Designing and implementing a bundle of care for patients with early-stage breast cancer: lessons from a pilot program.

We present a case study on the design and implementation of a value-based bundled package of care for patients with early-stage breast cancer treated in the private health sector in Australia. Value-based healthcare is an essential change to how we deliver healthcare, shifting the focus from paying for individual services provided to a focus on the health outcomes gained over a full cycle of care. The Australian health system has unintentionally created barriers to value-based cancer care through fragmented care pathways and complex funding arrangements where patients can unexpectedly encounter high out-of-pocket costs. A team of clinicians, service providers, health systems and funding experts, private health insurers and consumers have collaborated to design and pilot a complete bundled package of care for breast cancer patients which aims to address these challenges. With 40 patients recruited to date, early evaluation results show positive patient experience of 'joined-up' care and financial transparency. This case study provides a high-level overview of the approach taken to design and implement the Breast Cancer Bundle and the lessons learned for its expansion in both public and private settings.

Pancreatic duct filling during cholecystectomy intraoperative cholangiogram and incidence of postoperative pancreatitis.

Background and Aim: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) with intraoperative cholangiography (IOC) is a commonly performed surgical procedure in most hospitals. Anecdotal evidence suggests that when the pancreatic duct (PD) inadvertently fills during IOC, there may be an increased risk of postoperative pancreatitis (POP). However, there is a paucity of information in the literature about both the incidence of pancreatitis post LC and the incidence of PD filling on IOC and any potential relationship between the two. Methods: A retrospective review was performed of all LC performed in our institution over a 10-year period. IOC images were reviewed and clinical data collated. Results: Of the 1243 procedures identified, 952 had IOC images available for review and were included in the study. The incidence of POP was 0.7%. The incidence of PD filling was 13.4%. Patient's age, sex, urgency of surgery, preoperative liver function tests (LFTs), history of pancreatitis, contrast leakage, and preoperative endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) were not statistically related to the incidence of POP. Of those with PD filling, 2% had POP versus 0.5% who had no PD filling. This trended toward significance on univariate analysis (P = 0.05). However, on logistic regression, POP was the only significant independent risk factor (P = 0.02). Conclusion: The incidence of pancreatitis post LC and IOC is low. PD filling is associated with increased incidence of pancreatitis in this scenario and it is crucial for clinicians to be aware of this potential risk. This retrospective study was based on the review of saved images, and therefore PD filling might have been underestimated. Prospective studies would be useful to ascertain any definitive clinical association.

Hidden Treasure: Congenital Adhesions Necessitating an Alternative Approach to Laparoscopic Appendicectomy.

Congenital adhesions are rare findings in adults. We present a case of appendicitis in a middle-aged male with extensive congenital adhesions of the terminal ileum to the right lateral abdominal wall. The small bowel mesentery completely obscured the inflamed appendix. Alternative techniques were required as a result of these intraoperative discoveries, and substantial adhesiolysis was carried out before a successful appendicectomy. Although the congenital adhesions described here are extremely uncommon, the authors suggest that practitioners should be aware of them because they could change typical clinical manifestations and surgical approaches.

Quantitative Micro-Elastography Enables In Vivo Detection of Residual Cancer in the Surgical Cavity during Breast-Conserving Surgery.

Breast-conserving surgery (BCS) is commonly used for the treatment of early-stage breast cancer. Following BCS, approximately 20% to 30% of patients require reexcision because postoperative histopathology identifies cancer in the surgical margins of the excised specimen. Quantitative micro-elastography (QME) is an imaging technique that maps microscale tissue stiffness and has demonstrated a high diagnostic accuracy (96%) in detecting cancer in specimens excised during surgery. However, current QME methods, in common with most proposed intraoperative solutions, cannot image cancer directly in the patient, making their translation to clinical use challenging. In this proof-of-concept study, we aimed to determine whether a handheld QME probe, designed to interrogate the surgical cavity, can detect residual cancer directly in the breast cavity in vivo during BCS. In a first-in-human study, 21 BCS patients were scanned in vivo with the QME probe by five surgeons. For validation, protocols were developed to coregister in vivo QME with postoperative histopathology of the resected tissue to assess the capability of QME to identify residual cancer. In four cavity aspects presenting cancer and 21 cavity aspects presenting benign tissue, QME detected elevated stiffness in all four cancer cases, in contrast to low stiffness observed in 19 of the 21 benign cases. The results indicate that in vivo QME can identify residual cancer by directly imaging the surgical cavity, potentially providing a reliable intraoperative solution that can enable more complete cancer excision during BCS. SIGNIFICANCE: Optical imaging of microscale tissue stiffness enables the detection of residual breast cancer directly in the surgical cavity during breast-conserving surgery, which could potentially contribute to more complete cancer excision.

Endoscopic foreign body retrieval from the caecum - A case report and push for intervention guidelines.

