A Multimodal Patient-Centered Teleprehabilitation Approach for Patients Undergoing Surgery for Breast Cancer: A Clinical Perspective.

Breast cancer is the most common malignancy among women worldwide, and advances in early detection and treatment have significantly increased survival rates. However, people living beyond breast cancer often suffer from late sequelae, negatively impacting their quality of life. Prehabilitation, focusing on the period prior to surgery, is a unique opportunity to enhance oncology care by preparing patients for the upcoming oncological treatment and rehabilitation.

Psychological Factors Influencing Healthcare Utilization in Breast Cancer Survivors with Pain.

Introduction: Pain is a prevalent side-effect seen in breast cancer survivors (BCS). Psychological factors are known role-players in pain mechanisms. Both pain and psychological factors contribute to or interact with healthcare use (HCU).

Surgical training; destination unknown?

Background A surgical fellowship allows both additional training as well as maintenance of surgical skills while searching for a steady job. As the presence of fellows usually does not results in a measurably higher productivity, fellowshipsmay be considered a form of disguised unemployment. The aim of this study is to evaluate the career flow of a surgical trainee to a staff position and to determine the number of surgeons working on temporary basis within the general surgery workforce in Flanders.

Phase II Trial Assessing the Repeatability and Tumor Uptake of [Ga]Ga-HER2 Single-Domain Antibody PET/CT in Patients with Breast Carcinoma.

Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) status is used for decision-making in breast carcinoma treatment. The status is obtained through immunohistochemistry or in situ hybridization. These two methods have the disadvantage of necessitating tissue sampling, which is prone to error due to tumor heterogeneity or interobserver variability.

Optimizing sexuality of young women with breast cancer: how can the breast clinic help?

Background: Breast cancer treatment can lead to sexual dysfunction which, in general, impacts younger women more. Being well informed and having good social support are important elements in dealing with this dysfunction.

Aims: This study aims to explore how specialized breast clinics can help young women with questions or problems regarding their sexual health by fulfilling their information and social support needs.

A new oncoplastic technique with immediate nipple reconstruction for central breast tumors using Würinger's septum-based flap.

Introduction: Centrally located breast tumors represent a challenge for both oncological and reconstructive surgeons, mainly due to the necessity of nipple-areola complex (NAC) removal. We describe an original oncoplastic solution utilizing a displacement flap technique with immediate nipple reconstruction.

Methods: Since 2008, we developed an oncoplastic technique using a septum-based island flap for the reconstruction of central breast defects, including the NAC.

Utility of Islet Cell Preparations From Donor Pancreases After Euthanasia.

Patients fulfilling criteria for euthanasia can choose to donate their organs after circulatory death [donors after euthanasia (DCD V)]. This study assesses the outcome of islet cell isolation from DCD V pancreases. A procedure for DCD V procurement provided 13 pancreases preserved in Institut Georges Lopez-1 preservation solution and following acirculatory warm ischemia time under 10 minutes.

Assessing Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes in Breast Cancer: A Proposal for Combining Immunohistochemistry and Gene Expression Analysis to Refine Scoring.

Scoring of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in breast cancer specimens has gained increasing attention, as TILs have prognostic and predictive value in HER2 and triple-negative breast cancer. We evaluated the intra- and interrater variability when scoring TILs by visual inspection of hematoxylin and eosin-stained tissue sections. We further addressed whether immunohistochemical staining of these sections for immune cell surface markers CD45, CD3, CD4, and CD8 and combination with nanoString nCounter gene expression analysis could refine TIL scoring.

Value of [11C]-Methionine PET/CT in Preoperative Localization of Parathyroid Adenomas.

There are multiple imaging modalities in primary hyperparathyroidism. Ultrasound examination and subtraction scintigraphy are usually the first-line imaging techniques. When these results are negative or inconsistent, additional [C]-methionine PET/CT (MET-PET/CT) or 4-dimensional computed tomography can be performed.

Lower beta cell yield from donor pancreases after controlled circulatory death prevented by shortening acirculatory warm ischemia time and by using IGL-1 cold preservation solution.

Organs from donors after controlled circulatory death (DCD III) exhibit a higher risk for graft dysfunction due to an initial period of warm ischemia. This procurement condition can also affect the yield of beta cells in islet isolates from donor pancreases, and hence their use for transplantation. The present study uses data collected and generated by our Beta Cell Bank to compare the number of beta cells in isolates from DCD III (n = 141) with that from donors after brain death (DBD, n = 609), before and after culture, and examines the influence of donor and procurement variables.

Overcoming the Challenges of High Quality RNA Extraction from Core Needle Biopsy.

The use of gene expression profiling (GEP) in cancer management is rising, as GEP can be used for disease classification and diagnosis, tailoring treatment to underlying genetic determinants of pharmacological response, monitoring of therapy response, and prognosis. However, the reliability of GEP heavily depends on the input of RNA in sufficient quantity and quality. This highlights the need for standard procedures to ensure best practices for RNA extraction from often small tumor biopsies with variable tissue handling.

Breast cancer preoperative FDG-PET, overall survival prognostic separation compared with the lymph node ratio.

Purpose: To evaluate the overall survival prognostic value of preoperative F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (PET) in breast cancer, as compared with the lymph node ratio (LNR).

Methods: Data were abstracted at a median follow-up 14.7 years from a retrospective cohort of 104 patients who underwent PET imaging before curative surgery.

Percutaneous tracheostomy for long-term ventilated COVID-19-patients: rationale and first clinical-safe for all-experience.

