Malignant Biopsies Research Articles

B-349 Diagnostic Performance of the Atellica IM High-Sensitivity PSA Assay in Men Undergoing Prostate Cancer Screening

Abstract Background This study evaluated the diagnostic performance of the Atellica® IM High-Sensitivity PSA (hsPSA)* assay in men >50 years undergoing prostate cancer (PC) screening in conjunction with digital rectal exam (DRE). Methods Serum samples were collected prospectively from 2671 subjects >50 years referred to a urologist for evaluation of PC from 26 sites across the United States. To establish PC versus benign disease, all subjects underwent a transrectal prostate biopsy ≤60 days after blood draw. At the cutoff of 4.0 ng/mL for the hsPSA assay, the percentage of PCs detected (sensitivity) and corresponding percentage of biopsies avoided in men without PC (specificity) were determined. Results Cancer prevalence (malignant biopsy) was 58.5% (1562/2671) among the diagnostic population. Preliminary results demonstrated that for DRE alone, sensitivity and specificity were 30.9% (482/1562) and 83.0% (920/1109) compared to biopsy. For hsPSA alone at the cutoff of 4.0 ng/mL, sensitivity was 88.7% (1386/1562). The table provides incidence of cancer and positive biopsies by subgroups defined by DRE and hsPSA. hsPSA detected 61.1% (955/1562) of PCs that DRE did not. Of those DRE+, 71.8% (482/671) had positive biopsy. Of those DRE+ and hsPSA ≥4.0 ng/mL, 78.6% (431/548) had positive biopsy, which significantly increased PC detection by 7.0% (95% CI:1.4%-12.5%). Similarly, in the DRE- population, while 54.0% of subjects had positive biopsy, subjects both DRE- and hsPSA <4.0 ng/mL had only 38.5% positive biopsies, a significant difference of 16.5% (95% CI: 6.3%-27.8%). Conclusions Using DRE alone detected only 3 out of 10 patients with PC. It was observed that when used in conjunction with DRE, the hsPSA assay improved both sensitivity and specificity of PC detection over DRE alone. CAUTION: Investigational Device. Not available for sale. Future availability cannot be guaranteed. The results are preliminary and were achieved in unique setting with no expected timeline for completion.

Remote cutaneous confocal microscopy: A multicentric prospective study evaluating diagnostic accuracy for melanoma and keratinocyte carcinoma in tertiary settings

Cutaneous confocal microscopy (CCCM) facilitates in vivo visualisation of skin at a cellular level. Use of a "store and forward" approach for remote CCM interpretation (Remote-CCM) across multiple sites has not been tested and may increase access to non-invasive diagnosis. To test the diagnostic accuracy and safety of Remote-CCM. We prospectively recruited lesions selected for biopsy for skin malignancy across five Australian tertiary dermatology centres. CCM, clinical and dermoscopy images were acquired pre-biopsy and accessed by a cloud-based platform for interpretation by CCM readers. CCM diagnosis was compared to histopathology results. Amongst the 201 lesions included, melanoma was the most common malignancy (34/72, 47.2%). Of the 89 lesions (44.8%) potentially 'saved' from biopsy, 80 (90%) were truly benign lesions and 9 (10.1%) were missed malignant lesions of MIS (n=7) and SCC (n=2). No invasive melanomas were missed. Sensitivity of remote-CCM for detection of malignancy was 89% (95%CI 79-95%) and specificity was 64% (95%CI 55-73%). The study recruited from high-risk populations and excluded lesions that were not biopsied. Remote-CCM has comparable accuracy to bedside-CCM and safely reduces unnecessary biopsies. Potential SCCs are not appropriate for remote-CCM. Follow-up of borderline melanocytic lesions is recommended.

A Comparative Study of Endoscopic Biopsy and Endoscopic FNAC in Gastrointestinal Malignancies

