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OBJECTIVE Despite 51.2% of medical school graduates being female, only 29.8% of neurosurgery residency applicants are female. Furthermore, only 12.6% of neurosurgery applicants identify as underrepresented in medicine (URM). Evaluating the entry barriers for female and URM students is crucial in promoting the equity and diversity of the neurosurgical workforce. The objective of this study was to evaluate barriers to neurosurgery for medical students while considering the interaction between gender and race. METHODS A Qualtrics survey was distributed widely to US medical students, assessing 14 factors of hesitancy toward neurosurgery. Likert scale responses, representing statement agreeability, converted to numeric values on a 7-point scale were analyzed by Mann-Whitney U-test and ANOVA comparisons with Bonferroni correction. RESULTS Of 540 respondents, 68.7% were female and 22.6% were URM. There were 22.6% male non-URM, 7.4% male URM, 53.5% female non-URM, and 15.2% female URM respondents. The predominant reasons for hesitancy toward neurosurgery included work/life integration, length of training, competitiveness of residency position, and perceived malignancy of the field. Females were more hesitant toward neurosurgery due to maternity/paternity needs (p = 0.005), the absence of seeing people like them in the field (p < 0.001), and opportunities to pursue health equity work (p < 0.001). Females were more likely to have difficulties finding a mentor in neurosurgery who represented their identities (p = 0.017). URM students were more hesitant toward neurosurgery due to not seeing people like them in the field (p < 0.001). Subanalysis revealed that when students were stratified by both gender and URM status, there were more reasons for hesitancy toward neurosurgery that had significant differences between groups (male URM, male non-URM, female URM, and female non-URM students), suggesting the importance of intersectionality in this analysis. CONCLUSIONS The authors highlight the implications of gender and racial diversity in the neurosurgical workforce on medical student interest and recruitment. Their findings suggest the importance of actively working to address these barriers, including 1) maternity/paternity policy reevaluation, standardization, and dissemination; and 2) actively providing resources for the creation of mentorship relationships for both women and URM students in an effort to create a workforce that aligns with the changing demographics of medical graduates to continue to improve diversity in neurosurgery.

