Clinical Relevance of Bone Marrow Biopsy in Staging and Follow-Up of Breast Cancer

1983 ◽  
Vol 69 (2) ◽  
pp. 143-150 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giorgio Cruciani ◽  
Gian Maria Fiorentini ◽  
Giovanni Rosti ◽  
Amelia Tienghi ◽  
Daniele Bardella ◽  
...  

Bone marrow biopsies by Jamshidi needle were performed in 106 breast cancer female patients. Sixty-four of them were in follow-up after mastectomy, and neoplastic involvement of marrow was found in 21 patients (32.8%). Among the 42 women undergoing staging before mastectomy, the incidence of marrow involvement was 11.9% (5 women, all with radiographic positivity). Of the 37 women, either in follow-up or in the staging phase, with bone metastases detected by roentgenographic and isotopic examination, the bone biopsy was positive in 23 (62.1%), and 7 histologically had micrometastases. Three women, without any radiographic or isotopic sign of metastases, had positive biopsies. A good correlation was found between the hydroxyproline:creatinine ratio and neoplastic involvement of bone marrow.

1983 ◽  
Vol 76 (5) ◽  
pp. 359-364 ◽  
Author(s):  
D P Dearnaley ◽  
J P Sloane ◽  
S Imrie ◽  
R C Coombes ◽  
M G Ormerod ◽  
...  

Single cells from mammary carcinoma infiltrating bone marrow can be detected in marrow aspirates using immunocytochemical stains for epithelial membrane antigen (EMA). This technique has been used to examine marrow aspirates taken from multiple sites from 24 patients at surgery for breast cancer. Ten of these patients had EMA-positive cells in their marrow, while 32 marrow samples from patients who did not have carcinoma were negative. These results have been combined with those obtained by taking aspirates from single sites from 47 breast patients without known skeletal deposits. Follow up showed that the patients with EMA-positive cells in their marrow developed bone metastases at a significantly faster rate.


Blood ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 134 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 5391-5391
Author(s):  
Ritika Walia ◽  
Theresa Sepulveda ◽  
Sharon Wretzel ◽  
Philip H Brandt

Objectives: Primary myelofibrosis is rare in pediatrics, often manifesting as persistent idiopathic thrombocytosis.Transitions from pediatric to adult medical care can be complicated by workup requiring invasive procedures. J.M., an 18-year-old healthy male, presented for excessive gingival bleeding after wisdom tooth extraction. Workup revealed persistent thrombocytosis to 1,165K, prompting a referral to hematology-oncology. A peripheral smear was notable for many platelets but normal RBC morphology. He had splenomegaly on abdominal ultrasound and a decreased von-Willebrand's activity to antigen ratio, suggesting acquired vWD. A bone marrow biopsy was advised; however, J.M. became lost to follow up for over 9 months owing to self-reported anxiety about the procedure. He remained asymptomatic in this interim until he re-presented to clinic for easy bruising, with no other evidence of bleeding at the time. The biopsy was pursued, revealing hypercellular marrow for age with left shifted granulocytic and erythroid maturation, abnormal megakaryocytes, and 3% blasts. This was consistent with primary early myelofibrosis (PMF), positive for MF-1, CALR, and TP53 mutations and negative for JAK2 and BCR-ABL. He was transitioned to adult hematology, maintained on baby aspirin, and referred for potential allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT). PMF is characterized by marrow fibrosis due to secretion of fibroblast growth factor by clonally proliferative megakaryocytes. It is a disease of adulthood, with 67 years being the median age at diagnosis. Only 100 cases have been reported in children, most of which are secondary to AML, ALL or other malignancies.1 Most patients present with complications of extramedullary hematopoiesis or bleeding.2 Diagnosis is suggested by a leukoerythroblastic picture on peripheral smear and confirmed with a bone marrow biopsy "dry tap" revealing marrow fibrosis.3 Prognosis in pediatric PMF is difficult to predict but outcomes tend to be worse;4 TP53 mutation is rare and based on limited adult studies may portend a poorer prognosis.5 Our young patient with this rare mutation was therefore referred for HSCT evaluation. Further complicating this case was J.M.'s anxiety, which delayed definitive diagnosis by biopsy. He only agreed to it when, at the med-peds clinic, the concept of local pain management was discussed. Anticipation of upcoming procedures by primary care physicians and close follow-up is especially important for patients transitioning from pediatric to adult providers. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


