Clinical Utility of Germline Genetic Testing in Japanese Men Undergoing Prostate Biopsy.

Background: Multiple common variants and also rare variants in monogenic risk genes such as BRCA2 and HOXB13 have been reported to be associated with risk of prostate cancer (PCa); however, the clinical setting in which germline genetic testing could be used for PCa diagnosis remains obscure. Herein, we tested the clinical utility of a 16 common variant-based polygenic risk score (PRS) that has been developed previously for Japanese men and also evaluated the frequency of PCa-associated rare variants in a prospective cohort of Japanese men undergoing prostate biopsy. Methods: A total of 1336 patients undergoing first prostate biopsy were included. PRS was calculated based on the genotype of 16 common variants, and sequencing of 8 prostate cancer-associated genes was performed by multiplex polymerase chain reaction based target sequencing. PRS was combined with clinical factors in logistic regression models to assess whether addition of PRS improves the prediction of biopsy positivity. Results: The top PRS decile was associated with an odds ratio of 4.10 (95% confidence interval = 2.46 to 6.86) with reference to the patients at average risk, and the estimated lifetime absolute risk approached 20%. Among the patients with prostate specific antigen 2-10 ng/mL who had prebiopsy magnetic resonance imaging, high PRS had an equivalent impact on biopsy positivity as a positive magnetic resonance imaging finding. Rare variants were detected in 19 (2.37%) and 7 (1.31%) patients with positive and negative biopsies, respectively, with BRCA2 variants being the most prevalent. There was no association between PRS and high-risk rare variants. Conclusions: Germline genetic testing could be clinically useful in both pre- and post-PSA screening settings.

Management of lactating breast abscesses by ultrasound-guided needle aspiration and continuation of breastfeeding: A pilot study.

INTRODUCTION: Needle aspiration of breast abscesses during lactation are currently recommended as an alternative to surgery only for moderate forms. In case of breast abscess, many patients stop breastfeeding on the advice of a health professional. We reviewed our experience of treatment of lactating breast abscesses by ultrasound-guided aspiration and suggest an algorithm of their management. We also analyzed the continuation of breastfeeding of these patients after advices from trained teams. MATERIEL AND METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study from April 2016 to April 2017, including 28 patients referred for a breast abscess during lactation at the Duroc Breast Imaging Center. A management by ultrasound-guided aspiration was proposed to each patient. We collected data about the breastfeeding between October 2018 and January 2019. RESULTS: A single aspiration was sufficient in 64.3% of cases. The delay between the occurrence of the abscess and the indication for drainage was significantly higher for patients who have needed finally surgical drainage (p = 0,0031). There were no difference of size of abscesses between patients receiving needle aspiration alone and those who have undergone surgery (p = 0,97). All patients who had been managed by needle aspiration continued breastfeeding after the treatment and 40% of the patients were still breastfeeding at 6 months. CONCLUSION: The management of lactating breast abscess by ultrasound-guided needle aspiration is an effective alternative to surgery. It appears to be effective regardless of the size of the abscess and is compatible with the continuation of breastfeeding. Our study has indeed shown that if they are well advised, the majority of patients continue breastfeeding so that it is essential that health professionals be better trained regarding the management of breastfeeding complications.

Gradual adoption of needle biopsy for breast lesions in a rural state.

