De-escalating indications for excision when breast core needle biopsy returns fibroepithelial lesion-not further characterized.

PURPOSE: Surgical excision is often performed to exclude phyllodes tumor (PT) when Core Needle Biopsy (CNB) of the breast returns fibroepithelial lesion-not further characterized (FEL-NFC). If imaging or CNB pathology features can be identified that predict a very low probability of borderline/malignant PT, thousands of women could be spared the expense and morbidity of surgical excisions. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study includes 180 FEL-NFC from 164 patients who underwent surgical excisional biopsy. RESULTS: The upgrade rate from FEL-NFC to benign PT was 15%, and to borderline/malignant PT 7%. Imaging features predicting upgrade to borderline/malignant PT included greater size (p = 0.0002) and heterogeneous echo pattern on sonography (p = 0.117). Histologic features of CNB predicting upgrade to borderline/malignant PT included "pathologist favors PT" (p = 0.012), mitoses (p = 0.014), stromal overgrowth (p = 0.006), increased cellularity (p = 0.0001) and leaf-like architecture (p = 0.077). A three-component score including size > 4.5 cm (Size), heterogeneous echo pattern on sonography (Heterogeneity), and stromal overgrowth on CNB (Overgrowth) maximized the product of sensitivity x specificity for the prediction of borderline/malignant PT. When the SHO score was 0 (72% of FEL-NFC) the probability of borderline/malignant PT on excision was only 1%. CONCLUSION: The combination of size ≤ 4.5 cm, homogeneous echo pattern, and absence of stromal overgrowth is highly predictive of a benign excision potentially sparing most patients diagnosed with FEL-NFC the expense and morbidity of a surgical excision.

Health related quality of life in adults after late repair of tetralogy of fallot: experience from a low-middle income country.

PURPOSE: Without neonatal screening in low middle-income countries like Pakistan, Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) is a congenital heart disease which frequently remains untreated beyond infancy. The purpose of this study is to determine and assess outcomes and health related quality of life (HRQOL) in patients who undergo complete repair of TOF as adults. METHODS: 56 patients who underwent complete TOF repair after 16 years of age were included. Patient data was collected via retrospective chart review, and a semi structured interview along with Short-Form 36 (SF-36) questionnaire were used to assess HRQOL. RESULTS: 66.1% of patients were male with the mean age at surgery of 22.3 ± 6.00. All patients had a post-operative NYHA Classification of I or II, 94.6% had an ejection fraction of ≥ 50% and 28.6% showed small residual lesions in follow-up echocardiograms. 32.1% of patients suffered post-operative morbidity. For the quantitative assessment using SF-36 scores, patients showed good scores of median 95 (65-100). A major cause of delay to treatment was lack of consensus between treatments offered by doctors in different parts of Pakistan. There was a pattern of 'inability to fit in' among patients who had had late TOF repair, despite self- reported improved HRQOL. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that even with a delayed diagnosis, surgical repair of TOF produces good functional results. However, these patients face significant psychosocial issues. While early diagnosis remains the ultimate goal, patients undergoing late repair should be managed in more holistic manner with attention to psychological impact of the disease as well.

Plasmodium in the bone marrow: case series from a hospital in Pakistan, 2007-2015.

BACKGROUND: Malaria is a life-threatening, multisystem disease caused by the plasmodial parasite with a global incidence of approximately 229 million annually. The parasites are known to have unique and crucial interactions with various body tissues during its life cycle, notably the liver, spleen, and recent work has shown the bone marrow to be a reservoir of infection. METHODS: This study is a case series of patients in whom examination of bone marrow revealed malarial parasites. A retrospective record review of 35 parasite-positive bone marrow specimens examined at Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH), Karachi, Pakistan, over the years 2007 to 2015 was conducted. Bone marrow aspirates were collected as per International Council for Standardization in Haematology (ICSH) guidelines. RESULTS: The median age of patients was 22 years (range 1-75), and 60 % (n = 21) were male. 22 patients had evidence of Plasmodium falciparum, 12 had evidence of Plasmodium vivax and 1 patient had a mixed infection. Gametocytes and trophozoites were the most common stages identified on both peripheral blood and bone marrow examinations. Indications for bone marrow examination included fever of unknown origin and the workup of cytopenias and malignancies. CONCLUSIONS: The incidental finding of Plasmodium in samples of bone marrow suggests the reticuloendothelial system may be regularly harbour these parasites, be the infection acute or chronic in character.

