[Clinical and therapeutic results of a retrospective study about 62 cases of epithelial ovarian carcinomas]

To report retrospectively the therapeutic results and prognostic factors of epithelial ovarian carcinomas throughout a series of 62 patients treated between 1993 and 2002. Patients were treated with primary surgery classified as optimal [complete], sub-optimal or minimal. Adjuvant ciplatin based poly chemotherapy [6 cycles] was indicated in FIGO stage Ic or more. Patients with minimal surgery received 3 or 4 cycles of chemotherapy followed by an interval debulking surgery. Overall survival was calculated according to Kaplan-Meier and univariate analysis done by the Log-Rank test for the following factors: age group, surgical excision, stage, histological type and presence or not of ascitis at diagnosis. Fifty five patients were operated. The excision was optimal, suboptimal and minimal in respectively 19,3%, 33.8% and 40.3% of the cases. Adjuvant or neoadjuvant chemotherapy was given to 50 patients [93,5%]. Interval debulking surgery was complete in 7 among 13patients. At the first evaluation, 14/58 patients were in complete response. The 3 and 5 years overall survival rates were respectively of 25% and 13%. Advanced stage was the only pejorative prognostic factor [P= 0.0002]. Incomplete surgery [minimal] and chemotherapy without taxanes based chemotherapy were associated with poor outcome in our patients. Our study confirmed the importance of disease stage as a prognostic factor

[Breast cancer and pregnancy: a study of 3 cases]

Cancer is rare during pregnancy. Breast cancer is the most common cancer in pregnant women. We report 3 cases of breast cancer associated with pregnancy.The mean age was of 34 years. Cancer was detected during the second trimester of pregnancy in two patients. They were treated with mastectomy followed by 6 courses of adjuvant chemotherapy. The first course was given before delivery. Loco regional radiotherapy was given after the end of chemotherapy. The third patient presented with a bilateral breast cancer which was discovered 2 months after delivery. The patient was treated with mastectomy of the left breast and conservative surgery of the right one, associated with adjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Two patients died the course of the disease. Twenty months later, the third patient is still alive, free of all symptoms and signs. Based on our findings and through a review of literature, we try to determine the epidemiological and clinical features of this association as well the outcome of therapy and eventual prognosis