Citations

AbstractBackground and objectivePleuroscopy with pleural biopsy has a high sensitivity for malignant pleural effusion (MPE). Because MPEs tend to recur, concurrent diagnosis and treatment of MPE during pleuroscopy is desired. However, proceeding directly to treatment at the time of pleuroscopy requires confidence in the on‐site diagnosis. The study's primary objective was to create a predictive model to estimate the probability of MPE during pleuroscopy.MethodsA prospective observational multicentre cohort study of consecutive patients undergoing pleuroscopy was conducted. We used a logistic regression model to evaluate the probability of MPE with relation to visual assessment, rapid on‐site evaluation (ROSE) of touch preparation and presence of pleural nodules/masses on computed tomography (CT). To assess the model's prediction accuracy, a bootstrapped training/testing approach was utilized to estimate the cross‐validated area under the receiver operating characteristic curve.ResultsOf the 201 patients included in the study, 103 had MPE. Logistic regression showed that higher level of malignancy on visual assessment is associated with higher odds of MPE (OR = 34.68, 95% CI = 9.17–131.14,p < 0.001). The logistic regression also showed that higher level of malignancy on ROSE of touch preparation is associated with higher odds of MPE (OR = 11.63, 95% CI = 3.85–35.16,p < 0.001). Presence of pleural nodules/masses on CT is associated with higher odds of MPE (OR = 6.61, 95% CI = 1.97–22.1,p = 0.002). A multivariable logistic regression model of final pathologic status with relation to visual assessment, ROSE of touch preparation and presence of pleural nodules/masses on CT had a cross‐validated AUC of 0.94 (95% CI = 0.91–0.97).ConclusionA prediction model using visual assessment, ROSE of touch preparation and CT scan findings demonstrated excellent predictive accuracy for MPE. Further validation studies are needed to confirm our findings.

Abstract Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is a life-threatening, prothrombotic, antibody-mediated disorder. To maximize the likelihood of recovery, early and accurate diagnosis is critical. Widely available HIT assays, such as the platelet factor 4 (PF4) heparin enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) lack specificity, and the gold-standard carbon 14–labeled serotonin release assay (SRA) is of limited value for early patient management because it is available only through reference laboratories. Recent studies have demonstrated that pathogenic HIT antibodies selectively activate PF4-treated platelets and that a technically simpler assay, the PF4-dependent P-selectin expression assay (PEA), may provide an option for rapid and conclusive results. Based upon predefined criteria that combined 4Ts scores and HIT ELISA results, 409 consecutive adults suspected of having HIT were classified as disease positive, negative, or indeterminate. Patients deemed HIT indeterminate were considered disease negative in the primary analysis and disease positive in a sensitivity analysis. The ability of PEA and SRA to identify patients judged to have HIT was compared using receiver operating characteristic curve statistics. Using these predefined criteria, the diagnostic accuracy of PEA was high (area under the curve [AUC], 0.94; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.87-1.0) and similar to that of SRA (AUC, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.82-1.0). In sensitivity analysis, the AUCs of PEA and SRA were also similar at 0.88 (95% CI, 0.78-0.98) and 0.86 (95% CI, 0.77-0.96), respectively. The PEA, a technically simple nonradioactive assay that uses ∼20-fold fewer platelets compared with the SRA, had high accuracy for diagnosing HIT. Widespread use of the PEA may facilitate timely and more effective management of patients with suspected HIT.

Abstract Background. The presence and number of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are prognostic for breast cancer treatment outcome. Direct imaging assays traditionally employ four markers to identify canonical epithelial CTCs: nucleus, exclusion (CD45), and inclusion (EpCAM and cytokeratin). There is intense interest in the ability to phenotype CTCs in order to provide a noninvasive means by which to predict treatment benefit from endocrine therapy and/or HER2-directed therapy in breast cancer. To address this, a 6-parameter assay for detection of ER and HER2 expression on CTCs was developed. We applied this assay to four well characterized breast cancer cell lines representative of various ER and HER2 phenotypes. Methods. BT474, MCF-7, SKBR3, or MDA-MB-231 cells were spiked into peripheral blood from healthy donors and processed using the AccuCyte® sample preparation system; nucleated cells, including CTCs, are captured onto glass slides (8 slides per 7.5 mL blood sample) for subsequent immunofluorescent staining. Slides were stained using the combined epithelial marker and ER/HER2 CTC assay and then analyzed with the CyteFinder® imaging system. CTCs were identified as nucleated cells with positive EpCAM and/or cytokeratin staining, and negative CD45 staining. ER and HER2 expression were assessed as present or absent. Results. All cell lines expressed both cytokeratin and EpCAM, except for MDA-MB-231 which was EpCAM-negative. The ER / HER2 expression patterns observed were consistent with reported phenotype: BT474 (+/+), MCF-7 (+/–), SKBR3 (–/+), and MDA-MB-231 (–/–). Conclusions. Identification of epithelial CTCs and phenotypic characterization of ER and HER2 status are feasible in a combined assay applied to a single blood sample. This approach has implications for efficiency and cost effectiveness, which are of particular importance given the interest in longitudinal testing. Assay evaluation is currently underway using blood samples from breast cancer patients with known receptor status, treatment history, and clinical outcomes. Results will be available for presentation at the meeting. Citation Format: Liu MC, Sun Y, Ramirez A, Campton D, George T, Haselkorn KE, Clein A, Gadi V, Sabath D, Kaldjian E. A novel six-parameter assay for comprehensive phenotyping of circulating tumor cells [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2018 Dec 4-8; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P3-01-11.