Objectives: Gross description of gastro-intestinal malignancy is facilitated by endoscopy of the upper and lower gastro-intestinal tract and also provides tissue for definitive diagnosis. Currently, direct vision endoscopic forceps biopsy & FNAC are two standard techniques used to establish a preoperative diagnosis in gastro-intestinal malignancies. The objective of our study is to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of endoscopic findings when combined with fine needle aspiration and endoscopic biopsy in the diagnosis of gastrointestinal malignancies. So, we compare both techniques (endoscopic forceps biopsy & endoscopic FNAC) to each other and how accurately both techniques are diagnosing the lesion in combination with each other. Material and Method: In our study, 40 cases of suspected gastro-intestinal malignancies underwent endoscopic biopsy & FNAC in a period of one and half years. Result: Out of 40 cases, total malignant lesions were accounting for 32 cases. 27 cases were diagnosed as malignant by biopsy. FNAC showed positive results in 28 cases. The FNAC was found to be 81.82% Sensitive and 85.71% Specific & an accuracy of 82.5%. Biopsy had Sensitivity 81.82% Specificity 100% & Accuracy 85%. The Combined accuracy of both endoscopic FNAC and biopsy was 93.93%. Conclusion: The advent of endoscopic biopsy & FNAC have facilitated the detection & diagnosis of gastrointestinal malignancies. Biopsy though is considered to be diagnostic, Fine Needle Aspiration along with Biopsy can help in the detection of additional cases of malignancy. Thus, both procedures applied together can detect more malignant cases & can establish a more definitive diagnosis. Keywords: Endoscopy, FNAC, Biopsy, Gastrointestinal Malignancies

The Impact of a Pandemic on a Military Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology Biopsy Service.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and the resulting societal reaction presented new challenges to the medical community by limiting patient access to care in 2020 and 2021. The Navy Postgraduate Dental School (NPDS) oral and maxillofacial pathology biopsy service is dependent on in-office physician or dentist appointments and patient biopsies. The purpose of this study was to understand the regulatory and societal impacts of COVID-19 restrictions on biopsy service submissions by assessing NPDS biopsy submission quantities and disease distribution. All NPDS oral and maxillofacial pathology biopsy submissions from calendar years 2015 to 2016 and 2019 to 2021 were evaluated, and patient demographics and biopsy diagnoses were recorded in a biopsy registry. Data collected included age, sex, biopsy site, and diagnosis. Data from 2015, 2016, and 2019 were defined as pre-COVID and 2020 and 2021 as COVID. Biopsy reports for each year were organized in quarters. Diagnoses were categorized as malignant, pre-malignant, or benign. Categorical and continuous data were evaluated and presented as counts with percentages and means or medians with standard deviations, respectively. Significant differences in proportions or means were assessed using chi-square analysis or Student t-test, respectively. Cases were aggregated by quarter and year and assessed for temporal trends using linear regression analysis. The study evaluated 9,351 biopsy submission reports. The annual pre-COVID count mean (± standard deviation) and yearly counts for 2020 and 2021 were 2,063 ± 33.3, 1,421, and 1,742, respectively. The mean (± standard deviation) percentage of diagnoses classified as malignant from pre-COVID, 2020, and 2021 were 2.46 ± 0.005%, 3.59%, and 3.04%, respectively. Case counts and representation as a percentage of all biopsy diagnoses for Human Papillomavirus (HPV)-associated squamous cell carcinoma increased significantly during COVID compared to pre-COVID years (P < .05). Overall, preventative COVID-19 health measures and protocols resulted in a reduction in biopsy submission frequency, particularly during the second quarter (April to June) of 2020. However, case counts for malignant biopsies remained consistent between pre-COVID and COVID time intervals, suggesting that the identification and analysis of cases requiring follow-on care were unaffected by COVID-19 protocols.

Rate of Unexpected Malignancy in Patients Undergoing Percutaneous Vertebroplasty after Implementing a New Scanning Protocol.

Retrospective quality improvement study. To investigate if the rate of unsuspected malignancy in biopsies in patients with VCF who underwent percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) at the same orthopedic department has changed after the implementation of a new MRI scanning protocol. Discrimination between benign and malign vertebral compression fracture (VCF) can be difficult. However, early diagnosis of malignant VCF is crucial to further treatment and prognosis. An earlier study at an orthopedic department reported a rate of unsuspected malignancy of 4.9% in patients with VCF who underwent PVP when biopsies were obtained during the procedure. The MRI scanning protocol was changed in this period. Retrospective on 427 patients with vertebral compression fracture undergoing PVP from April 28, 2017 to April 28, 2022, identifying operated patients from the Danish national DaneSpine registry. Subsequently, individual clinical information was collected in journal records. The rate of unsuspected malignancy was 0.9% (4/427), and the overestimation of malignant VCF was 50% (16/32). During the last 5 years, the rate of unsuspected malignancy in patients with VCF undergoing PVP has improved considerably from 4.9% to 0.9%. Furthermore, MRI is over-diagnosing malignancies. Thus, the new scanning procedure is effective in differentiating between benign and malign VCFs. 3.