Blood ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 136 (Supplement 1) ◽  
pp. 34-35
Author(s):  
Manasi M. Godbole ◽  
Peter A. Kouides

Introduction: Most studies on the diagnostic yield of bone marrow biopsy including the one by Hot et al. have focused on the yield of bone marrow biopsies in diagnosing the source of fever of unknown origin. However, there have not been any studies performed to our knowledge looking at overall practice patterns and yield of bone marrow biopsies for diagnoses other than fever of unknown origin. We aim to determine the most common indications for performing bone marrow biopsies in a community-based teaching hospital as well as the yield of the biopsies in patients with specified and unspecified pre-test indications to estimate the rate of uncertain post-test diagnoses. Methods: We performed a retrospective data collection study at Rochester General Hospital, NY. A comprehensive search was conducted in our electronic medical data to identify all patients who underwent bone marrow biopsies over a 5 year period from January 2011 - December 2016 for indications other than fever of unknown origin. Patient data including demographics, pre-bone marrow biopsy diagnosis and post-bone marrow diagnosis was obtained. All patients above the age of 18 who underwent bone marrow biopsy for indications other than fever of unknown origin or follow up treatment of a hematological malignancy were included. Results: A total of 223 biopsies were performed. The median age was 59 years (age range- 23-95). One hundred and sixteen patients were male and 107 were female. The most common indications for performing bone marrow biopsy were evaluation of the following possible conditions: multiple myeloma (n=54), myelodysplastic syndrome [MDS] (n=47), lymphoma (n=28) and leukemia (n=18) as well as non-specific indications such as pancytopenia (n=40), anemia (n=22) and thrombocytopenia (n=11). The proportion of cases confirmed by bone marrow biopsy was 45/54 (83%) with the pre-marrow diagnosis of multiple myeloma, 34/47 cases (72%) with the pre-marrow diagnosis of MDS, 15/18 (83%) with the pre-marrow diagnosis of leukemia and 13/28 (46%) in those with the pre-marrow diagnosis of rule out lymphoma. Thirteen cases (18%) with possible MDS had post-bone marrow diagnoses of leukemia, anemia of chronic disease, myelofibrosis or medication-related changes. Five out of twenty two cases (23%) for anemia and 3/11 cases (27%) for thrombocytopenia without otherwise specified pre-bone marrow etiology had uncertain diagnosis after bone marrow biopsy. Conclusion: In about a fifth of patients necessitating a bone marrow, the diagnosis is discordant and can be surprising. It is also worth reporting that in these discordant results, non-hematological causes such as medications, anemia due to chronic diseases or conditions such as cirrhosis or splenomegaly from other etiologies were among the final diagnoses. Interestingly, 20% of the patients with unspecified pre-bone marrow diagnoses such as anemia or thrombocytopenia in our study had an unclear post-bone marrow diagnosis despite undergoing bone marrow biopsy. Our findings are a reminder that the bone marrow exam does not always lead to a definitive diagnosis and the need by exclusion to include in the differential non-hematological etiologies such as nutritional deficiencies, chronic kidney disease or autoimmune disorders. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


2003 ◽  
Vol 127 (4) ◽  
pp. 488-491
Author(s):  
Ellen Schlette ◽  
L. Jeffrey Medeiros ◽  
Miloslav Beran ◽  
Carlos E. Bueso-Ramos

Abstract We report a unique case of a patient with a neuroendocrine tumor localized to the bone marrow. The patient had a history of hairy cell leukemia, and the neuroendocrine tumor was detected in a bone marrow biopsy specimen obtained to assess response to 2-chlorodeoxyadenosine therapy. The neuroendocrine tumor was present as nodules that replaced approximately 15% of the bone marrow medullary space and was composed of round cells with fine chromatin, indistinct nucleoli, and relatively abundant, granular, eosinophilic cytoplasm. Histochemical stains showed cytoplasmic reactivity with Grimelius and Fontana-Masson stains, and immunohistochemical studies showed positivity for keratin and chromogranin. The histologic, cytochemical, and immunohistochemical features resembled a carcinoid tumor, and metastasis to the bone marrow was considered initially. The patient was asymptomatic without diarrhea, flushing, or cardiac valve disease. Serotonin production, assessed by the measurement of serum 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid and substance P levels, was normal. Extensive clinical and radiologic work-up and endoscopy of the gastrointestinal tract to detect a primary site other than the bone marrow were negative. Follow-up bone marrow biopsy 7 years after the initial diagnosis was positive for persistent neuroendocrine tumor. The patient has not received any therapy specific for the neuroendocrine tumor and has had no clinical symptoms or evidence of progression after 9 years of clinical follow-up. We suggest that this neuroendocrine tumor may have arisen in the bone marrow.