BACKGROUND: Minimally invasive breast biopsy (MIBB) is the standard of care for the diagnosis of breast cancer, with consensus guidelines suggesting MIBB goals of 90% of total biopsies. In a previous study of patients in the rural state of Vermont, USA (population size of 640,000), rural breast cancer patients had open biopsies 42% of the time compared to 29% of urban breast cancer patients. The aim of this study was to assess overall population-based biopsy trends in Vermont. METHODS: The Vermont Breast Cancer Surveillance System (VBCSS) was used to identify women receiving MIBB and excisional breast biopsies in Vermont. Patient zip code at the time of initial biopsy was used to determine the patient residence rurality by rural-urban commuting area codes (RUCA 2.0™). RESULTS: There were 9122 diagnostic episodes from 1999 to 2018. MIBB was the initial biopsy method in 7524 (82.5%) cases, while surgical excision was the initial biopsy method in 1598 (17.5%) cases. A linear trend fit estimated an increase of 1.3% per year (p < 0.001, 95% CI 1.1%-1.5%) in the fraction of patients undergoing MIBB. Patients living in rural areas were less likely to receive MIBB (78.5%) than those living in urban areas (94.9%), p < 0.001. Multivariate analysis showed that urban patients and those patients in the years 2014-2018 were more likely to receive MIBB (OR 5.00, 95% CI 4.13-6.05 [p < 0.05] and OR 4.41, 95%CI 3.68-5.28 [p < 0.05], respectively). The rate of MIBB for rural patients increased and met the 90% quality standard in 2013 and ultimately matched urban patient rates of MIBB in 2018. CONCLUSIONS: For the first time, we show that MIBB usage is above 90% in the state of Vermont and that there no longer exist disparities in breast biopsies between urban and rural patients or rural/urban facilities in the state, overall.

Clinical outcomes as a function of the number of samples taken during stereotactic needle biopsies: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Stereotactic needle biopsy remains the cornerstone for tissue diagnosis for tumors located in regions of the brain that are difficult to access through open surgery. OBJECTIVE: We perform a meta-analysis of the literature to examine the relation between number of samples taken during biopsy and diagnostic yield, morbidity and mortality. METHODS: We identified 2416 patients from 28 cohorts in studies published in PubMed database that studied stereotactic needle biopsies for tumor indications. Meta-analysis by proportions and meta-regression analyses were performed. RESULTS: On meta-analysis, the morbidity profile of the published needle biopsy studies clustered into three groups: studies that performed < 3 samples (n = 8), 3-6 samples (n = 13), and > 6 samples during biopsy (n = 7). Pooled estimates for biopsy related morbidity were 4.3%, 16.3%, and 17% for studies reporting < 3, 3-6, and > 6 biopsy samples, respectively. While these morbidity estimates significantly differed (p < 0.001), the diagnostic yields reported for studies performing < 3 biopsies, 3-6 samples, and > 6 samples were comparable. Pooled estimates of diagnostic yield for these three groups were 90.4%, 93.8%, and 88.1%, respectively. Mortality did not significantly differ between studies reporting differing number of samples taken during biopsy. CONCLUSIONS: Our meta-analysis suggests that morbidity risk in needle biopsy is non-linearly associated with the number of samples taken. There was no association between the number of biopsies taken, and diagnostic yield or mortality.

Utility of vertebral biopsy before vertebroplasty in patients with diagnosis of vertebral compression fracture.

PURPOSE: To demonstrate the utility of a biopsy performed just before vertebroplasty in patients with diagnosis of vertebral compression fracture (VCF) and no history of neoplastic or hematologic diseases. BACKGROUND: Osteoporosis is the most frequent cause of vertebral compression fracture, with trauma and pathologic vertebral weakening being other common causes. Since secondary fractures at imaging investigation can present as simple compression fractures, it is important to identify an underlying pathology. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the frequency of unexpected positive histology in vertebral samples withdrawn from patients undergoing a vertebroplasty to evaluate if a vertebral biopsy can routinely be used in case of VCF and when a secondary cause is not suspected. METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated the results of 324 biopsies performed from February 2003 to March 2019 just before vertebroplasty in 1183 patients diagnosed with one or more vertebral compression fractures and with no history of neoplastic or hematological diseases and with no suspicious findings for secondary fractures at imaging. RESULTS: Biopsy was not diagnostic in 9/324 cases (2.8%); osteoporosis was the diagnosis in 295 cases (91%); in the remaining 20 cases (6.2%), histology was positive for an underlying pathology: 12/20 (60% of positive cases) multiple myeloma; 5/20 (25%) lymphoma/leukemia; 1/20 (5%) spondylitis; 1/20 (5%) metastasis; 1/20 (5%) hemangioma. A significantly higher incidence of positive biopsies was found in patients younger than 73 (p = 0.01) with 17 of 20 (85%) positive biopsies. No complications related to the bioptic maneuver were found, according to CIRSE guidelines on percutaneous needle biopsy. CONCLUSIONS: Vertebral biopsy is a safe procedure with no related complications. In our series, an unexpected diagnosis was found in 6% of cases with impact on patient's clinical management. Positive unexpected histology was significantly higher in younger patients. In conclusion, we believe that a biopsy is useful and should be performed on all patients with vertebral compression fractures before a vertebroplasty.

