Purpose: Detection of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with early-stage breast cancer may allow for early detection of relapse. In this study, we analyzed ctDNA using a personalized, tumor-informed multiplex polymerase chain reaction-based next-generation sequencing assay.
Methods: Plasma samples (n = 157) from 44 patients were collected before neoadjuvant therapy (baseline), after neoadjuvant therapy and before surgery (presurgery), and serially postsurgery including a last follow-up sample.
Background: Our objective is to provide provision of primary and secondary patency rates data and incidence of complications. Despite the publication of some review articles and small prospective trials about vascular accesses, controversy still exists regarding the choice of the outflow conduit and especially the choice of the fistula to be formed in secondary and tertiary access procedures.
Methods: This is a retrospective study of 2,422 consecutive patients who underwent 3,685 vascular access procedures in a tertiary care hospital, including radial-cephalic (RCAVF), brachial-cephalic (BCAVF), brachial-basilic (BBAVF), and prosthetic graft (PTFE) fistulas.
Background/aims: The aim of this study was to investigate patients who underwent endoscopic sphincterotomy for "acalculus" cholangitis associated with juxtapapillary diverticula.
Methodology: In a retrospective study we analyzed 87 patients who underwent endoscopic sphincterotomy for cholangitis; the cholangitis considered "acalculus", when outlining the extra- and intrahepatic bile ducts, we could not observe any intraluminal defect or stricture, and during the clearing of the bile ducts with the balloon, after endoscopic sphincterotomy, there was no evidence of stones, fragments of stones or sludge. Patients who had undergone previous endoscopic sphincterotomy, or who had additional pancreatobiliary diseases were excluded from this study.