MRI-visualized T2 hyperintense breast lesions: identifying clinical and imaging factors linked to malignant biopsy outcomes.

To determine the malignancy rate for MRI-guided breast biopsies performed for T2 hyperintense breast lesions and to assess additional clinical and MRI characteristics that can predict benign and malignant outcomes. A retrospective chart review of consecutive MRI-guided breast biopsies performed in two tertiary hospitals was conducted over two years. Biopsies performed for T2 hyperintense lesions were selected, and further lesion imaging characteristics and patient risk factors were collected. Univariate and multivariate modeling regression were used to determine additional imaging and patient factors associated with malignant outcomes for biopsies of T2 hyperintense lesions. Out of 369 MRI-guided breast biopsies, 100 (27%) were performed for T2 hyperintense lesions. Two biopsy-proven benign lesions were excluded as the patient was lost on follow-up. With a study cohort of 98 lesions, the final pathology results were benign for 80 (80%) of these lesions, while 18 (18%) were malignant. Using multivariate logistic modeling, patient age > 50 (OR 5.99 (1.49, 24.08 95% CI), p < 0.05) and lesion size > 3cm (OR 5.54 (1.54-18.7), p < 0.01) were found to be important predictors of malignant outcomes for MRI biopsies performed for T2 hyperintense lesions. Our study observed a high malignancy rate, challenging the assumption that T2 hyperintensity can be considered a benign imaging characteristic for otherwise suspicious MRI-detected lesions. Decision-making regarding tissue sampling should be made based on a thorough evaluation of more reliable additional demographic and imaging factors, including patient age and lesion size.

Digital Breast Tomosynthesis With Synthetic Mammography: Are We Missing Calcifications That Matter?

To determine whether there are differences in the biopsy outcomes for suspicious calcifications detected with screening mammography using the digital breast tomosynthesis and synthetic 2D (DBT/SM) technique compared to calcifications detected using the full-field digital (DM) technique. This retrospective study was IRB approved. The records for all stereotactic biopsies performed for suspicious calcifications detected on screening mammograms using DM in 2011-2014 and DBT/SM in 2017-2020 were reviewed. We collected patient, imaging, and pathology data from the breast imaging database and from retrospective review of a subset of mammograms. The biopsy outcome results were categorized as benign, benign with upgrade potential (BWUP), and malignant based on final pathology. Frequencies and proportions of outcomes were calculated and compared using Mann-Whitney U tests and Wilcoxson signed-rank tests with P-values and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs). From 2011 to 2014 (DM), 1274 stereotactic biopsies of calcifications yielded 74.2% (945/1274) benign, 11.5% (147/1274) BWUP, and 14.3% (182/1274) malignant outcomes. From 2017 to 2020 (DBT/SM), 1049 stereotactic biopsies yielded 65.2% (684/1049) benign, 15.6% (164/1049) BWUP, and 19.2% (201/1049) malignant outcomes. With DBT/SM, benign biopsy outcomes decreased (9.0%, 95% CI 0.87-11.53, P < 0.05), whereas malignant biopsy outcomes increased (4.9%, 95% CI 0.94-8.36, P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in BWUP biopsy outcomes and total biopsy rates between techniques (P > 0.05). Calcifications detected with screening DBT/SM technique were significantly more likely to be malignant than those found using DM. These results support using the DBT/SM technique without obtaining concurrent DM images.

Sentinel lymph node biopsy for head and neck malignancies utilizing simultaneous radioisotope gamma probe and indocyanine green fluorescence navigation.

We depict an innovative surgical approach for sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) in head and neck malignancies that utilizes both near-infrared (NIR) imaging with indocyanine green (ICG) dye and hand-held gamma probe intraoperatively to isolate and excise SLNs. Twenty-one patients presented to our institution with cutaneous melanoma, cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), and oral cavity SCC tumors that met criteria for SLNB based on tumor depth and histology. The video offers a step-by-step approach for this technique along with descriptions of recommended equipment. Among 21 patients, two patients had positive SLNs on final pathology. One patient developed a local recurrence over an average of 16.2 months of follow-up (SD = 15.6). SLNB with ICG and radionucleotide co-localization may enhance the identification of sentinel nodes without compromising outcomes in the hands of surgeons well-versed in the technique.

