Serap Gültekin's research while affiliated with Gazi University and other places

Introduction: This study aims to determine the relationship between vascular calcification, carotid artery intima-media thickness (CIMT) and malnutrition with inflammatory parameters in dialysis patients. Materials and Methods: 140 CKD patients and 44 healthy controls were included in the study. CIMT was measured by ultrasonography. Valvular calcification was assessed by echocardiography and vascular calcification scores (VCS) were done based on the radiograms. Biochemical parameters were assessed using routine laboratory methods. Subjective global assessment (SGA) was used to evaluate malnutrition. Results: In the study, VCS showed no differences between hemodialysis (HD) and peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients (1.84±2.35 for HD, 1.77±1.64 for PD; p:0.83). CIMT, Osteopontin (OPN), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and homocysteine were significantly different in both dialysis groups compared to healthy controls. The Mean carotid intima-media thickness (m-CIMT) was higher in HD patients compared to PD group. CIMT, vascular calcification and SGA scores showed positive correlation with age, dialysis duration and valvular calcification grades, and negative correlation with albumin levels. A positive correlation between SGA scores and high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels was also noted. On multiple regression analysis, m-CIMT was independently associated with age, VCS and albumin levels. VCS was found to be independently associated with only albumin levels. Conclusion: Vascular and valvular calcification, an indicator of cardiovascular mortality and morbidity in dialysis patients, was found to be significantly associated with malnutrition. We found higher rates of valvular calcification in patients with vascular calcification. Malnutrition was more prominent in these patients.

Purpose: The clinical management of high-risk lesions using image-guided biopsy is challenging. This study aimed to evaluate the rates at which such lesions were upgraded to malignancy and identify possible predictive factors for upgrading high-risk lesions. Methods: This retrospective multicenter analysis included 1.343 patients diagnosed with high-risk lesions using an image-guided core needle or vacuum-assisted biopsy (VAB). Only patients managed using an excisional biopsy or with at least one year of documented radiological follow-up were included. For each, the Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) category, number of samples, needle thickness, and lesion size were correlated with malignancy upgrade rates in different histologic subtypes. Pearson's chi-squared test, the Fisher-Freeman-Halton test, and Fisher's exact test were used for the statistical analyses. Results: The overall upgrade rate was 20.6%, with the highest rates in the subtypes of intraductal papilloma (IP) with atypia (44.7%; 55/123), followed by atypical ductal hyperplasia (ADH) (38.4%; 144/375), lobular neoplasia (LN) (12.7%; 7/55), papilloma without atypia (9.4%; 58/611), flat epithelial atypia (FEA) (8.7%; 10/114), and radial scars (RSs) (4.6%; 3/65). There was a significant relationship between the upgrade rate and BI-RADS category, number of samples, and lesion size Lesion size was the most predictive factor for an upgrade in all subtypes. Conclusion: ADH and atypical IP showed considerable upgrade rates to malignancy, requiring surgical excision. The LN, IP without atypia, pure FEA, and RS subtypes showed lower malignancy rates when the BI-RADS category was lower and in smaller lesions that had been adequately sampled using VAB. After being discussed in a multidisciplinary meeting, these cases could be managed with follow-up instead of excision.

INTRODUCTION: To demonstrate false-positive MRI findings after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) in patients with pathologic complete response (pCR) and investigate the correlation between post-NAC MRI findings and tumor response patterns based on human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) status. METHODS: This retrospective multicenter study enrolled 118 patients with breast cancer who received NAC and achieved pCR. Tumors were evaluated with MRI pre- and post-NAC. MRI evaluation included lesion characteristics, kinetic curve analysis, background parenchymal enhancement (BPE), and post-NAC changes of MRI features. Tumor response patterns were also assessed and categorized based on MRI findings. Tumor response patterns and post-NAC MRI findings were correlated with HER2 status. RESULTS: The residual MRI findings following NAC differed significantly between HER2+ and HER2− groups (p=0.02). The most frequent false-positive MRI finding was focus and foci in HER2+ tumors, whereas non-mass enhancement (NME) in HER2− group. The presence of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) and fibrosis in surgical pathology is significantly associated with NME on post-NAC MRI (p<0.001). Axillary pCR was achieved significantly higher in the HER2+ group (p=0.04). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Although MRI is considered the most reliable method for evaluating tumor response after NAC, over and underestimation is still possible. This study revealed that tumor response patterns and post-NAC MRI findings differ according to HER2 status. The diagnostic accuracy of post-NAC MRI is evolving by understanding the underlying mechanisms and tumor biology.

