Artifact suppression for breast specimen imaging in micro CBCT using deep learning.

Background: Cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) has been introduced for breast-specimen imaging to identify a free resection margin of abnormal tissues in breast conservation. As well-known, typical micro CT consumes long acquisition and computation times. One simple solution to reduce the acquisition scan time is to decrease of the number of projections, but this method generates streak artifacts on breast specimen images.

A Clinical Prediction Model for Breast Cancer in Women Having Their First Mammogram.

Background: Digital mammography is the most efficient screening and diagnostic modality for breast cancer (BC). However, the technology is not widely available in rural areas. This study aimed to construct a prediction model for BC in women scheduled for their first mammography at a breast center to prioritize patients on waiting lists.

Truncation effect reduction for fast iterative reconstruction in cone-beam CT.

Background: Iterative reconstruction for cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) has been applied to improve image quality and reduce radiation dose. In a case where an object's actual projection is larger than a flat panel detector, CBCT images contain truncated data or incomplete projections, which degrade image quality inside the field of view (FOV). In this work, we propose truncation effect reduction for fast iterative reconstruction in CBCT imaging.

Intraoperative Molecular Analysis of Total Tumor Load in Sentinel Lymph Node: A Predictor of Axillary Status in Early Breast Cancer.

Background: Axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) remains the standard of care in breast cancer patients with positive sentinel lymph node (SLN). However, approximately 40-60% of patients with positive SLNs have not developed to non-SLN metastasis and ALND seems to be an overtreatment. The purpose of this study was to analyze predictors and define a specific cut-off of total tumor load (TTL) of CK19 that can be used as a predictive factor of non-SLN metastasis in early breast cancer patients.

Real-life clinical pattern, management, and survival in Thai patients with early-stage or metastatic triple-negative breast cancer.

Objectives: To characterize the clinical pattern and evaluate real-life practices in the management of patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) in Thailand.

Methods: In this multicenter, prospective, observational cohort, females (aged ≥18 years) with histologically and immunohistochemically confirmed TNBC were enrolled. Patient data was collected at four study visits-an inclusion visit (for enrollment), and three subsequent follow-up visits at 12±1, 24±1, and 36±1 months after completion of first day of any planned chemotherapy.

The Pre-Treatment Neutrophil-Lymphocyte Ratio: a Useful Tool in Predicting Non-Sentinel Lymph Node Metastasis in Breast Cancer Cases.

Background: The sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy is a highly accurate predictor of overall axillary nodal status in early breast cancer patients. There is however, still a debate on which patients with a positive SLN can benefit from axillary lymph node dissection (ALND). Numerous studies have been designed to identify variables that are predictive of non-SLN metastasis to avoid a complete ALND.

Correlation between Serum SCCA and CYFRA 2 1-1, Tissue Ki-67, and Clinicopathological Factors in Patients with Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Background: Squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCCA) and CYFRA 21-1 have been reported as useful tumor markers for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), but no information has yet been reported about the relationship between these serum tumor markers and tissue proliferative activity (Ki-67) in ESCC patients.

Objective: To study the correlation between SCCA, CYFRA 21-1, Ki-67, and clinicopathological factors in ESCC patients.

Material And Method: Pretreatment SCCA and CYFRA 21-1 serum levels were measured, while the expression of Ki-67 was assessed on tumor tissue.

Mimicked cartilage scaffolds of silk fibroin/hyaluronic acid with stem cells for osteoarthritis surgery: Morphological, mechanical, and physical clues.

Osteoarthritis is a critical disease that comes from degeneration of cartilage tissue. In severe cases surgery is generally required. Tissue engineering using scaffolds with stem cell transplantation is an attractive approach and a challenge for orthopedic surgery.

Cosmetic Outcomes and Quality of Life in Thai Women Post Breast Conserving Therapy for Breast Cancer.

Purpose: To evaluate the correlation between cosmetic outcome (CO), body image, and quality of life in post breast-conserving therapy (BCT) women.

Materials And Methods: This cross-sectional study concerned one-year post-completed BCT Thai women. The data included subjective and objective CO with a questionnaire covering demographic and clinical data, anti-hormonal treatment status, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status, Self-Reported Cosmetic Outcomes (SRCO), Self-Reported Breast Symmetry (SRBS), Body Image Scale (BIS), and the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy with Breast Cancer subscale (FACT-B).

Single nucleotide polymorphisms in the Gc gene for vitamin D binding protein in common cancers in Thailand.

Background: This case-control study aimed to determine if there were any associations between the two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in Gc, rs7041 (Asp416Glu) and rs4588 (Thr420Lys) and 3 common cancers (breast, lung and colorectal) in Thai patients.

Materials And Methods: Two hundred and eighty two colorectal, 101 breast and 113 lung cancer patients were recruited from one institute during 2011-2013. The controls were age-matched volunteers who had a negative history of index cancers.

Randomized study of antiinflammatory and immune-modulatory effects of enteral immunonutrition during concurrent chemoradiotherapy for esophageal cancer.

Concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) induces toxicities from inflammation and immunological suppression. Omega-3 fatty acids, glutamine, and arginine are therapeutic factors that can attenuate such inflammation and promote cellular immunity. The question is whether immunonutrition (IN) during CCRT reduces inflammation and improves the immune function in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).

Safety and efficacy of everolimus with exemestane vs. exemestane alone in elderly patients with HER2-negative, hormone receptor-positive breast cancer in BOLERO-2.