1990 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 721-730 ◽  
Author(s):  
A Martin ◽  
S Nerenstone ◽  
W J Urba ◽  
D L Longo ◽  
J B Lawrence ◽  
...  

Fifteen patients with hairy cell leukemia (HCL) were treated with deoxycoformycin (pentostatin; dCF) (4 mg/m2 intravenous [IV] every week x 3) and recombinant interferon-alpha 2a (rIFN-alpha 2a) (3 x 10(6) units subcutaneously [SC] daily x 4 weeks) in alternating months for a total of 14 months. Eleven patients had undergone splenectomy; four had received prior systemic therapy with chlorambucil and/or steroids. All 15 are evaluable for toxicity and peripheral blood response, while 14 are assessable for bone marrow response. Toxicity was tolerable with grade 3 or 4 nausea and vomiting in three patients, neutropenic fevers in five, transient but significant depression in eight, and localized cutaneous herpes zoster in four. Circulating hairy cells were undetectable by the end of the first month in 10 of 13 patients, and by the end of the second month in the other three. Fourteen patients had bilateral bone marrow biopsies performed at baseline after 6 months of treatment, at the end of treatment (14 months), and at 6-month intervals during follow-up. Before treatment, all patients had hypercellular marrows with hairy cels replacing normal marrow elements; all showed at least a 95% clearing of their hairy cell infiltrate by 6 months of therapy. However, small collections of residual hairy cells could be detected intermittently on at least one side of bilateral samples in all patients. All patients have completed treatment with a median duration of follow-up off therapy of 27 months (range, 15 to 31 months). To date, all peripheral counts and serum soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL2R) levels remain stable, and no patient has had progression of the hairy cell infiltrate in the bone marrow. Although no patient achieved a pathologic complete response, alternating monthly cycles of dCF and rIFN-alpha 2a produced durable partial remissions (PRs) in all patients. Continued follow-up is required to determine the length of such remissions.


2002 ◽  
Vol 20 (15) ◽  
pp. 3219-3224 ◽  
Author(s):  
Trevor Powles ◽  
Sandy Paterson ◽  
John A. Kanis ◽  
Eugene McCloskey ◽  
Sue Ashley ◽  
...  

PURPOSE: The development of bone metastases depends on tumor-induced osteoclastic resorption of bone, which may be inhibited by the antiosteolytic bisphosphonate clodronate. Given to patients with primary breast cancer, clodronate might reduce the subsequent incidence of bone metastases. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This double-blind, multicenter trial accrued 1,069 assessable patients with operable breast cancer between 1989 and 1995. All patients received surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and tamoxifen as required. Patients were randomized to receive oral clodronate 1,600 mg/d or a placebo for 2 years starting within 6 months of primary treatment. The primary end point was relapse in bone, analyzed on an intent-to-treat basis, during the medication period and during the total follow-up period (median follow-up, 2,007 days). Secondary end points were relapse in other sites, mortality, and toxicity. RESULTS: During the total follow-up period, there was a nonsignificant reduction in occurrence of bone metastases (clodronate, n = 63; placebo, n = 80; hazards ratio [HR], 0.77; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.56 to 1.08; P = .127). During the medication period there was a significant reduction in the occurrence of bone metastases (clodronate, n = 12; placebo, n = 28; HR, 0.44; 95% CI, 0.22 to 0.86; P = .016). The occurrence of nonosseous metastases was similar (clodronate, n = 112; placebo, n = 128; P = .257), but there was a significant reduction in mortality (clodronate, n = 98; placebo, n = 129; P = .047) during the total follow-up period. CONCLUSION: Clodronate, given to patients with primary operable breast cancer, may reduce the occurrence of bone metastases, although this reduction was only significant during this medication period. There was a significant reduction in mortality.


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