Faculty Bibliography

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES/OBJECTIVE:Bone metastases, affecting more than 4.8% of patients with cancer annually, and particularly spinal metastases require urgent intervention to prevent neurological complications. However, the current process of manually reviewing radiological reports leads to potential delays in specialist referrals. We hypothesized that natural language processing (NLP) review of routine radiology reports could automate the referral process for timely multidisciplinary care of spinal metastases. METHODS:We assessed 3 NLP models-a rule-based regular expression (RegEx) model, GPT-4, and a specialized Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers (BERT) model (NYUTron)-for automated detection and referral of bone metastases. Study inclusion criteria targeted patients with active cancer diagnoses who underwent advanced imaging (computed tomography, MRI, or positron emission tomography) without previous specialist referral. We defined 2 separate tasks: task of identifying clinically significant bone metastatic terms (lexical detection), and identifying cases needing a specialist follow-up (clinical referral). Models were developed using 3754 hand-labeled advanced imaging studies in 2 phases: phase 1 focused on spine metastases, and phase 2 generalized to bone metastases. Standard McRae's line performance metrics were evaluated and compared across all stages and tasks. RESULTS:In the lexical detection, a simple RegEx achieved the highest performance (sensitivity 98.4%, specificity 97.6%, F1 = 0.965), followed by NYUTron (sensitivity 96.8%, specificity 89.9%, and F1 = 0.787). For the clinical referral task, RegEx also demonstrated superior performance (sensitivity 92.3%, specificity 87.5%, and F1 = 0.936), followed by a fine-tuned NYUTron model (sensitivity 90.0%, specificity 66.7%, and F1 = 0.750). CONCLUSION/CONCLUSIONS:An NLP-based automated referral system can accurately identify patients with bone metastases requiring specialist evaluation. A simple RegEx model excels in syntax-based identification and expert-informed rule generation for efficient referral patient recommendation in comparison with advanced NLP models. This system could significantly reduce missed follow-ups and enhance timely intervention for patients with bone metastases.

BackgroundCollision tumors, composed of 2 histologically distinct neoplasms at the same site, are rare. They encompass a variety of subtypes, where either lesion may be benign or malignant and where they may "collide" by direct invasion or metastasis. Carcinoma-sarcoma collisions are especially uncommon, and so-called tumor-to-tumor metastasis is even rarer. Tumor-to-tumor metastasis involving lung adenocarcinoma has only been reported within benign mesenchymal tumors; no such report to date has described metastasis into a malignant soft tissue sarcoma.Patient PresentationA 90-year-old man presented with a rapidly growing soft tissue mass on the anterolateral aspect of the right knee. Biopsy revealed high-grade leiomyosarcoma. Imaging also identified a dominant pulmonary nodule. The soft tissue mass was resected, revealing not only leiomyosarcoma but also a distinct glandular proliferation. Subsequent lung biopsy confirmed adenocarcinoma. Immunohistochemistry demonstrated that the glandular component within the sarcoma shared an identical profile with the lung tumor, consistent with metastatic lung adenocarcinoma into the primary sarcoma.DiscussionThis is the first reported example of lung adenocarcinoma metastasizing into a malignant soft-tissue tumor, representing a rare tumor-to-tumor metastasis resulting in a carcinoma-sarcoma collision tumor. A review of the literature identified 12 comparable reports, none involving both a malignant donor and a malignant mesenchymal recipient. This report underscores the importance of distinguishing such lesions from carcinosarcoma using histology and immunophenotyping.ConclusionThis unique example of carcinoma-to-sarcoma metastasis expands the differential diagnosis of biphasic soft-tissue tumors. Accurate classification is critical for guiding treatment, which may require tailored oncologic strategies addressing both tumor types.

