Hypsarrhythmia paroxysm intensities that initiate and render physical and mental retardation irreversible in West syndrome.

PURPOSE: The present study would like to investigate the effect of hypsarrhythmia paroxysms on neurological examination findings. MATERIAL AND METHOD: This study enrolled 48 children with normal cranial magnetic resonance imaging (cMRI) findings who were previously untreated with adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and had no history of asphyxia or anoxia at birth, no underlying disease, and no history of head trauma or central nervous system infection. In these children, duration of treatment delay (DTD) was calculated, HPs in NREM sleep were counted, and neurological examination findings were identified. During the study, sometimes the 'countable hypsarrhythmia paroxysms index' (cHPI) and sometimes the 'durational hypsarrhythmia paroxysm index (dHPI)' was estimated. The onset of neurological examination findings, the onset of physical and mental retardation and the time when physical and mental retardation became irreversible were investigated. The children were stratified into 5 groups based on DTD and attempts were made to prevent the recurrence of aborted ISs by ACTH treatment. RESULTS: I- When 'cHPI = 4/min'; mild growth retardation may be noticed. II- When 'cHPI = 6/min' and 'dHPI = 25%'; reduced eye tracking and reduced movement may be observed. III- When 'cHPI = 8/min' and 'dHPI >32%'; reduced eye tracking and reduced movement become evident, and neurological examination findings are reversible. IV- When 'dHPI = 45%'; partially permanent, mild motor and psychiatric sequelae develop. V- When 'dHPI >49%'; neurological examination findings become irreversible. VI- No relationship was found between neurological examination findings the early onset of ISs. CONCLUSION: WS cannot be treated unless DCHP is elucidated.

Enhanced axillary assessment using intradermally injected microbubbles and contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) before neoadjuvant systemic therapy (NACT) identifies axillary disease missed by conventional B-mode ultrasound that may be clinically relevant.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to measure pre-treatment diagnostic yield of malignant lymph nodes (LN) using contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in addition to B-mode axillary ultrasound and compare clinicopathological features, response to NACT and long-term outcomes of patients with malignant LN detected with B-mode ultrasound versus CEUS. METHODS: Between August 2009 and October 2016, NACT patients were identified from a prospective database. Follow-up data were collected until May 2019. RESULTS: 288 consecutive NACT patients were identified; 77 were excluded, 110 had malignant LN identified by B-mode ultrasound (Group A) and 101 patients with negative B-mode axillary ultrasound had CEUS with biopsy of sentinel lymph nodes (SLN). In two cases CEUS failed. Malignant SLN were identified in 35/99 (35%) of B-mode ultrasound-negative cases (Group B). Patients in Group A were similar to those in Group B in age, mean diagnostic tumour size, grade and oestrogen receptor status. More Group A patients had a ductal phenotype. In the breast, 34 (31%) Group A patients and 8 (23%) Group B patients achieved a pathological complete response (PCR). In the axilla, 41 (37%) and 13 (37%) Groups A and B patients, respectively, had LN PCR. The systemic relapse rate was not statistically different (5% and 16% for Groups A and B, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Enhanced assessment with CEUS before NACT identifies patients with axillary metastases missed by conventional B-mode ultrasound. Without CEUS, 22 (63%) of cases in Group B (negative B-mode ultrasound) may have been erroneously classed as progressive disease by surgical SLN excision after NACT.

Response to adrenocorticotropic in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder-like symptoms in electrical status epilepticus in sleep syndrome is related to electroencephalographic improvement: A retrospective study.