Abstract Background: In patients with micro- and macrometastases in the sentinel lymph node (SLN) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC), additional positive nodes are found in &gt;60% of cases and axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) is currently considered standard of care. The likelihood of finding additional positive lymph nodes in patients with residual isolated tumor cells (ITCs) is unknown, and the benefit of ALND is unclear. As a consequence, surgical management of the axilla in these patients is not standardized. We sought to evaluate how often additional positive lymph nodes are found, to determine factors associated with ALND, and to compare oncological outcomes in patients treated with and without ALND after identification of residual ITCs in the SLN. Methods: Data were collected from 42 centers: 20 in the Oncoplastic Breast Consortium (OPBC) and EUBREAST networks, and 22 in North and South America. We included patients with cT1-4 N0-3 breast cancer at diagnosis who underwent NAC followed by axillary staging with either SLN biopsy (SLNB) or targeted axillary dissection (TAD) and were found to have residual ITCs [ypN0(i+)]. Single-tracer mapping was allowed for cN0 patients, while dual mapping or TAD was required for cN+ cases. Axillary treatment included completion ALND and/or nodal radiotherapy (RT). Competing risk analysis was performed to assess the cumulative incidence rates of any axillary recurrence (AR), locoregional recurrence (LRR), and any invasive (locoregional or distant) recurrence. Five-year cumulative incidence rates were compared between patients who underwent ALND and those who did not using the Gray’s test. Type I error rate was set to 0.05 (α). Results: We included 412 patients treated with NAC followed by surgery from 01/2009-05/2022. 146 (35.4%) had completion ALND and 266 (64.6%%) did not. Median patient age was 48 years. The majority (57%) of patients had clinical T2 tumors, and 68% had biopsy-proven N1 disease. Most were HR+/HER2- (41%) or HER2+ (39%). Most patients (80%) received anthracycline and taxane-based chemotherapy regimens. Nodal RT was administered to 83% of patients. The median number of SLNs with ITCs was 1. Patients treated with ALND were more likely to have ITCs detected on frozen section (61% v 6.7%, p&lt; 0.001), to have N2/3 disease at presentation (15.1% v 5.6%, p=0.001) and to have LVI (40% v 26%, p=0.004) (Table 1). There was no significant trend over time in the proportion of patients undergoing completion ALND during the study period (p=0.5). In the ALND group, additional positive nodes were found in 43/146 (29.5%) of cases, and consisted of macrometastases in 11/146 (7.5%), micrometastases in 9/146 (6.2%), and ITCs in 23/146 (15.8%). 5-year rates of any AR, LRR, and any invasive recurrence in the entire cohort were 2.7% (95% CI 1.2-5.4), 2.8% (95% CI 1.2-5.4) and 16% (95% CI 11-21), respectively. There was no statistical difference between patients who underwent ALND and those who did not in any of the 3 endpoints (2.2% v 3.1%, p=0.6), (2.6% v 3.0%, p=0.4) and (14% v 18%, p=0.12), respectively. Conclusion: The likelihood of finding additional positive lymph nodes in patients with ITCs after NAC is lower than in patients with residual micro- and macrometastases, and in the majority of cases, they contain ITCs. Nodal recurrence after omission of ALND is rare in this population. Overall, these results do not support routine ALND in patients with residual ITCs. Table 1. Clinicopathological Features of the Study Cohort, Stratified by Type of Axillary Surgery Frequency (row percent) reported for categorical variables, and median (IQR) reported for continuous variables. SLNB sentinel lymph node biopsy; TAD targeted axillary dissection; SLNs sentinel lymph nodes; LNs lymph nodes; pCR pathologic complete response; ACT anthracycline and taxane; AC anthracycline; H Herceptin, HP, Herceptin and Perjeta; TC taxol (or Taxotere) and carboplatinum; LVI lymphovascular invasion; BCS breast-conserving surgery. ^ Applied to HER2- tumors only (n=252). ^^ Applies to HER2+ tumors only (n=160). # LVI was present on core biopsy or final pathology. * Applies to BCS patients only (n=175). ** Applies to mastectomy patients only (n=237). Citation Format: Giacomo Montagna, Alison Laws, Massimo Ferrucci, Mary Mrdutt, Natália Polidorio, Varadan Sevilimedu, Tracy-Ann Moo, Andrea Barrio, Marissa K. Boyle, Flavia Vidal Cabero, Daniela Cocco, Fabio Corsi, Angelena Crown, Meghan R. Flanagan, Mehmet Ali Gulcelik, Callie Hlavin, Justyna Jelinska, Hasan Karanlik, Susan Kesmodel, Henry Kuerer, Sherko Küemmel, Cornelia Leo, Tehillah Menes, Melissa Pilewskie, Nina Pislar, Nicola Rocco, Jai Min Ryu, Leonardo Soares, Christoph Tausch, M. Umit Ugurlu, CICERO URBAN, Astrid Botty van de Bruele, Denise Vorburger, Fredrik Wärnberg, Anna Weiss, Austin Williams, Stephanie Wong, Steven G. Woodward, Susie X. Sun, Jennifer Q. Zhang, M. Firdos Ziauddin, Guldeniz Karadeniz Cakmak, Nuran Bese, Thorsten Kühn, Judy Boughey, Tari King, Nina Ditsch, Maggie Banys-Paluchowski, Monica Morrow, Walter Weber. Are nodal ITCs after neoadjuvant chemotherapy an indication for axillary dissection? The OPBC05/EUBREAST-14R/ICARO study [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2023 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2023 Dec 5-9; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(9 Suppl):Abstract nr GS02-02.

ImportanceData on oncological outcomes after omission of axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) in patients with breast cancer that downstages from node positive to negative with neoadjuvant chemotherapy are sparse. Additionally, the best axillary surgical staging technique in this scenario is unknown.ObjectiveTo investigate oncological outcomes after sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) with dual-tracer mapping or targeted axillary dissection (TAD), which combines SLNB with localization and retrieval of the clipped lymph node.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsIn this multicenter retrospective cohort study that was conducted at 25 centers in 11 countries, 1144 patients with consecutive stage II to III biopsy-proven node-positive breast cancer were included between April 2013 and December 2020. The cumulative incidence rates of axillary, locoregional, and any invasive (locoregional or distant) recurrence were determined by competing risk analysis.ExposureOmission of ALND after SLNB or TAD.Main Outcomes and MeasuresThe primary end points were the 3-year and 5-year rates of any axillary recurrence. Secondary end points included locoregional recurrence, any invasive (locoregional and distant) recurrence, and the number of lymph nodes removed.ResultsA total of 1144 patients (median [IQR] age, 50 [41-59] years; 78 [6.8%] Asian, 105 [9.2%] Black, 102 [8.9%] Hispanic, and 816 [71.0%] White individuals; 666 SLNB [58.2%] and 478 TAD [41.8%]) were included. A total of 1060 patients (93%) had N1 disease, 619 (54%) had ERBB2 (formerly HER2)–positive illness, and 758 (66%) had a breast pathologic complete response. TAD patients were more likely to receive nodal radiation therapy (85% vs 78%; P = .01). The clipped node was successfully retrieved in 97% of TAD cases and 86% of SLNB cases (without localization). The mean (SD) number of sentinel lymph nodes retrieved was 3 (2) vs 4 (2) (P &amp;lt; .001), and the mean (SD) number of total lymph nodes removed was 3.95 (1.97) vs 4.44 (2.04) (P &amp;lt; .001) in the TAD and SLNB groups, respectively. The 5-year rates of any axillary, locoregional, and any invasive recurrence in the entire cohort were 1.0% (95% CI, 0.49%-2.0%), 2.7% (95% CI, 1.6%-4.1%), and 10% (95% CI, 8.3%-13%), respectively. The 3-year cumulative incidence of axillary recurrence did not differ between TAD and SLNB (0.5% vs 0.8%; P = .55).Conclusions and RelevanceThe results of this cohort study showed that axillary recurrence was rare in this setting and was not significantly lower after TAD vs SLNB. These results support omission of ALND in this population.