AIMS/UNASSIGNED:The aim of the LightFix Trial was to evaluate the clinical outcomes for one year after the treatment of impending and completed pathological fractures of the humerus using the IlluminOss System (IS), and to analyze the performance of this device. METHODS/UNASSIGNED:A total of 81 patients with an impending or completed pathological fracture were enrolled in a multicentre, open label single cohort study and treated with IS. Inclusion criteria were visual analogue scale (VAS) Pain Scores > 60 mm/100 mm and Mirels' Score ≥ 8. VAS pain, Musculoskeletal Tumor Society (MSTS) Upper Limb Function, and The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer QoL Group Bone Metastases Module (QLQ-BM22) scores were all normalized to 100, and radiographs were obtained at baseline and at 14, 30, 90, 180, and 360 days postoperatively. RESULTS/UNASSIGNED:The mean VAS pain score decreased significantly from 84 (SD 15) to 50 (SD 29), 38 (SD 30), 31 (SD 29), 31 (SD 29), and 21 (SD 23) between the baseline and follow-up times (p < 0.001). The mean MSTS function scores significantly increased from 27 (SD 19) to 52 (SD 22), 60 (23), 67 (SD 23), 72 (SD 26), and 83 (SD 14) (p < 0.001). The pain and functional subscales of the QLQ-BM22 also significantly improved at most times. A total of 12 devices broke, giving an unadjusted device fracture rate of 15%. CONCLUSION/UNASSIGNED:Stabilization with the IS decreased pain and improved function with consistent results during the first postoperative year. IS is a new, minimally invasive type of internal fixation. The use of the IS alone may be better for impending rather than completed pathological fractures, and may be better in completed fractures if an added plate or more than the usual number of locking screws is required. Caution is warranted regarding its use alone in patients with a completed pathological fracture due to the rate of breakage of the device.

Modern technology and advances in medicine have facilitated increasing rates of limb salvage in the treatment of sarcomas. Orthopedic oncologists have a wide array of reconstruction options for limb salvage, ranging from allografts to endoprosthesis reconstruction. Limb lengthening is another option available to an orthopedic oncologist faced with bony defects and limb length discrepancies following resection. This review provides a brief history of limb lengthening, the principles of distraction osteogenesis, and current applications in orthopedic oncology. Considering the complications and challenges associated with the lengthening process, appropriate patient selection and thorough patient counseling is key to optimizing outcomes.

UNLABELLED:-associated methylation and transcriptional profiles as early events in DDCS, which may underlie the pathogenesis of dedifferentiation in chondrosarcomas. SIGNIFICANCE:DDCS is a rare, high-grade chondrosarcoma with a dismal prognosis. About 50%-80% of DDCS harbor IDH1/IDH2 mutations. We uncover a significant alteration of IDH-associated methylation profile in DDCS, which we propose is key to the progression to dedifferentiation. In this context, the potential effect of the use of IDH inhibitors is unclear but important to address, as clinical trials of selective IDH1 inhibitors showed worse outcome in DDCS.

BACKGROUND:Regional lymph node metastasis (RLNM) occurs infrequently in patients with soft tissue sarcoma (STS), although certain STS subtypes have a higher propensity for RLNM. The identification of RLNM has significant implications for staging and prognosis; however, the precise impact of node-positive disease on patient survival remains a topic of controversy. Although the benefits of sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) are well documented in patients with melanoma and breast cancer, whether this procedure offers a benefit in STS is controversial. METHODS:A systematic literature search was performed and articles reviewed to determine if SLNB in patients with extremity/truncal STS impacts disease-free or overall survival. RESULTS:Six studies were included. Rates of sentinel lymph node positivity were heterogeneous (range 4.3-50%). The impact of SLNB on patient outcomes remains unclear. The overall quality of available evidence was low, as assessed by the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation system. CONCLUSIONS:The literature addressing the impact of nodal basin evaluation on the staging and management of patients with extremity/truncal STS is confounded by heterogeneous patient cohorts and clinical practices. Multicenter prospective studies are warranted to determine the true incidence of RLNM and whether SLNB could benefit patients with clinically occult RLNM at diagnosis.

A 50-year-old male presented with left hallux pain and swelling that was treated for infection. Initial imaging studies were inconclusive, but further evaluation led to a diagnosis of high-grade primary osteosarcoma. Despite surgery and chemotherapy, the disease progressed rapidly, and 7 months after toe amputation multiple lung metastases were discovered. The patient died 15 months after diagnosis. Foot osteosarcomas are extremely rare malignant neoplasms that are often misdiagnosed, resulting in delayed or inappropriate treatment. It is imperative to maintain a high index of suspicion of any destructive bone lesions in the foot, regardless of size and symptom severity.
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