Guiding Breast-Conserving Surgery in Patients After Neoadjuvant Systemic Therapy for Breast Cancer: A Comparison of Radioactive Seed Localization with the ROLL Technique

Background

Radioguided occult lesion localization (ROLL) with technetium-99 m colloid (ROLL-^99mTc) is commonly used to perform breast-conserving surgery in patients with nonpalpable breast tumors. Radioactive seed localization is a relatively new technique that localizes the tumor with a radioactive iodine-125 (¹²⁵I) seed. The feasibility and outcome of these techniques after neoadjuvant systemic treatment has not been widely investigated.

Methods

All patients treated with neoadjuvant systemic treatment between 2007 and 2010 in the Netherlands Cancer Institute who underwent breast-conserving surgery with the ROLL-^99mTc technique (n = 83) or with ¹²⁵I seed localization (n = 71) were analyzed. The weight of the resected specimen, the margins, and the percentage of patients requiring a second surgical intervention as a result of positive margins were assessed.

Results

Patient and tumor characteristics and systemic treatment regimens were comparable between both groups. The median weight of the resected specimen (53 vs. 48 g), the median smallest margin (3.5 vs. 3.0 mm), and the risk for additional surgery for incomplete resections (7 vs. 8 %) did not differ significantly between patients treated with the ROLL-^99mTc technique and ¹²⁵I seed localization.

Conclusions

The ROLL-^99mTc technique and ¹²⁵I seed localization demonstrate comparable results when used to perform breast-conserving surgery after neoadjuvant systemic treatment. Because ¹²⁵I seed localization does not require additional radiological localization shortly before surgery, it simplifies surgery scheduling. Therefore, we prefer ¹²⁵I seed localization to perform breast-conserving surgery after neoadjuvant systemic treatment.     

Early Assessment of Axillary Response with 18F-FDG PET/CT during Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Stage II–III Breast Cancer: Implications for Surgical Management of the Axilla

Background

If all initially node-positive patients undergo axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC), overtreatment may occur in patients with complete response. Positron emission tomography–computed tomography (PET/CT) during NAC may predict axillary response and select patients appropriate for less invasive treatment after NAC. We evaluated the value of sequential ¹⁸F fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET/CTs during NAC for axillary response monitoring in stage II–III breast cancer.

Methods

A total of 219 PET/CTs were performed in 80 patients with cytology-proven, node-positive disease at baseline (PET/CT1, n = 80) and twice during NAC (PET/CT2 n = 62, PET/CT3, n = 77). The relative changes in maximum standardized uptake value (SUV_max) of axillary nodes were examined for their ability to assess pathological response. All patients underwent ALND after chemotherapy, and complete axillary response (pCR), defined as absence of isolated tumor cells and of micro- and macrometastases, served as the reference standard.

Results

A total of 32 (40 %) patients experienced axillary pCR. The relative decrease in SUV_max was significantly higher in patients with pCR than in those without, both on PET/CT2 (p < 0.001) and PET/CT3 (p = 0.025). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve values for PET/CT2 and PET/CT3 were 0.80 (95 % confidence interval 0.68–0.92) and 0.65 (95 % confidence interval 0.52–0.79), respectively. A relative decrease of ≥60 % on PET/CT2 had an excellent specificity (35 of 37, 95 %), a high positive predictive value (12 of 14, 86 %), and a sensitivity of 48 %—that is, it accurately identified histologic pCR in 12 of 25 patients with disease that responded to therapy.

Conclusions

¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT early during NAC is useful for axillary response monitoring in cytology-proven node-positive breast cancer because it identifies pathological response, thus permitting ALND to be spared.     

The role of mast cells in neuroinflammation

Mast cells (MCs) are densely granulated perivascular resident cells of hematopoietic origin and well known for their pathogenetic role in allergic and anaphylactic reactions. In addition, they are also involved in processes of innate and adaptive immunity. MCs can be activated in response to a wide range of stimuli, resulting in the release of not only pro-inflammatory, but also anti-inflammatory mediators. The patterns of secreted mediators depend upon the given stimuli and microenvironmental conditions, accordingly MCs have the ability to promote or attenuate inflammatory processes. Their presence in the central nervous system (CNS) has been recognized for more than a century. Since then a participation of MCs in various pathological processes in the CNS has been well documented. They can aggravate CNS damage in models of brain ischemia and hemorrhage, namely through increased blood–brain barrier damage, brain edema and hemorrhage formation and promotion of inflammatory responses to such events. In contrast, recent evidence suggests that MCs may have a protective role following traumatic brain injury by degrading pro-inflammatory cytokines via specific proteases. In neuroinflammatory diseases such as multiple sclerosis, the role of MCs seems to be ambiguous. MCs have been shown to be damaging, neuroprotective, or even dispensable, depending on the experimental protocols used. The role of MCs in the formation and progression of CNS tumors such as gliomas is complex and both positive and negative relationships between MC activity and tumor progression have been reported. In summary, MCs and their secreted mediators modulate inflammatory processes in multiple CNS pathologies and can thereby either contribute to neurological damage or confer neuroprotection. This review intends to give a concise overview of the regulatory roles of MCs in brain disease.     

