Breast cancer risk assessment and risk distribution in 3,491 Slovenian women invited for screening at the age of 50; a population-based cross-sectional study.

Background: The evidence shows that risk-based strategy could be implemented to avoid unnecessary harm in mammography screening for breast cancer (BC) using age-only criterium. Our study aimed at identifying the uptake of Slovenian women to the BC risk assessment invitation and assessing the number of screening mammographies in case of risk-based screening.

Patients And Methods: A cross-sectional population-based study enrolled 11,898 women at the age of 50, invited to BC screening.

Uncertainty estimation for deep learning-based pectoral muscle segmentation via Monte Carlo dropout.

. Deep Learning models are often susceptible to failures after deployment. Knowing when your model is producing inadequate predictions is crucial.

Quality assured implementation of the Slovenian breast cancer screening programme.

Setting: The organised, population-based breast cancer screening programme in Slovenia began providing biennial mammography screening for women aged 50-69 in 2008. The programme has taken a comprehensive approach to quality assurance as recommended by the European guidelines for quality assurance in breast cancer screening and diagnosis (4th edition), including centralized assessment, training and supervision, and proactive monitoring of performance indicators. This report describes the progress of implementation and rollout from 2003 through 2019.

Reducing indications for radial scar surgical excision in Slovenian breast cancer screening program.

Purpose: Management of the radial scar (RS)/complex sclerosing lesion (CSL) diagnosed by core needle biopsy (CNB) in breast cancer screening population (BCSP) is controversial due to its intrinsic malignant potential. We aimed to determine (i) the rate of upgrade of the RS/CSL to malignant lesions and (ii) radiological characteristics and CNB histopathological findings of the lesions related to the upgrade of the RS/CSL to malignant lesions after surgical excision in our BCSP.

Patients And Methods: Database of Slovenian National Breast Cancer Screening Program was checked for terms RS/CSL in all patients who underwent CNB in the period 2008-2018.

Improvement of early detection of breast cancer through collaborative multi-country efforts: Observational clinical study.

Aim: The aim of this paper is to present baseline imaging data and the improvement that was achieved by the participating centers after applying practice-specific interventions that were identified during the course of a multicentric multinational research coordinated project.

Introduction: The incidence and mortality rates from breast cancer are rising worldwide and particularly rapidly across the countries with limited resources. Due to lack of awareness and screening options it is usually detected at a later stage.

Characterization of spatiotemporal changes for the classification of dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic-resonance breast lesions.

Objective: The early detection of breast cancer is one of the most important predictors in determining the prognosis for women with malignant tumours. Dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic-resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) is an important imaging modality for detecting and interpreting the different breast lesions from a time sequence of images and has proved to be a very sensitive modality for breast-cancer diagnosis. However, DCE-MRI exhibits only a moderate specificity, thus leading to a high rate of false positives, resulting in unnecessary biopsies that are stressful and physically painful for the patient and lead to an increase in the cost of treatment.

Outcome of MRI-guided vacuum-assisted breast biopsy - initial experience at Institute of Oncology Ljubljana, Slovenia.

Background: Like all breast imaging modalities MRI has limited specificity and the positive predictive value for lesions detected by MRI alone ranges between 15 and 50%. MRI guided procedures (needle biopsy, presurgical localisation) are mandatory for suspicious findings visible only at MRI, with potential influence on therapeutic decision. The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate our initial clinical experience with MRI-guided vacuum-assisted breast biopsy as an alternative to surgical excision and to investigate the outcome of MRI-guided breast biopsy as a function of the MRI features of the lesions.

Pre-operative ultrasound with a 12-15 MHz linear probe reliably differentiates between melanoma thicker and thinner than 1 mm.

Background: Pre-operative determination of primary melanoma thickness could be a tool to identify those patients who could be treated with radical primary tumour excision and sentinel lymph node biopsy in a single procedure. An excellent correlation between sonographic and histological measurement of maximal tumour thickness has been achieved using 20-MHz transducers.

Objective: To show that widely available high resolution ultrasound with 12-15 MHz linear probe could also reliably assess the thickness of primary melanoma.

