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Objective To investigate integrating an artificial intelligence (AI) system into diagnostic breast ultrasound (US) for improved performance. Materials and Methods Seventy suspicious breast mass lesions (53 malignant and 17 benign) from seventy women who underwent diagnostic breast US complemented with shear wave elastography, US-guided core needle biopsy and verified histopathology were enrolled. Two radiologists, one with 15 years of experience and the other with one year of experience, evaluated the images for breast imaging-reporting and data system (BI-RADS) scoring. The less-experienced radiologist re-evaluated the images with the guidance of a commercial AI system and the maximum elasticity from shear wave elastography. The BI-RADS scorings were processed to determine diagnostic performance and malignancy detections. Results The experienced reader demonstrated superior performance with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.888 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.793–0.983], indicating high diagnostic accuracy. In contrast, the Koios decision support (DS) system achieved an AUC of 0.693 (95% CI: 0.562–0.824). The less-experienced reader, guided by both Koios and elasticity, showed an AUC of 0.679 (95% CI: 0.534–0.823), while Koios alone resulted in an AUC of 0.655 (95% CI: 0.512–0.799). Without any guidance, the less-experienced reader exhibited the lowest performance, with an AUC of 0.512 (95% CI: 0.352–0.672). The experienced reader had a sensitivity of 98.1%, specificity of 58.8%, positive predictive value of 88.1%, negative predictive value of 90.9%, and overall accuracy of 88.6%. The Koios DS showed a sensitivity of 92.5%, specificity of 35.3%, and an accuracy of 78.6%. The less-experienced reader, when guided by both Koios and elasticity, achieved a sensitivity of 92.5%, specificity of 23.5%, and an accuracy of 75.7%. When guided by Koios alone, the less-experienced reader had a sensitivity of 90.6%, specificity of 17.6%, and an accuracy of 72.9%. Lastly, the less-experienced reader without any guidance showed a sensitivity of 84.9%, specificity of 17.6%, and an accuracy of 68.6%. Conclusion Diagnostic evaluation of the suspicious masses on breast US images largely depends on experience, with experienced readers showing good performances. AI-based guidance can help improve lower performances, and using the elasticity metric may further improve the performances of less experienced readers. This type of guidance may reduce unnecessary biopsies by increasing the detection rate for malignant lesions and deliver significant benefits for routine clinical practice in underserved areas where experienced readers may not be available. Keywords:Breast cancer, breast ultrasound, elastography, artificial intelligence: [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between subclinical lymphedema identified prior to surgical intervention and clinical lymphedema observed in the late period, the incidence of lymphedema in our cohort, and the associated risk factors. Materials and Methods This prospective study was conducted with early-stage breast cancer patients who had been enrolled in a previous study. For diagnosing lymphedema, physical examination, L-Dex® score, and circumferential measurement was used. The L-Dex® score was used as a screening test for preoperative, subclinical lymphedema since there were no clinical findings. Patients with subclinical lymphedema were provided with education and followed up more frequently with regular monitoring. Results The mean age of the 217 participants was 56.7±12.7 years (range 29–90), and the mean body mass index was 27.7±3.3 kg/m2 (range 19.3–36.9). Among the 217 patients, lymphedema was detected in 31 (14.7%) at a median follow-up period of 89 months (range 73–108 months). Multivariable analysis of factors associated with late-stage lymphedema revealed positive lymph node count and capsular invasion as significant factors (p = 0.001 for both). Forty (18.4%) had preoperative subclinical lymphedema. At the end of the follow-up period, lymphedema persisted in 11 patients (27.5%) and resolved in 29 patients (72.5%). In multivariable analysis, the positive lymph node count was identified as an independent variable in these patients. Conclusion Identifying high-risk patients, regular monitoring, and early intervention can significantly reduce the risk of clinical lymphedema through timely treatment. Keywords:Breast cancer, lymphedema, risk factors, early detection: [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Differences in individual muscle/fat volumes may change the effectiveness of chemotherapy. In this study, the relationship between trunkal muscle and fat volume and body mass index (BMI) obtained before receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NCT) in patients with breast cancer and complete pathological response (pCR) was investigated. Materials and Methods: The volumes of psoas, abdominal and paraspinal muscles, and trunkal subcutaneous and visceral fat were calculated using CoreSlicer AI 2.0 opensource program from the F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (CT) and CT images before NCT and postoperative pCR rates to NCT were recorded. Muscle/fat volumes and BMI prior to NCT were compared in terms of pathological pCR rates. Patients were followed up regularly for recurrence and survival. Results: Ninety-three patients were included with median (range) values for age, BMI, and body weights of 48 (28-72) years, 27 (16.8-51.6) kg/m2, and 71.94 (43-137) kg, respectively. The median follow-up time was 18.6 (6.7-59.6) months. No significant correlation was found between total muscle or fat volumes of patients with and without pCR. BMI [26.2 (16.8-51.6) kg/m2 vs. 24.6 (20.3-34.3) kg/m2, p = 0.03] and pCR rates in patients with low rightpsoas muscle volume [11.74 (7.03-18.51) vs. 10.2 (6.71-13.36), p = 0.025] were significantly greater. A significant relationship was found between right psoas muscle volume and disease-free survival (DFS) (11.74 cm3 (7.03-18.51) vs. 10.2 cm3 (6.71-13.36), p = 0.025). However, no significant relationship was detected between total muscle-fat volume, BMI and overall survival and DFS (p>0.05). Conclusion: This is the first published study investigating the relationship between the pCR ratio and body muscle and fat volume measured by CoreSlicer AI 2.0 in patients with breast cancer who received NCT. No correlation was found between the pCR ratio and total muscle plus fat volume. However, these results need to be validated with larger patient series. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Oncotype Dx recurrence score (ODx-RS) guides the adjuvant chemotherapy decision-making process for patients with early-stage hormone receptor-positive, HER-2 receptor-negative breast cancer. This study aimed to evaluate survival and its correlation with ODx-RS in pT1-2, N0-N1mic patients treated with adjuvant therapy based on tumor board decisions. Patients and methods: Estrogen-positive HER-2 negative early-stage breast cancer patients (pT1-2 N0, N1mic) with known ODx-RS, operated on between 2010 and 2014, were included in this study. The primary aim was to evaluate 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) rates according to ODX-RS. Results: A total of 203 eligible patients were included in the study, with a median age of 48 (range 26-75) and median follow-up of 84 (range 23-138) months. ROC curve analysis for all patients revealed a recurrence cut-off age of 45 years, prompting evaluation by grouping patients as =45 years vs. >45 years. No significant difference in five-year DFS rates was observed between the endocrine-only (ET) and chemo-endocrine (CE) groups. However, among the ET group, DFS was higher in patients over 45 years compared to those aged =45 years. When stratifying by ODx-RS as 0-17 and =18, DFS was significantly higher in the former group within the ET group. However, such differences were not seen in the CE group. In the ET group, an ODx-RS =18 and menopausal status were identified as independent factors affecting survival, with only an ODx-RS =18 impacting DFS in patients aged =45 years. The ROC curve analysis for this subgroup found the ODx-RS cut-off to be 18. Conclusion: This first multicenter Oncotype Dx survival analysis in Turkey demonstrates the importance of Oncotype Dx recurrence score and age in determining treatment strategies for early-stage breast cancer patients. As a different aproach to the literature, our findings suggest that the addition of chemotherapy to endocrine therapy in young patients (=45 years) with Oncotype Dx recurrence scores of =18 improves DFS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of MN Cardiology / MN Kardiyoloji is the property of Medical Network and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of MN Cardiology / MN Kardiyoloji is the property of Medical Network and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Objective: Premenopausal women with breast cancer are at risk of developing ovarian failure after chemotherapy. The aim of this study was to investigate the negative effects of systemic chemotherapy on ovarian function in premenoupausal women with breast cancer. Materials and Methods: Thirty-one premenopausal women with operable breast cancer aged between 26-48 years were enrolled in this prospective cohort study to investigate preliminary results. Additional 69 patients' data will be included after the completion of all five measurements. The change in serum Antimullerian Hormone (AMH) levels, mean ovarian volumes (MOV) and antral follicle counts (AFCs) at 3-month intervals were recorded to evaluate ovarian function. Women who had at least one pretreatment and four post-treatment measurements in one year follow-up period were included in the study. Decision