Staging laparoscopy in patients with advanced gastric cancer: A single center cohort study

BackgroundMost studies exploring the role of staging laparoscopy in gastric cancer are limited by low sample size and are predominantly conducted in Asian countries. This study sets out to determine the value of staging laparoscopy in patients with advanced gastric cancer in a Western population.MethodsAll patients with gastric cancer from a tertiary referral center without definite evidence of non-curable disease after initial staging, and who underwent staging laparoscopy between 2013 and 2020, were identified from a prospectively maintained database. The proportion of patients in whom metastases or locoregional non-resectability was detected during staging laparoscopy was established. Secondary outcomes included the avoidable surgery rate (detection of non-curable disease during gastrectomy with curative intent) and diagnostic accuracy (sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, negative and positive predictive value).ResultsA total of 216 patients were included. Staging laparoscopy revealed metastatic disease in 46 (21.3 %) patients and a non-resectable tumor in three (1.4 %) patients. During intended gastrectomy, non-curable disease was revealed in 13 (8.6 %) patients. Overall sensitivity, specificity and diagnostic accuracy were 76.6 %, 100 % and 92.6 %, respectively. The positive predictive value was 100 % and the negative predictive value was 90.3 %.ConclusionStaging laparoscopy is valuable in the staging process of gastric cancer with a high accuracy in detecting non-curable disease, thereby preventing futile treatment and its associated burden.     

Sentinel lymph node localization and staging with a low-dose of superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) enhanced MRI and magnetometer in patients with cutaneous melanoma of the extremity - The MAGMEN feasibility study

BackgroundIn patients with melanoma, sentinel lymph node (SLN) status is pivotal for treatment decisions. Current routine for SLN detection combines Technetium^99m (Tc⁹⁹) lymphoscintigraphy and blue dye (BD). The primary aim of this study was to examine the feasibility of using a low dose of superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) injected intracutaneously to detect and identify the SLN, and the secondary aim was to investigate if a low dose of SPIO would enable a preoperative MRI-evaluation of SLN status.MethodsPatients with melanoma of the extremities were eligible. Before surgery, a baseline MRI of the nodal basin was followed by an injection of a low dose (0.02–0.5 mL) of SPIO and then a second MRI (SPIO-MRI). Tc⁹⁹ and BD was used in parallel and all nodes with a superparamagnetic and/or radioactive signal were harvested and analyzed.ResultsFifteen patients were included and the SLNB procedure was successful in all patients (27 SLNs removed). All superparamagnetic SLNs were visualized by MRI corresponding to the same nodes on scintigraphy. Micrometastatic deposits were identified in four SLNs taken from three patients, and SPIO-MRI correctly predicted two of the metastases. There was an association between MRI artefacts in the lymph node and the dose SPIO given.DiscussionIt is feasible to detect SLN in patients with melanoma using a low dose of SPIO injected intracutaneously compared with the standard dual technique. A low dose of SPIO reduces the lymph node MRI artefacts, opening up for a non-invasive assessment of SLN status in patients with cancer.     

Renal cell carcinoma staging: pitfalls,challenges, and updates

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is unusual among cancers in that it often grows as a spherical, well‐circumscribed mass. Increasing tumour size influences the pathological pT stage category within pT1 and pT2, with cutoffs of 40, 70 and 100 mm; however, with increasing size also comes a sharp increase in the likelihood of renal sinus or renal vein tributary invasion, such that clear cell RCC rarely reaches 70 mm without invading one of these. To clarify some previous challenges in assigning tumour stage, the American Joint Committee on Cancer 2016 tumor–node–metastasis classification has removed the requirements than vein invasion be recognised grossly and that vein walls contain muscle for the diagnosis of vein invasion. Renal pelvis invasion has also been added as an additional route to pT3a. Multinodularity or finger‐like extensions from a renal mass should be viewed with great suspicion for the possibility of vein or renal sinus invasion, and, as tumour size increases to over 40–50 mm, thorough sampling of the renal sinus interface should always be undertaken. With increasing interest in adjuvant therapy in renal cancer, the pathologist's role in RCC staging will continue to be an important prognostic parameter and a tool for selection of patients for enrolment in clinical trials.     

18F-FDG PET/CT SUVmax与乳腺浸润性导管癌临床病理特征及新辅助化疗疗效的相关性

 目的 探讨¹⁸F-脱氧葡萄糖（FDG）正电子发射计算机断层扫描（PET/CT）显像治疗前病灶最大标准摄取值（maximum standard uptake value, SUV_max）与乳腺浸润性导管癌临床病理特征的关系及与新辅助化疗疗效的相关性，以指导临床个体化治疗。方法 选取佛山市第一人民医院行¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT显像的272例初治乳腺浸润性导管癌患者的临床资料进行回顾性分析，测定原发病灶的SUV_max，分析临床病理特征、分子分型及新辅助化疗疗效与原发灶SUV_max的相关性。结果 乳腺癌原发灶的SUV_max在不同T分期、不同组织学分级、有无淋巴结转移方面差异均有统计学意义（P<0.05），雌激素受体（ER）和（或）孕激素受体（PR）阳性组与阴性组的SUV_max差异有统计学意义（P<0.05），人表皮生长因子受体2（HER2）阳性组与阴性组的SUV_max差异无统计学意义（P>0.05），Ki-67高表达者SUV_max高于低表达者（P<0.05）。Basal-like型和HER2过表达型SUV_max均高于Luminal A型乳腺癌（P<0.05）。病理完全缓解组与未达到病理缓解组SUV_max差异有统计学意义（P<0.05）。结论 ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT SUV_max与乳腺癌的临床病理特征具有较大的相关性，原发病灶SUV_max较高者更能从新辅助化疗中获益。     

