No abstract

No abstract

Introduction. Assess the efficacy of a surgical skills curriculum for third-year medical students focused on suturing training on soft embalmed cadavers, which simulate natural tissue more effectively for surgical procedures than traditionally preserved cadavers or surgical practice pads.   Methods. We performed a retrospective cohort study comparing pre- and post-survey results at a premier, accredited, nationally ranked academic medical center. Study participants were third-year medical students completing their required surgical clerkship rotation who participated in suturing sessions on both synthetic suture practice pads and soft-embalmed cadavers prior to beginning their operating room experience.  Results. A total of 40 participants were included with slightly more male participants. The majority of participants (52%) were interested in pursuing a non-surgical career. After participating in Clinical Anatomy Mentorship Program (CAMP), participants felt significantly more confident in their ability to suture in the operating room (median 4 [3-4] vs. 2 [1-3], p<0.001); in their knowledge of basic suturing supplies and instruments (median 4 [4-4] vs. 3 [2-3], p<0.001); and in their ability to determine when different suture techniques are appropriate in the operating room (median 3 [3-4] vs. 1 [1-2], p<0.001). Participants felt more confident in their ability to suture in the operating room after their experience suturing on soft-embalmed cadavers compared to suture practice pads (median 5 [4-5] vs. 4 [4-4], p=0.002).  Conclusions. Medical students' confidence in suturing skills and in the knowledge of important characteristics of suturing practice was significantly improved after a suture training session on soft-embalmed cadavers.

Purpose: Women with lobular carcinoma in-situ (LCIS) have an increased risk for developing breast cancer (BC) compared with the general population. However, little is known about the clinical implication of diagnosing LCIS concurrently with an invasive breast cancer. We aimed to define the rate of LCIS diagnosed concurrently with an invasive breast cancer and investigate the risk of contralateral breast cancer (CBC) during survivorship care. Materials and methods: A single center retrospective review over 6 years identified women with stage I-III BC who underwent lumpectomy or unilateral mastectomy. Patients with or without concurrent LCIS were compared using Chi-squared analyses to assess for differences in clinicopathologic factors and risk of future CBC (including invasive and in-situ disease). Results: Of 1808 patients, 16.6% (n = 301) had LCIS concurrent with their index breast cancer. Patients with LCIS had a higher rate of subsequent CBC development than those without LCIS (3.3% versus 1.0%, P = .004). The risk ratio for patients with LCIS developing subsequent CBC compared with those without LCIS was 3.3 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.5-7.3). Conclusions: Patients with LCIS diagnosed concurrently with their index breast cancer at surgery are at higher risk for subsequent CBC than those without LCIS. The evidence from this study suggest that it may be appropriate for women with LCIS diagnosed alongside an index breast cancer to consider on-going high-risk screening during survivorship care.

No abstract