Purpose: To investigate the factors associated with false-negative results in the diagnosis of breast cancer via breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) using the Kaiser score (KS). Methods: This institutional review board (IRB)-approved, single-center, retrospective study enrolled 219 consecutive histopathologically proven breast cancer lesions in 205 women who underwent preoperative breast MRI. Two breast radiologists evaluated each lesion according to the KS. The clinicopathological characteristics and imaging findings were also analyzed. Interobserver variability was assessed using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Multivariate regression analysis was used to investigate factors associated with false-negative KS results for breast cancer diagnosis. Results: Of 219 breast cancers, KS yielded 200 (91.3%) true-positive and 19 (8.7%) falsenegative results. The interobserver ICC for the KS between the two readers was excellent, with a value of 0.804 (95% CI 0.751–0.846). Multivariate regression analysis revealed that small lesion size (≤1 cm) (adjusted OR 6.86, 95% CI 2.14–21.94, p=0.001) and personal breast cancer history (adjusted OR 7.59, 95% CI, 1.55–37.23, p=0.012) were significantly associated with false-negative KS results. Conclusion: Small lesion size (≤1 cm) and presence of personal breast cancer history are factors significantly associated with false-negative KS results. Our results suggest that radiologists should consider these factors in clinical practice as potential pitfalls of KS, which may be compensated for by a multimodal approach combined with clinical evaluation.

For many years, natural resources have been used in the treatment of many diseases. With the discovery of new medicinal plants, new areas of use have emerged. However, it is thought that there is confusion about the amount of use of these medicinal plants or the indications for use during pregnancy or adolescence. For this purpose, fetal development parameters after organogenesis were examined ultrasonographically in rats treated with the Melissa officinalis plants during pregnancy. Ultrasonography examination was performed with the device and superficial probe used in breast examination in humans. Gestational sac diameters, biparietal diameters, crown-rump lengths, and fetuses' heart rates were measured in both the lemon balm group and the Control group. On the 15th day of pregnancy, gestational sac diameter and biparietal diameter in the Melissa group, crown-rump length in the Control group were higher, and on the 17th day of pregnancy, gestational sac diameter and crown-rump length were found to be higher in the Melissa group, and biparietal diameter was higher in the Control group. Compared with the Control, on the 20th day, all parameters were higher than in the Melissa group. However, both groups had no statistical significance according to all measurements. As a result, it was seen that M. officinalis extract might not have any effect on the development of rat fetuses in terms of ultrasonographic examination. In addition, it was concluded that the development of the rat fetus could be viewed in detail with the breast ultrasound probe used in humans.

In this study, we aimed to investigate the correlation of stiffness values of shear-wave elastography (SWE) and histopathological prognostic factors in patients with breast cancer. Between January 2021 and June 2022, SWE images of 138 core-biopsy proven breast cancer lesions from 132 patients were retrospectively reviewed. Histopathogic prognostic factors, including tumor size, histologic grade, histologic type, hormone receptor positivity, human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER2) status, immunohistochemical subtype and Ki-67 index were documented. Elasticity values including mean and maximum elasticity (Emean and Emax) and lesion-to-fat ratio (Eratio) were recorded. The association between histopathological prognostic factors and elasticity values were assessed using Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis test, and multiple linear regression analysis. Tumor size, histological grade, and Ki-67 index were significantly associated with the Eratio (P < 0.05). Larger tumor size and higher Ki-67 index also showed significantly higher Emean and Emax values (P < 0.05). However, hormone receptor positivity, HER2 status, and immunohistochemical subtype were not significantly associated with elasticity values (P > 0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that tumor size was significantly associated with Emean, Emax, and Eratio values (P < 0.05). A high Ki-67 index was also significantly associated with high Eratio values. Larger tumor size and higher Ki-67 index are independently associated with high Eratio values. Preoperative SWE may improve the performance of conventional ultrasound in predicting prognosis and treatment planning.