FRI522 Impact Of TIRADS Score On Thyroid Nodule Biopsy

Abstract Disclosure: U.B. Adeniran: None. A. Olabumuyi: None. O. Adeniran: None. G. Bahtiyar: None. G. Rodriguez: None. Introduction: Thyroid nodules are prevalent, however many thyroid nodules biopsied are benign. In 2017, the Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data systems Committee of the American college of Radiology (TI-RADS) presented the use of TI-RADS score to risk stratify nodules to TR1 to TR5 with recommendations on biopsy vs follow up. The aim of our study was to ascertain any changes in thyroid biopsy rate before and after the use of ACR TI-RADS in thyroid ultrasound scans in a community hospital in Brooklyn, NY. Methods: We conducted a retrospective single center observational cohort study on patients referred for thyroid nodule assessment between March 2019 - March 2020 &amp; March 2021 - March 2022. Inclusion criteria- all patients with thyroid ultrasound scans without TI-RADS scoring from March 2019- March 2020, all patients with TI-RADS scoring from March 2021-March 2022. Duplicate referrals, patients lost to follow up, incomplete records were excluded. Primary endpoint was to ascertain any differences in thyroid biopsy recommendation rate before and after the use of TI-RADS score in ultrasounds. Chi square test was used to determine the association between TI-RADS use in ultrasound scans and thyroid biopsy recommendation rate. Thyroid nodules were categorized based on the Bethesda System for Reporting Thyroid Cytopathology (BSRTC). Results: A total of 91 patients met the inclusion/exclusion criteria, 13 men and 78 women (M:F- 1:6). Thyroid nodules of 53 patients on ultrasound were reported using TI-RADS score and 38 patients without using the TI-RADS score. TI-RADS group and non TI-RADS group were similar in age, gender, race, and ethnicity. The use of the TI-RADS reporting system was associated with a statistically significant reduction in recommendation for biopsy. Only 26.4% of the patients who had TI-RADS were recommended for biopsy compared to 47.4% of the patients who did not have TI-RADS (P-Value 0.039).A total of 32 patients were recommended for biopsy, however biopsy was done in 26 patients. Majority of the nodules biopsied were benign (BSRTC II), 10 of 14 patients (71.5%) were benign (BSRTC II) in Non TI-RADS group, and 8 of 12 (66.7%) were benign (BSRTC II) in TI-RADS group. Conclusion: TI-RADS score significantly reduced the biopsy recommendations. Its implementation thus results in saving the Healthcare commission a significant cost of unnecessary biopsy in the region of $1,999 per biopsy. With the implementation of TIRADS, the proportion of malignant biopsies was expected to rise. However, there was no significant difference in this group. This may be because the total number of biopsies analyzed was small. It could also be that some of the nodules the TIRADS score did not recommend for biopsy may have been malignant. Further studying of a larger cohort is thus warranted. Presentation: Friday, June 16, 2023

A gastroesophageal junction polyp with malignant biopsy result

A gastroesophageal junction polyp with malignant biopsy result

Tumescent anesthesia use for cutaneous malignancies does not impact sentinel node identification but decreases estimated blood loss

Sentinel node biopsy is performed to stage clinically and radiographically occult regional disease in cases of malignancy, including cutaneous cancer such as melanoma. The use of tumescent anesthesia with sentinel node biopsy for cutaneous malignancies has not been well studied. Therefore, we aimed to compare the rate of successful sentinel node identification and estimated blood loss between patients who underwent sentinel node biopsy with and without the use of tumescent anesthesia. A retrospective review was conducted of a prospectively maintained single-institution database of all patients who underwent reconstruction after the extirpation of a cutaneous malignancy over an 18-month period. Patient demographics, tumor histology, and characteristics, indication for and success of sentinel node biopsy, use of tumescent anesthesia, and total estimated blood loss were examined. Sentinel node biopsy was performed in 15 of 39 patients (38.5%) receiving tumescent anesthesia compared with 6 of 26 patients (23.1%) not receiving it (p=0.19). Sentinel node biopsy had a success rate of 100% in the tumescent and nontumescent anesthesia groups. The mean estimated blood loss in the tumescent anesthesia group was 36.7mL versus 59.6mL in the nontumescent anesthesia group (p<0.001). Complication rates were comparable between the tumescent anesthesia (12.8%) and nontumescent anesthesia (19.2%) groups (p=0.48). The use of tumescent anesthesia in cutaneous malignancy extirpation and immediate reconstruction was not associated with a decreased sentinel node identification rate or change in complication rates. However, tumescent anesthesia was associated with a decrease in the estimated blood loss.