Transfer of training effects in stroke patients with apraxia: An exploratory study

The goal of the present study was to examine the transfer of the effects of cognitive strategy training for stroke patients with apraxia from trained to non-trained tasks. In strategy training, the occurrence of transfer is expected as the training programme is aimed, not at relearning specific tasks, but at teaching patients new ways to handle the problems resulting from the impairment. Exploratory analyses were conducted on data previously collected in a randomised controlled trial on the efficacy of the strategy training. A total of 113 left hemisphere stroke patients were randomly assigned to a strategy training group and a group receiving occupational therapy as usual. Assessment of apraxia, motor functioning and activities of daily living (ADL) took place at baseline, after an eight-week treatment period, and five months after baseline. The primary outcome measure consisted of standardised ADL observations of trained and non-trained tasks. The analyses showed that in both treatment groups, the scores on the ADL observations for non-trained tasks improved significantly after eight weeks of training as compared with the baseline score. Change scores of non-trained activities were larger in the strategy training group as compared with the usual treatment group.

By using previously collected data we are able to illustrate the potential transfer of treatment effects in a large sample of stroke patients. We found indications for the occurrence of transfer, although the study was not originally designed for the purpose of evaluating transfer. Therefore these results are worth exploring more profoundly. We will further investigate our preliminary conclusions in a new prospective study which is specifically designed to examine the transfer of training effects.     

Association between white matter microstructure,executive functions,and processing speed in older adults: The impact of vascular health

Cerebral white matter damage is not only a commonly reported consequence of healthy aging, but is also associated with cognitive decline and dementia. The aetiology of this damage is unclear; however, individuals with hypertension have a greater burden of white matter signal abnormalities (WMSA) on MR imaging than those without hypertension. It is therefore possible that elevated blood pressure (BP) impacts white matter tissue structure which in turn has a negative impact on cognition. However, little information exists about whether vascular health indexed by BP mediates the relationship between cognition and white matter tissue structure. We used diffusion tensor imaging to examine the impact of vascular health on regional associations between white matter integrity and cognition in healthy older adults spanning the normotensive to moderate–severe hypertensive BP range (43–87 years; N = 128). We examined how white matter structure was associated with performance on tests of two cognitive domains, executive functioning (EF) and processing speed (PS), and how patterns of regional associations were modified by BP and WMSA. Multiple linear regression and structural equation models demonstrated associations between tissue structure, EF and PS in frontal, temporal, parietal, and occipital white matter regions. Radial diffusivity was more prominently associated with performance than axial diffusivity. BP only minimally influenced the relationship between white matter integrity, EF and PS. However, WMSA volume had a major impact on neurocognitive associations. This suggests that, although BP and WMSA are causally related, these differential metrics of vascular health may act via independent pathways to influence brain structure, EF and PS. Hum Brain Mapp, 2013. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Endovenous Glue-Induced Thrombosis in Nonthermal Glue Closure Therapy for Greater Saphenous Vein Insufficiency: A Single-Center Experience

A retrospective analysis of endovenous glue-closure therapy (EVGC) performed in 76 greater saphenous veins (GSVs) from February 2016 to December 2017 was conducted to assess the incidence and characteristics of endovenous glue-induced thrombosis (EGIT), a phenomenon unique to nonthermal EVGC for GSV insufficiency. Kabnick and Lawrence classifications for endovenous heat-induced thrombosis were adopted. Seven instances of EGIT were detected among 54 patients (13%), with median/mode Kabnick and Lawrence classifications of 2/2 and 4/5, respectively. EGIT resolved with observation within an average of 5.2 wk after detection (range, 2–8 wk) without deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism. EGIT was associated with significantly greater mean age (+7.75 y; P = .0308).     

Treatment of Pre-Collapse Stages of Osteonecrosis of the Femoral Head: a Systematic Review of Randomized Control Trials

Background

Treatment for osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH) remains controversial. Current reviews include low-level evidence studies evaluating the treatment of both pre-collapse and collapse stages of the disease.

Questions/Purposes

The purpose of the current study is to systematically review the literature evaluating core decompression (CD) with bone marrow mesenchymal cells (BMMCs), CD alone, and bisphosphonate treatment in pre-collapse ONFH by focusing just on randomized clinical trials (RCTs) reporting functional and radiologic outcomes. We aim to determine if the literature provides evidence supporting any single approach.

Methods

Using PubMed and EMBASE databases, we reviewed the clinical evidence of treatments for pre-collapse ONFH following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Twelve RCTs met the inclusion criteria.

Results

Results showed that CD with BMMCs has lower risk of femoral head collapse when compared to the CD alone excluding hips lost to follow-up (relative risk (RR) [95% CI]:0.25 [0.11, 0.60]; p?=?0.002) and when assumed that hips lost to follow-up experienced collapse (RR [95% CI]: 0.11 [0.03, 0.47]; p?=?0.003). Neither CD nor bisphosphonate treatments showed lower risk to femoral head collapse when compared to control treatments (p?=?0.46 and 0.31, respectively)

Conclusion

Current literature shows that there is a lower risk of femoral head collapse in patients with ONFH treated with CD combined with BMMCs when compared to CD alone; however, there is no robust evidence to determine the effect on functional outcomes. More RCTs assessing new combination therapies and using standardized outcome measures are required.