Can Ki-67 serve as a suitable marker to indicate the necessity of staging diagnostics in cases of low-risk breast cancer?

Background: For many years, staging tests have not been routinely employed for low-risk early breast cancer (EBC). However, the role of Ki-67 in determining the need for staging tests in low-risk EBC remains unclear. Our study aimed to assess the number and types of staging diagnostics, additional imaging, false-positive results, and rate of distant metastases in low-risk EBC with low and high Ki-67 (< / ≥ 25%).

Placenta Accreta Spectrum (PAS): Diagnosis, Clinical Presentation, Therapeutic Approaches, and Clinical Outcomes.

Placenta accreta spectrum (PAS) refers to the abnormal adhesion of the placenta to the myometrium, with varying degrees of severity. Placenta accreta involves adhesion to the myometrium, placenta increta invades the myometrium, and placenta percreta extends through the serosa to adjacent organs. The condition is linked to deficient decidualization in scarred uterine tissue, and the risk increases when placenta previa is present and with each prior cesarean delivery.

Explainable deep learning enhances robust and reliable real-time monitoring of a chromatographic protein A capture step.

The application of model-based real-time monitoring in biopharmaceutical production is a major step toward quality-by-design and the fundament for model predictive control. Data-driven models have proven to be a viable option to model bioprocesses. In the high stakes setting of biopharmaceutical manufacturing it is essential to ensure high model accuracy, robustness, and reliability.

Circulating non‑coding RNA‑biomarker potential in neoadjuvant chemotherapy of triple negative breast cancer?

Due to the positive association between neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) and the promising early response rates of patients with triple negative breast cancer (TNBC), including probabilities of pathological complete response, NACT is increasingly used in TNBC management. Liquid biopsy‑based biomarkers with the power to diagnose the early response to NACT may support established monitoring tools, which are to a certain extent imprecise and costly. Simple serum‑ or urine‑based analyses of non‑coding RNA (ncRNA) expression may allow for fast, minimally‑invasive testing and timely adjustment of the therapy regimen.

Vaginal prolapse surgery with transvaginal mesh: results of the Austrian registry.

Introduction And Hypothesis: Several mesh repair systems for pelvic organ prolapse (POP) were introduced into clinical practice with limited data on safety, complications or success rates, and impact on sexual function. The Austrian Urogynecology Working Group initiated a registry to assess the use of transvaginal mesh devices for POP repair. We looked at perioperative data, as well as outcomes at 3 and 12 months.

Clinical consequences of the Calypso trial showing superiority of PEG-liposomal doxorubicin and carboplatin over paclitaxel and carboplatin in recurrent ovarian cancer: results of an Austrian gynecologic oncologists' expert meeting.

The Calypso trial showed an improved progression-free survival with PEG-liposomal doxorubicin (PLD) and carboplatin (P) as compared with the standard regimen paclitaxel (PCLTX) and P in the second- or third-line treatment of platinum-sensitive epithelial ovarian cancer [1]. A panel of Austrian gynecologic oncologists discussed the clinical consequences of the data from the Calypso study for the routine practice. PLD + P had a significantly lower rate of alopecia and neuropathy than the taxane regimen, both toxicities which compromise the quality of life.

Impact of haemoglobin levels during adjuvant chemotherapy on the survival of patients with primary breast cancer.

Tumour anaemia is a common symptom in cancer patients, particularly in those receiving chemotherapy. The aim of the current study was to analyse the impact of haemoglobin levels on the prognosis of patients with primary breast cancer receiving adjuvant chemotherapy. A total of 129 patients were available for analysis.

Benign breast lesions: minimally invasive vacuum-assisted biopsy with 11-gauge needles patient acceptance and effect on follow-up imaging findings.

Purpose: To evaluate patient acceptance of stereotactic or ultrasonographically (US) guided directional vacuum-assisted 11-gauge needle biopsy of breast lesions and short- and long-term changes at mammography and US resulting from the procedure.

Materials And Methods: For 91 benign lesions that had been sampled at either stereotactic or US-guided directional vacuum-assisted breast biopsy performed with 11-gauge needles, clinical, mammographic, and US changes were evaluated 1 week after biopsy; 6-month follow-up findings were available for 74 lesions. The subjective outcome of the procedure and patient satisfaction were assessed on the basis of a patient-completed questionnaire that incorporated a multistage scoring system.