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL) are essentially different manifestations of the same disease that are similarly managed. A number of molecular and cytogenetic variables with prognostic implications have been identified. Undetectable minimal residual disease at the end of treatment with chemoimmunotherapy or venetoclax-based combination regimens is an independent predictor of improved survival among patients with previously untreated or relapsed/refractory CLL/SLL. The selection of treatment is based on the disease stage, presence or absence of del(17p) or TP53 mutation, immunoglobulin heavy chain variable region mutation status, patient age, performance status, comorbid conditions, and the agent’s toxicity profile. This manuscript discusses the recommendations outlined in the NCCN Guidelines for the diagnosis and management of patients with CLL/SLL.

Abstract Although it is evident that standard-dose whole-brain radiotherapy as consolidation is associated with significant neurotoxicity, the optimal consolidative strategy for primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) is not defined. We performed a randomized phase 2 clinical trial via the US Alliance cancer cooperative group to compare myeloablative consolidation supported by autologous stem cell transplantation with nonmyeloablative consolidation after induction therapy for PCNSL. To our knowledge, this is the first randomized trial to be initiated that eliminates whole-brain radiotherapy as a consolidative approach in newly diagnosed PCNSL. Patients aged 18 to 75 years were randomly assigned in a 1:1 manner to induction therapy (methotrexate, temozolomide, rituximab, and cytarabine) followed by consolidation with either thiotepa plus carmustine and autologous stem cell rescue vs induction followed by nonmyeloablative, infusional etoposide plus cytarabine. The primary end point was progression-free survival (PFS). A total of 113 patients were randomized, and 108 (54 in each arm) were evaluable. More patients in the nonmyeloablative arm experienced progressive disease or death during induction (28% vs 11%; P = .05). Thirty-six patients received autologous stem cell transplant, and 34 received nonmyeloablative consolidation. The estimated 2-year PFS was higher in the myeloablative vs nonmyeloablative arm (73% vs 51%; P = .02). However, a planned secondary analysis, landmarked at start of the consolidation, revealed that the estimated 2-year PFS in those who completed consolidation therapy was not significantly different between the arms (86% vs 71%; P = .21). Both consolidative strategies yielded encouraging efficacy and similar toxicity profiles. This trial was registered at www.clininicals.gov as #NCT01511562.

Abstract Background Metabolic syndrome (MetS), which can be induced or exacerbated by the current class of antipsychotic drugs, is highly prevalent in patients with schizophrenia and presents significant challenges to lifetime disease management. Supported by initial clinical results, trace amine‐associated receptor 1 (TAAR1) agonists have emerged as potential novel treatments for schizophrenia. Notably, non‐clinical studies have also shown weight‐lowering and glucoregulatory effects of TAAR1 agonists, including the investigational agent ulotaront. However, the translatability of these findings to humans has not been adequately assessed. Given that delayed gastric emptying (GE) was identified as a potential mechanism contributing to the metabolic benefits of TAAR1 agonists in rodents, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of ulotaront on GE in patients with schizophrenia and concurrent MetS with prediabetes. Methods Patients with schizophrenia were randomized to receive a single oral dose of ulotaront (150 mg) and their previous antipsychotic (PA) in an open‐label, crossover, two‐sequence design (NCT05402111). Eligible participants fulfilled at least three of five MetS criteria and had prediabetes defined by elevated glycated haemoglobin (5.7‐6.4%) and/or fasting homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (i.e. ≥2.22). Following an overnight fast and 4 h post‐dose, participants ingested a 99m Tc‐sulphur colloid radiolabelled egg meal (320 kcal, 30% fat). GE was measured by scintigraphy over 4 h. Endpoints included GE of solids half‐time (T 1/2 ) and percentage gastric retention at 1, 2 and 4 h. Results Thirty‐one adults were randomized and 27 completed the study. Ulotaront significantly delayed GE of solids [median GE T 1/2 ulotaront at 139 min (119, 182) vs. the participant's PA of 124 min (109, 132), p = .006]. A significant increase in gastric retention was seen in the ulotaront versus the PA group at 1 h (80% vs. 75%, p = .015), 2 h (61% vs. 50%, p = .023) and 4 h (17% vs. 7%, p = .002) post‐meal. Conclusion Ulotaront delayed the GE of solids in patients with schizophrenia and concurrent MetS with prediabetes. Additional studies are needed to assess whether treatment with TAAR1 agonists is associated with weight loss and glucoregulatory improvement.