Introduction: COVID-19 infection has resulted in thousands of critically ill patients admitted to ICUs and treated with mechanical ventilation. Percutaneous tracheostomy is a well-known technique utilised as a strategy to wean critically ill patients from mechanical ventilation. Worldwide differences exist in terms of methods, operators, and settings, and questions remain regarding timing and indications.

Phase I Trial of I-GMIB-Anti-HER2-VHH1, a New Promising Candidate for HER2-Targeted Radionuclide Therapy in Breast Cancer Patients.

I-GMIB-anti-human epidermal growth factor receptor type 2 (HER2)-VHH1 is a targeted radionuclide theranostic agent directed at HER2-expressing cancers. VHH1 is a single-domain antibody covalently linked to therapeutic I via the linker -succinimidyl 4-guanidino-methyl-3-iodobenzoate (SGMIB). The phase I study was aimed at evaluating the safety, biodistribution, radiation dosimetry, and tumor-imaging potential of I-GMIB-anti-HER2-VHH1 in healthy volunteers and breast cancer patients.

Fertility preservation does not delay the initiation of chemotherapy in breast cancer patients treated with adjuvant or neo-adjuvant chemotherapy.

Purpose: To investigate whether fertility preservation (FP) in adult women diagnosed with breast cancer (BC) may impact the time interval between diagnosis and start of chemotherapy in an adjuvant or neo-adjuvant setting.

Methods: Retrospective cohort study of breast cancer patients diagnosed between January 2012 and December 2017 undergoing FP at a tertiary-care academic fertility centre before neo-adjuvant (NAC) or adjuvant chemotherapy (AC), and matched control breast cancer patients who had no FP. FP interventions included oocyte vitrification following ovarian stimulation or after in-vitro maturation (IVM) of immature oocytes, and/or ovarian tissue cryopreservation.

A rare cause of unilateral breast swelling in a male infant caused by fibrous hamartoma of infancy combined with pseudoangiomatous stromal hyperplasia.

We report a case of a male infant who underwent resection of a unilateral breast mass with a histopathological diagnosis of a fibrous hamartoma of infancy (FHI) combined with a pseudoangiomatous stromal hyperplasia (PASH). Breast lumps are uncommon in infants and children, especially in boys. FHI and PASH are very rare causes of breast lumps, especially in infants.

A preventable cause of transplant hydroureteronephrosis: inguinal herniation of the transplant ureter: case report and review of the literature.

Background: Transplant ureter obstruction is an important cause of graft loss after kidney transplantation. Most cases occur early after transplantation and are related to surgical causes or ischaemic strictures. Underlying mechanisms of late ureteral obstruction are less well understood.

Identification of candidate cancer predisposing variants by performing whole-exome sequencing on index patients from BRCA1 and BRCA2-negative breast cancer families.

Background: In the majority of familial breast cancer (BC) families, the etiology of the disease remains unresolved. To identify missing BC heritability resulting from relatively rare variants (minor allele frequency ≤ 1%), we have performed whole exome sequencing followed by variant analysis in a virtual panel of 492 cancer-associated genes on BC patients from BRCA1 and BRCA2 negative families with elevated BC risk.

Methods: BC patients from 54 BRCA1 and BRCA2-negative families with elevated BC risk and 120 matched controls were considered for germline DNA whole exome sequencing.

Improved Debulking of Peritoneal Tumor Implants by Near-Infrared Fluorescent Nanobody Image Guidance in an Experimental Mouse Model.

Purpose: Debulking followed by combination chemotherapy is currently regarded as the most effective treatment for advanced ovarian cancer. Prognosis depends drastically on the degree of debulking. Accordingly, near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence imaging has been proposed to revolutionize cancer surgery by acting as a sensitive, specific, and real-time tool enabling visualization of cancer lesions.

Phase I Study of 68Ga-HER2-Nanobody for PET/CT Assessment of HER2 Expression in Breast Carcinoma.

Unlabelled: Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) status is one of the major tumor characteristics in breast cancer to guide therapy. Anti-HER2 treatment has clear survival advantages in HER2-positive breast carcinoma patients. Heterogeneity in HER2 expression between primary tumor and metastasis has repeatedly been described, resulting in the need to reassess HER2 status during the disease course.

Small airways function in breast cancer patients before and after radiotherapy.

Radiotherapy treatments for early stage breast cancer patients potentially affect the lung in its most distal air spaces, and previous studies have indicated consistently low baseline values for diffusing capacity in breast cancer patients. We aimed to quantitatively assess baseline small airway function and the acute effects of radiotherapy in breast cancer patients with no confounding effects from respiratory disease or considerable smoking history. In 60 breast cancer patients selected from an ongoing randomized controlled trial, the small airways function was assessed at baseline and 3 months later, after having received either conventional radiotherapy (CR; n = 26) or hypofractionated tomotherapy (TT; n = 34).

Early contralateral shoulder-arm morbidity in breast cancer patients enrolled in a randomized trial of post-surgery radiation therapy.

Introduction: Shoulder/arm morbidity is a common complication of breast cancer surgery and radiotherapy (RT), but little is known about acute contralateral morbidity.

Methods: Patients were 118 women enrolled in a RT trial. Arm volume and shoulder mobility were assessed before and 1-3 months after RT.

Diagnostic and prognostic correlates of preoperative FDG PET for breast cancer.

Purpose: To explore the preoperative utility of FDG PET for the diagnosis and prognosis in a retrospective breast cancer case series.

Methods: In this retrospective study, 104 patients who had undergone a preoperative FDG PET scan for primary breast cancer at the UZ Brussel during the period 2002-2008 were identified. Selection criteria were: histological confirmation, FDG PET performed prior to therapy, and breast surgery integrated into the primary therapy plan.