Value of ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging in the preoperative evaluation of suspected ovarian masses.

Background: The stage of ovarian carcinoma at diagnosis directly affects prognosis. Thus, thorough pretreatment evaluation is basic to the successful management of suspected ovarian masses. Among currently available imaging techniques in characterization of suspected ovarian neoplasms, sonography (US) is indisputedly the primary imaging approach.

Low-grade mucosa-associated lymphoma of the breast: radiological-pathological correlation.

Primary breast lymphoma generally is a rare disease. We present a case of a low-grade mucosa-associated (MALT) lymphoma of the breast in a 32-year-old woman, a distinctive type of localized non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), which is very seldom located in the breast. We performed differential diagnosis and radiological-pathological correlation with regard to typical microscopic criteria and clinical relevance that apply for that special entity.

Real-time spatial compound imaging in breast ultrasound.

To determine the role of real-time spatial compound imaging in breast ultrasound (US), 38 patients with a total of 50 benign changes (fibroadenomas, cysts, lactiferous duct dilatation) underwent both conventional B-mode US and real-time spatial compound imaging under standardized examination settings. Subsequently, images were reviewed independently by three readers experienced in breast US and evaluated according to a multistage scoring system with regard to the presence of artefacts, delineation of boundaries and depiction of internal structures. With significant reader concordance, real-time spatial compound imaging was found to produce speckle reduction with improvement of tissue differentiation, increased conspicuity of low-contrast lesions, enhanced delineation of capsular margins and ducts, and improved depiction of internal architecture of solid lesions, as well as clearer visualization of cystic contents due to clutter reduction.

Does long-term application of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor adversely influence overall survival in patients with ovarian cancer? A clinical study.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of long-term administration of G-CSF with regard to its impact on overall survival of patients with ovarian cancer. We report the results of a non-randomized trial on 64 patients with advanced ovarian cancer treated with 6 cycles of conventional chemotherapy. Chemotherapy comprised carboplatin 400 mg/m2 and epirubicin 70 mg/m2 on day 1 of each cycle and prednimustine 100 mg/m2 on days 3 to 7, every 28 days.

Lunar phases and survival of breast cancer patients--a statistical analysis of 3,757 cases.

The potential influence of lunar phases on human life has been widely discussed by the lay press. The purpose of this study was to find out whether the timing of surgery during particular lunar phases influences the survival of breast cancer patients. It has been postulated that breast cancer surgery performed during the waxing moon, or particularly at full moon, is associated with a poorer outcome.

Endometrial cancer: accuracy of the finding of a well differentiated tumor at dilatation and curettage compared to the findings at subsequent hysterectomy.

The objective of this study was to examine the accuracy of the finding of a histologically well differentiated endometrial carcinoma at dilatation and curettage (D & C) prior to hysterectomy. A retrospective multicentric chart review of 137 endometrial cancer patients was conducted, including all patients in whom a well differentiated endometrial carcinoma had been diagnosed by D & C. Histopathologic grading as determined by D & C was compared with the grading established at the final histologic examination after hysterectomy.

Impact of hysteroscopy on disease-free survival in clinically stage I endometrial cancer patients.

Recent data strongly suggest tumor cell dissemination of endometrial carcinoma cells in the course of fluid hysteroscopy. In patients who had endometrial cancer which was (except for peritoneal cytology) confined to the uterus, the disease-free survival (DFS) of 135 patients who underwent hysteroscopy prior to staging laparotomy was compared with the DFS of 127 patients without hysteroscopy. After a median follow-up of 23 months, 10 patients experienced tumor recurrence.

Quantitative PCR Detection of c-erbB-2 Gene Amplification.

The association of c-erbB-2 oncogene amplification and prognostic factors was intensively studied in human gynecological carcinomas, especially in mammary carcinoma (1). Positive lymph nodes, estrogen and progesterone receptor negative tumors, and short survival time correlate with c-erbB-2 amplification.

Relevance of sonographic B-mode criteria and computer-aided ultrasonic tissue characterization in differential/diagnosis of solid breast masses.

We aimed to evaluate the differential diagnostic value of a method of computer-assisted texture analysis in comparison to established ultrasonographic B-mode characteristics in the examination of solid breast masses. At two centers, 77 patients presenting with a solid mass on B-mode scan were studied at 7.5 MHz.

