The aim of this review is to discuss the impact of breast screening on pathology. The advent of the national mammographic screening programme in Singapore has led to changes in the manner in which breast specimens are handled in the pathology laboratory, an increased detection of borderline lesions which pose diagnostic challenges, the occurrence of specific issues regarding core biopsies, and the need for awareness of histologic artefacts associated with preoperative needling procedures. There are also economic and workload implications, in addition to the essential requirement for quality assurance and educational programmes to maintain high professional standards. A multidisciplinary approach and commitment to continual professional upgrading are key to surmounting the pathologic challenges brought about by breast screening.
Biopsy ; Breast Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; prevention & control ; Female ; Humans ; Mammography ; Mass Screening ; Singapore

INTRODUCTIONMale breast cancer is a rare disease entity, with little data from the Southeast Asian perspective. Hence, this study aims to review the data from our local experience in order to better delineate the disease characteristics in our population.

MATERIALS AND METHODSMale patients with histologically proven breast cancer were identified from a prospectively collected database. The clinical, histopathological and survival data were reviewed retrospectively and analysed.

RESULTSTwenty-one patients were identified. The median age at diagnosis was 68 years. Eighteen patients underwent simple mastectomy with curative intent, with the remaining patients having metastatic disease at presentation. Almost half of the patients presented with stage III or IV disease. At the time of analysis, median overall survival was 50 months and median disease-free survival was 47.5 months. None of the patients had any documented family history or risk factors for male breast cancer.

CONCLUSIONThe disease appears to be a sporadic and rare occurrence in the local male population. A high index of suspicion should be maintained in males presented with a unilateral breast lump so that appropriate treatment can be instituted.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Breast Neoplasms, Male ; epidemiology ; mortality ; surgery ; Humans ; Kaplan-Meier Estimate ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multivariate Analysis ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Assessment ; methods ; Singapore ; epidemiology

Global Health ; Humans ; Singapore

We present a case of localised AA-type amyloidosis of the ureter with spheroids of amyloid. Localised AA-type amyloidosis of the urogenital tract is uncommon and extremely rare as a cause of ureteric obstruction, with only two such cases described in the literature to date. Most previously described cases at this site are related to primary AL-type amyloidosis. Another interesting finding in this case is the presence of spheroids of amyloid, which to the best of our knowledge, has not been previously reported at this site, and is also unusual at other sites.
Adult ; Amyloid ; analysis ; Amyloidosis ; pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Ureter ; pathology ; Ureteral Diseases ; pathology

INTRODUCTIONWe evaluated the accuracy of endorectal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the staging of prostate cancer.

MATERIALS AND METHODSWe retrospectively reviewed 32 patients who underwent endorectal MR prostate prior to radical prostatectomy. The tumour stage based on MR imaging was compared with the pathologic stage. The sensitivity and specificity of endorectal MR prostate in the evaluation of extracapsular extension (ECE) of the tumour were then determined.

RESULTSMR correctly diagnosed 17 cases of organ-confined prostate carcinoma and 2 cases of locally advanced disease. In the evaluation of ECE, endorectal MR achieved a high specificity of 94.4%, low sensitivity of 14.3% and moderate accuracy of 59.4%.

CONCLUSIONEndorectal MR prostate has high specificity for the detection of ECE. It is useful in the local staging of prostate cancer in patients with intermediate risk as this helps to ensure that few patients will be deprived of potentially curative surgery.

Adult ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; methods ; Male ; Medical Audit ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Staging ; methods ; Prostatectomy ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; pathology ; surgery ; Rectum ; Retrospective Studies ; Sensitivity and Specificity

INTRODUCTIONMost international clinical practice guidelines for prostate cancer (PCa) are driven by data derived in a Western setting. However, tumour biology and clinical disease progression are likely to differ in the Asian population. We compare the performance of the revised American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) prognostic groups with the commonly used D'Amico Risk Classification and conventional predictors for PCa, in a large cohort of Asian patients.

MATERIALS AND METHODSWe retrospectively reviewed data for 404 consecutive Singaporean patients receiving definitive radiotherapy at our centre between December 1996 and October 2006. The primary outcome was biochemical relapse-free survival (BRFS), defined using the Phoenix definition. The secondary outcome was overall survival (OS). Prognostic risk groups were defined using AJCC 7th edition (AJCC7) and 6th edition (AJCC6). Univariate analysis (UVA) and multivariate analysis (MVA) were performed for the following putative risk factors: age, Gleason score, prognostic grouping, tumour classification, radiation delivery technique, radiotherapy dose, hormonal therapy and initial PSA value.

RESULTSFor the cohort, median age was 69 years. Median follow-up was 66.3 months. Five-year BRFS rate was 84.3% with 71 biochemical relapses and 5-year OS rate was 89.1% with 54 deaths. The concordance-indices for BRFS prediction were 0.588, 0.550 and 0.567 for AJCC7, AJCC6 and D'Amico respectively. Initial PSA, T-stage and AJCC7 were prognostic for BRFS on UVA. Comparison of AJCC7 vs. D'Amico showed no statistical additional value of either classification system although D'Amico was superior when compared to AJCC6 in predicting BRFS. T-stage ≥3 and D'Amico were significant prognostic factors for BRFS on MVA.