Significance of nuclear factor - kappa beta activation on prostate needle biopsy samples in the evaluation of Gleason score 6 prostatic carcinoma indolence.

Background The goal of our study was to find out whether the immunohistochemical expression of nuclear factor-kappa beta (NF-κB) p65 in biopsy samples with Gleason score 3 + 3 = 6 (GS 6) can be a negative predictive factor for Prostate cancer (PCa) indolence. Patients and methods Study was conducted on a retrospective cohort of 123 PCa patients with initial total PSA ≤ 10 ng/ml, number of needle biopsy specimens ≥ 8, GS 6 on biopsy and T1/T2 estimated clinical stage who underwent laparoscopic radical prostatectomy and whose archived formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded (FFPE) prostate needle biopsy specimens were used for additional immunohistochemistry staining for detection of NF-κB p65. Both cytoplasmic and nuclear NF-κB p65 expression in biopsy cores with PCa were correlated with postoperative pathological stage, positive surgical margins, GS and biochemical progression of disease. Results After follow-up of 66 months, biochemical progression (PSA ≥ 0.2 ng/ml) occurred in 6 (5.1%) patients, 3 (50%) with GS 6 and 3 (50%) with GS 7 after radical prostatectomy. Both cytoplasmic and nuclear NF-κB p65 expressions were not significantly associated with pathological stage, positive surgical margin and postoperative GS. Patients with positive cytoplasmic NF-kB reaction had significantly more frequent biochemical progression than those with negative cytoplasmic NF-kB reaction with PSA 0.2 ng/ml as cutoff point (p = 0.015) and a trend towards more biochemical progression with PSA ≥ 0.05 ng/ml as cutoff point (p = 0.068). Conclusions Cytoplasmic expression of NF-κB is associated with more biochemical progression and might be an independent prognostic factor for recurrence-free survival (RFS), but further studies including larger patient cohorts are needed to confirm these initial results.

Confirmation of Parathyroid Tissue: Are Surgeons Aware of New and Novel Techniques?

BACKGROUND: Ex vivo aspiration of parathyroid glands for the measurement of intraoperative parathyroid hormone (IOPTH) levels is a rapid point-of-care method to confirm parathyroid tissue during parathyroidectomy and an alternative to frozen section (FS). This study sought to determine the awareness and utilization of this technique among endocrine surgeons. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A de-identified 12-question survey regarding techniques for intraoperative identification/confirmation of parathyroid tissue and the use of IOPTH monitoring was distributed to all 608 members of the American Association of Endocrine Surgeons. RESULTS: Among the 182 (30%) respondents, FS was the most common primary technique utilized by 115 (63%) respondents to confirm parathyroid tissue; only 12 (7%) utilized ex vivo aspiration, although 78 (42%) were familiar with the technique. Availability and familiarity were the principal reasons for use of the primary technique; the most common barrier was time. Serum IOPTH monitoring was routinely used by 124 (74%). Of respondents who utilized FS, serum IOPTH monitoring was routinely used by 75% (86/115), including 71% (45/63) who reported time as a barrier to FS. Of these 45, only 15 (33%) were familiar with ex vivo parathyroid aspiration. Only 48% of surgeons knew how PTH samples were charged. CONCLUSIONS: FS was the most common method of identification/confirmation of parathyroid tissue. Although most respondents routinely performed IOPTH monitoring, relatively few utilized ex vivo aspiration as a technique for parathyroid identification and less than 50% were familiar with this technique. Broader dissemination about novel techniques such as ex vivo aspiration and cost awareness are recommended.

Efficacy, Safety, and Sample Quality of Ultrasound-Guided Synovial Needle Biopsy in Clinical Practice and Research: A Prospective Observational Study.

