Effects of tamoxifen on normal breast tissue histological composition: Results from a randomised six-arm placebo-controlled trial in healthy women

Tamoxifen prevents recurrence of breast cancer and is suggested for preventive risk-reducing therapy. Tamoxifen reduces mammographic density, a proxy for therapy response, but little is known about its effects in remodelling normal breast tissue. Our study, a substudy within the double-blinded dose-determination trial KARISMA, investigated tamoxifen-specific changes in breast tissue composition and histological markers in healthy women. We included 83 healthy women randomised to 6 months daily intake of 20, 10, 5, 2.5, 1 mg of tamoxifen or placebo. The groups were combined to “no dose” (0-1 mg), “low-dose” (2.5-5 mg) or “high-dose” (10-20 mg) of tamoxifen. Ultrasound-guided biopsies were collected before and after tamoxifen exposure. In each biopsy, epithelial, stromal and adipose tissues was quantified, and expression of epithelial and stromal Ki67, oestrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) analysed. Mammographic density using STRATUS was measured at baseline and end-of-tamoxifen-exposure. We found that different doses of tamoxifen reduced mammographic density and glandular-epithelial area in premenopausal women and associated with reduced epithelium and increased adipose tissue. High-dose tamoxifen also decreased epithelial ER and PR expressions in premenopausal women. Premenopausal women with the greatest reduction in proliferation also had the greatest epithelial reduction. In postmenopausal women, high-dose tamoxifen decreased the epithelial area with no measurable density decrease. Tamoxifen at both low and high doses influences breast tissue composition and expression of histological markers in the normal breast. Our findings connect epithelial proliferation with tissue remodelling in premenopausal women and provide novel insights to understanding biological mechanisms of primary prevention with tamoxifen.     

Impact of modified-release opioid use on clinical outcomes following total hip and knee arthroplasty: a propensity score-matched cohort study

Modified-release opioids are often prescribed for the management of moderate to severe acute pain following total hip and knee arthroplasty, despite recommendations against their use due to increasing concerns regarding harm. The primary objective of this multicentre study was to examine the impact of modified-release opioid use on the incidence of opioid-related adverse events compared with immediate-release opioid use, among adult inpatients following total hip or knee arthroplasty. Data for total hip and knee arthroplasty inpatients receiving an opioid analgesic for postoperative analgesia during hospitalisation were collected from electronic medical records of three tertiary metropolitan hospitals in Australia. The primary outcome was the incidence of opioid-related adverse events during hospital admission. Patients who received modified with or without immediate-release opioids were matched to those receiving immediate-release opioids only (1:1) using nearest neighbour propensity score matching with patient and clinical characteristics as covariates. This included total opioid dose received. In the matched cohorts, patients given modified-release opioids (n = 347) experienced a higher incidence of opioid-related adverse events overall, compared with those given immediate-release opioids only (20.5%, 71/347 vs. 12.7%, 44/347; difference in proportions 7.8% [95%CI 2.3–13.3%]). Modified-release opioid use was associated with an increased risk of harm when used for acute pain during hospitalisation after total hip or knee arthroplasty.     

RWMAs in critically ill patients with non-obstructed coronary arteries

Introduction

Left ventricular (LV) dysfunction is estimated to occur in 10%–25% of the general intensive care unit (ICU) population and is frequently seen as regional wall motion abnormalities (RWMAs). Although RWMA is mostly attributed to myocardial ischemia or infarction, some studies have suggested that nonischemic RWMA might also be prevalent. We sought to establish that RWMA can be seen in critically ill patients with normal coronary arteries and to explore reasons for RWMA in this population.

Methods

In this retrospective study, data from the hospital angiography register and the ICU register were collated between 2012 and 2019. Patients were identified who underwent angiography in conjunction with their ICU stay and had RWMA on echocardiography. Patients were divided into either those with non-obstructed or those with obstructed coronary arteries. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (cMRI) examinations were reviewed if they had been performed on patients with non-obstructed coronaries.

Results

We identified 53 patients with RWMA and non-obstructed coronary arteries and 204 patients with RWMA and obstructed coronary arteries. Patients with non-obstructed coronary arteries were more often female, younger, and had fewer cardiovascular risk factors. They less commonly had ST elevation, but more frequently had T-wave inversion or serious arrhythmias. Troponin levels were higher in patients with obstructed coronary arteries, but NT-proBNP was similar between the groups. There were no differences in risk-adjusted 90-day mortality between patients with non-obstructed versus obstructed coronary arteries (OR 1.21, [95% CI 0.56–2.64], p = .628). In those with non-obstructed coronary arteries, follow-up echocardiography was available for 38 patients, of whom 30 showed normalization of cardiac function. Of the 14 patients with non-obstructed coronary arteries on whom cMRI was performed, 7 had a tentative diagnosis of Takotsubo syndrome or myocardial stunning; 4 had a myocardial infarction (preexisting in 3 cases); 1 patient had acute myocarditis; 1 patient had post-myocarditis; and 1 patient was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy.

Conclusion

RWMA can be seen to occur in critically ill patients in the absence of coronary artery obstruction. Several conditions can cause regional hypokinesia, and cMRI is useful to evaluate the underlying etiology.     

Oral cancer prediction by noninvasive genetic screening

Oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCCs) develop in genetically altered epithelium in the mucosal lining, also coined as fields, which are mostly not visible but occasionally present as white oral leukoplakia (OL) lesions. We developed a noninvasive genetic assay using next-generation sequencing (NGS) on brushed cells to detect the presence of genetically altered fields, including those that are not macroscopically visible. The assay demonstrated high accuracy in OL patients when brush samples were compared with biopsies as gold standard. In a cohort of Fanconi anemia patients, detection of mutations in prospectively collected oral brushes predicted oral cancer also when visible abnormalities were absent. We further provide insight in the molecular landscape of OL with frequent changes of TP53, FAT1 and NOTCH1. NGS analysis of noninvasively collected samples offers a highly accurate method to detect genetically altered fields in the oral cavity, and predicts development of OSCC in high-risk individuals. Noninvasive genetic screening can be employed to screen high-risk populations for cancer and precancer, map the extension of OL lesions beyond what is visible, map the oral cavity for precancerous changes even when visible abnormalities are absent, test accuracy of promising imaging modalities, monitor interventions and determine genetic progression as well as the natural history of the disease in the human patient.