INTRODUCTION: Encephalopathy with electrical status epilepticus in sleep (ESES) syndrome is a rare epilepsy syndrome of childhood that is characterized by sleep-induced epileptiform discharges and problems with cognition or behavior. The neuropsychiatric symptoms in ESES syndrome, among which the ADHD-like symptoms are prominent, bear a close resemblance to symptoms in various developmental disorders. Positive response to adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) is associated with the normalization of the EEG and improvement of neuropsychiatric function. This study aimed to determine the improvement in ADHD-like symptoms in response to ACTH and establish a relationship between improvement in clinical symptoms and EEG parameters. METHODS: Seventy-five patients with ESES syndrome, who had clinically displayed ADHD-like symptoms, had been treated with ACTH for ESES, and their medical records were retrospectively reviewed. Sleep EEGs were recorded at referral and follow-up visits, and short courses of ACTH were administered when spike-wave index (SWI) was ≥15%. The assessment of treatment effectiveness was based on reduction in SWI and the clinician-reported improvement in ADHD-like symptoms. Statistical analyses were conducted in order to investigate the relationship between the clinical and EEG parameters. RESULTS: Following treatment with ACTH, a reduction in SWI in all the patients was accompanied by a mean improvement of 67% in ADHD-like symptoms. Disappearance/reduction of foci and cessation/reduction of seizures were achieved in patients with formerly antiepileptic-resistant seizures. Multiple linear regressions established that pretreatment SWI and treatment delay predicted posttreatment SWI, while reduction in SWI, treatment delay, and the presence of foci predicted improvement in ADHD-like symptoms. DISCUSSION: Improvement in ADHD-like symptoms showed high correlation and was timely with the resolution of ESES. It is suggested that ESES and ADHD may be the two different expressions of a common neurobiological abnormality. With enhanced interpretation of sleep EEG, a more thorough assessment and treatment of neurodevelopmental disorders is possible.

Prognostic role of inflammatory biomarkers in metastatic breast cancer.

PURPOSE: The effects of inflammation on the prognosis, life expectancy and several parameters such as response to treatment of breast cancer have been previously studied. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of inflammatory markers on prognosis in patients with metastatic breast cancer. METHODS: This study was conducted on 81 patients with metastatic breast cancer who have been followed up at the Department of Medical Oncology, Hacettepe University Institute of Oncology, between December, 2009 and March, 2014. For all studied parameters Kaplan-Meier survival estimates and p values computed by log-rank test were calculated. A p value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Median follow-up time was 26 months. There were 38 deaths due to disease progression during the follow up. The levels of serum albumin, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) were not associated with a significant effect on overall survival (OS). Among patients with a higher serum C-reactive protein (CRP), the estimated mean survival was 84±36 months, compared to 278±113 months among patients with a normal serum CRP (p=0.032). When patients with higher and normal lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels were compared, their 2-year OS survival rates were 68.2 and 87.7%, respectively (p=0.034). Among patients with higher serum ferritin levels, the estimated mean survival was 29±10 months, compared to 212±113 months for normal serum ferritin (p=0.01). Among patients with higher serum beta-2 microglobulin (ß2-M), the estimated mean OS survival was 28±8 months, compared to 84±57 months for those with normal levels (p<0.01). CONCLUSION: Serum CRP, ferritin and ß2-M can be useful prognostic factors for OS in patients with metastatic breast cancer.

Comparative study of receptor discordance between primary and corresponding metastatic lesions in breast cancer.