OBJECTIVE: To study the efficacy, tolerability, safety, and sampling variation of ultrasound (US)-guided synovial biopsies performed in clinical practice and research. METHODS: We included all patients who had a US-guided synovial needle biopsy from November 2013 to January 2018. Patients were evaluated for procedure safety and tolerability. Usefulness of synovial biopsy was considered based on contribution for achieving the proposed aims. We analyzed samples for presence and quality of synovial tissue, synovitis score/grade, and pathotype. Variation across patients, samples, section levels, and sampling order was assessed. RESULTS: A total of 64 US-guided synovial biopsies were performed (n = 52 in clinical practice, n = 12 in research). Patient tolerability (70% no/mild discomfort) was remarkably high. There was no significant aggravation of symptoms or US synovitis in the biopsied joint. Procedures were overall safe, with few minor, 2 moderate, and no major adverse events. Usefulness of US-guided synovial biopsies was high, both in clinical practice (37% direct diagnostic impact, 100% positive/95% negative predictive values for infection) and in research (92% success). Synovial tissue was retrieved in 88% of biopsies, with a median of 75% gradable samples. There was significant variation in sample quality and synovitis features across patients and samples, but not between different section levels. Samples collected later in the procedure had a lower frequency of synovial tissue and were poorly concordant in pathotype with those collected earlier. CONCLUSION: US-guided synovial needle biopsy is an effective, safe, and well-tolerated means to collect good quality synovial tissue for clinical and research purposes. Samples collected for different aims should be retrieved in parallel, rather than sequentially.

Number of skin biopsies needed per malignancy: Comparing the use of skin biopsies among dermatologists and nondermatologist clinicians.

BACKGROUND: There are too few board-certified dermatologists to treat all patients with skin disease. Primary care physicians often serve at the frontline of skin cancer screening. OBJECTIVE: To compare biopsy use among dermatologist physicians, dermatology advanced practice professionals (APPs), primary care physicians (PCPs), and other nondermatology clinicians. METHODS: Pathology reports, requisition forms, and clinical notes of skin biopsies submitted to our institution during the study period were reviewed. Skin biopsies for inflammatory conditions, cosmetic or functional purposes, and re-excisions were excluded. The number needed to biopsy (NNB) was calculated as the number of biopsied lesions divided by histologically proven skin cancers. RESULTS: The NNB by clinician type was 2.82 for dermatology physicians, 4.69 for APPs, 4.55 for nondermatology PCPs, and 6.55 for other nondermatology clinicians (P < .001). The NNB was significant between clinician groups for nonmelanoma skin cancer (dermatology physicians, 2.00; APPs, 2.71; PCPs, 2.36; and other nondermatology clinicians, 3.47; P < .001) but not for melanoma (dermatology clinicians, 14.33; APPs, 20.78; PCPs, 27.80; and other nondermatology clinicians, 53.56; P = .061). LIMITATIONS: The NNB represents a measure of use but gives no insight into the number of malignant lesions that go unbiopsied and, therefore, undiagnosed. The prevalence of skin cancer varies among dermatology and nondermatology practices. The results are not generalizable to all practice settings. CONCLUSIONS: Dermatology physicians had the lowest NNB of all clinician groups. PCPs performed similarly to dermatology APPs.

Correlación cito-histológica en tumores de glándula parótida / Cyto-histological correlation in tumors of the parotid gland / Correlação cito-histológica em tumores da glândula parótida