INTRODUCTION AND IMPORTANCE: Endoscopic foreign body retrieval in the upper gastrointestinal tract is well established, however indications for endoscopy for retained foreign bodies in the lower gastrointestinal tract and specifically the right colon is still being navigated [3]. A PubMed and Google Scholar search discovered a variety of case reports detailing various methods and indications for endoscopic retrieval of right sided colonic foreign bodies. This case report endeavors to supplement the literature so that guidelines can one day be established for colonoscopic retrieval of right-sided foreign bodies. CASE PRESENTATION: 36-year-old male prisoner swallowed 6.5 cm nail clippers with a long-standing history of intentional foreign body ingestion (FBI) including multiple laparotomies for foreign body retrievals. Computerized tomography (CT) was used initially to confirm the position of the nail clippers. After almost two weeks of failure of the foreign body (FB) to move beyond the caecum as demonstrated on plain abdominal X-rays, the patient had a colonoscopy with successful retrieval of the FB. CLINICAL DISCUSSION: This case report hopes to encourage the consideration of colonoscopy for retrieval of right sided colonic foreign bodies that have failed to pass on their own and where an operation may come with increased risk (multiple laparotomies, multiple comorbidities, and higher anaesthetic risk for a general anaesthetic). Colonoscopy/endoscopy still has inherent risk and this patient did have an episode of temporary laryngospasm that required intubation and monitoring in the intensive care unit post operatively. Despite this the patient recovered and was discharged day one post procedure without further complication. The case report has been reported in line with the SCARE 2020 criteria (Agha et al., 2020 [2]). CONCLUSION: Indications for consideration of endoscopic retrieval of foreign bodies in the right colon have not been entirely detailed as endoscopy is for upper gastrointestinal foreign bodies. This case report documents the indications for endoscopy in the clinical context of a recurrent FBI and a history of multiple laparotomies with failure of the FB to move beyond the caecum.

Arm morbidity of axillary dissection with sentinel node biopsy versus delayed axillary dissection.

BACKGROUND: Staging of axillary lymph nodes in breast cancer is important for prognostication and planning of adjuvant therapy. The traditional practice of proceeding to axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) if sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) is positive is being challenged and clinical trials are underway. For many centres, this will mean a move away from intra-operative SLNB assessment and utilization of a second procedure to perform ALND. It is sometimes perceived that a delayed ALND results in increased tissue damage and thus increased morbidity. We compared morbidity in those undergoing SLNB only, or ALND as a one- or two-stage procedure. METHODS: A retrospective review of a prospectively collected institutional database was used to review rates of lymphoedema and shoulder function in women undergoing breast cancer surgery between 2008 and 2012. RESULTS: The overall lymphoedema rate in 745 patients was 8.2% at 12 months. There was no difference in lymphoedema rates between those undergoing immediate or delayed ALND (17.8 and 8.6%, respectively, P = 0.092). Post-operative shoulder elevation, odds ratio (OR) = 0.390, 95% confidence interval (CI) = (0.218, 0.698) and abduction, OR = 0.437 (95% CI = (0.271, 0.705)) were reduced if an ALND was performed although there was no difference between immediate or delayed. CONCLUSION: ALND remains a risk factor for post-operative morbidity. There is no increased risk of lymphoedema or shoulder function deficit with a positive SLNB and delayed ALND compared to immediate ALND.

Predictors of re-excision in wire-guided wide local excision for early breast cancer: a Western Australian multi-centre experience.

BACKGROUND: A significant proportion of breast cancers present as impalpable lesions requiring radiological guidance prior to surgical excision, commonly by hook-wire placement. Complete lesion excision is an essential part of treatment, and re-excision may be needed to ensure this and minimize local recurrence. We explore a 1-year audit of re-excision of hook-wire-guided excisions in two large public breast units in Western Australia and define factors associated with the requirement for re-excision. METHODS: A retrospective review of wire-localized wide local excisions for early breast cancer in 2009 at two tertiary breast centres in Western Australia. RESULTS: Of 148 localized lesions, 44 (30%) underwent re-excision. The only significant preoperative finding was the location of tumour in the breast. The intra-operative specimen radiograph provided useful information that influenced re-excision. Smaller (≤5 mm) and larger (>20 mm) tumours on final pathological size were more likely to undergo re-excision as well as a larger difference in actual size to predicted size. The presence of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) increased re-operation, as did multifocality. CONCLUSION: This study highlights factors that should make the surgeon more cautious for re-excision. Suspicion of DCIS, especially at the periphery of tumours, and a central tumour location increase risk. Lesion localization techniques play an important role in minimizing risk while maintaining cosmesis.

Radioguided occult lesion localisation using iodine-125 seeds ('ROLLIS') for removal of impalpable breast lesions: First Australian experience.

INTRODUCTION: Approximately one-third of breast cancers are impalpable and require pre-operative image-guided localisation. Hook-wire localisation (HWL) is commonly used but has several disadvantages. Use of a low-activity radioactive iodine-125 seed is a promising alternative technique used in the USA and the Netherlands. This pilot study describes the first use of this in Australia. METHODS: In this prospective pilot study, 21 participants with biopsy-proven breast cancer underwent radioguided occult lesion localisation using iodine-125 seed(s) (ROLLIS) with insertion of a hook-wire for back up. Sentinel node biopsy was performed where indicated. Ease of hook-wire and seed insertion, duration of the procedure, dependence on the seed versus hook-wire during surgery, lesion location within the specimen, histopathology including size of radial margins, the ease of seed retrieval in pathology, and safe return of seeds for disposal were documented. Radiation dosimetry of staff was performed. RESULTS: All seeds were placed within 3.5 mm of the lesion. All lesions and seeds were removed. One participant needed re-excision for involved margins. Radiologists and surgeons both preferred ROLLIS. Surgeons were able to depend on the seed for localisation in all but one case. Sentinel node biopsy was successfully performed when required. Pathologists found seed retrieval quick and easy, with no detrimental effect on tissue processing. No radiation doses measurably above background were received by staff. CONCLUSION: ROLLIS is an easily learnt, safe and effective alternative technique to standard HWL.