PURPOSE: It is well-known that tumor phenotype may change during the progression of breast cancer (BC). The purpose in this study was to compare the discordance in estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PgR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) between primary and recurrent/metastatic lesions (RML) and also to evaluate the prognostic significance of change in tumor phenotype on survival in patients with metastatic BC. METHODS: The medical records of 6638 patients with BC from two breast centers treated between 1992 and 2015 were retrospectively analyzed. Of the 6638 patients, 549 cases in whom recurrence was histologically proven by biopsy or by surgical resection were enrolled into this study. RESULTS: Our presentation 13.5% of the patients had metastatic disease. Biopsy on recurrence was obtained from distant metastasis sites in 250 (63.6%) patients or from locoregional soft tissues/lymph-nodes in 143 (36.4%). Receptor discordance in ER, PgR and HER2 expressions between primary and RML were 27.2% (p=0.32), 38.6% (p<0.001) and 14.4% (p=0.007), respectively. Subsequent gain of ER and PgR showed significantly higher overall survival (OS) and post-recurrence survival (PRS) compared to the corresponding concordant-negative patients (119 vs 57 months, p=0.001 and 56 vs 31 months, p=0.03 for ER, 148 vs 58 months, p=0.003 and 64 vs 31 months, p=0.01 for PgR, respectively), hormone receptor (HR) loss was associated with worse OS. Similarly, HER2-loss cases experienced poorer PRS and OS outcomes, compared with those having stable HER2 expression (median 26 vs 60 months, p=0.009 for PRS and median 60 vs 111 months, p=0.06 for OS, respectively). CONCLUSION: This study confirmed the receptor discordance in ER/PgR and HER2 receptor expressions between primary and RML in patients with metastatic BC. As the loss of receptor expression is the most responsible factor for the discordance, treatments of recurrent/metastatic tumors should be individualized on the basis of molecular and genomic properties.

Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound Biopsy of Sentinel Lymph Nodes in Patients with Breast Cancer: Implications for Axillary Metastases and Conservation.

BACKGROUND: In breast cancer patients, sentinel lymph nodes (SLN) can be identified in the breast clinic using contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS). This study aimed to characterize and compare the extent of axillary metastases in patients with either a benign or malignant SLN core biopsy at the end of surgical treatment. METHODS: Between 2009 and 2014, prospective data were collected on consecutive patients who underwent targeted core biopsy of SLN identified using CEUS in the breast clinic. Patients with abnormal lymph nodes (LN) detected on grey-scale ultrasound were not included. Patients whose initial SLN core biopsy was benign were compared with those who had a malignant SLN core biopsy. RESULTS: 555 patients with invasive breast cancer had SLN successfully identified and core biopsied. 487 had a benign SLN core biopsy and 427 (88 %) did not have metastases found in surgically excised SLN. Only 2 % of patients with an initial benign SLN core biopsy were found to have 2 or more LN macrometastases. 68 patients had a malignant SLN core biopsy and 52 % had 2 or more LN macrometastases. The total volume of LN metastases was higher in the group of patients who had an initial malignant SLN core biopsy (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with a normal grey-scale ultrasound and benign SLN core biopsy are unlikely to have extensive axillary disease and may be ideally suited for axillary conservation. The decision to omit axillary LN dissection for patients with a malignant SLN core biopsy must be carefully considered because many will have undetected high-volume metastases.

Patients' understanding of treatment goals and disease course and their relationship with optimism, hope, and quality of life: a preliminary study among advanced breast cancer outpatients before receiving palliative treatment.

PURPOSE: The aims of this study were to explore advanced breast cancer patients' knowledge of treatment intent and expectation of illness course and to evaluate their relationship with optimism, hope, and quality of life (QoL). METHODS: Patients with advanced breast cancer (n = 55) who were treated in the ambulatory clinic of the University of Hacettepe were included in the study. They completed Life Orientation Scale, The Hope Scale, and the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life questionnaires. The data regarding the knowledge of illness progression and the perceptions of therapy intent were assessed using self-administered open-ended questionnaires that were answered by the patients. RESULTS: The data revealed that 58.2 % of the patients had an inaccurate perception of treatment intent, believing the aim of treatment was cure, whereas only 38.2 % of the patients had a realistic expectation that their disease may remain stable or may progress over a year. In addition, the awareness of disease progression and perception of goals of treatment was significantly related to hope and optimism scores but not to QoL. CONCLUSIONS: A large proportion of patients diagnosed with advanced breast cancer believed that their treatment was "curative", and they would improve within a year. Findings of our study suggest that patients with inaccurate perception of treatment intent and unrealistic expectation of prognosis have higher hope and optimism scores than those who do not, but there were no significant differences in terms of global health status.

