Characterizing the salivary RNA landscape to identify potential diagnostic, prognostic, and follow-up biomarkers for breast cancer.

Breast cancer (BC) diagnostics and prognostics traditionally rely on invasive tissue biopsies, presenting limitations for large-scale screening and continuous patient monitoring. Salivary biomarkers have recently emerged as a compelling noninvasive and accessible alternative, offering significant potential for population-level screening and long-term monitoring of BC. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive salivary transcriptomic profiling of BC patients using high-throughput RNA sequencing.

Study protocol for a pragmatic randomised controlled trial in Belgian primary care and hospital settings on the effectiveness of an eHealth self-management support programme consisting of pain education and coaching of activity needs in breast cancer survivors with persistent pain: the PECAN trial.

Introduction: Persistent pain after finishing breast cancer treatment is a common and disabling problem. The current state-of-the-art pain management advocates, in addition to biomedical (non-)pharmacological approaches, a biopsychosocial rehabilitation approach to address persistent pain, combining pain science education with promoting an active lifestyle through self-regulation techniques. We propose testing an innovative eHealth self-management support programme for this purpose in the breast cancer population with persistent pain after finishing cancer treatment.

Comment on Gentile et al. Superior Survival and Lower Recurrence Outcomes with Breast-Conserving Surgery Compared to Mastectomy Following Neoadjuvant Therapy in 607 Breast Cancer Patients. 2025, , 766.

The article by Gentile et al [...

LymphSens study: the enigma of subjective lymphoedema - how often and why do patients report lymphoedema after breast cancer treatment without an objective measurable swelling? The role of lymphatic and sensory processing problems: a protocol for a multicentre prospective longitudinal study.

Introduction: Breast cancer-related lymphoedema (BCRL) at the arm and/or trunk/breast is a highly feared complication following breast cancer treatment and can be objectified using the state-of-the-art criteria based on volume, extracellular water ratio or skin thickness measurements. Although the incidence of objective BCRL is decreasing due to advances in breast cancer treatment, many patients report a sensation of swelling without the presence of objective BCRL, referred to as subjective BCRL. As little is known about the prevalence and the transitions between different BCRL states (no-subjective-objective) over time, as well as about the underlying mechanisms and contributing factors of subjective BCRL, this will be investigated in the LymphSens study.

Equivalent Clinical Accuracy of Human Papillomavirus DNA Testing Using Cobas 4800 and 6800 Human Papillomavirus Systems in Paired Urine and Cervical Samples.

The use of urine for cervical cancer screening is gaining international attention, although more data on the relative clinical accuracy of validated human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA tests on urine versus cervical samples are needed. This study primarily seeks to evaluate the clinical performance of Roche cobas 4800 and 6800 HPV Systems in first-void urine, collected at home, compared with clinician-collected cervical samples. Paired first-void urine (index test) and cervical samples (comparator test) from 499 females enrolled at five Belgian colposcopy clinics were analyzed with cobas HPV Systems.

Accuracy of Liferiver HarmoniaHPV and VenusHPV Assays on Urine and Vaginal Self-Samples.

In this report, the clinical performance of Liferiver HarmoniaHPV and Liferiver VenusHPV was evaluated under the VALHUDES framework. Five hundred and twenty-three women collected first-void urine (FVU) with Colli-Pee and vaginal samples with Evalyn Brush or Qvintip. Cervical samples were taken with the Cervex Brush by a clinician.

Long-Term Survival of Metachronous Isolated Adrenal Metastasis in Luminal Breast Cancer: A Case Report and Literature Review.

Metachronous metastasis occurs many years later in cases of hormone-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative breast cancer, with the most common sites being the lymph nodes, bones, liver, lungs, and brain. The late recurrence of estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer is attributed to prolonged adjuvant therapy and the high expression of dormancy-associated genes, allowing cancer cells to survive for decades without proliferating. It is a form of chronic breast cancer that remains asymptomatic, with no clinical signs of progression or recurrence.

Navigating the Clinical Challenges of a Pregnancy-Related Lobular Capillary Hemangioma of the Breast.

Rapidly growing lesions always require careful examination. Due to pregnancy, certain pre-existing lesions may become visible or symptomatic due to accelerated growth and present a challenging differential diagnosis. It is essential to investigate these lesions carefully to establish an accurate diagnosis and ensure appropriate treatment.

Tumor Microenvironment Modulation by Tumor-Associated Macrophages: Implications for Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Response in Breast Cancer.

Background: Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) constitute an important part of the tumor microenvironment of breast cancer (BC), and they play an essential role in modulating tumor growth and invasion. However, the role of TAMs in neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) has not been fully elucidated. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the function of TAM subtypes and investigate their role in the response to NAC in BC.

Is switching to T-DM1 still justified in HER2-negative residual breast cancer after neoadjuvant systemic therapy?