Health-related quality of life in adults with tetralogy of Fallot repair: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: With the advancement in diagnostics and clinical management, patients with Tetralogy of Fallot (ToF) are surviving till adulthood. Hence, assessing the impact of ToF repair on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of these patients is becoming increasingly important. The objective of this paper is to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of the HRQOL in patients who have undergone ToF repair. METHODS: A systematic search was conducted using PubMed, CINAHL, Medline and Web of Science databases. Studies that compared the HRQOL of adult patients (mean age ≥ 18 years) who had previously undergone ToF repair with healthy controls were included. Analysis was done via Revman V5.3 using a random effects model. RESULTS: The 16 studies (15 using SF-36) included in the meta-analysis, comprised 1818 patients and 50,265 healthy controls. There was a higher proportion of males (59%). The mean ages at surgery and at HRQOL assessment were 5.37 years and 30.3 years, respectively. We found that repaired ToF patients had a statistically significantly lower score in the physical component summary (SMD = - 0.92 CI = - 1.54, - 0.30) and physical functioning (SMD = - 0.27 CI = - 0.50, - 0.03) compared to healthy controls. However, these patients had statistically significantly higher scores in the bodily pain domain (SMD = 0.35 CI = 0.12, 0.58) and social functioning (SMD = 0.23 CI = 0.01, 0.46), while there was no significant difference in other domains. CONCLUSION: Overall, physical domain of HRQOL was statistically significantly lower in repaired ToF patients compared to healthy controls. However, repaired ToF patients scored significantly higher on bodily pain and Social Functioning. There was additionally no difference in the HRQOL between the two groups in other domains of HRQOL.

Factors Affecting Women Surgeons' Careers in Low-Middle-Income Countries: An International Survey.

BACKGROUND: Despite increasing numbers of women surgeons globally, barriers to career advancement persist. While these barriers have been extensively discussed in high-income countries (HICs), the topic has received minimal attention in lower-middle-income countries (LMICs) like Pakistan. METHODS: The Association of Women Surgeons of Pakistan (AWSP)-an organization in Pakistan consisting of female surgeons and trainees-carried out this international cross-sectional study over July-Sept 2019. An anonymous online survey was disseminated via social media platforms and various institutions across Pakistan and internationally. RESULTS: A total of 218 female surgeons responded to the survey, with 146 (67%) from Pakistan and 72 (33%) from HICs. While HIC surgeons were more likely to report gender discrimination/bias (GD/bias) during residency (29.2% vs 11.6%; p = 0.001), more Pakistani surgeons reported that GD/bias negatively affected their job satisfaction (80.7% vs. 64.9%; p = 0.024). GD/bias manifested most commonly as differences in mentoring relationships (72%). A higher percentage Pakistani surgeons reported having experienced a family-related interruption in their career (24.7% vs. 11.1%; p = 0.019). The vast majority (95%) felt that surgery was perceived as a masculine field, and the majority (56.4%) of respondents reported having been told that they could not be a surgeon because of their gender. CONCLUSION: Our study highlights keys factors that must be addressed to provide equal career opportunities to women surgeons. It is the responsibility of surgical educators, policy makers, and healthcare organizations to facilitate women surgeons' career progression by developing systems that support equitable career growth for women surgeons.

Harassment and mental health in surgical training: a pilot survey of surgical trainees in Pakistan.

OBJECTIVE: To assess harassment among surgical trainees and its effects on mental health, and to explore its association with gender. METHODS: The nationwide cross-sectional pilot study was conducted by the Association of Women Surgeons of Pakistan from July to September 2019, and included surgical trainees of either gender working in both public and private hospitals. Data was collected using an anonymous online survey form to assess harassment and self-perceived burnout and depression. Data was analysed using SPSS 22. RESULTS: Of the 147 respondents, 49(33.3%) were males; 98(66.6%) were females; and 118(80.3%) were residents. Workplace harassment was reported by 80(54.4%) trainees. Among the males it was reported by 24(49%) and among the females by 56(57%) (p=0.349). Of those having faced harassment, 9(11.3%) reported it to the administration. Severe self-perceived burnout was reported by 102(69.4%) respondents, and severe self-perceived depression by 69(46.9%). Respondents experiencing bullying were more likely to report severe self-perceived burnout than those not experiencing bullying (p=0.02). Multivariable logistic regression showed female gender to be significantly associated with sexual harassment (odds ratio: 4.261 [95% confidence interval: 1.067-17.019]) and severe self-perceived depression (odds ratio: 5.052 [95% confidence interval: 1.187-21.503]). Need for a support group was identified by 134(91.2%) trainees. CONCLUSIONS: An overwhelming need was found for trainee surgeon support groups and other interventions targeted at improving the workplace environment for surgical trainees in Pakistan.

