Bladder urothelial carcinoma (BLCA) is the 10th most common cancer with a low survival rate and strong male bias. We studied the field cancerization in BLCA using multi-sample- and multi-tissue-per-patient protocol for sensitive detection of autosomal post-zygotic chromosomal alterations and loss of chromosome Y (LOY). We analysed 277 samples of histologically normal urothelium, 145 tumors and 63 blood samples from 52 males and 15 females, using the in-house adapted Mosaic Chromosomal Alterations (MoChA) pipeline. This approach allows identification of the early aberrations in urothelium from BLCA patients. Overall, 45% of patients exhibited at least one alteration in at least one normal urothelium sample. Recurrence analysis resulted in 16 hotspots composed of either gains and copy number neutral loss of heterozygosity (CN-LOH) or deletions and CN-LOH, encompassing well-known and new BLCA cancer driver genes. Conservative assessment of LOY showed 29%, 27% and 18% of LOY-cells in tumors, blood and normal urothelium, respectively. We provide a proof of principle that our approach can characterize the earliest alterations preconditioning normal urothelium to BLCA development. Frequent LOY in blood and urothelium-derived tissues suggest its involvement in BLCA.

Background/Objectives: Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) is a minimally invasive technique used to assess lymphatic involvement in endometrial cancer (EC), offering reduced surgical morbidity compared to routine lymphadenectomy. Despite its widespread use, the optimal combination of tracers for SLN detection remains a subject of debate. Methods: This retrospective cohort study included 119 patients with early-stage EC treated at the Maria Skłodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology between 2016 and 2021. SLNB was performed using technetium-99m (Tc99m), indocyanine green (ICG), Patent Blue, or combinations of these tracers. Detection rates for unilateral and bilateral SLNs and the accuracy of metastasis identification were analyzed. Results: The overall SLN detection rate was 97.5%. Individual tracer detection rates were 100% for ICG, 100% for Patent Blue, and 96% for Tc99m. Combined tracers achieved detection rates of 96.9% (Tc99m and ICG) and 97.3% (Tc99m and Patent Blue). Bilateral detection was highest with Tc99m and ICG (90.6%) and Patent Blue alone (91%). Metastases were identified in 12% of cases, with combined methods improving metastatic detection. Tc99m yielded no “empty nodes”, compared to 1.7% with Patent Blue and 0.8% with ICG. Conclusions: While combining Tc99m with dyes did not significantly improve overall SLN detection rates, it enhanced metastatic identification and reduced false-negative results. These findings suggest that combined tracer methods optimize SLNB accuracy in endometrial cancer. Prospective studies are needed to confirm these results.

Background/Objectives: The preoperative detection of sentinel lymph nodes (SLN) using technetium-99m (Tc-99m) is crucial for surgical staging in early-stage endometrial cancer (EC). The optimal imaging timing and modality remain debated. This study compares early planar scintigraphy (30 min), SPECT/CT (1 h), and 18-h planar scintigraphy after a single Tc-99m injection. Methods: A total of 125 patients with early-stage EC underwent SLN mapping with Tc-99m (120 MBq). Imaging included 30-min planar scintigraphy, SPECT/CT (1 h), and 18-h planar scintigraphy on the day of surgery. Detection sensitivity, the bilateral mapping rate, and image quality (signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), contrast factor (C-factor)) were evaluated, with intraoperative gamma probe detection and histopathology as references. Results: The 18-h planar scintigraphy achieved the highest SLN detection sensitivity (94.4%, 118/125), compared with SPECT/CT (87.2%, OR = 2.48, 95% CI: 0.98–6.27, p = 0.051) and 30-min scintigraphy (72.0%). Only the 18-h protocol underwent intraoperative and histopathological verification; results for 30-min planar and 1-h SPECT/CT were based on imaging alone, which limits direct comparability. Bilateral detection was higher at 18 h (80.80%) than SPECT/CT (73.60%). All SLNs detected at 18 h were confirmed intraoperatively and histologically, yielding 100% PPV (95% CI: 96.9–100.0%) and NPV (95% CI: 59.0–100.0%). The 18-h protocol showed superior imaging contrast (C-factor: 10.30 ± 1.22) despite lower residual activity. The method remained effective in patients with BMI ≥ 30 (94.00%). Only 1.60% of patients required hysterectomy before mapping due to background interference. Conclusions: The 18-h planar scintigraphy is a highly effective, low-cost, and accessible method for SLN detection in early-stage EC, potentially reducing the need for SPECT/CT, radiation exposure, and costs.