Introducción y Objetivo: La utilidad de la citología por punción aspiración con aguja fina en la valoración de tumores parotídeos es controvertida, ya que existe gran variabilidad en cuanto a la sensibilidad y especificidad en las distintas series publicadas. Nuestro objetivo es evaluar la utilidad de la punción aspiración con aguja fina (PAAF) de los tumores de glándula parótida en nuestro medio. Métodos: Se realizó un estudio retrospectivo y observacional con una muestra de 77 pacientes con tumores de glándula parótida, en el periodo 2000-2017 en dos centros hospitalarios de Montevideo, Uruguay, que fueron sometidos a punción aspiración con aguja fina preoperatoria y que posteriormente se correlacionó con el estudio anatomopatológico definitivo. Resultados: La edad media fue de 54 años con un rango comprendido entre los 14 y 87 años. El 56,8% eran mujeres y el 44,2% hombres. La sensibilidad de la punción aspiración con aguja fina para el diagnóstico de malignidad fue del 30% y la especificidad fue del 98,46%, con un valor predictivo positivo del 75% y un valor predictivo negativo del 90,14%. Conclusiones: La punción aspiración con aguja fina es un método diagnóstico muy útil a la hora de estudiar un tumor de glándula parótida, sobre todo por su valor predictivo negativo, lo que permite afirmar con alta probabilidad la benignidad del proceso.

Introduction and objectives: the usage of fine needle aspiration cytology in the evaluation of parotid gland tumors is controversial, since there is great variability in terms of sensitivity and specificity in different series published. Our objective is to evaluate the usage of fine needle aspiration cytology in the study of parotid gland tumors in our population. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted using a sample of 77 patients with parotid gland tumors between 2000-2017 in two hospital centers in Montevideo, Uruguay, who underwent preoperative diagnostic fine needle aspiration cytology and subsequently were treated with surgery and anatomopathological study. Results: The mean age was 54 years old, with interval between 14-87 years of age. 56.8% were female. The sensitivity of the fine needle aspiration cytology for the diagnosis of malignancy was 30%, and the specificity was 98.46% with a positive predictive value of 75% and a negative predictive value of 90.14% Conclusions: fine needle aspiration cytology is a very useful diagnostic method in the evaluation of parotid gland tumors, mainly due to its high negative predictive value.

Introdução e objetivo: a utilidade da citologia por punção com aspiração com agulha fina na avaliação de tumores parotídeos é controversa, ja que existe uma grande variabilidade em termos de sensibilidade e especificidade nas diferentes séries publicadas. Nosso objetivo é avaliar a utilidade da punção de aspiração de agulha fina de tumores da glândula parótida em nosso meio. Métodos: realizou-se estudo retrospectivo e observacional com uma amostra de 77 pacientes com tumores da glândula parótida, no período 2000-2017 em dois hospitais em Montevidéu, Uruguai, que foram sobmetidos a punção de aspiração com agulha fina pré-operatória e posteriormente correlacionou-se com o estudo anatomopatológico definitivo. Resultados: A idade média foi de 54 anos, numa faixa entre 14 e 87 anos. 56,8% eram mulheres e 44,2% eram homens. A sensibilidade da punção de aspiração com agulha fina para o diagnóstico de malignidade foi de 30% ea especificidade foi de 98,46%, com um valor preditivo positivo de 75% e um valor preditivo negativo de 90,14%. Conclusões: A punção de aspiração com agulha fina é um método de diagnóstico muito útil na hora de estudar um tumor da glândula parótida, principalmente seu valor preditivo negativo, o que permite afirmar a benignidade do processo com alta probabilidade.

Risk Factors for Complications and Nondiagnostic Results following 1,155 Consecutive Percutaneous Core Renal Mass Biopsies.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate patient, tumor and technical factors associated with procedural complications and nondiagnostic findings following percutaneous core renal mass biopsy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We reviewed core renal mass biopsies from 2000 to 2017. Complications at 30 days or less were graded using the Clavien-Dindo system. Univariate and multivariable analyses were done to evaluate associations between clinical characteristics and the risk of complications or nondiagnostic findings. RESULTS: Of the 1,155 biopsies performed in a total of 965 patients procedural complications were identified in 24 patients (2.2%), including 5 (0.4%) with major complications (Clavien 3a or greater). No patients were identified with tumor seeding of the biopsy tract. Patient age, body mass index, gender, Charlson comorbidity index, smoking, mass diameter, nephrometry score, number of cores and prior biopsy were not associated with complication risk (p = 0.06 to 0.53). Complications were not increased for patients on aspirin or those with low platelets (25,000 to 160,000/µl blood) or a mildly elevated INR (international normalized ratio) (1.2 to 2.0, p = 0.16, 0.07 and 0.50, respectively). The complication risk was not increased during the initial 50 cases of a radiologist or when a trainee was present (p = 0.35 and 0.12, respectively). Nondiagnostic findings were present in 14.6% of biopsies. Independent predictors included cystic features, contrast enhancement, mass diameter and skin-to-mass distance (p <0.001, 0.002, 0.02 and 0.049, respectively). Radiologist experience was not associated with the nondiagnostic rate (p = 0.23). Prior nondiagnostic biopsy was not associated with an increased nondiagnostic rate on subsequent attempts (19.2% vs 14.2%, p = 0.23). CONCLUSIONS: Procedural complications following biopsy are rare even with low serum platelets, a mildly elevated INR or when the patient remains on aspirin. Cystic features, hypo-enhancement on imaging, a smaller mass diameter and a longer skin-to-tumor distance increase the risk of nondiagnostic findings.

