Adherence to guideline recommendations for follow-up in patients with DCIS at a large teaching hospital in the Netherlands.

PURPOSE: Ductal-carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is a pre-invasive form of breast cancer with good prognosis. Follow-up guidelines in the Netherlands are currently the same as for invasive breast cancer. Due to fear of invasive breast cancer or recurrence, it is hypothesized that follow-up for DCIS after treatment is more intense in practice resulting in potentially unnecessary high costs. This study investigates the follow-up in practice for patients with DCIS compared to the recommendations in order to inform clinicians and policy makers how to utilize these guidelines. METHODS: Patients diagnosed with pure DCIS between 2004 and 2014 were followed up until 2018. Information on duration and frequency of follow-up visits, reasons and decision makers for shortening, and prolonging follow-up was collected. Prolonged follow-up was defined as deviation from the Dutch guideline: more than 5 years of follow-up and older than 60 years. RESULTS: Of the 227 patients the mean number of visits per year was 1.4 and mean years of follow-up was 6.0. Thirty-three percent had prolonged follow-up and 26% shorter follow-up than recommended. A majority (78%) of decision for prolonged follow-up was being made by clinicians. CONCLUSION: Follow-up duration is in almost half of patients with DCIS according to guidelines and with most prolonged follow-up only up to a year longer than recommended. In most cases suspicious findings and the timing of the population screening program appeared to cause prolonged follow-up. If accepted by patients and clinicians, future DCIS specific guidelines should address these reasons and tailor to the individual risks.

Optimizing surgical strategy in locally advanced breast cancer: a comparative analysis between preoperative MRI and postoperative pathology after neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

PURPOSE: In the treatment of breast cancer, neo-adjuvant chemotherapy is often used as systemic treatment followed by tumor excision. In this context, planning the operation with regard to excision margins relies on tumor size measured by MRI. The actual tumor size can be determined through pathologic evaluation. The aim of this study is to investigate the correlation and agreement between pre-operative MRI and postoperative pathological evaluation. METHODS: One hundred and ninety-three breast cancer patients that underwent neo-adjuvant chemotherapy and subsequent breast surgery were retrospectively included between January 2013 and July 2016. Preoperative tumor diameters determined with MRI were compared with postoperative tumor diameters determined by pathological analysis. Spearman correlation and Bland-Altman agreement methods were used. Results were subjected to subgroup analysis based on histological subtype (ER, HER2, ductal, lobular). RESULTS: The correlation between tumor size at MRI and pathology was 0.63 for the whole group, 0.39 for subtype ER + /HER2-, 0.51 for ER + /HER2 + , 0.63 for ER-/HER2 +, and 0.85 for ER-/HER2-. The mean difference and limits of agreement (LoA) between tumor size measured MRI vs. pathological assessment was 4.6 mm (LoA -27.0-36.3 mm, n = 195). Mean differences and LoA for subtype ER + /HER2- was 7.6 mm (LoA -31.3-46.5 mm, n = 100), for ER + /HER2 + 0.9 mm (LoA -8.5-10.2 mm, n = 33), for ER-/HER2+ -1.2 mm (LoA -5.1-7.5 mm, n = 21), and for ER-/HER- -0.4 mm (LoA -8.6-7.7 mm, n = 41). CONCLUSION: HER2 + and ER-/HER2- tumor subtypes showed clear correlation and agreement between preoperative MRI and postoperative pathological assessment of tumor size. This suggests that MRI evaluation could be a suitable predictor to guide the surgical approach. Conversely, correlation and agreement for ER + /HER2- and lobular tumors was poor, evidenced by a difference in tumor size of up to 5 cm. Hence, we demonstrate that histological tumor subtype should be taken into account when planning breast conserving surgery after NAC.

Breslow thickness in the Netherlands: a population-based study of 40 880 patients comparing young and elderly patients.