Theranostic Robot-Assisted Radical Prostatectomy: Things Understood and Not Understood.

This study aimed to explore the benefits of theranostic robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (T-RARP) for clinically highly suspicious prostate cancer (PCa) without proven biopsies. Between February 2016 and December 2020, we included men with clinically highly suspicious PCa in this study. They were assessed to have possible localized PCa without any initial treatments, and were categorized into previous benign biopsies or without biopsies. Furthermore, another group of malignant biopsies with RARP in the same time frame was adopted as the control group. The endpoints were to compare the oncological outcome and functional outcome between malignant biopsies with RARP and T-RARP. p < 0.05 was considered to be significant. We included 164 men with proven malignant biopsies treated with RARP as the control group. For T-RARP, we included 192 men. Among them, 129 were preoperatively benign biopsies, and 63 had no biopsies before T-RARP. Approximately 75% of men in the T-RARP group had malignant pathology in their final reports, and the other 25% had benign pathology. T-RARP provides several oncological advantages, such as a higher initial pathological T stage, lower Gleason grade, and lower odds of positive surgical margins. However, the biochemical recurrence rates were not significantly decreased. From our cohort, T-RARP (odds ratio with 95% confidence interval; erectile recovery: 3.19 (1.84-5.52), p < 0.001; continence recovery: 2.25 (1.46-3.48), p < 0.001) could result in better recovery of functional outcomes than malignant biopsies with RARP. For clinically highly suspicious PCa, T-RARP was able to detect around 75% of PCa cases and preserved their functional outcomes maximally. However, in 25% of men with benign pathology, approximately 6% would have incontinence and 10% would have erectile impairment. This part should be sufficiently informed of the potential groups considering T-RARP.

The prospect and challenge of liquid biopsy in the diagnosis and treatment of chest malignancy

In recent years, the incidence of chest malignant tumors in China has increased year by year, which has seriously threatened the health problems of people. Among them, early screening and intervention of patients with chest malignancies is the key to cancer prevention. Early detection, early diagnosis, and early treatment as the "three early prevention" of clinical practice are conducive to improve the survival rate of tumor patients. As a non-invasive and real-time reflection of tumor status, liquid biopsy has gradually received attention in clinical diagnosis and treatment. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs), circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) and exosomes as liquid biopsy "Three carriages" are not only widely used in the diagnosis, monitoring and prognostic evaluation of chest malignancies, but also face many unknown challenges. In this article, the application of liquid biopsy in chest malignancies in recent years is elaborated in detail, which provides a reference for the formulation of clinical tumor prevention and diagnosis and treatment strategies.

Profile of Patients with Oral Cavity Cancer Seen at the Department of Ear Nose Throat – Head and Neck Surgery of the Bicol Medical Center

ABSTRACT&#x0D; Objective: To determine the profile of patients with oral cavity cancer seen at the Ear, Nose and Throat – Head and Neck Surgery (ENT-HNS) Department of the Bicol Medical Center from January 2018 to December 2020.Methods: Design: Retrospective review of records Setting: Tertiary Government Training Hospital Participants: Medical records of patients with oral cavity lesions with malignant biopsy results seen at the Bicol Medical Center Department of ENT-HNS from January 2018 to December 2020.Results: Records of 42 patients were included, 30 (71%) male; 12 (29%) female with the mean age of 62 ± 10.02 (range 34 to 80 years old). Squamous cell carcinoma was the most common histopathologic diagnosis (38/42; 91%), mostly affecting the anterior tongue (16/42; 38%) and buccal regions (14/42; 33%). Most tumors were in advanced stages: 25/42 (59%) in stage IVA; 7 (17%) in stage IVB. A total of 61% (17) of 28 oral cavity cancer patients with recorded risk factors practiced a combination of two or three high risk habits (betel nut chewing, tobacco smoking, alcoholic beverage intake) and a third practiced all three (10/28; 36%).Conclusion: The profile of oral cavity cancer patients in our study is different from the reported profiles in Asia and European and US counterparts. Our profile patient is a married male farmer in the 7th decade of life with poor dental hygiene and advanced stage IV squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue and buccal region, and combined habits of regular alcoholic beverage drinking, chronic tobacco smoking, and/or betel nut chewing, who lives in coastal or mountainous communities where access to health care may be limited.

