Breast microcalcifications are a common mammographic finding. Microcalcifications are considered suspicious signs of breast cancer and a breast biopsy is required, however, cancer is diagnosed in only a few patients. Reducing unnecessary biopsies and rapid characterization of breast microcalcifications are unmet clinical needs. In this study, 473 microcalcifications detected on breast biopsy specimens from 56 patients were characterized entirely by Raman mapping and confirmed by X-ray scattering. Microcalcifications from malignant samples were generally more homogeneous, more crystalline, and characterized by a less substituted crystal lattice compared with benign samples. There were significant differences in Raman features corresponding to the phosphate and carbonate bands between the benign and malignant groups. In addition to the heterogeneous composition, the presence of whitlockite specifically emerged as marker of benignity in benign microcalcifications. The whole Raman signature of each microcal-cification was then used to build a classification model that distinguishes microcalcifications according to their overall biochemical composition. After validation, microcalcifications found in benign and malignant samples were correctly recognized with 93.5% sensitivity and 80.6% specificity. Finally, microcalcifications identified in malignant biopsies, but located outside the lesion, reported malignant features in 65% of in situ and 98% of invasive cancer cases, respectively, suggesting that the local microenvironment influences microcalcification features. This study confirms that the composition and structural features of microcalcifications correlate with breast pathology and indicates new diagnostic potentialities based on microcalcifications assessment.Significance: Raman spectroscopy could be a quick and accurate diagnostic tool to precisely characterize and distinguish benign from malignant breast microcalcifications detected on mammography.

Backgrounds and Aims There is no accurate and reliable circulating biomarker to diagnose Crohn’s disease [CD]. Raman spectroscopy is a relatively new approach that provides information on the biochemical composition of samples in minutes and virtually without any sample preparation. We aimed to test the use of Raman spectroscopy analysis of plasma samples as a potential diagnostic tool for CD. Methods We analysed by Raman spectroscopy dry plasma samples obtained from 77 CD patients [CD] and 45 healthy controls [HC]. In the dataset obtained, we analysed spectra differences between CD and HC, as well as among CD patients with different disease behaviours. We also developed a method, based on principal component analysis followed by a linear discrimination analysis [PCA-LDA], for the automatic classification of individuals based on plasma spectra analysis. Results Compared with HC, the CD spectra were characterised by less intense peaks corresponding to carotenoids [p <10–4] and by more intense peaks corresponding to proteins with β-sheet secondary structure [p <10–4]. Differences were also found on Raman peaks relative to lipids [p = 0.0007] and aromatic amino acids [p <10–4]. The predictive model we developed was able to classify CD and HC subjects with 83.6% accuracy [sensitivity 80.0% and specificity 85.7%] and F1-score of 86.8%. Conclusions Our results indicate that Raman spectroscopy of blood plasma can identify metabolic variations associated with CD and it could be a rapid pre-screening tool to use before further specific evaluation.

Introduction: Autologous fat transfer (AFT) is widely adopted for breast reconstruction, but its longterm oncologic safety is still not clearly established. The aim of the present study was to compare the 10-year loco-regional recurrence (LRR)-free and distant metastases (DM)-free survival probabilities in AFT vs. control patients, also evaluating the impact of AFT in different intrinsic molecular subtypes of breast cancer. Materials and Methods: 464 AFT patients were exactly matched with a cohort of 3,100 control patients treated between 2007 and 2017. A multivariate survival analysis was performed accounting for all variables related to LRR and DM, including adjuvant/neoadjuvant treatments. End-points were analyzed both overall and in each molecular subtype. Results: LRR occurred in 6.4% of AFT and in 5.0% of control patients (p=0.42), while DM were observed respectively in 7.7% and 5.4% of cases (p=0.20). AFT showed no effect on the 10-year LRR-free survival probability (adjusted HR 0.87, 95%CI 0.43-1.76, p=0.69) or the 10-year DM-free survival probability (adjusted HR 0.82, 95%CI 0.43-1.57, p=0.55). Luminal A patients treated by AFT showed a decreased LRR-free survival probability (HR 2.38, 95%CI 0.91-6.17, Log-Rank p=0.07), which was significantly lower than controls after 80 months (Log-Rank p=0.02). No differences in the 10-year event-free survival probability were found in Luminal B, HER2-positive or triple-negative patients. Conclusion: AFT does not increase breast cancer recurrence, with the possible exception of late LRRs for Luminal A patients, but further clinical and preclinical data are required to better clarify this data. The use of AFT should not be discouraged.

No abstract

No abstract