Standardized pretreatment breast MRI--accuracy and influence on mastectomy decisions.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Routine pretreatment breast magnetic resonance imaging in newly diagnosed cancer patients remains controversial. We assess MRI accuracy and influence on mastectomy decisions after institution of standardized pretreatment MRI. METHODS: A prospectively collected database of 74 consecutive new invasive breast cancer patients with pretreatment breast MRI was reviewed for treatment choice, radiologic, and pathologic results. Thirty-eight of 72 patients with available surgical records underwent mastectomy. Mastectomy preoperative and operative electronic records were reviewed for treatment decision analysis. RESULTS: Seventeen of 72 (23.6%) invasive breast cancer patients were likely influenced to undergo mastectomy by new information from MRI. MRI reported that the multifocal/multicentric (MF/MC) rate was 20 of 72 (27.8%) versus 19 of 72 (26.4%) by surgical pathology. MRI sensitivity for MF/MC disease was 89.5% versus 11.8% for mammography. MRI specificity was 84.2%. All three false positives declined recommended preoperative biopsies. MRI MF/MC diagnosis highly correlated with pathology results, P < 0.001. CONCLUSIONS: Increased mastectomy rate from 29 to 52.8% after standardization of pre-treatment breast MRI for invasive cancer is largely due to MRI findings of increased extent of disease. These MRI findings correlate well with pathologic findings and appear to justify the performance of mastectomies in these patients.

Diagnostic utility of P63 and CD10 in distinguishing cutaneous spindle cell/sarcomatoid squamous cell carcinomas and atypical fibroxanthomas.

The pathologic distinction of atypical fibroxanthomas (AFXs) from cutaneous spindle cell/sarcomatoid squamous cell carcinomas (SCSCCs) may occasionally pose a significant diagnostic challenge, given the substantial clinicopathologic overlap between these lesions. Recent studies indicate that p63 and CD10 are expressed in significant proportions of SCSCC and AFX, respectively. The purpose of this study is to investigate the utility of CD10 and p63 in distinguishing cutaneous SCSCCs and AFXs. The immunohistochemical expression of p63, CD10, cytokeratin AE-1/3, cytokeratin 5/6 and a cytokeratin cocktail (Kermix) was evaluated in an archived group of 23 AFXs and 10 SCSCCs. CD10 was positive in 18/23 AFXs (78%), with most demonstrating strong and/or diffuse staining. Three of 23 AFXs (13%), all negative for cytokeratins, showed focal and weak nuclear staining for p63. Two of 23 AFXs (9%) demonstrated very focal or weak staining for only one cytokeratin; in both cases, p63 and CD10 were negative. One AFX was negative with all immunostains. CD10 was positive in 6/10 SCSCCs (60%), with half demonstrating strong and/or diffuse staining. P63 was positive in 9/10 SCSCCs (90%), with most demonstrating strong and diffuse staining. One SCSCC was negative for p63, but positive with two cytokeratin immunostains. In conclusion, the expression of any of the cytokeratins evaluated herein significantly distinguished AFX from SCSCC. CD10 used in isolation, however, was not useful in making this distinction (positive in 18/23 AFXs versus 6/10 SCSCCs, p=0.4). The addition of CD10 to a panel that includes p63 did not provide any additional information to that obtained from the latter alone. Overall, the most effective combination to distinguish AFX from SCSCC was p63 and cytokeratin AE-1/3. Positivity for both p63 and cytokeratin AE-1/3 was seen in 9/10 SCSCCs (90%) and was not observed in any of the 23 AFXs (p<0.0001). The usefulness of CD10 in this differential diagnosis is limited.

From the archives of the AFIP: radiologic staging of ovarian carcinoma with pathologic correlation.

Ovarian cancer is the deadliest gynecologic malignancy, with approximately 70% of patients having peritoneal involvement at the time of diagnosis. It spreads predominantly by direct invasion and intraperitoneal dissemination. The staging system is surgically based, with stage I disease being limited to one or both ovaries. In stage II disease, there is extraovarian spread of tumor, but it does not extend beyond the pelvis. Stages III and IV disease are considered advanced, with stage III ovarian cancer including diffuse peritoneal disease involving the upper abdomen and stage IV disease having distant metastases including hepatic lesions. Common sites of intraperitoneal seeding include the omentum, paracolic gutters, liver capsule, and diaphragm. Thickening, nodularity, and enhancement are all signs of peritoneal involvement. Although computed tomography is the most common imaging modality used to stage ovarian cancer, magnetic resonance imaging has been shown to be equally accurate. Currently, however, no imaging modality allows microscopic spread of disease to be ruled out, and a full staging laparotomy is always required. Early ovarian cancer is treated with comprehensive staging laparotomy, whereas advanced but operable disease is treated with primary cytoreductive surgery (debulking) followed by adjuvant chemotherapy. Patients with unresectable disease may benefit from neoadjuvant (preoperative) chemotherapy before debulking.