Dynamics of multidisciplinary teams in the Arab world.

e18753 Background: Multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) are helpful in making clinical decisions and improving patients’ care. This study aims at describing the situation in the Arab world, probing the logistics of cancer patients' referral to MDTs, and highlighting the challenges facing them. Methods: This cross-sectional study via an online pre-tested self-administered survey targeted oncologists and non-oncologists across the Arab world. Results: The survey included 435 participants from 18 Arab countries (317 were oncologists and 118 were non-oncologists). Among the non-oncologists, 67% were involved in diagnosis and management of newly diagnosed cancer patients, 73.5% had specific patient referral criteria in their countries: upon suspected imaging (36%) or proved biopsy results (26%). However, only 36% discuss these patients regularly in MDTs, and 55 out of the 118 do not attend MDT clinics as 47% of them were not invited to MDTs and 13% have a diagnostic role only. Similarly, oncologists thought non-oncologists usually refer suspected patients to oncologists/MDTs upon: suspected imaging (52%), malignant biopsy results (48%), or both (43%). On the other hand, oncologists refer patients to non-oncologists either due to patients’ comorbidities (59%) or upon MDT decision (43%). The results indicated 57% of oncologists discuss suspected patients in MDTs. Among all MDT clinics attendants, 60% had recognized MDTs in their centers. Nevertheless, the majority do not have MDTs for all subspecialties. Moreover, 53% indicated that suspected patients are not directly referred to MDTs; and only 27% indicated they always manage cancer patients upon MDT decision. The majority agreed that surgical, radiation, medical or clinical oncology, radiology and pathology attend MDT clinics. Contrarily, only 5%, 11%, 10%, 2%, 16%, 10% and 13% indicated that psychiatry, nutrition, palliative care, physiotherapy, clinical pathology, specialized nurses and clinical pharmacy attend MDT clinics. Results showed also 94% thought patients benefit of MDTs. The participants’ main consensus upon MDTs benefit was providing accurate treatment recommendations (83%), better clinical decision (70%), and improving team competence (53%). The participants thought the challenges facing MDTs were mainly irregular attendance of physicians (55%), the large number of patients presented in MDTs (41%) and absence of some specialties in MDTs, which means referring patients directly to them (37%). Conclusions: Most institutes have MDTs, but they mainly discuss few subspecialties. Moreover, only 27% of the surveyed physicians indicated they always manage cancer patients upon MDT decision. Additionally, the majority indicated that mainly oncologists, radiologists, and pathologists attend the MDTs. However, other specialties are sorely underrepresented. These discrepancies between MDT logistics through the Arab Countries are deemed a challenge to MDT practice and patient outcomes.

Clinico-Pathological Factors Determining Recurrence of Phyllodes Tumors of the Breast: The 25-Year Experience at a Tertiary Cancer Centre.

Phyllodes tumors (PTs) of the breast are rare fibroepithelial tumors that are generally more prone to recurrence. This study aimed to assess the clinicopathological features, diagnostic modalities, and therapeutic interventions, along with their respective outcomes, to identify the factors associated with a recurrence of PTs of the breast. A retrospective cohort and observational study was conducted, which entailed analyzing the clinicopathological data of patients who were previously diagnosed or presented with PTs of the breast between 1996 and 2021. Data included the total number of patients diagnosed with PTs of the breast and their ages, tumor grade on initial biopsy, tumor location (left or right breast), tumor size, therapeutic interventions carried out (including surgery-either mastectomy or lumpectomy-and adjuvant radiotherapy), final tumor grade, recurrence status, type of recurrence, and time to recurrence. We analyzed data on a total of 87 patients who were pathologically proven to have PTs, and 46 patients (52.87%) were found to have recurrences. All patients were female, with a mean age at diagnosis of 39 years (range 15-70). Patients aged <40 years had the highest incidence of recurrence, with a rate of 54.35% (n = 25/46), followed by patients aged >40 years, with a rate of recurrence of 45.65% (n = 21/46). A total of 55.4% of patients presented with primary PTs and 44.6% had recurrent PTs at presentation. The average time to local recurrence (LR) from the completion of treatment was 13.8 months, whereas for systemic recurrence (SR), it was 15.29 months. Surgery (mastectomy/lumpectomy) was the major determinant for local recurrence (p < 0.05). Patients who received adjuvant radiotherapy (RT) had a minimal recurrence of PTs. Patients who were found to have a malignant biopsy on initial diagnosis (triple assessment) had a higher incidence of PTs and were more prone to SR than LR. Surgery was a determining factor in the increased rate of LR, with lumpectomy associated with a higher incidence of LR than mastectomy.