An analysis of 11.3 million screening tests examining the association between needle biopsy rates and cancer detection rates in the English NHS Breast Cancer Screening Programme.

AIM: To examine the association between recall, needle biopsy, and cancer detection rates to inform the setting of target ranges to optimise the benefit to harm ratio of breast screening programmes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Annual screening programme information from 2009/10 to 2015/16 for the 80 screening units of the English National Health Service Breast Screening Programme (totalling 11.3 million screening tests) was obtained from annual (KC62) returns. Linear regression models were used to examine the association between needle biopsy rates and recall rates and non-linear regression models to examine the association between cancer detection rates and needle biopsy rates. RESULTS: The models show and quantify the diminishing returns for prevalent screens with increasing biopsy rates. A biopsy rate increase from 10 to 20 per 1,000 increases the cancer detection rate by 2.13 per 1,000 with four extra biopsies per extra cancer detected. Increasing the biopsy rate from 40 to 50 per 1,000, increases the cancer detection rate by only 0.25 per 1,000, with 40 extra biopsies per extra cancer detected. Although diminishing returns are also seen at incident screens, screening is generally more efficient. CONCLUSIONS: Increasing needle biopsy rates leads to rapidly diminishing returns in cancer detection and a marked increase in non-malignant/benign needle biopsies. Much of the harms associated with screening in terms of false-positive recall rates and non-cancer biopsies occur at prevalent screens with much lower rates at incident screens. Needle biopsy rate targets should be considered together with recall rate targets to maximise benefit and minimise harm.

Comparison of Near-Infrared Spectroscopy with Needle Indentation and Histology for the Determination of Cartilage Thickness in the Large Animal Model Sheep.

The suitability of near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) for non-destructive measurement of cartilage thickness was compared with the gold standard needle indentation. A combination of NIRS and biomechanical indentation (NIRS-B) was used to address the influence of varying loads routinely applied for hand-guided NIRS during real-life surgery on the accuracy of NIRS-based thickness prediction. NIRS-B was performed under three different loading conditions in 40 osteochondral cylinders from the load-bearing area of the medial and lateral femur condyle of 20 cadaver joints (left stifle joints; female Merino sheep; 6.1 ± 0.6 years, mean ± standard error of the mean). The cartilage thickness measured by needle indentation within the region analyzed by NIRS-B was then compared with cartilage thickness prediction based on NIRS spectral data using partial least squares regression. NIRS-B repeat measurements yielded highly reproducible values concerning force and absorbance. Separate or combined models for the three loading conditions (the latter simulating load-independent measurements) resulted in models with optimized quality parameters (e.g., coefficients of determination R2 between 92.3 and 94.7) and a prediction accuracy of < 0.1 mm. NIRS appears well suited to determine cartilage thickness (possibly in a hand-guided, load-independent fashion), as shown by high reproducibility in repeat measurements and excellent reliability compared with tissue-destructive needle indentation. This may provide the basis for non-destructive, intra-operative assessment of cartilage status quo and fine-tuning of repair procedures.

What Is the Role of Repeat Aspiration in the Diagnosis of Periprosthetic Hip Infection?

