Inter‐Institutional Pathology Consultation: The Importance of Breast Pathology Subspecialization in a Setting of Tertiary Cancer Center

Inter‐institutional pathology consultation (IPC) has shown to be significant in patient care. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the impact of IPC for breast biopsies in our institution. A total of 502 consecutive consult cases of breast core needle biopsies were reviewed. The original pathology reports from the referring institutions and our reports were compared for all cases. All cases were reviewed by specialized breast pathologists. Discordance was divided into minor and major based on the impact on patient care. We reviewed the subsequent excisional biopsy for all discordant cases. Discordance was seen in 104 (20.7%) cases; 40 (8%) had a major discordance and 64 (13%) had a minor discordance. Subsequent surgical excision was available for 25 (62.5%) cases with major discordance and for 13 (20.3%) with minor discordance. Our interpretation changed management in 15 (3%) patients, while 25 (5%) had a potential of management change. The cases with major discordance could be subcategorized into five groups, malignant 5 (12.5%), premalignant 16 (40%), biomarkers 10 (25%), fibroepithelial lesions 6 (15%), and others 3 (7.5%). Our findings support the value of IPC review in decreasing the likelihood of diagnostic errors that may lead to significant impact on patient care. It is necessary that outside pathology material in the referral settings been reviewed by a specialized breast pathologist.     

Characteristics and outcomes of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma presenting in leukaemic phase

Diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma (DLBCL) occasionally presents with circulating malignant cells. The clinical characteristics and long‐term outcomes of these patients have not been described. Twenty‐nine newly diagnosed DLBCL presenting in leukaemic phase were identified between 1996 and 2010, at two institutions. Median age was 48 years, and patients presented with leucocytosis, high lactate dehydrogenase levels, B symptoms, and high International Prognostic Index score. Extra nodal site involvement was observed in all patients and affected the bone marrow (100%), spleen (62%), pleura/lung (41%), liver (21%), bone (17%), bowels (7%) and cerebrospinal fluid (14%). Blood lymphomatous cells co‐expressed CD19, CD20, CD22, CD38, CD45, HLA‐DR and FMC7 in >90%, and kappa or lambda light chain restriction in >50%. Ninety per cent received rituximab and anthracycline‐based chemotherapy. Overall, remission was complete in 54% and partial in 31%; 15% had resistant disease. Median follow‐up was 47 months; 13 (45%) patients remain alive in complete remission. Median progression‐free and overall survivals were 11·5 and 46·7 months, respectively. In summary, patients with DLBCL in leukaemic phase present with high tumour burden and frequent involvement of extra nodal sites. In this uncommon DLBCL subgroup, anthracycline‐based regimens with rituximab are associated with early morbidity and mortality, but yield approximately 50% 4‐year survival.     

Validation of a Weight History Questionnaire to Identify Adolescent Obesity

Background

Past body weight may be a more informative factor than current weight for risk of chronic disease development. Often, investigators must rely on subject recall to gauge past body weights. The Cincinnati Weight History Questionnaire (CWHQ) was developed to aid in the retrospective identification of adults who were obese during adolescence.

Methods

To assess validity, the CWHQ was administered to a subset of National Heart, Lung, and Blood Growth and Health Study (NGHS) participants, a group of young adult females for whom historical measured anthropometrics were available. One hundred ninety-eight NGHS participants were contacted, of whom 191 (97 %) responded (age 26–29). Participants were asked to recall height and weight from ages 13 and 18, which were compared to previously measured values. Multiple indices of validity (Bland–Altman plots, sensitivity, and specificity) were calculated.

Results

The CWHQ was moderately sensitive (range, 19–66 %), but highly specific (range, 89–100 %). Recalled height and weight values used to determine body mass index (BMI) underestimated BMI based on recorded height and weight at ages 13 and 18. Differences in calculated BMI based on recalled and measured height and weight were found to increase with BMI calculated using measured values.

Conclusions

The CWHQ proved to be a moderately sensitive, but highly specific instrument for detecting adolescent obesity in a cohort of young adult females. Epidemiologic research seeking to discriminate between adults with adult-onset vs. adolescent-onset obesity may find the CWHQ useful.     

Laparoscopic Colorectal Surgery for Obese Patients: Decreased Conversions with the Hand-Assisted Technique

Background

Laparoscopic surgery benefits obese patients but technical difficulties associated with suboptimal exposure and access in these subjects may prompt conversion to open surgery. Hand-assisted laparoscopic surgery (HALS) confers advantages over standard laparoscopy (LAP) by facilitating tactile feedback, assisted dissection, and retraction. These benefits could be particularly valuable in obese patients, allowing completion of difficult laparoscopic procedures in this subgroup. Our aim was to compare intra-operative and post-operative outcomes of HALS and LAP approaches in obese patients undergoing colorectal resection at our institution.

Methods

A retrospective study of a prospectively maintained laparoscopic colorectal surgery database was performed. HALS and LAP cases performed in obese patients (body mass index (BMI)?>30) were identified and compared for the following outcomes: operative time, intra-operative complications, rate of conversion to open, blood loss, length of stay, post-operative morbidity, and mortality. Outcomes for the converted patients were included on an intention-to-treat basis for all primary analyses. A secondary analysis of nonconverted and converted cases was also performed.

Results

Over a 5-year period, 496 obese patients underwent laparoscopic colorectal resection; 86 HALS and 410 LAP cases. The two groups were comparable in terms of age, gender, BMI, and indications for surgery. Conversion to open surgery was less often necessary in HALS compared to LAP cases (3.5 % vs. 12.7 %, p?=?0.014). The LAP group had a significantly smaller incision length for specimen extraction (HALS (7.0?±?1.3 cm) vs. LAP (5.7?±?2.1 cm), p?<?0.001). Length of stay, operative time, morbidity, and mortality rates were comparable between the two groups.

Conclusion

In obese patients who require colectomy, the HALS approach increases the likelihood of a successful minimally invasive operation. At the cost of a clinically negligible increase in incision length, HALS may save a high-risk group conversion to formal laparotomy and the adverse outcomes related to this.