AB151. SOH23ABS_207. Needle in a haystack

Background: A 46-year-old lady of Japanese ethnicity with a family history of gastric adenocarcinoma was referred with reflux symptoms. Diagnostic and staging investigations were contradicting on multiple biopsies for malignancy which prompted repeat endoscopic investigations. Ultimately deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) specimen provenance testing, an outsourced molecular diagnostic test that compares DNA from different samples, was utilised to prove genetic identicality and clinch the diagnosis.

Liquid biopsy in hematological malignancies: current and future applications.

The assessment of the cancer mutational profile is crucial for patient management, stratification, and therapeutic decisions. At present, in hematological malignancies with a solid mass, such as lymphomas, tumor genomic profiling is generally performed on the tissue biopsy, but the tumor may harbor genetic lesions that are unique to other anatomical compartments. The analysis of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) on the liquid biopsy is an emerging approach that allows genotyping and monitoring of the disease during therapy and follow-up. This review presents the different methods for ctDNA analysis and describes the application of liquid biopsy in different hematological malignancies. In diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and Hodgkin lymphoma (HL), ctDNA analysis on the liquid biopsy recapitulates the mutational profile of the tissue biopsy and can identify mutations otherwise absent on the tissue biopsy. In addition, changes in the ctDNA amount after one or two courses of chemotherapy significantly predict patient outcomes. ctDNA analysis has also been tested in myeloid neoplasms with promising results. In addition to mutational analysis, liquid biopsy also carries potential future applications of ctDNA, including the analysis of ctDNA fragmentation and epigenetic patterns. On these grounds, several clinical trials aiming at incorporating ctDNA analysis for treatment tailoring are currently ongoing in hematological malignancies.

Efficacy of combined transbronchial lung cryobiopsy and conventional forceps biopsy for lung malignancies: a prospective cohort study

There are few prospective reports of transbronchial lung cryobiopsy (TBLC) for malignant tumors in combination with forceps biopsy. We investigated the clinical parameters in which TBLC is superior to forceps biopsy. This is a prospective cohort study to analyse the efficacy of TBLC for suspected malignancy. TBLC was performed after brushing cytology and forceps biopsy, and the diagnostic yield for TBLC, brushing cytology, and forceps biopsy were examined. Adverse events were defined as those requiring additional procedures. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) analysis was performed in each case of non-small cell lung cancer. Of the 100 patients, malignancy was confirmed in 94 cases. The diagnostic yield for TBLC/forceps biopsy/brushing cytology was 86/81/82% respectively, while the diagnostic yield for all procedures combined was 94%. There was no significant difference in the diagnostic yield between TBLC and forceps biopsy. When comparing the biopsy site, the diagnostic yield for TBLC at the lower lobe was significantly higher than forceps biopsy (P < 0.01). Endobronchial ultrasonography imaging using a guide-sheath did not significantly differ in the diagnostic yield of TBLC. The success rate of NGS for TBLC specimens was 100% (26 cases). Adverse events included two cases of severe bleeding. TBLC of peripheral lesions may improve the diagnostic yield when combined with forceps biopsy and brushing cytology. The diagnostic yield of TBLC was higher at the lower lobes. Furthermore, TBLC provided sufficient specimen quality for NGS.

Serum protein profiling of lung, pancreatic, and colorectal cancers reveals alcohol consumption-mediated disruptions in early-stage cancer detection

While the link between serum proteins and cancer has been studied in an effort to enable early-stage cancer detection, factors that might perturb this link has been poorly understood. To ask this question, we performed serum protein profiling on a prospective cohort of 601 individuals with or without lung, pancreatic, or colorectal cancers and identified ten distinct serum protein signatures with distinct link to the patient metadata. Importantly, we discovered that a positive history of alcohol consumption is a major factor that diminishes the sensitivity of serum protein-mediated liquid biopsy in early-stage malignancies, resulting in a 44% decline in the sensitivity of detecting American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stage I malignancies. Our data provide evidence that patient lifestyle can affect the sensitivity of liquid biopsy and suggest the potential need for abstinence from alcohol before measurement during serum protein-based cancer screening.