BACKGROUND: The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons clinical practice guideline currently recommends repeat joint aspiration when workup of periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) reveals conflicting data. This guideline is based on a single study of 31 patients published 25 years ago. We sought to determine the correlation between first and second aspirations and factors that may play a role in variability between them. METHODS: Sixty patients with less than 90 days between aspirations and no intervening surgery were identified at our institution and classified by Musculoskeletal Infection Society (MSIS) criteria as infected, not infected, or not able to determine after both aspirations. Culture results from both aspirations were recorded. The rates of change and correlation in clinical diagnosis and culture results between aspirations were determined. RESULTS: Repeat aspiration changed the diagnosis in 26 cases (43.3%, 95% confidence interval 31.6-55.9, kappa coefficient 0.32, P < .001), and the culture results in 25 cases (41.7%, 95% confidence interval 30.1-54.3, kappa coefficient 0.27, P < .01). Among patients initially MSIS negative, the proportion who changed to MSIS positive was greater for those with a history of prior PJI compared to those without (66.7% vs 0%, P < .05), and the first aspiration mean volume was higher for those changed to MSIS positive compared to those that remained MSIS negative (12.0 vs 3.0 mL, P < .01). Among patients initially MSIS positive, the proportion of patients who changed to MSIS negative was greater for those with a history of adverse local tissue reaction (ALTR) to metal debris compared to patients without suspicion of ALTR (100% vs 7.7%, P < .05). CONCLUSION: Repeat aspiration is particularly useful in patients with conflicting clinical data and prior history of PJI, suspicion of ALTR, or with high clinical suspicion of infection.

The mammography screening detection of ductal carcinoma in situ and invasive breast cancer according to women's characteristics: is it the same?

PURPOSE: Detection of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) has increased with the mammography dissemination. Given the potential role of DCIS as a precursor of invasive breast cancer (IBC), we aimed to assess whether women's characteristics have a different effect on the DCIS compared to IBC detection rate. METHODS: This study included 3,609,569 screening mammograms performed from 2002 to 2015 in our organized breast cancer screening program, which actively invites women 50-69 years of age. The association between women's characteristics and the DCIS detection rate, the IBC detection rate and the odds ratio of DCIS among screen-detected cancers was assessed by logistic regression and generalized estimating equations with independent correlation matrix and sandwich estimator. RESULTS: A total of 4173 DCIS and 15,136 IBC were screen-detected. Increasing women's age, current hormone replacement therapy use and higher body mass index were less associated with the DCIS than with IBC detection rates (p value for the odds of DCIS among screen-detected cancers of, respectively, < 0.0001, 0.0244 and < 0.0001). In contrast, having a previous breast aspiration or biopsy and increasing breast density were more strongly associated with DCIS than with IBC detection rates (p value of, respectively, 0.0050 and < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: The results suggest that some women's characteristics could be playing a role in the initiation and other in the progression from in situ to invasive breast cancer. These characteristics can also affect the screening sensitivity, and this effect may differ depending on whether screen-detected cases were DCIS or IBC.

Impact of Accountable Care Organizations on Diagnostic Testing for Prostate Cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To determine if Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) have the potential to accelerate the impact of prostate cancer screening recommendations. METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study using Medicare data evaluating the rates of PSA testing and prostate biopsy among men without prostate cancer between 2011 and 2014. We assessed PSA testing and biopsy rates before and after policy implementation among patients of ACO and non-ACO-aligned physicians. To control for secular trends, difference-in-differences methods were used to determine the effects of ACO implementation. RESULTS: We identified 1.1 million eligible men without prostate cancer. From 2011 to 2014, the rates of PSA testing and biopsy declined by 22.3% and 7.0%, respectively. PSA testing declined similarly regardless of ACO participation-from 618 to 530 tests per 1000 beneficiaries among ACO-aligned physicians and from 607 to 516 tests per 1000 beneficiaries among non-ACO-aligned physicians (difference-in-differences P = .11). Whereas rates of prostate biopsy remained constant for patients of non-ACO-aligned physicians at 12 biopsies per 1000 beneficiaries, these rates increased from 11.6 to 12.5 biopsies per 1000 beneficiaries of patients of ACO-aligned physicians (difference-in-differences P = .03). CONCLUSION: PSA testing and prostate biopsy rates decreased significantly between 2011 and 2014. The rate of PSA testing was not differentially affected by ACO participation. Conversely, there was an increase in the rate of prostate biopsy among patients of ACO-aligned physicians. ACOs did not accelerate deimplementation of PSA testing for eligible Medicare beneficiaries without prostate cancer.