Cultural Barriers for Women in Surgery: How Thick is the Glass Ceiling? An Analysis from a Low Middle-Income Country.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to highlight cultural barriers faced by surgeons pursuing a surgical career faced by surgeons at a tertiary care hospital in Pakistan. As more females opt for a surgical career, barriers faced by female surgeons are becoming increasingly evident, many of which are rooted in cultural norms. In Pakistan, a predominantly Muslim-majority, low middle-income country, certain societal expectations add additionally complexity and challenges to existing cultural barriers. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was administered via e-mail to the full-time faculty and trainees in the Department of Surgery at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan, from July 2019 to November 2019. RESULTS: In total, 100 participants were included in this study, with the majority being residents (55.6%) and consultants (33.3%). 71.9% of female surgeons felt that cultural barriers towards a surgical career existed for their gender, as compared to 25.4% of male surgeons (p < 0.001). 40.6% of females reported having been discouraged by family/close friends from pursuing surgery, as compared to only 9.0% of males (p < 0.001). Moreover, a greater percentage of females surgeons were responsible for household cooking, cleaning and laundry, as compared to male surgeons (all p < 0.001). Lastly, 71.4% of female surgeons felt that having children had hindered their surgical career, as compared to 4.8% of males (p < 0001). CONCLUSION: Our study shows that significant cultural barriers exist for females pursuing a surgical career in our setting. Findings such as these emphasize the need for policy makers to work towards overcoming cultural barriers.

Adherence Rate to Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology Z0011 Trial Based on Breast Cancer Subtype.

BACKGROUND: The American College of Surgeons Oncology Group Z0011 (ACOSOG Z0011 or Z11) trial demonstrated no survival advantage with completion axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) for patients with T1-2 breast cancer, 1 to 2 positive SLNs who received adjuvant chemoradiation therapy. More than 70% of the cohort had estrogen receptor (ER)+ tumors. There is paucity of data on the adherence rate to Z11, as well as a dearth of data on the applicability of Z11 for the different subtypes. We conducted a large hospital-based study to evaluate the adherence rate to Z11 based on subtypes. STUDY DESIGN: The National Cancer Database was queried to evaluate 33,859 patients diagnosed with T1-2, N1, and M0 breast cancer treated with lumpectomy with negative margins, and adjuvant chemoradiation therapy between 2012 and 2018. Patients were classified into 3 groups: (1) ER+/HER2-, (2) ER-/HER2-, and (3) HER2+ regardless of ER status. The revised Scope of the Regional Lymph Node Surgery 2012 was used to classify patients into those who underwent an SLN or ALND. Differences in use of ALND by subtypes were compared. The Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test were used to compare overall survival (OS). A p value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: For ER+/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-, ER-/HER2-, and HER2+ tumors, the rate of ALND was 43.6%, 50.2%, and 47.8%, respectively. The 5-year OS for SLN and ALND for the entire cohort was 94.0% and 93.1% (p = 0.0004); for ER+/HER2-, it was 95.4% and 94.7% (p = 0.04); for ER-/HER2-, it was 84.1% and 84.3% (p = 0.41); for HER2+, it was 94.2% and 93.2% (p = 0.20). Multivariable cox proportional hazard regression analysis demonstrated no significant survival differences between SLN and ALND (p = 0.776). CONCLUSIONS: Z11 is applicable for women with early N1 disease, regardless of subtypes. ALND did not confer a survival advantage over SLN. Despite this, up to 50% of patients who fit Z11 criteria continue to undergo ALND.