BACKGROUND: Melanoma incidence has increased rapidly in the last decades, and predictions show a continuing increase in the years to come. The aim of this study was to assess trends in melanoma incidence, Breslow thickness (BT), and melanoma survival among young and elderly patients in the Netherlands. METHODS: Patients diagnosed with invasive melanoma between 1994 and 2008 were selected from the Netherlands Cancer Registry. Incidence (per 100 000) over time was calculated for young (<65 years) and elderly patients (≥65 years). Distribution of BT for young and elderly males and females was assessed. Regression analysis of the log-transformed BT was used to assess changes over time. Relative survival was calculated as the ratio of observed survival to expected survival. RESULTS: Overall, 40 880 patients were included (42.3% male and 57.7% female). Melanoma incidence increased more rapidly among the elderly (5.4% estimated annual percentage change (EAPC), P<0.0001) than among younger patients (3.9% EAPC, P<0.0001). The overall BT declined significantly over time (P<0.001). Among younger patients, BT decreased for almost all locations. Among elderly males, BT decreased for melanomas in the head and neck region (P=0.001) and trunk (P<0.001), but did not decrease significantly for the other regions. Among elderly females, BT only decreased for melanomas at the trunk (P=0.01). The relative survival of elderly patients was worse compared with that of younger patients (P<0.001). CONCLUSION: Melanoma incidence increases more rapidly for elderly than for younger patients and the decline in BT is less prominent among elderly patients than among young patients. Campaigns in the Netherlands should focus more on early melanoma detection in the elderly.

Long-term quality of life and aesthetic outcomes after breast conserving surgery in patients with breast cancer.

INTRODUCTION: Breast surgery has become less invasive without compromising survival and aimed at improving quality of life (QoL) in terms of satisfaction with cosmesis. Despite that, short-term patient-perceived aesthetic results after breast-conserving surgery (BCS) can still be displeasing. Long-term analysis regarding contentment with cosmesis are lacking and could be different, considering that over time, patients' priorities might change and a different thought-out judgment could be given. The goal of this study is to describe long-term results in QoL after BCS and to identify possible predictors for disappointing aesthetic results. METHODS: In this retrospective cohort study, the long-term outcomes of QoL, patient-reported outcome measurements and aesthetic outcomes were investigated 4.5-10.8 years after BCS. In total, 104 patients received standardized questionnaires from the European Organisation of Research and Treatment of Cancer. The aesthetic results after BCS were evaluated subjectively through a diverse panel of healthcare observers. Objective assessment of the aesthetic results was done using the BCCT.core system of evaluating standardised breast photographs. Factors influencing aesthetic outcome were statistically analysed. RESULTS: QoL was high in around 75% of the patients. Correlation between QoL and aesthetic outcomes was found according to Spearman's correlation (r = 0.262, p = 0.007). Significant factors negatively influencing patient reported aesthetic outcomes were sentinel node procedure (p = 0.016), axillary lymph node dissection (p = 0.004), chemotherapy (p = 0.001), and hormonal therapy (p = 0.001). CONCLUSION: The majority of the patients have acceptable QoL after BCS during long-term follow-up. Unacceptable aesthetic outcomes after BCS are associated with lower QoL and are influenced by sentinel node procedure, axillary lymph node dissection, chemotherapy, and hormonal therapy.

Survival following surgical treatment for anorectal melanoma seems similar for local excision and extensive resection regardless of nodal involvement.

BACKGROUND: Anorectal melanoma is a rare malignancy with a dismal prognosis. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the survival per stage is influenced by the surgical approaches (local excision or extensive resection), to assess prognostic factors of survival, and to answer the question whether the practiced surgical approaches changed over time. METHODS: Dutch cancer registry organizations (IKNL and PALGA) were queried for all patients with a diagnosis of anorectal melanoma (1989-2019). Patients with disseminated disease at diagnosis were excluded. Survival outcomes were compared for the two surgical approaches stratified by stage (clinical node negative (cN0) and clinical node positive (cN+)) and date of diagnosis. RESULTS: A total of 103 patients were included in this study. In both cN0 and cN+ patients the surgical strategy did not significantly influence survival (cN0: 21.7% 5-year survival, median 25 months for local excision versus 13.7% 5-year survival, median 17 months for extensive resection (p = 0.228), cN+: 11.1% 5-year survival for local excision, median 17 months versus 8.7% 5-year survival, median 14 months for extensive resection (p = 0.741)). Stage and date of diagnosis showed to be prognostic factors of survival. The ratio between the two surgical approaches was unchanged over three decades. CONCLUSIONS: Extensive resection does not seem to improve survival in both cN0 and cN+ anorectal melanoma patients compared to local excision. However in the past three decades no shift towards local excision has been found. cN+ stage and an older date of diagnosis are predictors for worse survival.

Follow-up schedules after treatment for malignant melanoma.