Current management of aromatase inhibitor-induced arthralgia.

Aromatase inhibitors (AIs) are standard of care in the adjuvant setting of postmenopausal women with hormone receptor positive breast cancer. Despite their beneficial effects on survival outcomes in breast cancer, AIs-induced arthralgia (AIA) is a common side effect which may lead to drug discontinuation and decreased AIs adherence among patients. So far, the exact pathophysiology of AIA is still an unclarified condition that explains why the optimal treatment in its management has not yet been established. Moreover, studies regarding the alternative treatment options for AIA are limited due to small sample size. Herein, we report a summary of current treatment options and their effectiveness in AIA with a practical algorithm in light of the relevant literature.

Handedness and breast cancer characteristics.

PURPOSE: Around 10% of the population is left-handed (LH) and the new data suggests that there is genetic as well as environmental influence on the hand preference. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between breast cancer and hand preference. METHODS: Breast cancer patients diagnosed and treated at the Department of Medical Oncology, Hacettepe University, Institute of Oncology between March 2006 and May 2010 were included in the study. The preferred handedness was asked in all patients and recorded in the patients' medical database. RESULTS: A total of 898 patients with breast cancer were analyzed for handedness, basic characteristics and survival. The median age was 48 years (range 20-83) and all but one patient were female. Of all, 434 (48.3%) patients were pre, 61 (6.8%) were peri, and 399 patients (44.4%) were postmenopausal. Nearly all of the patients (n=869, 96.7%) were operated and modified radical mastectomy was the most frequent type of surgery (N=654, 72.8%). Invasive ductal carcinoma was observed in 659 (73.3%) and in 659 patients (73.1%)estrogen receptors (ER) were positive. Similarly 569 (63.4 %) patients were progesterone receptor (PR) positive and 181 (20.2%) had HER2 overexpression. Most of the patients had T2 (434; 48.3%), N0 (376; 41.9%) and M0 (830; 92.4%) tumors. Of all, 55 (6.1%) patients were LH and the remaining 843 (93.9%) were right-handed (RH). There was no statistically significant difference between the groups related to ER or PR status, TNM classification, tumor localization, menopausal status, HER2 or histological subtype. However the median age of diagnosis in right-handers was higher (48-46 years, p=0.02). There were 10 (1.1%) patients who had already passed away at the time of analysis. The mean overall survival (OS) for RH patients was 33 months (range 1-281) and for LH patients it was 35 months (range 1-182) (p=0.751). The disease disease-free survival (DFS) was 29 months for both groups (p=1.00). CONCLUSION: In our trial the onset of breast cancer was 2 years earlier in LH patients with similar disease characteristics compared to RH patients. As a consequence, it may be advocated that the screening of LH patients should start earlier.

Effect of body mass index on the efficacy of adjuvant tamoxifen in premenopausal patients with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer.

PURPOSE: Obesity has been confirmed to be an adverse prognostic factor in patients who were treated with aromatase inhibitors; however, such relationship has never been thoroughly investigated in patients treated with tamoxifen. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of body mass index (BMI) on the efficacy of adjuvant tamoxifen in premenopausal patients with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer. METHODS: Newly diagnosed premenopausal and non-metastatic hormone receptor-positive breast cancer patients were enrolled in the study. Patients with BMI ranging between 18.5 and 24.9 kg/m(2) were considered as normal weight patients (Arm A, n = 408), and/patients with a BMI ≥ 25 kg/m(2) were considered as overweight and obese patients (Arm B, n = 418). RESULTS: In both normal weight and overweight patients, the baseline clinicopathologic properties and the treatment history with radiotherapy and chemotherapy were similar and no statistical significant difference could be detected. Tamoxifen in combination with luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) agonist was used in 33% (136/408) of the patients in Arm A and in 22% (91/418) of patients in Arm B (p<0.001). Three-year disease free survival (DFS) rates were 89% and 87% in arm A and arm B, respectively (p=0.39). Three-year overall survival (OS) rates were 99% in arm A and 94% in arm B which appeared to be of significance (p=0.028). In univariate analysis no statistical significant effect of LHRH agonist usage on DFS (p=0.58) and OS (p=0.96) was found. CONCLUSION: Although BMI had no negative effect on recurrence risk, poor OS was observed in overweight and obese premenopausal breast cancer patients with hormone-receptor positive tumors who were treated with tamoxifen.

