surgical intervention in every fourth patient.

Contrast-Enhanced Spectral Mammography Assessment of Patients Treated with Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy for Breast Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Evaluating the tumor response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy is key to planning further therapy of breast cancer. Our study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of low-energy and subtraction contrast-enhanced spectral mammography (CESM) images in the detection of complete response (CR) for neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) in breast cancer. METHODS: A total of 63 female patients were qualified for our retrospective analysis. Low-energy and subtraction CESM images just before the beginning of NAC and as a follow-up examination 2 weeks before the end of chemotherapy were compared with one another and assessed for compliance with the postoperative histopathological examination (HP). The response to preoperative chemotherapy was evaluated based on the RECIST 1.1 criteria (Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors). RESULTS: Low-energy images tend to overestimate residual lesions (6.28 mm) and subtraction images tend to underestimate them (2.75 mm). The sensitivity of low-energy images in forecasting CR amounted to 33.33%, while the specificity was 92.86%. In the case of subtraction CESM, the sensitivity amounted to 85.71% and the specificity to 71.42%. CONCLUSIONS: CESM is characterized by high sensitivity in the assessment of CR after NAC. The use of only morphological assessment is insufficient. CESM correlates well with the size of residual lesions on histopathological examination but tends to underestimate the dimensions.

The Usefulness of Spectral Mammography in Surgical Planning of Breast Cancer Treatment-Analysis of 999 Patients with Primary Operable Breast Cancer.

Contrast-enhanced spectral mammography (CESM) is a promising, digital breast imaging method for planning surgeries. The study aimed at comparing digital mammography (MG) with CESM as predictive factors in visualizing multifocal-multicentric cancers (MFMCC) before determining the surgery extent. We analyzed 999 patients after breast cancer surgery to compare MG and CESM in terms of detecting MFMCC. Moreover, these procedures were assessed for their conformity with postoperative histopathology (HP), calculating their sensitivity and specificity. The question was which histopathological types of breast cancer were more frequently characterized by multifocality-multicentrality in comparable techniques as regards the general number of HP-identified cancers. The analysis involved the frequency of post-CESM changes in the extent of planned surgeries. In the present study, MG revealed 48 (4.80%) while CESM 170 (17.02%) MFMCC lesions, subsequently confirmed in HP. MG had MFMCC detecting sensitivity of 38.51%, specificity 99.01%, PPV (positive predictive value) 85.71%, and NPV (negative predictive value) 84.52%. The respective values for CESM were 87.63%, 94.90%, 80.57% and 96.95%. Moreover, no statistically significant differences were found between lobular and NST cancers (27.78% vs. 21.24%) regarding MFMCC. A treatment change was required by 20.00% of the patients from breast-conserving to mastectomy, upon visualizing MFMCC in CESM. In conclusion, mammography offers insufficient diagnostic sensitivity for detecting additional cancer foci. The high diagnostic sensitivity of CESM effectively assesses breast cancer multifocality/multicentrality and significantly changes the extent of planned surgeries. The multifocality/multicentrality concerned carcinoma, lobular and invasive carcinoma of no special type (NST) cancers with similar incidence rates, which requires further confirmation.

Retrospective Comparison of Contrast-Enhanced Spectral Mammography with Digital Mammography in Assessing Tumor Size in 668 Cases of Breast Cancer.

BACKGROUND Contrast-enhanced spectral mammography (CESM) is digital mammography with contrast agent. This promising new breast imaging method can be used for planning surgical treatment. This study compared CESM versus digital mammography (MG) in evaluating tumor size in breast cancer. MATERIAL AND METHODS Comparison of tumor dimensions in CESM, MG, and histopathology was made. The correlation of these data was assessed by histopathological type, biological subtype, grading of the carcinoma, and patient age. RESULTS The average difference in tumor size between CESM and histopathological examination was 5 mm. The differences in size measurement between CESM and MG were significant (p=0.00). The Pearson's linear correlation coefficients of CESM versus HP and MG versus HP were -0.01 (p=0.79) and -0.25 (p=0.00), respectively, indicating no differences between CESM and HP based on the lesion size. A weak negative correlation between those values was observed on MG. No relationship was found between the tumor size in CESM and the biological subtype, carcinoma malignancy degree, or patient age. CONCLUSIONS CESM is a new diagnostic method in breast cancer. The accuracy of measurement of tumor size using CESM is independent of lesion size, but it overestimates the size by 5 mm on average. The difference is not dependent on grading, biological subtype of the carcinoma, or patient age. They concern the histopathological type, and values are significantly greater in pre­invasive carcinomas.