BACKGROUND: Existing follow-up guidelines after treatment for melanoma are based largely on dated literature and historical precedent. This study aimed to calculate recurrence rates and establish prognostic factors for recurrence to help redesign a follow-up schedule. METHODS: Data were retrieved from the Sydney Melanoma Unit database for all patients with a single primary melanoma and American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stage I-II disease, who had received their first treatment between 1959 and 2002. Recurrence rates, timing and survival were recorded by substage, and predictive factors were analysed. RESULTS: Recurrence occurred in 18.9 per cent (895 of 4748) of patients overall, 5.2 per cent (95 of 1822) of those with stage IA disease, 18.4 per cent (264 of 1436) with IB, 28.7 per cent (215 of 750) with IIA, 40.6 per cent (213 of 524) with IIB and 44.3 per cent (86 of 194) with IIC disease. Overall, the median disease-free survival time was 2.6 years, but there were marked differences between AJCC subgroups. Primary tumour thickness, ulceration and tumour mitotic rate were important predictors of recurrence. CONCLUSION: A new follow-up schedule was proposed: stage I annually, stage IIA 6-monthly for 2 years and then annually, stage IIB-IIC 4-monthly for 2 years, 6-monthly in the third year and annually thereafter.

[Detection of the first recurrence in patients with melanoma: three quarters by the patient, one quarter during outpatient follow-up]. / Detectie van her eerste recidiefbij patië nten met melanoom: driekwart door de patiënt zelf, eén kwart bij poliklinische controle.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the benefit of frequent outpatient follow-up after the initial diagnosis and treatment of melanoma. DESIGN: Retrospective study. METHOD: Patients from the Groningen University Medical Centre with a first recurrence ofa previously treated primary melanoma (American Joint Committee on Cancer stage I-III) were interviewed to determine how many of them had detected the recurrence themselves. Patient data and recurrence characteristics were compared with data from a previous Australian study in order to evaluate the differences between the Dutch and the Australian population. RESULTS: 70 patients with a first recurrence of melanoma were studied. Of the 70 first recurrences, 53 (76%) had been detected by the patient; 10% of the patients had a sign or symptom, but did not detect the recurrence themselves; 11% of the first recurrences were detected as a consequence of self-examination. The proportion of detection by the patient versus detection by a doctor was roughly equal in the Dutch and Australian populations. CONCLUSION: Three quarters of the first recurrences of a treated melanoma had been detected by the patients themselves, the largest number by accident and only 11% by self-examination. It is not likely that the continuation of frequent follow-up visits will contribute to the detection of recurrences. These findings are no different from the results in the Australian population.

Detection of metastatic disease in patients with uveal melanoma using positron emission tomography.

OBJECTIVE: Positron emission tomography with [(18)F]fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG-PET) is of proven value in the detection of metastases in patients with cutaneous melanoma. However, little is known about its value in uveal melanoma (UM). In this study the results of FDG-PET in patients with UM were evaluated. METHODS: Patients with UM recorded in the Sydney Melanoma Unit database who had been assessed with FDG-PET were selected. Comparative data (imaging or histopathology) providing information about metastatic disease were obtained within 14 weeks of the FDG-PET study and compared with the FDG-PET result. Sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and positive and negative predictive values for the detection of liver metastases (LMs) by FDG-PET were calculated. RESULTS: FDG-PET was performed in 22 patients with UM between April 1993 and March 2003. The presence of at least one focus of metastatic melanoma was confirmed in 14 of 18 patients with positive FDG-PET, and three of four negative FDG-PET studies were confirmed. LMs were demonstrated by FDG-PET in 17 patients. In 15 of these patients this finding was confirmed with anatomical imaging. In two patients LMs indicated by FDG-PET initially appeared to be false positive, but in one of them the diagnosis was confirmed after longer follow-up. Seven of the confirmed lesions were isolated LMs. For LMs FDG-PET showed sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of 100%, 67% and 90% respectively, a positive predictive value of 88% and a negative predictive value of 100%. CONCLUSION: FDG-PET is a valuable investigation for the detection of LMs in UM patients. It appears to be particularly useful in the detection of isolated LMs that are potentially resectable.

Detection of unsuspected spinal cord compression in melanoma patients by 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography.

AIM: Positron emission tomography (PET) using (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose can detect early or small metastatic deposits of melanoma and guide subsequent correlative anatomical imaging and treatment. The aim of this study was to assess the value of PET in demonstrating spinal cord compression by otherwise unsuspected metastatic disease. METHODS: Reports of 1365 PET studies performed on patients with melanoma were reviewed. Fifty patients considered to be at risk of spinal cord compression on the basis of PET were identified and 35 patients were analysed. Magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography were used to confirm or refute the diagnosis. The symptoms and signs at the time of PET and follow-up status were compared between patients with and without confirmed spinal cord compression. RESULTS: In nine patients (26%) compression of the spinal cord or adjacent neurological structures was confirmed and eight of these patients had immediate treatment. Survival was poor in both patient groups, but three patients with confirmed compression maintained good neurological functional status following treatment. CONCLUSION: PET can detect imminent, unsuspected spinal cord compression in patients with metastatic melanoma. Immediate anatomical imaging of the spine is recommended in patients who have evidence of spinal cord compression on PET.

