The British journal of surgery
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Image-guided vacuum-assisted breast biopsy (VABB) of the tumour bed, performed after neoadjuvant therapy, is increasingly being used to assess residual cancer and to potentially identify to identify pathological complete response (pCR). In this study, the accuracy of preoperative VABB specimens was assessed and compared with surgical specimens in patients with triple-negative or human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive invasive ductal breast cancer after neoadjuvant therapy. As a secondary endpoint, the performance of contrast-enhanced MRI of the breast and PET-CT for response prediction was assessed. ⋯ VABB in patients with an iCR might be a promising method to select patients for de-escalation of surgical treatment in triple-negative or HER2-positive breast cancer. The present results support such an approach and should inform the design of future trials on de-escalation of surgery.
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Previous studies have suggested that postoperative non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) use may increase the risk of anastomotic leakage after colorectal surgery. However, the association between NSAIDs and anastomotic leakage after oesophagectomy is unclear. The aim of this retrospective study was to assess the effect of early postoperative NSAID use on anastomotic leakage after oesophagectomy. ⋯ Early postoperative NSAID use was not associated with anastomotic leakage or other complications in patients who underwent oesophagectomy.
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Established condition-specific patient-reported outcome measures for varicose veins are limited to the measurement of health status and function. A treatment satisfaction measure is needed to understand patient satisfaction with different treatment options. The aim of this study was to design a Venous Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire (VenousTSQ) that would be ready for large-scale data collection and psychometric evaluation. ⋯ The VenousTSQ represents a condition-specific psychological outcome measure for varicose veins, enabling patient satisfaction or dissatisfaction with such treatments to be measured. Large-scale data collection is under way to establish optimal scoring, quantitative validity, and reliability of the VenousTSQ.
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It is unclear whether annual hospital volume of bariatric surgery influences the long-term survival of individuals who undergo surgery for severe obesity. The hypothesis that higher annual hospital volume of bariatric surgery is associated with better long-term survival was evaluated. ⋯ If there was a survival benefit associated with hospital volume, it may have been due to a faster uptake of laparoscopic surgery in the busier hospitals.
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Comment Letter Randomized Controlled Trial
Comment on: DIAgnostic iMaging or Observation in early equivocal appeNDicitis (DIAMOND): open-label, randomized clinical trial.