ABSTRACT Locally advanced breast carcinoma (LABC) is a frequent condition in Brazil and in developing countries. Neoadjuvant systemic therapy (NST) has allowed for surgical de‐escalation of the breast and/or axilla, leading to increasing the rates of breast‐conserving‐surgery, skin/nipple preservative mastectomies and axillary preservation. There are no established quality indicators for LABC or NST. This article aimed to review the topic, highlighting Brazilian studies, identifying thirty potential quality indicators for surgical treatment.

ABSTRACT Breast cancer remains a leading cause of cancer‐related mortality among women globally. Vietnamese women experience unique challenges, including sociocultural, linguistic, and systemic barriers, contributing to disparities in screening utilization, late‐stage diagnoses, and treatment outcomes. Despite advances in early detection and care, inequities persist. A systematic review was conducted following PRISMA guidelines, with the protocol registered on PROSPERO. PubMed, Embase, and Scopus were searched for original studies published from 2000 to 2024 examining breast cancer screening, outcomes, molecular/genetic features, and disparities in Vietnamese populations. Narrative synthesis was employed due to heterogeneity in study metrics and methodologies. Forty‐one studies encompassing 39,324 Vietnamese participants (mean age 48.15 ± 7.48 years) were included. Social networks and acculturation positively influenced screening uptake, while systemic barriers such as language, cultural stigma, and lack of insurance deterred participation. Across included studies, mammography screening rates among Vietnamese women ranged widely from 26% to 83%, consistently lower than the U.S. national average of 81%, and lower than rates reported in many Asian American subgroups. Late‐stage diagnoses were prevalent, occurring in 32.9% of Vietnamese women, with foreign‐born Vietnamese women exhibiting higher mortality than U.S.‐born counterparts. Molecular studies revealed distinct tumor subtypes, including higher HER2‐positive and triple‐negative breast cancer rates. Interventions, including culturally tailored education and patient navigator programs, demonstrated success in addressing screening and care disparities. Vietnamese women face significant breast cancer disparities driven by sociocultural, systemic, and biological factors. Effective solutions require integrating culturally tailored solutions to promote equitable outcomes and reduce disparities in breast cancer care.

Elective neck dissection (END) for oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OTSCC) typically involves level 4 due to potential metastases that may bypass levels 1-2. Our study challenges this notion and investigates the necessity of level 4 inclusion in END for OTSCC. A retrospective cohort study performed in a tertiary-care university affiliated medical center and included all OTSCC patients treated with END from 2000 to 2020, with a minimum 2-year follow-up. The study compared patients with END levels 1-3 to those with levels 1-4 regarding regional recurrence, disease-specific and disease-free survival rates. 120 patients with OTSCC and clinically negative neck were included. END included levels 1-4 in 33 patients (27.5%) and levels 1-3 in the remaining 87 patients (72.5%). Out of all 33 patients who underwent END of levels 1-4, only 1 patient had level 4 metastasis (3%). There was no significant difference in the regional recurrence rate (21.8% vs. 18.2%, p = 0.66) and level 4 recurrence rate (3.5% vs. 3%, p = 0.91) between the groups. No difference regarding 5-years overall, disease-specific, and disease-free survival was demonstrated between the 1-3 END and 1-4 END groups (69.3% vs. 61.1%, Log-rank p = 0.7, 82% vs. 66.2%, Log-rank p = 0.15% and 66.4% vs. 60.7%, Log-rank p = 0.54, respectively). Inclusion of level 4 in the elective neck dissection for OTSCC does not seem to improve regional control, disease-free and overall survival. Hence, elective neck dissection of levels 1-3 seems appropriate for most cases of OTSCC, as for other oral cavity subsites.

Radiomics is a growing field for diagnosis, prognostication, and therapeutic decision-making in numerous solid tumors. Despite current promising findings in pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PNETs), significant limitations persist, including small cohorts, heterogeneous imaging protocols, and lack of external validation. This review elucidates the radiomics workflow, critically synthesizes the current evidence specifically surrounding the use of radiomics in PNETs, explicitly identifies methodological and reproducibility gaps, and outlines pragmatic research directions to bridge current drawbacks.

PNETs are rare pancreatic malignancies originating from islet cells and exhibit a strong co-occurrence with Diabetes Mellitus (DM), associated with worse survival outcomes. However, studies have yet to delineate the impact of insulin dependent (IDDM) and non-insulin dependent (NIDDM) on poor oncological outcomes. Utilizing the U.S. Neuroendocrine Tumor Study Group database (1999-2016), we performed a retrospective cohort study of adult patients who underwent primary surgical resection of PNETs. Patients were categorized based on preoperative diagnosis into non-DM, NIDDM, and IDDM cohorts. We used the Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test to study cancer-specific survival (CSS). Cox proportional Hazards models were used to assess the impact of IDDM on CSS. Of the 1122 patients included in the analysis, 870 (77%) were non-DM, 168 (15%) were NIDDM, and 84 (8%) were IDDM. The groups were similar in tumor stage and grade. However, they differed in sex, BMI, age, ASA class, tumor location, preoperative HbA1c, and serum glucose (p-value < 0.05). Patients with IDDM had significantly decreased 5-year CSS compared to patients without IDDM (CSS: IDDM 85%, NIDDM 94%, non-DM 93%, NIDDM + non-DM 93%; p < 0.01). On multivariate analysis, IDDM was independently associated with worse CSS (HR 2.27, 95% Confidence Interval 1.15-4.45, p = 0.02). Insulin dependence is associated with worse cancer-specific survival in PNET patients following surgical resection compared to PNET patients with NIDDM or without DM.

This systematic review and meta-analysis assessed long-term outcomes following total pancreatectomy with islet autotransplantation (TPIAT). Seventeen studies including 1332 patients were analyzed. The pooled insulin independence rate was 34%, with higher rates for non-chronic pancreatitis indications (68%) versus chronic pancreatitis (33%). TPIAT is effective in preserving endocrine function. Further studies are needed to validate outcomes across extended indications and to standardize reporting, incorporating metabolic markers and patient-reported quality-of-life endpoints over long-term follow-up.