Background: Postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive (HR(+)) breast cancer in whom disease progresses or there is recurrence while taking a nonsteroidal aromatase inhibitor (NSAI) are usually treated with exemestane (EXE), but no single standard of care exists in this setting. The BOLERO-2 trial demonstrated that adding everolimus (EVE) to EXE improved progression-free survival (PFS) while maintaining quality of life when compared with EXE alone. Because many women with HR(+) advanced breast cancer are elderly, the tolerability profile of EVE plus EXE in this population is of interest.

Efficacy of everolimus with exemestane versus exemestane alone in Asian patients with HER2-negative, hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer in BOLERO-2.

Background: The addition of mTOR inhibitor everolimus (EVE) to exemestane (EXE) was evaluated in an international, phase 3 study (BOLERO-2) in patients with hormone-receptor-positive (HR(+)) breast cancer refractory to letrozole or anastrozole. The safety and efficacy of anticancer treatments may be influenced by ethnicity (Sekine et al. in Br J Cancer 99:1757-62, 2008).

Scaffold library for tissue engineering: a geometric evaluation.

Tissue engineering scaffold is a biological substitute that aims to restore, to maintain, or to improve tissue functions. Currently available manufacturing technology, that is, additive manufacturing is essentially applied to fabricate the scaffold according to the predefined computer aided design (CAD) model. To develop scaffold CAD libraries, the polyhedrons could be used in the scaffold libraries development.

Comparison of 6q25 breast cancer hits from Asian and European Genome Wide Association Studies in the Breast Cancer Association Consortium (BCAC).

The 6q25.1 locus was first identified via a genome-wide association study (GWAS) in Chinese women and marked by single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs2046210, approximately 180 Kb upstream of ESR1. There have been conflicting reports about the association of this locus with breast cancer in Europeans, and a GWAS in Europeans identified a different SNP, tagged here by rs12662670.

11q13 is a susceptibility locus for hormone receptor positive breast cancer.

A recent two-stage genome-wide association study (GWAS) identified five novel breast cancer susceptibility loci on chromosomes 9, 10, and 11. To provide more reliable estimates of the relative risk associated with these loci and investigate possible heterogeneity by subtype of breast cancer, we genotyped the variants rs2380205, rs1011970, rs704010, rs614367, and rs10995190 in 39 studies from the Breast Cancer Association Consortium (BCAC), involving 49,608 cases and 48,772 controls of predominantly European ancestry. Four of the variants showed clear evidence of association (P ≤ 3 × 10(-9) ) and weak evidence was observed for rs2380205 (P = 0.

19p13.1 is a triple-negative-specific breast cancer susceptibility locus.

The 19p13.1 breast cancer susceptibility locus is a modifier of breast cancer risk in BRCA1 mutation carriers and is also associated with the risk of ovarian cancer. Here, we investigated 19p13.

Specific intronic p53 mutation in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma in Southern Thailand.

Aim: To investigate p53 mutations in esophageal cancer in a high-risk population, and correlate them with smoking, alcohol consumption and betel chewing.

Methods: One hundred and sixty-five tumor samples of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) obtained from a university hospital in Songkhla province, Southern Thailand were investigated for p53 mutations in exons 5-8, using polymerase chain reaction-single strand conformation polymorphism analysis, followed by direct sequencing. A polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) assay was additionally used to confirm possible germline mutation in intron 6.

Establishment the cost-effectiveness through set criteria of laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

Objective: To assess the set criteria of laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) in reducing the length of hospital stay (LOHS), and total treatment expenditure.

Material And Method: The measurement outcomes were prospectively analyzed through the medical record, and self questionnaire of the patients.

Results: During the 1-year trial, a total of 122 patients were scheduled for LC.

Correlation of epidermal growth factor receptor mutation, immunohistochemistry, and fluorescence in situ hybridization in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Background: The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) has become a promising target for novel anticancer therapy Evaluation of its biological profiles including gene mutation, amplification, and protein expression in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is essential to establish the EGFR molecular feature(s) suitable to select patients in anti-EGFR therapy.

Material And Method: The subjects' specimens of ESCC at Songklanagarind Hospital were obtained and investigated for EGFR protein expression and gene amplification. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed to amplify the EGFR DNA product.

Epidermal growth factor receptor and cyclin D1 are independently amplified and overexpressed in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Purpose: To assess the status of EGFR, HER-2, and CCND1 at the gene and protein levels in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Methods: Dual-color FISH assays were performed using DNA probes for EGFR/CEP 7, HER-2/CEP 17, and CCND1/CEP 11. The respective proteins, furthermore, was assessed in IHC assays and correlated with patient and tumor characteristics.

Results of gastric pull-up reconstruction for pharyngolaryngo-oesophagectomy in advanced head and neck cancer and cervical oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Objective: To study long-term clinical swallowing function and survival outcome in head and neck and cervical oesophageal cancer patients who underwent pharyngolaryngo-oesophagectomy (PLE).

Methods: The clinical data of 48 patients who were treated with PLE were analysed. All patients had advanced disease, so the construction required a transposed stomach.

Mastectomy without drain at pectoral area: a randomized controlled trial.

Objectives: Mastectomy is still one of the standard alternative procedures for the management of female breast cancer. Axillary node dissection is also performed to establish the accurate staging. After operation, the axilla must be drained because of lymphatic leakage.

Lifestyle habits and genetic susceptibility and the risk of esophageal cancer in the Thai population.

The association of lifestyle habits and polymorphism of ADH2 and ALDH2 genes with the risk of esophageal cancer in Thai population was investigated in a hospital-based case-control study: 202 cases and 261 controls. The results of multivariate logistic analysis showed that alcohol consumption >60g/day, smoking >10 cigarettes/day and chewing betel >or=10 quids/day significantly increased risk (odds ratio (OR) 5.84, 95% confidence interval (CI) 3.