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Objective: To identify predictors of desmoid progression during observation.Summary Background Data: Untreated desmoids can grow, remain stable, or regress, but reliable predictors of behavior have not been identified.Methods: Primary or recurrent desmoid patients were identified retrospectively from an institutional database. In those managed with active observation who underwent serial MRIs with T2-weighted sequences, baseline tumor size was recorded, and two radiologists independently estimated the percentage of tumor volume showing hyperintense T2 signal at baseline. Associations of clinical or radiographic characteristics with progression-free survival (PFS; by RECIST) were evaluated by Cox regression and Kaplan-Meier statistics.Results: Among 160 patients with desmoids, 72 were managed with observation, and 37 of these had serial MRI available for review. Among these 37 patients, median age was 35 years and median tumor size was 4.7 cm; all tumors were extra-abdominal (41% in abdominal wall). While PFS was not associated with size, site, or age, it was strongly associated with hyperintense T2 signal in ≥90% vs <90% of baseline tumor volume (as defined by the "test" radiologist; hazard

Background The American University of Beirut ( AUB )‐ HAS 2 Cardiovascular Risk Index is a newly derived index for preoperative cardiovascular evaluation. It is based on 6 data elements: history of heart disease; symptoms of angina or dyspnea; age ≥75 years; hemoglobin <12 mg/ dL ; vascular surgery; and emergency surgery. In this study we analyze the performance of this new index and compare it with that of the Revised Cardiac Risk Index in a broad spectrum of surgical subpopulations. Methods and Results The study population consisted of 1 167 278 noncardiac surgeries registered in the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database. Each patient was given an AUB ‐ HAS 2 score of 0, 1, 2, 3, or >3, depending on the number of data elements present. The performance of the AUB ‐ HAS 2 index was studied in 9 surgical specialty groups and in 8 commonly performed site‐specific surgeries. Receiver operating characteristic curves were constructed for the AUB ‐ HAS 2 and Revised Cardiac Risk Index measures, and the areas under the curve were compared. The outcome measure was death, myocardial infarction, or stroke at 30 days after surgery. The AUB ‐ HAS 2 score was able to stratify risk in all surgical subgroups ( P <0.001). In the majority of surgeries, patients with an AUB ‐ HAS 2 score of 0 had an event rate of <0.5%. The performance of the AUB ‐ HAS 2 index was superior to that of the Revised Cardiac Risk Index in all surgical subgroups ( P <0.001). Conclusions This study extends the validation of the AUB ‐ HAS 2 index to a broad spectrum of surgical subpopulations and demonstrates its superior discriminatory power compared with the commonly utilized Revised Cardiac Risk Index.

Introduction By the time they complete breast cancer therapy, many young patients are still of childbearing age. We aim to estimate the incidence of pregnancies in women who completed treatment and examine the percentage of patients who received fertility counseling before initiation of therapy. Material and methods Electronic health records of breast cancer patients between 2008 and 2014 at AUBMC were screened for exclusion criteria of having metastatic disease or known infertility, still receiving therapy, and being above 42 years at diagnosis. Data about therapy and tumor characteristics was obtained for the included survivors who were interviewed as well via telephone for information about fertility preservation counseling, pregnancy occurrence, and delivery. Results 451 breast cancer patients were identified. 39 patients remained after application of exclusion criteria. 30.76% (n = 12) wanted more children at the time of diagnosis. 10.25% (n = 4) of all 39 patients treated for breast cancer achieved one or more pregnancy after a median time of 3.83 years after completion of therapy. 25% (n = 3) of women who wanted more children at diagnosis (n = 12) were able to conceive. 23.07% (n = 9) of patients discussed fertility with their primary oncologist prior to treatment initiation. 35.89% (n = 14) of patients were aware of fertility preservation technique availability, but none of these patients used one. Conclusions The observed rate of pregnancy is comparable to the literature. There is a lack in fertility counseling of breast cancer patients, and the rate of use of fertility preservation techniques is very low despite prior knowledge about their availability.

The differential diagnosis of low–nuclear grade intraductal epithelial proliferations of the breast includes atypical ductal hyperplasia (ADH) and ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). This distinction can be difficult on core needle biopsy (CNB) but can have significant clinical ramifications. We examined the clinical course of patients diagnosed on CNB with borderline ADH/DCIS lesions [marked ADH (MADH)] at our institution. A total of 74 patients were diagnosed with MADH on CNB and underwent an excisional biopsy (EB). The majority of these CNBs reviewed at outside hospitals had been classified as DCIS. Twenty patients (27%) had benign findings or lobular neoplasia in their EB, 18 (24%) had ADH, 33 (45%) had DCIS, and 3 (4%) had DCIS and invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC). Among the 38 patients who were not diagnosed with DCIS or IDC on EB, no patient underwent further surgery or radiation post-operatively. Thirty-seven of these 38 patients had no recurrences, whereas 1 patient developed a “recurrence” that on our review was likely residual localized MADH. The mean follow-up for these patients was 54 months. Of the 36 patients diagnosed with DCIS or IDC on EB, < 20% required mastectomy. On review, MADH involving an intermediate-sized duct on CNB and the amount of residual lesion on imaging was significantly associated with DCIS or IDC on EB. Conversely, MADH involving columnar cell lesions and the presence of calcification on CNB were significantly associated with benign pathology on EB. In conclusion, our study provides preliminary data that justify a conservative approach to borderline ADH/DCIS lesions on CNB: that is, diagnose as MADH and treat by conservative excision.