Fat necrosis in free DIEAP flaps: incidence, risk, and predictor factors.

Fat necrosis within a deep inferior epigastric artery perforator flap reconstructed breast is considered a minor complication from reconstructive point of view, but one that can induce anxiety, inconvenience and concerns about cancer recurrence to the oncologist and the patient. A series of 100 consecutive unilateral deep inferior epigastric artery perforator flap breast reconstructions were reviewed to identify the institutional incidence as well as potential risk and predictor factors of fat necrosis. Examination revealed 37 reconstructed breasts with palpable firmnesses (described as clinical fat necrosis) and ultrasonography and mammography confirmed signs of fat necrosis in 30 reconstructed breasts.

Haematomas after percutaneus vacuum-assisted breast biopsy.

Purpose: Clinically apparent haematomas are among most frequent complications after vacuum-assisted breast biopsy (VABB). We evaluated the prevalence and persistence of sonographically (US) detected haematomas and other tissue changes at the biopsy site after VABB.

Materials And Methods: We examined 48 women who underwent stereotactic 11G needle VABB; the majority of them had mammographically detected microcalcifications.

Low performance of the MSKCC nomogram in preoperatively ultrasonically negative axillary lymph node in breast cancer patients.

Background And Objectives: In order to predict the nonsentinel lymph node (NSLN) metastases in sentinel lymph node (SLN) positive patients a nomogram was created at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre (MSKCC). The aim of our study was to validate the MSKCC nomogram in patients grouped by the preoperative ultrasound (US) examination of the axillary lymph nodes.

Methods: The MSKCC nomogram was validated separately in three groups of patients: (US-0) only clinically preoperatively negative axillary lymph nodes (126 patients), (US-1) US negative axillary lymph nodes (109 patients), and (US-2) US suspicious but fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) negative axillary lymph nodes (41 patients).

Performance of opportunistic breast cancer screening in Slovenia.

The purpose of the study was to assess performance indicators of opportunistic breast screening carried out in one of the Primary Breast Diseases Centers (PBDC) and to find out if these indicators meet the standards set in "European guidelines for quality assurance in mammographic screening". The records of 1,896 asymptomatic women, aged between 50 and 69 years who attended PBDC for the first time in the period from October 15 1998 to October 15 2002, were reviewed. In all of them, clinical examination and mammography was done.

Patients with preoperatively ultrasonically uninvolved axillary lymph nodes: a distinct subgroup of early breast cancer patients.

Introduction: Ultrasound (US) preoperative examination of the axillary lymph nodes combined with the fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) is often used in order to reduce the number of sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy procedures in clinically node negative breast cancer patients. The pathohistological characteristics of the ultrasonically negative axillary lymph nodes in clinically negative axillary lymph nodes are not known. The aim of our study was to compare the pathohistological characteristics of ultrasonically uninvolved axillary lymph nodes (US group) versus clinically uninvolved axillary lymph nodes (non-US group) in SLN biopsy candidates.

Minimal risk of macrometastases in the non-sentinel axillary lymph nodes in breast cancer patients with micrometastatic sentinel lymph nodes and preoperatively ultrasonically uninvolved axillary lymph nodes.

Micrometastases in the sentinel lymph node (SLN) carry a considerable risk of macrometastases in the non-sentinel lymph nodes (NSLN), resulting in axillary lymph node dissection (ALND). Preoperative ultrasound (US) examination of the axillary lymph nodes combined with a fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) has been proved to discover metastases in the axillary lymph nodes. The aim of our study was to assess the risk of macrometastases in NSLN in patients with micrometastatic SLN after a preoperative US examination of the axillary lymph nodes.

Radioguided occult lesion localization (ROLL) of the nonpalpable breast lesions.

Standard localization techniques of the nonpalpable breast lesions (guide wire, carbon, skin marking) have several disadvantages. Radioguided occult lesion localization (ROLL) was recently proposed as a better alternative resulting in wider surgical margins and lower average specimen weight. The aim of our study was to compare ROLL to our previously published series of the standard guidewire localization, performed at the Institute of Oncology Ljubljana.