TTL by OSNA is a newly standardized and automated tool that predicts axillary node status better and independently of the number of affected SLNs and the type of surgery. This value can then help clinicians to personalize surgical treatment. Prospective studies will be carried out to determine the clinical impact of this variable in the management of patients.

INTRODUCTIONDifferential diagnosis of pancreatic masses is a frequent clinical challenge. Therapeutic decision in this context is mainly based on the ability to establish or exclude malignancy [1] . Although ductal adenocarcinoma is the most frequent cause of pancreatic masses, other neoplasms (e.g. lymphoma, cystic tumours) and benign conditions (e.g. chronic pancreatitis) with different prognoses and treatment options can arise within the pancreas. A histological diagnosis becomes therefore highly relevant for an optimal therapeutic decision [2] . Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided fine needle aspiration (FNA) has been proved to be a safe and useful method for tissue sampling of intramural and extramural gastrointestinal lesions including the pancreas [3,4] . Cytological study of the materials obtained by FNA allows the evaluation of cellular findings suggestive of malignancy, such as anisonucleosis, nuclear membrane irregularity and nuclear enlargement. Unfortunately, inflammation causes a reactive and regenerative process leading to cellular changes that can be difficult to distinguish from well-differentiated neoplasias. Histological study of tissue samples allows the assessment of tissue architecture and cell morphology, as well as the performance of immunohistochemical analysis [5,6] , thus usually providing with a higher diagnostic accuracy than cytology.Retrieving Abstract AIM: To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of histological evaluation of pancreatic tissue samples obtained by a modified method for recovering and processing the endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided fine needle aspiration (FNA) material in the differential diagnosis of pancreatic solid masses. METHODS:Sixty-two consecutive patients with pancreatic masses were prospectively studied. EUS was performed by the linear scanning Pentax FG-38UX echoendoscope. Three FNAs (22G needle) were carried out during each procedure. The materials obtained with first and second punctures were processed for cytological study. Materials of the third puncture were recovered into 10% formol solution by careful injection of saline solution through the needle, and processed for histological study. RESULTS:Length of the core specimen obtained for histological analysis was 6.5 ± 5.3 mm (range 1-22 mm). Cytological and histological samples were considered as adequate in 51 (82.3%) and 52 cases (83.9%), respectively. Overall sensitivity of both pancreatic cytology and histology for diagnosis of malignancy was 68.4%. Contrary to cytology, histology was able to diagnose tumours other than adenocarcinomas, and all cases of inflammatory masses. Combination of cytology and histology allowed obtaining an adequate sample in 56 cases (90.3%), with a global sensitivity of 84.21%, specificity of 100% and an overall accuracy of 90.32%. The complication rate was 1.6%. CONCLUSION:Adequate pancreatic core specimens for

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BackgroundBreast cancer is a heterogenous disease that impacts racial/ethnic groups differently. Differences in genetic composition, lifestyles, reproductive factors, or environmental exposures may contribute to the differential presentation of breast cancer among Hispanic women.Materials and MethodsA population-based study was conducted in the city of Santiago de Compostela, Spain. A total of 645 women diagnosed with operable invasive breast cancer between 1992 and 2005 participated in the study. Data on demographics, breast cancer risk factors, and clinico-pathological characteristics of the tumors were collected. Hormone receptor negative tumors were compared with hormone receptor postive tumors on their clinico-pathological characteristics as well as risk factor profiles.ResultsAmong the 645 breast cancer patients, 78% were estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) or progesterone receptor-positive (PR+), and 22% were ER−&PR−. Women with a family history of breast cancer were more likely to have ER−&PR− tumors than women without a family history (Odds ratio, 1.43; 95% confidence interval, 0.91–2.26). This association was limited to cancers diagnosed before age 50 (Odds ratio, 2.79; 95% confidence interval, 1.34–5.81).ConclusionsAn increased proportion of ER−&PR− breast cancer was observed among younger Spanish women with a family history of the disease.

BCPB still has a significant role in the study of a pleural exudate. If an image-guided technique is unavailable, it seems reasonable to perform BCPB before resorting to a pleuroscopy. These results support BCPB as a relatively safe technique.

Gal R, Kokow 2. Nobel M. Adenomyomatous hamartoma of the small intestine: a rare cause of intussusception in an adult. Am. J. Gastroenterol. 1986; 12: 1209-121 1.66. Clarke BE. Myoepithelial hamartoma of the gastrointestinal tract, a report of eight cases with comment concerning genesis and nomenclature. Arch. Pathol. 1940: 30: 143-1 52. Olmsted WW. Ros PR. Hjermstad BM. McCarthy Mj. Dachman AH. Tumors of the small intestine with little or no malignant predisposition: a review of the literature and report of 56 cases. Gastrointest. Radio/. 1987: 12: 231-239. Lasser A, Kaufman WR. Adenomyoma of the stomach. Am. J. Dig.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence has increased during the past decades in Spain, being the first malignant tumour in incidence. Observed mortality for CRC is mainly due to liver and lung metastases. The only curative treatment is surgery; new surgical techniques and neoadjuvant treatments have increased the number of surgery candidate patients. Patients should be managed with a multidisciplinary approach that includes imaging techniques, chemotherapy, surgery and pathological assessment. As an answer to this approach, a group of pathology experts interested on CRC liver metastases aimed to review the diagnosis and prognosis of liver mestastases and developed practical recommendations for its assessment. The expert group revised the current literature and prepared questions to be discussed based on available evidence and on their clinical practise. As a result, recommendations for the assessment of tumour regression of liver metastases are proposed, which could be implemented in oncology centres allowing assessment standardisation for these patients. Prospective multi-center studies to evaluate these recommendations validity will further contribute to improve the standard care of CRC liver metastases patients.