THE STETHO

Assessment of Breast Tumor Response to Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Using Tomographic Diffuse Optical Spectroscopy: Case Studies on Changes in Tumor Regions

Thu, 10 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000

This study evaluates two methods for region-of-interest (ROI) analysis to summarize tomographic diffuse optical spectroscopic (DOS) data, aiming to differentiate between complete and partial responses in patients undergoing neoadjuvant therapy for locally advanced breast cancer. Both fixed-size and variable-size ROI (full-width-at-half-maximum) methods are considered. Adjacent and opposite breast optical scattering amplitude, power, water percentage, total levels of haemoglobin (HbT), and blood oxygen saturation are some important parameters examined. Institutional review board approval and HIPAA compliance were secured, and participants provided informed consent and received compensation. In this analysis, seven of 16 patients with complete data sets were included. Postsurgical histopathologic examination categorized patients into complete response (pCR) and partial response (pIR) groups. Significant differences (P ≤ .05) in the average normalized change in HbT were observed between pCR and pIR groups. The pCR group exhibited a mean HbT change of −64.2% ± 50.8 for fixed-size ROIs and −96.7% ± 91.8 for variable-size ROIs, while the pIR group showed mean changes of 16.9% ± 38.2 and 14.1% ± 26.7, respectively. These findings suggest that tomographic DOS can potentially provide valuable predictive information on treatment responses, which could enhance personalized patient care.

Handbook of Common Urology Cases

Amer Kamal Hussain, Muhammad Raheel, Ayman Mohammed Nour — Sat, 12 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Excision of a Left Atrial Myxoma Turns Out to be a Rare Presentation of Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma on Histopathology

Muhammad Aasim, Raheel Khan, Attaul Muhsin, Raheela Aziz — Thu, 10 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Cardiac myxomas are benign primary tumors of the heart, accounting for approximately 50% of all primary heart tumors. A 50 years old female presented to the outpatient department with complaints of shortness of breath on exertion, palpitations, and easy fatigability ongoing for a period of six to eight months. Echocardiography findings revealed a large mass about 4.9 cm² in the left atrium, suggestive of atrial myxoma with mild mitral regurgitation. She was planned for open heart surgical excision of her LA-Myxoma. The patient tolerated the procedure well and had an uneventful post-operative course. Histological evaluation of the specimen led to the diagnosis of a Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma. Patient recovered well and was referred to oncological facility, where she was started on chemotherapy sessions. At 06 months follow up patient was seen in good cardiac health and no residual cardiac dysfunction, mass or defect. No matter how classical clinical and imaging presentation in favor of benign myxoma may be, the tissue must be sent for appropriate histological examination and tissue diagnosis when excised through indicated cardiac surgery.