Background/aimsTo investigate the diagnostic performance of breast MRI in revealing mammographically and sonographically occult lesions requiring excision in patients with pathologic nipple discharge.Materials and methodsIn this retrospective study, 57 women with pathologic nipple discharge who had normal or inconclusive mammography and ultrasonography results and underwent breast MRI were determined. Patients who had histopathological diagnosis or ≥ 1-year imaging follow-up were included. MRIs were classified as positive and negative according to final BI-RADS assessment categories. Diagnostic performance of MRI, including sensitivity, specificity, negative predictive value, and positive predictive value, was calculated for detecting both malignancy and lesions requiring surgery.ResultsAbnormal contrast enhancement on the pathologic nipple discharge side was detected in 29 MRIs (50.8%), categorized as BI-RADS 4. Abnormal findings were solid masses in 17 cases (58.6%) and non-mass enhancement in 12 cases (41.3%). Despite normal conventional imaging results, 4 malignant lesions and 16 lesions requiring surgery were detected with MRI. The sensitivity and specificity of MRI for detecting lesions requiring surgery were 100% and 68.2%, respectively. The positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value were 55.1% and 100%, respectively.Conclusion In conclusion, this study confirmed that MRI is a reliable tool to detect lesions requiring surgery in patients with pathologic nipple discharge. MRI should be used in routine workup in patients with normal conventional imaging and imaging follow-up can be safely applied in patients with negative MRI.

Purpose The aim of this study was to assess the accuracy of digital mammography (DM), digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) and synthetic mammography (SM) in tumor size measurements compared with histological tumor sizes. Materials and methods 71 breast cancer patients who underwent DM and DBT acquisitions simultaneously were included in this study. One radiologist with 8 years of experience in breast imaging measured tumor sizes independently in three separate sessions which include DM, DBT and SM images, respectively. The correlations between the measured tumor sizes on each imaging technique and histological sizes were analyzed using Spearman correlation test. The patients were categorized into two subgroups according to assigned breast density categories (dense and non-dense), and histological tumor sizes (≤2 cm and > 2 cm). To assess the agreement levels between the measured tumor sizes and histological sizes Bland-Altman analyses were performed for each imaging technique. Results The mean of histological size of tumors was 23.85 ± 16.57 mm (median: 20). The means of measured tumor sizes were 21.21 ± 13.59 mm (median: 19), 21.52 ± 13.42 mm (median: 19) and 18.97 ± 11.21 mm (median: 17) in DM, DBT and SM, respectively. The Spearman correlation values with histologic sizes were 0.814 (P < 0.001), 0.887 (P < 0.001), and 0.852 (P < 0.001) for DM, DBT and SM, respectively. In subgroup analyses, the correlation values showed decrement for tumors >2 cm in size compared to tumors ≤2 cm in size. Conclusion DBT provides the most accurate tumor size measurements among mammographic imaging techniques and if mammography will be used in tumor size measurements, DBT should be preferred.

Rationale and Objectives To analyze the association between mammographic features of microcalcifications and histopathological prognostic factors based on estrogen receptor (ER) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2/neu) in ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). Materials and Methods We retrospectively determined 66 patients with microcalcification-associated pure DCIS. Distribution and morphological features of the microcalcifications were described using Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System lexicon. All patients were divided into three subgroups: ER-positive, HER-2 positive, and triple-negative according to the immunohistochemical findings. Results The morphological features of microcalcifications and receptor subtypes were significantly correlated (p = 0.026). Fine pleomorphic and fine linear branching microcalcifications were observed in 85.2% of HER-2 positive cases, whereas this ratio was 71.4 % in ER-positive and 25% in the triple-negative group. Fine linear branching microcalcifications with linear or segmental distribution were more frequently found with comedo necrosis (p < 0.05). Larger tumour sizes were also associated with microcalcification distribution (p < 0.001). Segmental microcalcifications more likely associated with larger tumour sizes. Conclusion Mammographic features in DCIS correlated with immunohistochemical and histopathological prognostic factors.