Trastuzumab 1-year vs 9-week in early-stage HER2-positive, lymph node negative breast cancer patients.

PURPOSE: Optimal duration of adjuvant trastuzumab therapy in early-stage HER2-positive, lymph node-negative breast cancer is unknown. To establish this, we compared 1-year and 9-week trastuzumab regimens in HER2-positive, lymph node-negative early-stage breast cancer patients. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 4374 breast cancer patients. There were 181 early-stage, lymph node-negative breast cancer patients who were treated with adjuvant trastuzumab for either 9-week or 1-year schedule. A total of 101 patients received trastuzumab for 9 weeks and the remaining 80 patients received this adjuvant therapy for 1 year. Disease free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) rates of both groups were calculated. RESULTS: There was no difference between groups according to OS. Five-year OS rates were 95.5% in the 9-week group and 93.3% in the 1-year group (p=0.78). DFS was affected by age, having tamoxifen therapy and disease stage. Nine-week trastuzumab group was superior to 1-year group and 5-year DFS rates were 91% in 9-week group and 81.2% in 1-year group (p=0.02). However, the 1-year group had more stage II patients than the 9-week group. We did not find any difference between groups regarding developing congestive heart failure. CONCLUSION: It appeared that 9-week trastuzumab treatment was not inferior to 1-year trastuzumab treatment in early-stage, lymph node-negative breast cancer patients.

Efficacy and safety of eribulin monotherapy in patients with heavily pretreated metastatic breast cancer.

PURPOSE: Eribulin is a non-taxane microtubule inhibitor, which can be used after anthracycline and taxane treatment in patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC). The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of eribulin monotherapy in heavily pretreated MBC patients. METHODS: In this single-center trial, a total of 66 MBC patients who received eribulin monotherapy in Hacettepe University Cancer Institute between 2013 and 2015 were retrospectively analyzed. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was carried out for progression free survival (PFS) and for overall survival (OS). Two-sided p values <0.05 were considered as statistically significant. RESULTS: Sixty-six patients who received at least one cycle of eribulin were registered. Most patients were heavily pretreated with a median of 4 (range 2-7) previous chemotherapy lines prior to eribulin. Median patient age was 50 years (range 28-67). Most patients were treated with eribulin at 4th or 5th line (33.3 and 27.3%, respectively). Brain metastases were present in 19 (28.8%) patients at the time of initial eribulin administration. Median PFS was 5 (95% CI 4.1-5.8) and median OS was 8 (95% CI 6-9.9) months. Fifteen patients (22.7%) responded to treatment with partial remission (PR) and 36 (54%) had stable disease (SD). No hypersensitivity reactions and no toxic deaths were observed. Three (5%) patients experienced grade 4 neurotoxicity. Fourteen (21.5%) patients developed grade 3-4 neutropenia. CONCLUSION: Eribulin monotherapy is an effective and safe regimen for MBC patients. Its low toxicity profile compared to other intravenous cytotoxic agents and the ease in its intravenous administration make this agent a preferable option for both physicians and patients.

Left laterality is an independent prognostic factor for metastasis in N3 stage breast cancer.