Ultrasonographic tissue characterization in monitoring tumor response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in locally advanced breast cancer (work in progress).

A program of computer-assisted texture analysis was applied to evaluate its usefulness for objective description of changes in tumor architecture due to primary medical treatment in patients with locally advanced breast cancer. Changes in values of parameters of the statistical pattern recognition technique were compared to ultrasonographically depictable, subjectively recorded changes in echogenicity and echotexture (brightness, homogeneity) and reviewed with regard to histopathologic evaluation of tumor regression. Characteristic trends of defined quantitative texture parameters (mean gradient, mean gray value, contrast from the co-occurrence matrix) corresponded to visually depictable changes of the B-mode image and underlying histopathologic changes.

Locally advanced breast carcinoma: computer assisted semiquantitative analysis of color Doppler ultrasonography in the evaluation of tumor response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (work in progress).

We aimed to evaluate objectively the value of color Doppler flow imaging in the assessment of response of locally advanced breast cancer to primary medical treatment by using a computer assisted semiquantitative method. Prior to and after neoadjuvant treatment, 17 patients with locally advanced breast carcinoma were prospectively evaluated by physical examination and computer assisted semiquantitative color Doppler ultrasonography. The results of clinical and color Doppler examination were finally correlated to the histopathologic evaluation of tumor response.

First report of lymphatic mapping with isosulfan blue dye and sentinel node biopsy in cervical cancer.

Background: Sentinel lymph node status provides important information about the status of the regional nodes in various malignant tumors. Our report describes a method of identifying the sentinel lymph nodes in cervical cancer.

Patients And Methods: In three cases of early cervical cancer, isosulfan blue dye was injected paracervically into each lateral fornix immediately before surgery.

Locally advanced breast carcinoma: evaluation of mammography in the prediction of residual disease after induction chemotherapy.

Background: We aimed to assess the mammographic features of locally advanced breast carcinoma treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy and to evaluate morphological criteria that determine the value of mammography in therapy monitoring.

Materials And Methods: We reviewed the pre- and post-therapeutic mammograms of 44 patients with stage III-breast carcinoma with regard to tumor characteristics and malignant calcifications and compared to histopathological results.

Results: Delineation of the tumor proved to be the most significant criterion.

CA 125 regression after two completed cycles of chemotherapy: lack of prediction for long-term survival in patients with advanced ovarian cancer.

The prognostic influence of CA 125 regression between the time point before surgery and after two completed courses of chemotherapy was studied in 210 patients with advanced ovarian cancer, and was compared to other well established prognostic factors. CA 125 blood samples were collected preoperatively (CA 125 pre) and 3 months after surgery (CA 125 3 mo) (at the beginning of the 3rd cycle of chemotherapy). The parameter CA 125 regression defined as log10 (CA 125 3 mo/CA 125 pre) was used for statistical analysis.

Association between endometrial cancer and tamoxifen treatment of breast cancer.

A retrospective cohort-study in 4109 breast cancer patients was undertaken to determine how tamoxifen affected the risk of endometrial cancer. Data on 1701 tamoxifen-treated women were analysed. Two thousand four hundred and eight non-tamoxifen users served as control group.

Tumor flow in malignant breast tumors measured by Doppler ultrasound: an independent predictor of survival.

The purpose of this study was to investigate tumor blood flow in breast cancers with regard to its impact on the overall survival of patients. Tumor blood flow was assessed in seventy-four patients with primary breast cancer by the use of color-coded Doppler ultrasound techniques. Preoperatively obtained Doppler frequency spectra were analyzed for peak systolic flow velocity (Vmax).

TATI (tumor associated trypsin inhibitor) and cancer antigen 125 (CA 125) in patients with early-stage endometrial cancer.

Background: In patients with gynecologic malignancies, a 6 kD polypeptide known as the tumor-associated trypsin inhibitor (TATI) is present in high concentrations, both in the urine and the serum. This study attempts to evaluate the usefulness of pretreatment serum levels of TATI (cutoff level 21 ng ml-1) and CA 125 (cutoff levels 35 U ml-1 and 65 U ml-1) in the prediction of early endometrial cancer.

Patients And Methods: One hundred twenty-seven patients with stage I and II endometrial carcinomas, 110 healthy women and 258 women with benign pelvic pathologies were evaluated.