Background/Objectives: Preoperative detection of sentinel lymph nodes (SLN) using technetium-99m (Tc-99m) is crucial for surgical staging in early-stage endometrial cancer (EC). The optimal imaging timing and modality remain debated. This study compares early planar scintigraphy (30 min), SPECT/CT (1 h), and 18-hour planar scintigraphy after a single Tc-99m injection. Methods: A total of 125 patients with early-stage EC underwent SLN mapping with Tc-99m (120 MBq). Imaging included 30-minute planar scintigraphy, SPECT/CT (1h), and 18-hour planar scintigraphy on the day of surgery. Detection sensitivity, bilateral mapping rate, and image quality (signal-to-noise ratio [SNR], contrast factor [C-factor]) were evaluated, with intraoperative gamma probe detection and histopathology as references. Results: The 18-hour planar scintigraphy achieved the highest SLN detection sensitivity (94,40%, 118/125) compared to SPECT/CT (87,20%, OR=2,48, 95% CI: 0,98–6,27, p=0,051) and 30-minute scintigraphy (72,00%). Bilateral detection was higher at 18 h (80,80%) than SPECT/CT (73,60%). All SLNs detected at 18 h were confirmed intraoperatively and histo-logically, yielding 100% PPV (95% CI: 96,9–100,0%) and NPV (95% CI: 59,0–100,0%). The 18-h protocol showed superior imaging contrast (C-factor: 10,30 ± 1,22) despite lower re-sidual activity. The method remained effective in patients with BMI ≥30 (94,00%). Only 1,60% of patients required hysterectomy before mapping due to background interference. Conclusions: The 18-hour planar scintigraphy is a highly effective, low-cost, and accessi-ble method for SLN detection in early-stage EC, potentially reducing the need for SPECT/CT, radiation exposure, and costs.

Background: The aim of this study was to compare tumour stage, treatment modalities, post-treatment complications, and survival among patients with sinonasal malignancies (SMs) before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This retrospective, two-centre study included 139 patients with SMs who were hospitalised before the COVID-19 pandemic (group 1), during the pandemic (group 2), and after the pandemic (group 3). Results: The study included 32, 41, and 66 patients in groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively. No significant differences were observed between the groups in terms of age, sex, recurrence rate, or the proportion of patients treated surgically. Complications were more common in group 1 than in group 2 (46.88% vs. 24.39%, p = 0.045). Intracranial tumour extension was observed more frequently in group 1 than in group 3 (51.61% vs. 27.27%, p = 0.024). The use of photon radiotherapy (RT) decreased from group 1 to group 3, whereas the use of proton RT increased and became predominant in group 3 (19.4%, 64.1%, and 95.2% in groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively). Group 3 had a higher proportion of T3 tumours than group 1 (33.3% vs. 6.3%) but a lower proportion of T4b tumours (31.8% vs. 56.3%, p = 0.009). Most patients had advanced disease (stage III–IV) in all groups. Kaplan–Meier survival analysis demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in survival in group 3 compared with group 1 (log-rank test, p = 0.048). Conclusions: The observed improvement is more likely attributable to shifts in tumour stage distribution and changes in treatment strategies than to any direct effect of the COVID-19 pandemic. Future research should evaluate longer post-COVID-19 periods, as potential negative effects may emerge later.

Background/Objectives : Methods: This retrospective cohort study included 119 patients with early-stage EC treated at the Maria Skłodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology between 2016 and 2021. Patients underwent SLNB using technetium-99m (Tc99m), indocyanine green (ICG), Patent Blue, or combinations of these tracers. Detection rates for unilateral and bilateral SLNs and the accuracy of metastasis identification were analyzed. Results: The overall SLN detection rate was 97.5%. Detection rates for individual tracers were 100% for ICG, 100% for Patent Blue, and 96% for Tc99m. Combining tracers achieved detection rates of 96.9% (Tc99m + ICG) and 97.3% (Tc99m + Patent Blue). Bilateral detection was highest with Tc99m + ICG (90.6%) and Patent Blue alone (91%). Metastases were identified in 12% of cases, with combined methods improving metastatic detection. No "empty nodes" were observed with Tc99m, compared to 1.7% with Patent Blue and 0.8% with ICG. Conclusions: While combining Tc99m with dyes did not significantly improve overall detection rates, it enhanced metastasis identification and reduced false-negative results. The findings suggest that combined tracer methods can optimize SLNB accuracy in endometrial cancer. Prospective studies are warranted to validate these results.