PURPOSE: Development of metastasis in patients with breast cancer (BC) is the most important negative prognostic factor and this process mainly begins with lymphatic involvement. Therefore, axillary, subclavicular, internal mammary or supraclavicular nodal involvement is a crucial step before metastasis. Anatomical differences between the right and left lymphatic drainages of the breasts may significantly affect the rate, site and time to development of distant metastasis. The purpose of this study was to investigate if laterality is an independent prognostic factor for metastasis in N3 breast cancer patients. METHODS: From a total of 4215 BC patients diagnosed between 1994 and 2015 in our center, 305 non-metastatic women with pathological N3 (pN3) nodal status at presentation were enrolled in this study. Patients were divided into two groups: left and right BC. Analysis of overall survival (OS) and time to first metastasis (TTM) was performed according to Kaplan-Meier method with log-rank test. RESULTS: The median number of lymph node involvement and lymph node ratio (number of positive lymph nodes / total number of excised lymph nodes) between the two groups was equal (14 and 0,66 respectively). Recurrence was observed in 123 patients [53 (35%) right vs 70 (44%) left group]. Patients with left BC had significantly higher rate of axial bone metastases compared with the right BC group (55.7 vs 35.8%, p<0.02, respectively). TTM was significantly shorter in the left BC group [49.1 months (95% CI 36.5-61.8) vs 103.6 months (95% CI 47.0-160); p7equals;0.03, respectively]. Median OS did not differ between the groups, however, there was a trend towards lower OS in patients with left BC (p=0.68). CONCLUSION: Left laterality in patients with pN3 non-metastatic BC is an independent prognostic factor associated with shorter TTM, increased risk of distant metastases and axial bone involvement compared with right laterality.

Correlation of educational status and clinicopathological characteristics of breast cancer: a single center experience.

PURPOSE: Educational status may be an important parameter in assessing breast cancer risk and prognosis. The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation between the level of education and clinicopathological characteristics of breast cancer, including tumor grade, HER-2 and estrogen receptor (ER) status, tumor size, axillary lymph node involvement and metastasis. METHODS: The study included 1800 women who were diagnosed with invasive breast cancer during 2005-2013 at Hacettepe University Cancer Institute. Patients were divided into three groups according to their educational status at the time of diagnosis as follows: low (illiterate and elementary school, 5 years or less of education), medium (secondary school and upper secondary school, 6-12 years of education) and high (university level, more than 12 years of education). The associations between educational status and clinicopathologic features of breast cancer at the time of diagnosis were evaluated. RESULTS: In all patient, a significant relationship was found between educational status and T stages (p<0.0001). Patients with higher educational levels were reported to have smaller tumor size regardless to their age and were less likely to have axillary lymph node involvement (p=0.001) or metastasis (p=0.001). A significant correlation was found between educational status and ER positivity in patients over 50 years of age (p=0.03). When the patients of all ages were evaluated, no statistically significant correlation was shown (p=0.27) between educational status and ER positivity. A significant relationship was found between educational status and HER-2 status (p=0.003), regardless of the patients' age. HER-2 positivity increased in patients with low educational status, however this significance was lost in patients over the age of 50 (p=0.1). CONCLUSION: The relationship between educational status and biological factors in breast cancer are not conclusive as yet, but this particular study revealed that educational status played a major influence in each of the five breast cancer prognostic factors: ER status, HER-2 status, tumor size, lymph node status and metastasis.

The lymph node ratio as an independent prognostic factor for non-metastatic node-positive breast cancer recurrence and mortality.