of chemotherapy regimen was taken by the Tumor Board. Results: Thirty-one patients had all five AMH, MOV and AFCs results. There was a statistically significant negative correlation between 1st - 5th AMH levels (p=0.006) and 1st - 5th AFCs during the follow-up period (p<0.0001). However pre- and post-chemotherapy measurements of MOVs did not demonstrate any significant correlation (p=0.799). BMI, parity, lactation, histopathology and molecular subtypes of breast cancer, alcohol intake, smoking and type of chemotherapy regimen were not significantly correlated with AMH, AFC and MOV. Conclusion: Pretreatment AMH levels and AFC were shown to have a significant role in early prediction of ovarian-reserve after chemotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic performance of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-positron emission tomography (PET)/magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the detection of bone metastasis in patients with breast cancer. Materials and Methods: From August 2018 to January 2019, a total of 23 patients with pathologically confirmed invasive breast cancer underwent whole-body hybrid 18F-FDG -PET/MRI for initial staging and follow-up of their malignancies. The number of the bone metastasis was recorded for each patient. The total 18F-FDG-PET/MRI protocol was compared with PET only and the contrast enhanced fused (CE) component for the detection of bone metastasis. Results: Eight (26%) of 23 patients had bone metastasis. Bone metastases were dominantly localized in the spine (63%) and pelvis (25%). In terms of the total number of detected bone metastasis, there was a statistically significant difference between 18F-FDG-PET/MRI (mean 3.57; median 0; range, 0-2) and PET only component (mean 2.87; median 0; range, 0-1) (p=0.026), but no statistically significant difference was detected between 18F-FDG-PET/MRI and whole-body CE MRI (mean 3.43; median 0; range 0-2) (p=0.083). Conclusion: Whole-body hybrid 18F-FDG-PET/MRI is superior to PET component only, but no statistically significant difference between hybrid 18F-FDG-PET/MRI and whole-body CE MRI is found for the detection of bone metastasis in patients with breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The effect of estrogen on bone mineral density (BMD) and breast cancer has been known for a long time. The aim of this study was to compare of the BMD of patients with breast cancer and healthy individuals, and to investigate the degree of correlation of estrogen receptor (ER) with BMD. Materials and Methods: Seventy-one patients with postmenopausal breast cancer and 79 healthy dividuals were included in the study. The patient demographics (age, menopause age, body mass index, number of children, BMD, Z scores, and estrogen status for breast cancer patients) were taken from hospital records. Results: No significant difference was detected between the case and control groups in lumbar region Z scores (p=0.074). At the femur neck, the control group Z scores was higher than patient group (p=0.002). BMI was higher in the patients with breast cancer (p=0.001). There was no statistically significant correlation between ER positivity, BMD, and BMI in ER-positive patients (p=0.495, p=0.8, p=0.846, respectively). There was no difference between the Z scores when the patients were divided into two groups as ER positive and negative (p=0.156, p=0.335, respectively). Conclusion: This study revealed that there is no difference in lumbar region Z scores between patients with breast cancer and heathy controls; however, the Z scores were higher in the femur neck in the control group, and the BMI was lower in the patient group. Tumor ER positivity does not positively affect BMD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The correlation between imaging findings and pathologic characteristics of tumors may provide information for diagnosis and treatment of cancer. The aim of this study is to determine whether ultrasound features of breast cancer are associated with molecular subtype, histologic grade, and hormone receptor status, as well as assess the predictive value of these features. Methods: A total of 201 consecutive invasive breast cancer patients were reviewed from the database according to the Breast Imaging and Reporting Data System (BI-RADS). Tumor margins were classified as circumscribed and noncircumscribed. Noncircumscribed group was divided into indistinct, spiculated, angular, and microlobulated. The posterior acoustic features were divided into four categories: shadowing, enhancement, no change, and mixed pattern. Results: Tumors with posterior shadowing were more likely to be of nontriple negative subtype (odds ratio [OR], 7.42; 95% CI, 2.10-24.99; P = 0.002), low histologic grade (grade 1 or 2 vs. grade 3: OR, 2.42; 95% CI, 1.34-4.35; P = 0.003) and having at least one positive receptor (OR, 3.36; 95% CI, 1.55-7.26; P = 0.002). Tumors with