Cryoablation of Primary Breast Cancer in Patients Ineligible for Clinical Trials: A Multiinstitutional Study.

Background: Breast cancer cryoablation clinical trials have strict inclusion criteria that exclude patients with potentially treatable disease. Objective: This study's purpose was to evaluate the safety and outcomes of breast cancer cryoablation without surgical excision in patients ineligible for prospective cryoablation clinical trials due to unfavorable patient or tumor characteristics. Methods: This retrospective study included women who underwent cryoablation of biopsy-proven unifocal primary breast cancer with locally curative intent, without surgical excision, despite being ineligible for (and thus excluded from) cryoablation clinical trials, across seven institutions between January 1, 2000 and August 26, 2021. Adverse events (AEs) were recorded. Cryoablation procedures were classified as technically successful if they were not prematurely terminated and achieved intended treatment parameters and the first imaging follow-up showed no evidence of residual disease. Results of follow-up biopsies were recorded. Ipsilateral breast tumor recurrences (IBTR) diagnosed during follow-up were identified and classified as true recurrence or new primary disease. A competing-risk model was used to estimate the cumulative incidence of IBTR accounting for death before IBTR. Results: The final study sample included 112 patients (median age, 71 years). A total of 7/112 (6.3%) patients had a minor AE; no moderate or major AE occurred. A total of 110/112 (98.2%) cryoablation procedures were technically successful. During median follow-up of 2.0 years, 22/110 (20.0%) patients underwent biopsy for suspicious imaging findings in the ipsilateral breast, yielding benign concordant findings in 9/22 (40.9%) and IBTR in 12/22 (54.5%). Overall, 12/110 (10.9%) patients experienced IBTR, including 7 with true recurrence and 5 with new primary disease; 3/12 (25.0%) patients with IBTR had received earlier adjuvant or neoadjuvant therapy. When accounting for death as a competing risk, the cumulative incidence of IBTR was 5.3%, 12.2%, and 18.2% at 1, 2, and 3 years, respectively. Conclusion: In select individuals with unfavorable patient or tumor characteristics, breast cancer cryoablation provides a safe alternative to surgery with good outcomes. These findings may be particularly relevant in patients who are also poor surgical candidates. Clinical Impact: Breast cancer cryoablation can be safely applied in a larger patient population than defined by clinical trial inclusion criteria.

Cryoablation for the Treatment of Breast Cancer: A Review of the Current Landscape and Future Possibilities.

Breast cancer is one of the most common malignancies worldwide. Traditional treatment options for breast cancer include surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. However, cryoablation, a minimally invasive technique, has emerged as a promising alternative for the treatment of early-stage breast cancer. This article aims to provide an overview of cryoablation, focusing on incorporation into practice, patient selection, procedural technique, imaging follow-up, post-treatment radiopathological findings, and current and ongoing research in the field. The current evidence suggests that cryoablation offers a safe and effective treatment option for selected patients, providing comparable oncological outcomes to traditional treatments while minimizing invasiveness and preserving breast aesthetics.

Breast cancer cryoablation with radiologic-pathologic correlation.

Breast cryoablation has become a viable option for the treatment of breast cancer in properly selected patient populations. With the increase in the use of cryoablation, post-treatment follow-up imaging and pathology has also gained increased importance. By using the proper imaging combination of diagnostic mammography, ultrasound and MRI, physicians are able to detect residual or recurrent malignancy and differentiate it from expected post-treatment findings. If suspicious imaging findings are seen, prompt biopsy and pathological diagnosis are essential. The pathologist must also be able to differentiate the expected post-procedural histological findings from those of recurrent or residual malignancy. These imaging and pathological findings must also be compared in order to ensure concordance and appropriate patient treatment.

Colonic Migration of a Nephroureteral Stent Through a Colovesical Fistula.

Description We describe a case of a patient with a two-year history of prostate cancer who underwent placement of nephroureteral stents. He subsequently presented to the hospital with complications from prolonged retention of the stents, which ultimately lead to a secondary diagnosis of adenocarcinoma of the rectum. A colonoscopy performed approximately two weeks after a bilateral nephroureteral tube exchange demonstrated what was believed to be locoregional metastatic disease and a fistulous connection with the distal nephroureteral stents. Radiographic features of this complication are discussed together with proper management and possible complications of distal nephroureteral stents. Both nephroureteral stents were explanted, and nephrostomy catheters were sequentially replaced to allow for healing of the fistula.

Yttrium-90 Radioembolization of Metastatic Adrenocortical Carcinoma to the Liver following Systemic Chemotherapy and Surgical Resection of the Primary Lesion.

Use of yttrium-90 (Y-90) is used for primary liver tumors and a handful of liver metastatic lesions. Y-90 treatment for metastatic adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) to the liver is currently off-label, with one previously documented case report. In this case report, we present a 52-year-old woman with ACC and extensive liver metastatic disease. After failed chemotherapy, multidisciplinary discussion suggested potential Y-90 treatment for palliative purposes. After undergoing Y-90 treatment separately to the right and then the left hepatic lobes, subsequent patient visits demonstrated significantly improved clinical function as well as complete radiographic resolution of liver metastatic disease mainly from ACC. This case report demonstrates the potential efficacy of Y-90 for off-label uses in liver metastatic disease. This case and similar cases may open the door to a wide variety of potential indications for Y-90 treatment.

Metastatic mucinous cystadenocarcinoma of the pancreas presenting as intractable back pain.

An 85-year-old woman presented to the emergency department for evaluation of gradually worsening upper back pain of 3 weeks' duration. Her pain radiated down her right arm and was associated with right arm weakness. She reported visiting pain medicine specialists who administered steroid and lidocaine injections, which failed to improve her symptoms. Initial CT of her chest revealed a large lytic lesion within her posterior right fourth rib extending into her T4 vertebral body. The primary malignancy, a mucinous cystadenocarcinoma of the pancreas, was later found on a CT of the abdomen. The patient was also found to have multiple pulmonary, hepatic and lymphatic metastases from the pancreatic primary tumour.

Intussusception: past, present and future.

Intussusception is a common etiology of acute abdominal pain in children. Over the last 70 years, there have been significant changes in how we diagnose and treat intussusception, with a more recent focus on the role of ultrasound. In this article we discuss historical and current approaches to intussusception, with an emphasis on ultrasound as a diagnostic and therapeutic modality.