PURPOSE: To examine the prognostic value of lymph node ratio (LNR) in pathological nodal (pN) stage breast cancer patients. Also, to analyse additional clinical and pathologic prognostic factors and the impact of LNR among molecular subtypes. METHODS: Among a total of 3088 patients, 1004 women with non-metastatic lymph node-positive breast cancer were analysed. The patients were classified into low (≤0.20), intermediate (0.20 to 0.65) and high-risk (>0.65) LNR groups. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression model for disease-free survival (DFS), and overall survival (OS) were performed to evaluate the prognostic value of LNR. RESULTS: The median LNR was 0.17 (range 0.02-1.00). Of the patients, 55.7% were in low, 32.1% in intermediate, and 12.3% in high risk group. When compared with low risk group, high risk group had more often large tumor size and high grade tumor with lymphovascular invasion. The median follow-up period was 46.8 months. The 5-year breast cancer-specific OS and DFS rates for patients with low, intermediate, and high were 88%-67%, 65%-48% and 53%-24%, respectively (both plog-rank<0.0001). On multivariate analysis, pN stage and LNR were both independent predictors of survival, however, an overlapping between N1 (250 months, 95% confidence interval [CI] 88.15-413.21) and N2 (176 months, 95% CI 129.51-222.93) curves in pN staging was determined. We also observed clear prognostic separation for triple negative breast cancer with LNR survival over pN staging. CONCLUSION: The LNR predicts survival more accurately than pN staging in node-positive breast cancer patients. The use of LNR may standardize the staging and guide decisions for adjuvant treatments.

Value of preoperative ultrasound-guided axillary lymph node biopsy for preventing completion axillary lymph node dissection in breast cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: This meta-analysis was designed to evaluate the utility of preoperative axillary ultrasound combined with US-guided lymph node biopsy if indicated (AUS ± biopsy), in terms of staging the axilla and preventing two-step axillary surgery in the form of sentinel node biopsy (SNB) followed by completion axillary lymph node (ALN) dissection. METHODS: We systematically searched electronic databases for studies that addressed preoperative assessment of ALN status by AUS ± biopsy. A pooled estimate was calculated for the false-negative rate (FNR) of AUS ± biopsy (defined as the proportion of women with a negative AUS ± biopsy result subsequently proven to have a positive axilla) and sensitivity (defined as the proportion of women with a positive AUS ± biopsy result among all women with a tumor positive axilla). RESULTS: The pooled FNR was 25 % (95 % confidence interval [CI] = 24-27) and the pooled sensitivity was 50 % (95 % CI = 43-57). There was substantial heterogeneity across studies for both FNR (I (2) = 69.42) and sensitivity (I (2) = 93.25), which was not explained by between-study differences in biopsy technique, mean/median tumor size, biopsy indication, or study design. Sensitivity was increased in studies with a high prevalence of ALN metastases. CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative axillary ultrasound-guided biopsy is a useful step in the process of axillary staging. Approximately 50 % of women with axillary involvement can be identified preoperatively. Still, one in four women with an ultrasound-guided biopsy-"proven" negative axilla has a positive SNB.

Breast microcalcification: diagnostic value of calcified and non-calcified cores on specimen radiographs.

To determine if the specimen without calcification, as depicted on specimen radiography, made any contribution to the final histopathological diagnosis in comparison to the specimen with calcification. The records of 1312 stereotactic vacuum-assisted biopsies for breast microcalcifications between February 2000 and December 2010 were reviewed retrospectively. Following specimen x-ray the biopsy tissues with and without microcalcifications were sent in two separate pots (pot 1 and pot 2 respectively). The number of cores in each pot and the number of calcium specks within the cores were recorded. In 1135 of the 1312 (86%) cases the histopathological findings were similar for pot 1 and pot 2. In 165 cases (13%) the diagnosis was made solely on pot 1 while cores in pot 2 did not reveal any additional pathology. In 12 biopsies (1%) the significant pathology was only present in the specimen without any calcification. For "microcalcification only" breast lesions the specimen containing calcium will yield a correct diagnosis in 99% of cases. Cores containing no calcification rarely contribute to the diagnosis on their own, but in 87% of cases an accurate diagnosis would still have been made even if the targeted calcification had been missed.

