A multicentre validation of Metasin: a molecular assay for the intraoperative assessment of sentinel lymph nodes from breast cancer patients.

Aims: Treatment strategies for breast cancer continue to evolve. No uniformity exists in the UK for the management of node-positive breast cancer patients. Most centres continue to use conventional histopathology of sampled sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs), which requires delayed axillary clearance in up to 25% of patients.

BRAF V600 co-testing in thyroid FNA cytology: short-term experience in a large cancer centre in the UK.

Aims: To ascertain whether BRAF V600 mutational analysis is useful for diagnosis of thyroid cancer in thyroid fine needle aspirate (FNA).

Methods: Over 8 months thyroid FNAs reported as Thy 3F (neoplasm possible/suggestive of follicular neoplasm), Thy4 (suspicious of malignancy) and Thy 5 (malignant) were tested for BRAF V600 mutation and managed as malignant if mutations were present.

Results: Of 207 FNAs from 176 patients, 5 were Thy 5, 19 Thy 4, 36 Thy 3f, 13 Thy 3a, 84 Thy 2 and 50 Thy 1.

Repeat surgery following breast conservation and intra-operative sentinel lymph node analysis for breast cancer.

Introduction: Intra-operative sentinel node analysis (IOA) for breast cancer reduces the need for a second operation by revealing metastasis intra-operatively, allowing immediate axillary clearance. Critics argue that the number of patients deriving benefit is limited, as further surgery is often required for reasons other than nodal status.

Aim: To identify the proportion of women avoiding further surgery by using IOA excluding those who require further surgery for reasons other than axillary node metastasis.

The axillary nodal harvest in breast cancer surgery is unchanged by sentinel node biopsy or the timing of surgery.

Introduction. Patients with a positive sentinel lymph node biopsy may undergo delayed completion axillary dissection. Where intraoperative analysis is available, immediate completion axillary dissection can be performed.