Clinicopathological Analysis of Ultrasound-guided Vacuum-assisted Breast Biopsy for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Breast Disease.

BACKGROUND/AIM: To evaluate the usefulness and safety of vacuum-assisted breast biopsy (VABB) for breast lesion diagnosis and treatment. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Clinical and histopathological data of 8,748 patients, who underwent 11,221 VABB procedures were analyzed. RESULTS: Most patients (58.2%) were <40 years old. Most lesions (39.6%) were 0.6-1.0 cm in diameter while 3.2% were ≥3.0 cm; fibroadenomas were the most common (46.6%). Eight (14% of 57) cases of atypical ductal hyperplasia were underestimated. The positive predictive values (PPVs) of breast imaging reporting and data system (BI-RADS) ultrasound category were 0.6%, 3.4%, 34.8%, 66.2%, and 93.8% for category 3, 4a, 4b, 4c, and 5 lesions, respectively. The mean number of core specimens was 9.5±8.8; the mean procedure time was 3.4±2.7 min. No residual lesions were found in 94.4% of the 7,480 patients. CONCLUSION: VABB could replace ultrasound-guided core biopsy and surgical excisional biopsy for the diagnosis of breast disease and the treatment of benign breast lesions.

Can We Use Administrative Data to Accurately Identify Patients Who Receive a Prostate Biopsy?

PURPOSE: Administrative health data can be a valuable resource for health research. Because these data are not collected for research purposes, it is imperative that the accuracy of codes used to identify patients, exposures, and outcomes is measured. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Code sensitivity was determined by identifying a cohort of men with histologically confirmed prostate cancer in the Ontario Cancer Registry and linking them to the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) to determine whether a prostate biopsy code had been claimed. Code specificity was estimated using a random sample of patients at The Ottawa Hospital for whom a prostate biopsy code was submitted to OHIP. A simulation model, which varied the code false-positive rate, true-negative rate, and proportion of code positives in the population, was created to determine specificity under a range of combinations of these parameters. RESULTS: Between 1991 and 2012, 97,369 of 148,669 men with histologically confirmed prostate cancer in the Ontario Cancer Registry had a prostate biopsy code in OHIP within 1 week of their diagnosis (code sensitivity, 86.0%). This increased significantly over time (63.8% in 1991 to 87.9% in 2012). The false-positive rate of the code for index prostate biopsies was 1.9%. The simulation model found that the code specificity exceeded 95% for first prostate biopsy but was lower for secondary biopsies because of more false positives. False positives primarily were related to placement of fiducial markers for patients who received radiotherapy. CONCLUSION: Administrative data in Ontario can accurately identify men who receive a prostate biopsy. The code is less accurate for secondary biopsy procedures and their sequelae.

Identification and Functional Validation of a Biomarker for the Diagnosis of Miltefosine Relapse during Visceral Leishmaniasis.

Miltefosine is the only orally administrable drug for the treatment of leishmaniasis. But in recent years, a decline in its efficacy points toward the emergence of resistance to this drug. Knowledge of biomarkers for miltefosine resistance may be beneficial for proper selection of treatment regimen. Splenic aspirates were collected and parasites cultured from patients relapsed after initial cure (N = 15) and successfully treated (N = 15) with miltefosine. Differential expression of genes in miltefosine-resistant strains was examined by DNA microarray and validated by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting. Of 669 upregulated genes, the cysteine protease-like protein of calpain family (GenBank: CBZ34784) was found to be significantly overexpressed in resistant parasite strains and only anti-calpain antibodies showed its presence in the sera of relapse patients through Western blotting. Calpain family cysteine protease-like protein can be useful as a potential biomarker of miltefosine unresponsiveness.