Detection of second primary cutaneous melanomas.

AIMS: There have been few studies investigating the value of follow-up in the detection of second primary melanomas (SPMs) and there is scant information on the role of self-surveillance by the patient. The aim of this study was to assess the frequency of patient detection of both first primary melanomas (FPMs) and SPMs. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients were interviewed to determine who detected their FPM and SPM (in situ or invasive). The associations between clinical and pathological factors and the person who identified the FPM and SPM were examined using multivariate analysis. RESULTS: One hundred and twelve patients with a recently diagnosed SPM were treated at the Sydney Melanoma Unit (July 2001 to March 2003). Patients detected 59% of the FPMs as compared with 46% of the SPMs. Female gender, greater Breslow tumour thickness and younger age were significant predictors for a patient-detected FPM (Odds Ratio: 4.9 (Confidence Interval 1.5-16.0), 3.2 (1.65-6.04), and 0.9 (0.9-1.0), respectively). Greater tumour thickness and ready visibility of the lesion to the patient were predicting factors for patient detection of a SPM (Odds Ratio: 1.9 (Confidence Interval 1.1-3.3) and 3.6 (1.4-9.1), respectively). CONCLUSIONS: A history of melanoma does not increase the ability of patients to detect new or thinner primary melanomas themselves. Therefore, patients may benefit from regular clinical review by clinicians, who play an important role in the detection of new melanomas.

Reduction of adult height in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia survivors after prophylactic cranial irradiation.

BACKGROUND: Impaired linear growth is a well-recognized complication in long-term childhood ALL survivors who received cranial irradiation. However, as many patients achieve a final height between the 5th and the 95th centile, the true incidence of linear growth impairment might be underestimated. METHODS: Reduction of adult height (RAH) was estimated in adult childhood ALL survivors with and without cranial irradiation. RAH was calculated as the difference between target height (TH) and final height (FH). TH was calculated according to the formula TH = {[(height father + height mother +/- 12)/2] + 3}. RAH was assessed in 79 adult childhood ALL survivors in first complete remission who had received cranial irradiation 25 Gy (Group I, n = 53), 18 Gy (Group II, n = 10) or chemotherapy alone (controls, n = 16). RESULTS: RAH was 8.6 +/- 8.2 cm in Group I (P = 0.001 vs. controls), 6.2 +/- 3.2 cm in Group II (P = 0.01 vs. controls), and 1.7 +/- 4.6 in controls (chemotherapy only). There was no significant difference between Group I and Group II. In Group I females had more RAH than males (P = 0.02). RAH was related to younger age at diagnosis (P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The deficit between target height and final height highlights the reduction of adult height in the majority of male and female childhood ALL survivors who had received prophylactic cranial irradiation, in particular in those who were diagnosed at a younger age. This reduction would have been masked if patients FH was only compared with standard methods. RAH might be a sensitive predictor for growth hormone deficiency as these results suggest that radiation-induced growth hormone deficiency in these patients is the rule rather than the exception.

What importance do women attribute to the size of the penis?

OBJECTIVE: A great deal of men consider that the size of the penis is directly proportional to its sexual power. Some men, who are worried that their penis is too small, wish to be considered for surgical lengthening or thickening procedures. The argumentation for this chiefly points in the direction of women. However, have women actually been asked about the extent to which they consider the size of the penis to be of importance from a sexual point of view? Or asked what they think about ideas surrounding the size of the penis in relation with actual sexual functioning? PATIENTS AND METHODS: To address these questions, 375 sexually active women who had recently given birth at the University Hospital Groningen were asked a number of questions about sexual functioning and the importance they attach to the size of their partner's penis. RESULTS: A total of 170 questionnaires were returned (response rate 45%); 20% of the women found the length of the penis important and 1% very important; 55% and 22% of the women found the length of the penis unimportant and totally unimportant, respectively. Opinions about the girth of the penis followed the same trend. Length was less important than girth: 21% and 32%, respectively. The women who found the girth of the penis important had the same opinion about the length of the penis (correlation 0.71, p=-0.001). Median division into two subgroups (girth important/unimportant; t-test) did not reveal any significant differences in relation with demographic data. Correlation analysis did not reveal any significant correlation between sexual functioning (measured with the NSF) and opinions about the girth of the penis. CONCLUSION: Although clearly in the minority, a nevertheless considerable percentage of the women respondents attached substantial importance to the size of the male sexual organ.