Long-term patient-reported outcomes and patient-reported outcome measures after injury: the National Trauma Research Action Plan (NTRAP) scoping review.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this scoping review is to identify and summarize patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) that are being used to track long-term patient-reported outcomes (PROs) after injury and can potentially be included in trauma registries. METHODS: Online databases were used to identify studies published between 2013 and 2019, from which we selected 747 articles that involved survivors of acute physical traumatic injury aged 18 years or older at time of injury and used PROMs to evaluate recovery between 6 months and 10 years postinjury. Data were extracted and summarized using descriptive statistics and a narrative synthesis of the results. RESULTS: Most studies were observational, with relatively small sample sizes, and predominantly on traumatic brain injury or orthopedic patients. The number of PROs assessed per study varied from one to 12, for a total of 2052 PROs extracted, yielding 74 unique constructs (physical health, 25 [34%]; mental health, 27 [37%]; social health, 12 [16%]; cognitive health, 7 [10%]; and quality of life, 3 [4%]). These 74 constructs were assessed using 355 different PROMs. Mental health was the most frequently examined outcome domain followed by physical health. Health-related quality of life, which appeared in more than half of the studies (n = 401), was the most common PRO evaluated, followed by depressive symptoms. Physical health was the domain with the highest number of PROMs used (n = 157), and lower-extremity functionality was the PRO that contributed most PROMs (n = 33). CONCLUSION: We identified a wide variety of PROMs available to track long-term PROs after injury in five different health domains: physical, mental, social, cognitive, and quality of life. However, efforts to fully understand the health outcomes of trauma patients remain inconsistent and insufficient. Defining PROs that should be prioritized and standardizing the PROMs to measure them will facilitate the incorporation of long-term outcomes in national registries to improve research and quality of care. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Systematic Reviews & Meta-analyses, Level IV.

Gender discrimination against female surgeons: A cross-sectional study in a lower-middle-income country.

INTRODUCTION: Although gender discrimination and bias (GD/bias) experienced by female surgeons in the developed world has received much attention, GD/bias in lower-middle-income countries like Pakistan remains unexplored. Thus, our study explores how GD/bias is perceived and reported by surgeons in Pakistan. METHOD: A single-center cross-sectional anonymous online survey was sent to all surgeons practicing/training at a tertiary care hospital in Pakistan. The survey explored the frequency, source and impact of GD/bias among surgeons. RESULTS: 98/194 surgeons (52.4%) responded to the survey, of which 68.4% were males and 66.3% were trainees. Only 19.4% of women surgeons reported 'significant' frequency of GD/bias during residency. A higher percentage of women reported 'insignificant' frequency of GD/bias during residency, as compared to males (61.3% vs. 32.8%; p = 0.004). However, more women surgeons reported facing GD/bias in various aspects of their career/training, including differences in mentorship (80.6% vs. 26.9%; p < 0.005) and differences in operating room opportunities (77.4% vs. 32.8%; p < 0.005). The source was most frequently reported to be co-residents of the opposite gender. Additionally, a high percentage of female surgeons reported that their experience of GD/bias had had a significant negative impact on their career/training progression, respect/value in the surgical team, job satisfaction and selection of specialty. CONCLUSION: Although GD/bias has widespread impacts on the training/career of female surgeons in Pakistan, most females fail to recognize this GD/bias as "significant". Our results highlight a worrying lack of recognition of GD/bias by female surgeons, representing a major barrier to gender equity in surgery in Pakistan and emphasizing the need for future research.

Long-term patient-reported outcome measures after injury: National Trauma Research Action Plan (NTRAP) scoping review protocol.

BACKGROUND: A significant proportion of patients who survive traumatic injury continue to suffer impaired functional status and increased mortality long after discharge. However, despite the need to improve long-term outcomes, trauma registries in the USA do not collect data on outcomes or care processes after discharge. One of the main barriers is the lack of consensus regarding the optimal outcome metrics. OBJECTIVES: To describe the methodology of a scoping review evaluating current evidence on the available measures for tracking functional and patient-reported outcomes after injury. The aim of the review was to identify and summarize measures that are being used to track long-term functional recovery and patient-reported outcomes among adults after injury. METHODS: A systematic search of PubMed and Embase will be performed using the search terms for the population (adult trauma patients), type of outcomes (long-term physical, mental, cognitive, and quality of life), and measures available to track them. Studies identified will be reviewed and assessed for relevance by at least two reviewers. Data will be extracted and summarized using descriptive statistics and a narrative synthesis of the results. This protocol is being reported in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines. DISSEMINATION: This scoping review will provide information regarding the currently available metrics for tracking functional and patient-reported outcomes after injury. The review will be presented to a multi-disciplinary stakeholder group that will evaluate these outcome metrics using an online Delphi approach to achieve consensus as part of the development of the National Trauma Research Action Plan (NTRAP). The results of this review will be presented at relevant national surgical conferences and published in peer-reviewed scientific journals.