The new method, the old problem - role of contrast-enhanced spectral mammography in the diagnosis of breast cancer among Polish women.

PURPOSE: The aim of the study was to evaluate spectral mammography (CESM) in diagnosing breast cancer, which is based on sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV). MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study included a group of 547 women who underwent spectral mammography and histopathological verification of the lesion, previously seen in mammography and/or ultrasound. In the group of 547 women, 593 focal lesions were diagnosed. All CESM examinations were carried-out with a digital mammography device dedicated to performing dual-energy CESM acquisitions. An intravenous injection of 1.5 ml/kg of body mass of non-ionic contrast agent was performed. RESULTS: The analysis includes 593 breast lesions, in this group cancer was detected in 327 (55.14%) lesions, and in 256 (43.17%) cases benign lesions were confirmed by histopathological examination and at least 12 months of observation. The method shows differentiation of benign and malignant lesions in the breast: sensitivity of 97.86%, specificity of 59.4%, PPV - 74.76%, NPV - 95.76%. CONCLUSIONS: Spectral mammography could be an ideal method to detect breast cancer. Thanks to the high NPV (95.76%), it facilitates the exclusion of cancer in situations where pathological contrast enhancement is not observed. The unsatisfactory specificity of the study (59.4%) would not make it safe to avoid a core needle biopsy of lesions that undergo contrast enhancement.

Analysis of Postoperative Complications After 303 Sentinel Lymph Node Identification Procedures Using the SentiMag® Method in Breast Cancer Patients.

BACKGROUND The objective of this paper was to assess the complications following sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) in breast cancer patients using the SentiMag® method. MATERIAL AND METHODS The study material consisted of 368 patients who had received the SLNB procedure in combination with wide local excision (WLE), simple mastectomy or who had an autonomous SLNB procedure in the period from January 2014 to September 2017. The final study group consisted of 303 patients who attended follow-up consultations. RESULTS Sensory disturbances in the arm occurred in 12 patients (9.9%), including 3 patients (1.5%) after WLE and 9 patients (8.4%) after simple mastectomy. Restricted mobility in the upper limb was experienced by 9 patients (7.1%), including 3 patients (1.5%) after WLE and 6 patients (5.6%) after simple mastectomy. Minimal-degree lymphedema developed in 9 patients (7.5%), including 2 patients (1%) after WLE and 7 patients (6.5%) after simple mastectomy. A significant correlation was demonstrated between the incidence of these complications and the number of lymph nodes dissected. A significantly higher incidence of paresthesia and lymphedema was revealed for simple mastectomy with SLNB when compared to WLE with SLNB. Discolorations upon tracer administration were observed in 47 patients (15.5%). CONCLUSIONS SentiMag® is a safe sentinel lymph node identification method used in breast cancer and has a low risk of complications. The rate of complications increases together with the number of dissected lymph nodes and the extent of the surgery. The possibility of temporary discolorations on the skin should be communicated to the patients explicitly prior to surgery.

Analysis of Diagnostic Methods for Focal Lesions in Breast Glands with Use of Open Surgical Biopsies and Core-Needle Biopsies in Poland.

BACKGROUND Numerous studies confirm the benefits of using core-needle biopsy (CNB) for diagnosing patients with suspected breast cancer, thus reducing the costs and the stress, and allowing optimum treatment planning. The present study examined the number of patients in Poland who had been diagnosed with breast cancer through inpatient open surgical biopsy (OSB) and CNB by province. MATERIAL AND METHODS This retrospective study used a health needs map to identify patients in 2014 and partially in 2015 who had had OSB or CNB of the breast performed on an inpatient basis due to benign breast lesions and whose diagnosis had been changed from benign to malignant. RESULTS Among the total number of hospitalizations (13 718 cases with OSB) due to benign lesions of the breast, 1506 patients had their diagnosis changed to malignant, constituting 8.59% of new breast cancer diagnoses across the country. The resulting diagnosis change from benign to malignant varied significantly across provinces, from 5.3% to 23.4%. Among the total of 7205 hospitalizations in 2014 with CNB performed using different methods, there were 1574 malignancies, amounting to 8.9% of new diagnoses in Poland. The use of inpatient CNB to diagnose breast cancer differed significantly across provinces, from 0.6% to 34.4%. CONCLUSIONS OSBs are too often used to diagnose focal lesions in breast glands in Poland. In some regions, CNBs are too frequently performed on an inpatient rather than outpatient basis, thereby requiring an analysis of the quality of and access to modern diagnostic methods.