CONCLUSIONIn our local, predominantly Chinese population, neither AJCC6 nor AJCC7 demonstrated a high predictive accuracy for BRFS although AJCC7 has a slightly better predictive ability than AJCC6.

Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Asia ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Staging ; Practice Guidelines as Topic ; Prognosis ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; pathology ; radiotherapy ; Radiotherapy ; methods ; Retrospective Studies ; United States

INTRODUCTIONDermatomyositis (DM) is a multisystem inflammatory disease with a strong association with malignancy. We aimed to describe a series of Asian patients with DM and identify any significant clinical factors associated with malignancy.

MATERIALS AND METHODSThis was a retrospective review of a multi-racial cohort of 69 Asian patients diagnosed with DM over an 11-year period from 1996 to 2006.

RESULTSMalignancy was detected in 15 out of 68 patients (22%), the most common of which was nasopharyngeal carcinoma (7 cases). Compared to the non-malignancy group, the malignancy-associated group was older and had more male patients. There were no statistically significant clinical, serological or laboratory factors associated with a higher risk of malignancy.

CONCLUSIONThis study highlights the importance of ongoing malignancy screening especially for nasopharyngeal carcinoma in Asian patients with DM.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Carcinoma ; Confidence Intervals ; Dermatomyositis ; complications ; epidemiology ; immunology ; pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Muscle Weakness ; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms ; epidemiology ; immunology ; pathology ; Odds Ratio ; Paraneoplastic Syndromes ; complications ; epidemiology ; immunology ; pathology ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Singapore ; epidemiology ; Young Adult

Unusual sites of metastases are recognized in patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC). However, the prognostic implications of these sites are not well understood. We used the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) risk classification for metastatic RCC to evaluate 912 consecutive patients with RCC managed at the Singapore General Hospital between 1990 and 2009. Among these patients, 301 had metastases either at diagnosis or during the course of illness. Nasal metastases, all arising from clear cell RCC, were identified histologically in 4 patients (1.3% of those with metastasis). All 4 patients were classified as MSKCC poor prognosis by current risk criteria. Nasal metastases were significantly associated with lung and bone metastases. The frequency of nasal metastases in patients with metastatic RCC is about 1%, occurring predominantly in patients with clear cell RCC. Nasal metastases are associated with poor prognosis as estimated by the MSKCC risk classification, with attendant implications for selection of targeted therapy, and are usually associated with multi-organ dissemination, including concurrent lung and bone involvement.
Antineoplastic Agents ; therapeutic use ; Bone Neoplasms ; secondary ; Carcinoma, Renal Cell ; diagnostic imaging ; secondary ; therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Indoles ; therapeutic use ; Kidney Neoplasms ; diagnostic imaging ; pathology ; therapy ; Lung Neoplasms ; secondary ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nephrectomy ; Nose Neoplasms ; pathology ; secondary ; therapy ; Pyrroles ; therapeutic use ; Skull Neoplasms ; diagnostic imaging ; secondary ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

INTRODUCTIONWhile overexpression of syndecan-1 has been associated with aggressive breast cancer in the Caucasian population, the expression pattern of syndecan-1 in Asian women remains unclear. Triple-positive breast carcinoma, in particular, is a unique subtype that has not been extensively studied. We aimed to evaluate the role of syndecan-1 as a potential biomarker and prognostic factor for triple-positive breast carcinoma in Asian women.

METHODSUsing immunohistochemistry, staining scores of 61 triple‑positive breast carcinoma specimens were correlated with patients' clinicopathological variables such as age, ethnicity, tumour size, histological grade, lymph node status, lymphovascular invasion, associated ductal carcinoma in situ grade, recurrence and overall survival.

RESULTSSyndecan-1 had intense staining scores in triple‑positive invasive ductal breast carcinomas when compared to normal breast tissue. On multivariate analysis, syndecan-1 epithelial total percentage and immunoreactivity score showed statistical correlation with survival (p = 0.02).

CONCLUSIONThe intense staining scores of syndecan-1 and their correlation with overall survival in patients with triple-positive breast carcinoma suggest that syndecan-1 may have a role as a biological and prognostic marker in patients with this specific subtype of breast cancer.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Biomarkers, Tumor ; blood ; Breast Neoplasms ; blood ; classification ; mortality ; Estrogen Receptor alpha ; metabolism ; Female ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Kaplan-Meier Estimate ; Middle Aged ; Multivariate Analysis ; Prognosis ; Receptor, ErbB-2 ; metabolism ; Receptors, Progesterone ; metabolism ; Syndecan-1 ; blood ; Tissue Array Analysis ; Treatment Outcome

Bone and Bones/diagnostic imaging* ; Breast/diagnostic imaging* ; Breast Neoplasms/diagnostic imaging* ; Female ; Humans