Axillary Lymph Node Tattooing and Targeted Axillary Dissection in Breast Cancer Patients Who Presented as cN+ Before Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy and Became cN0 After Treatment

IntroductionTargeted axillary dissection (TAD) is an alternative to axillary dissection for breast cancer patients who presented as cN+ before neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) and became cN0 after treatment. TAD is defined as the removal of sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) along with the pre-NAC marked positive nodes. Tattooing is an option to mark positive nodes. In this study we aimed to investigate the identification rate of tattooed nodes during surgery, correspondence between tattooed nodes and SLNs, and difficulties and pitfalls of the method.Patients and MethodsIn 75 patients who were cN+, with axillary lymph nodes known to have or suspected to have disease were tattooed pre-NAC with a sterile carbon suspension (Spot). After NAC completion all patients became cN0 and underwent TAD as an axillary staging procedure.ResultsSLNs were identified successfully in 70 of 75 patients (93.3%). All tattooed nodes were identified successfully intraoperatively in 71 of 75 patients (94.6%). Retrieval of all tattooed nodes in surgical specimens was achieved in 74 patients (98.6%). Correspondence between tattooed nodes and SLNs was observed in 53 of 70 patients (75.3%). In 34 patients (45.3%) the number of pigmented nodes in pathological examination was greater than the number of initially tattooed nodes, indicating the possibility of tattoo ink migration.ConclusionTattoo of axillary lymph nodes is a feasible, accurate, and low-cost method of positive node marking pre-NAC. Pathological confirmation of black pigment in the lymph nodes excised is not by itself warranty of retrieval of all marked node because of tattoo ink migration from one node to another. Intraoperative identification using visual inspection is essential.     

Longitudinal validity of PET‐based staging of regional amyloid deposition

Positron emission tomography (PET)‐based staging of regional amyloid deposition has recently emerged as a promising tool for sensitive detection and stratification of pathology progression in Alzheimer's Disease (AD). Here we present an updated methodological framework for PET‐based amyloid staging using region–specific amyloid‐positivity thresholds and assess its longitudinal validity using serial PET acquisitions. We defined region‐specific thresholds of amyloid‐positivity based on Florbetapir‐PET data of 13 young healthy individuals (age ≤ 45y), applied these thresholds to Florbetapir‐PET data of 179 cognitively normal older individuals to estimate a regional amyloid staging model, and tested this model in a larger sample of patients with mild cognitive impairment (N = 403) and AD dementia (N = 85). 2‐year follow‐up Florbetapir‐PET scans from a subset of this sample (N = 436) were used to assess the longitudinal validity of the cross‐sectional model based on individual stage transitions and data‐driven longitudinal trajectory modeling. Results show a remarkable congruence between cross‐sectionally estimated and longitudinally modeled trajectories of amyloid accumulation, beginning in anterior temporal areas, followed by frontal and medial parietal areas, the remaining associative neocortex, and finally primary sensory‐motor areas and subcortical regions. Over 98% of individual amyloid deposition profiles and longitudinal stage transitions adhered to this staging scheme of regional pathology progression, which was further supported by corresponding changes in cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers. In conclusion, we provide a methodological refinement and longitudinal validation of PET‐based staging of regional amyloid accumulation, which may help improving early detection and in‐vivo stratification of pathologic disease progression in AD.     

腹部超声对不同临床分期胰腺癌的诊断价值

目的探讨腹部超声对不同临床分期胰腺癌的诊断价值。方法选择接受诊治的40例胰腺癌患者,所有患者行腹部常规超声与超声造影检查,记录影像学特征与病理T分期,记录患者的病理T分期并进行一致性分析。结果在40例患者中,超声诊断为T1期22例,T2期8例,T3期6例,T4期4例,与病理诊断具有很好的诊断一致性(K=0.782),T分期的诊断总准确率为95.0%。T3+T4期患者的超声病灶形态、晕环、钙化、边界、内部回声等特征与T1+T2期患者对比差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。T3+T4期患者的PI值高于T1+T2期患者(P<0.05),TP与AUC值对比差异无统计学意义(P>0.05)。结论腹部超声在胰腺癌的诊断具有很好的常规影像学特征与造影特征,有利于指导胰腺癌的术前T分期,有很好的应用价值。