Percutaneous removal of sentinel lymph nodes in a swine model using a breast lesion excision system and contrast-enhanced ultrasound.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the feasibility of percutaneous removal of the entire sentinel lymph node (SLN) in an animal model using a breast lesion excision system after identifying these nodes using contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) and intradermal microbubbles. METHODS: Animal studies approval was obtained. SLNs were identified using CEUS and intradermal injection of microbubbles in two young pigs. Microbubbles were mixed with blue dye and injected around the mammary papillae to access lymphatic drainage to the superficial inguinal lymph nodes. When enhancing nodes were identified, the breast lesion excision system (BLES) was used to remove these nodes percutaneously. Both animals then underwent surgical lymph node dissection. Histopathological examination of all the samples was performed. RESULTS: Removal of the entire SLN was successful in three groins in the pigs. All three nodes were stained with blue dye. No other stained nodes were observed in the node dissection specimens. The nodal architecture of removed lymph nodes was well preserved on microscopy. There were no signs of excess trauma within the biopsy bed. CONCLUSION: The results obtained from the swine model demonstrated that it is feasible to remove the entire SLN percutaneously under the guidance of CEUS and microbubbles. KEY POINTS: Intradermal injection of microbubbles and CEUS can identify sentinel lymph nodes • Ultrasound could then guide percutaneous removal of intact and complete SLNs • We have shown this was feasible in pigs but not yet in humans • This technique may eventually have the potential to reduce futile SLN biopsies.

Preoperative needle biopsy of sentinel lymph nodes using intradermal microbubbles and contrast-enhanced ultrasound in patients with breast cancer.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to assess whether sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) that undergo targeted needle biopsy after identification by contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) using intradermally injected microbubbles results in more node-positive breast cancer patients being diagnosed preoperatively. Furthermore, we sought to determine whether the addition of CEUS to gray-scale sonography of the axilla reduces the number of patients having axillary lymph node (ALN) dissection as a second procedure. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Intradermal microbubble injection was performed in 136 breast cancer patients who had no abnormal ALNs on routine gray-scale axillary sonography. When an enhancing ALN was visualized, percutaneous sonography-guided fine-needle aspiration cytology or core needle biopsy was performed. Depending on the biopsy results, patients underwent SLN biopsy or ALN dissection. If the putative SLN biopsy was positive or a biopsy tract was seen in the excised SLN, the procedure was defined as successful. RESULTS: SLNs were identified and biopsied in 126 of the 136 cases (93%). Seventeen patients had positive sonography-guided biopsy results (13%) and were treated with immediate ALN dissection. In seven patients, the biopsied node was the only positive node. The remaining 109 patients underwent SLN biopsy. In nine cases (8%), a positive lymph node was identified. Four of these false-negative cases had only micrometastases. CONCLUSION: SLNs can be identified and biopsied using CEUS to increase the accuracy of preoperative axillary staging. If the needle biopsy result is negative, conventional SLN biopsy is indicated.

Clinically palpable breast abnormalities with normal imaging: is clinically guided biopsy still required?

AIM: To determine the need for a fine-needle or core biopsy in patients with clinically palpable breast abnormalities who have negative mammographic and sonographic findings. METHOD AND MATERIALS: Over a 12-year period, 251 patients with a palpable abnormality at presentation and who had a negative ultrasound and mammogram underwent clinically guided biopsy (CGB) by breast surgeons. This was 2.7% (251/9313) of all breast biopsies performed from January 1999 to December 2010. Physical findings were qualitatively categorized into five groups as clinically "normal", "benign", "probably benign", "suspicious", and "malignant" at the time of initial assessment. The number of biopsies for each category and biopsy results were analysed retrospectively. RESULTS: Three (1.2%) of the 251 CGBs were reported as malignant; two (0.8%) of which were invasive. Forty-six (18.3%) of the 251 cases were regarded as clinically suspicious or malignant while the remaining 215 examinations were categorized as benign or probably benign. All three malignancies were in the clinically suspicious or malignant group. CONCLUSION: A negative ultrasound and mammogram in patients with a palpable abnormality does not exclude breast cancer; however, the likelihood is very low (1.2%). In this study, 81.7% of biopsies (205/251) could have been avoided if CGB was reserved for the clinically suspicious or malignant group only without missing any malignancies.