circumscribed margins were more often triple-negative subtype (OR, 6.72; 95% CI, 2.56-17.65; P < 0.001), high grade (grade 3 vs. grade 1 or 2: OR, 5.42; 95% CI, 2.66-11.00; P < 0.001) and hormone receptor negative (OR, 4.87; 95% CI, 2.37-9.99; P < 0.001). Conclusion: Sonographic features are strongly associated with molecular subtype, histologic grade, and hormone receptor status of the tumor. These findings may separate triple-negative breast cancer from other molecular subtypes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integrated positron-emission tomography-magnetic resonance imaging (PET-MRI) is a new hybrid simultaneous imaging modality with higher soft tissue contrast and lower radiation doses compared with PET-CT. Two patients who were referred to our hospital with left breast masses that were pathologically diagnosed as invasive ductal carcinoma. The women were then scanned using the first PET-MRI system in Turkey, which was established in our department. In this case report, we aimed to determine the advantages of PET-MRI in staging, follow-up, neoadjuvant chemotherapy response, and to compare the usefulness of this modality with PET-CT and dynamic contrast-enhanced breast MRI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) have been determined as a new prognostic indicator of immunotherapy response in breast cancer (BC). The aim of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of imaging features in predicting the TIL levels in invasive BC patients. Materials and Methods: A total of 158 patients with invasive BC were included in our study. All lesions were evaluated based on the BIRADS lexicon. US was performed for all the patients and 89 of them underwent MRI. The histologic stromal TIL (sTIL) levels were assessed and associations between the sTIL levels and imaging features were evaluated. Results: Tumours with high sTIL levels had more circumscribed margins, round shape, heterogenous echogenicity and larger size on ultrasonography (p<0.005). There was a statistically significant positive correlation between the sTIL levels and ADC value (p<0.001). Tumours with high sTIL levels had significantly more homogeneous enhancement than the tumours with low sTIL levels (p=0.001). Logistic regression analysis showed that the ADC was the most statistically significant parameter in predicting the sTIL levels (the odds ratio was 90.952; p=0.002). The optimal cut-off value for ADC in predicting low and high sTIL levels was found to be 0.87×10-3 mm2 s-1 (AUC=0.726, 73% specificity and 60% sensitivity). Conclusion: Imaging findings, especially the ADC, may play an important role in predicting the sTIL levels as a non-invasive method and improve the accuracy of biopsy results in uncertain situations, giving an opportunity for optimal therapeutic management and prognosis estimation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The minichromosome maintenance protein-2 (MCM-2) is a more sensitive proliferation marker than Ki-67. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between MCM-2 and Oncotype DX recurrence score (ODX-RS) and determine an MCM-2 cutoff value in high-risk patients according to TAILORx risk categorization., Methods: Hormone receptor (HR) positive HER-2 negative early-stage breast cancer patients (pT1-2, pN0-N1, M0) who had ODX-RS were included in the study. According to the TAILORx trial, patients were divided into two groups with high (ODX-RS ≥26) and low risk (ODX-RS <26) in terms of ODX-RS. Formalin-fixed-paraffin-embedded tissues of patients were re-evaluated, and 3 µm sections were prepared for MCM-2 immuno-histochemical staining. The relationship between ODX-RS and the percentage of MCM-2 staining was evaluated in two groups. The ROC curve analysis was performed to determine the MCM-2 cut-off value for the TAILORx high-risk group (ODX-RS ≥26)., Results: The mean MCM-2 value was significantly higher in the high-risk group [(60.2 ± 11.2 vs 34.4 ± 13.8, p < 0.001)]. In the multivariate analysis, MCM-2 (OR: 1.27, 95% CI: 1.08-1.49, p = 0.003) and progesterone receptor (PR) levels ≤10% (OR: 60.9, 95% CI: 4.1-89.7, p = 0.003) were found to be independent factors indicating a high-risk group. A one-unit increase in MCM-2 level increased the likelihood of being in the high-risk group by 1.27 times. In the ROC curve analysis, the optimal MCM-2 cut-off level was 50 (AUC: 0.921, sensitivity: 86.7%, specificity: 96.0%, p < 0.001)., Conclusion: Our study is the first study in the literature to investigate the relationship between ODX-RS and MCM-2 levels in HR-positive HER-2 negative early breast-cancer patients. In this study, MCM-2 was an independent risk factor in identifying high-risk patients according to TAILORx risk classification. MCM 2 cut-off value (50) may help the decision on adjuvant chemotherapy in patients where the Oncotype DX test cannot be performed., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (© 2023 Ünal et al.)