The standard of care for HER2-positive and hormone receptor-positive breast cancer patients who receive neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) combined with trastuzumab, with or without pertuzumab, is to continue with adjuvant T-DM1 in cases of an incomplete response according to KATHERINE trial results. However, the optimal management for patients with residual disease with loss of HER2 expression is not widely studied. Loss of HER2 expression after NACT with anti HER2 is a rarer event with questionable value both as a predictive prognostic marker.

Double Twist and Shout: An Emergency Caused by Torsion of the Ovary and the Wandering Spleen.

Intermittent severe abdominal pain is a medical emergency with multiple possible underlying causes. This case report describes a 30-year-old female experiencing severe pelvic pain alternating between the left and right lower abdomen. The pain was periodic and very intense.

Unlocking Japan's cervical cancer prevention deadlock.

Cervical cancer prevention in Japan, which had nearly halted due to misinformation, is now recovering through HPV vaccination and screening efforts. While significant progress has been made, much work remains, yet the recent improvements are highly encouraging.

Time-resolved fluorescence (TRF) for total IgG and HPV16-specific antibody detection in first-void urine and serum: A comparative study.

Recent studies demonstrated that human papillomavirus (HPV) specific immunoglobulins (IgG) are present and detectable in non-invasively collected first-void urine (FVU) samples. As IgG levels in urine are low, we evaluated the potential of a highly sensitive HPV16-specific assay based on time-resolved fluorescence, DELFIA, and compared it with three immunoassays, GST-L1-MIA, M4ELISA, and M9ELISA. A total of 225 paired serum and FVU samples from two cohorts of healthy female volunteers were analyzed.

Automated thermographic detection of blood vessels for DIEP flap reconstructive surgery.

Purpose: Inadequate perfusion is the most common cause of partial flap loss in tissue transfer for post-mastectomy breast reconstruction. The current state-of-the-art uses computed tomography angiography (CTA) to locate the best perforators. Unfortunately, these techniques are expensive and time-consuming and not performed during surgery.

Reply to Bourgeois, P. Comment on "Devoogdt et al. The Effectiveness of Fluoroscopy-Guided Manual Lymph Drainage as Part of Decongestive Lymphatic Therapy on the Superficial Lymphatic Architecture in Patients with Breast Cancer-Related Lymphoedema: A Randomised Controlled Trial. 2023, , 1545".

We appreciate the commentary by Pierre Bourgeois [...

Retrospective cohort study on the bilateral occurrence of invasive lobular breast cancer.

Objective: Invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) is the second most common histological subtype of invasive breast cancer, following the no special type (NST) invasive carcinoma. It has historically been assumed that ILC occurs bilaterally in 20-29 % of cases, which has influenced the inclusion of MRI in the standard workup of ILC according to European guidelines. However, challenging this long-held belief regarding the bilateral occurrence of ILC opens up the possibility of revising the guidelines and using MRI only for more specific indications.

Literature review on the bilateral occurrence of invasive lobular breast cancer.

Historically, it has been believed that invasive lobular carcinomas (ILC) occur more frequently bilaterally compared to other invasive subtypes, with estimates ranging between 20% and 29%. This study aims to determine if this historical perspective still holds true. A comprehensive literature review was conducted to examine the bilateral occurrence of lobular carcinoma using various imaging methods.

Smartphone-based thermography in flap surgery: A systematic review and meta-analysis of perforator identification.

Background: Thermography can be used in pre-operative planning of free perforator flap surgeries. Thermography assesses skin temperature by measuring the quantity of infrared radiation observed. In this meta-analysis, authors assess the sensitivity of smartphone-based thermal imaging (SBTI) in the detection of perforators and analyze the difference between static and dynamic imaging.

Resting energy expenditure, body composition, and metabolic alterations in breast cancer survivors vs. healthy controls: a cross-sectional study.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the difference in absolute and fat free mass (FFM)-adjusted resting energy expenditure (mREE) and body composition (body weight, fat mass (FM), FFM) between breast cancer survivors (BCs) and controls. Correlations with body composition were analyzed. We examined if survival year, or being metabolically dysfunctional were predictive variables.

Cytokine Expression in Cancer Survivors Suffering From Chronic Pain: A Systematic Review.

Background: Chronic cancer-related pain remains underdiagnosed and undertreated, although it affects 40% of cancer survivors. Recent insights suggest that cytokine signaling between immune, neuro, and glial cells contributes to chronic pain.

Objectives: This study systematically reviewed cytokine levels and their relation to chronic cancer-related pain and, additionally, investigated differences in cytokine levels between cancer survivors with and without chronic pain.

Comparison of energy expenditure measurements by a new basic respiratory room vs. classical ventilated hood.

Background: Nutritional support is often based on predicted resting energy expenditure (REE). In patients, predictions seem invalid. Indirect calorimetry is the gold standard for measuring EE.