Sentinel lymph node (sln) in breast cancer. Review of current identification methods.

The subject of the paper is the review of the current methods for identifying the sentinel lymph node in breast cancer treatment, taking into account the latest techniques and based on the up-to-date analyses of many years of experience in using this method.

[Carbamazepine-induced systemic lupus erythematosus--a case report]. / Przypadek tocznia rumieniowatego ukladowego po leczeniu karbamazepina.

Epileptic seizures may be an early symptom of systemic lupus erythematosus, while at the same time some of the epileptic drugs, namely carbamazepine (CBZ), phenytoin (PHT), valproic acid (VPA), ethosuximide (ETM), primidone (PRM), lamotrigine (LTG), zonisamide (ZNS) can cause lupus. A separate clinical problem is the fact that few cases of systemic lupus have as yet been identified by giving antiepileptic drug. We present the case of a 30-year-old woman with frequent simple partial seizures and few secondarily generalized seizures since the age of 18. She was treated with VPA for three years. Then, because of side effects the drug had to be withdrawn and was replaced by CBZ. After eight months duration of the treatment with CBZ, the dose was increased because a secondarily generalized seizure occurred again. After another two months, painful swelling of all joints and leucopenia were observed. During additional studies, LE cells and high titer of ANA antibodies were found. Systemic lupus erythematosus was diagnosed and prednisone therapy was introduced. In spite of the withdrawal of CBZ, the increased titer of ANA antibodies persisted for several years and skin and muscle biopsy performed five years from the onset of clinical symptoms disclosed inflammatory infiltration and presence of IgG and IgM deposits in skin and vessel walls. Control serological examinations, skin and muscle biopsy carried out after eight years of observation and lack of clinical manifestations permitted to exclude a connective tissue disease in our patient.

[Compatibility of the results of ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration biopsy with the histological findings in assessment of focal breast lesions among woman attending the outpatient breast clinic]. / Zgodnosc wyników biopsji aspiracyjnej cienkoiglowej pod kontrola USG w ocenie zmian ogniskowych w gruczolach piersiowych z wynikami badan histopatologicznych w populacji chorych z Przyszpitalnej Poradni Chorób Piersi.

Continuous increase of morbidity and mortality rate due to breast cancer has led to development of new diagnostic methods that are aimed at detecting neoplastic and preneoplastic lesions in their early, yet asymptomatic stages. Development of modern imaging techniques (ultrasonography, mammography, magnetic resonance) and invasive diagnostic procedures (fine needle aspiration biopsy, core needle biopsy, stereotactically guided biopsy) allows to detect lesions not exceeding 1 cm in diameter, and therefore may provide a complete cure. The aim of this study was to estimate diagnostic usefulness of ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration biopsy in detecting benign breast dysplasia (with and without proliferation of ductal epithelial cells), benign neoplastic lesions and breast cancer, as well as to determine compatibility between US-guided FNAB results and subsequent histological findings. The study group consisted of 213 female patients. The obtained results were subject for statistical analyses that revealed a high degree of compatibility between US-guided FNAB and histological results (93.6-95.5%), and also confirmed high sensitivity of US-guided FNAB. This method has proved to be an efficient diagnostic tool for early detection of benign breast dysplasia, benign neoplasms and breast cancer, making early surgical treatment possible in most cases and permitting omission of an intra-operative histological examination.

[Diagnostic procedure in breast tumor--case report]. / Postepowanie diagnostyczne w niebadalnych palpacyjnie zmianach w obrebie gruczolu piersiowego--opis przypadku.

The paper presents the case of small impalpable breast tumors. Easy and successful diagnostic localization procedures with subsequent surgery were described.