Prognostic factors in uterine adenosarcoma: subanalysis of the SARCUT study.

Objective: The purpose of the study was to analyse the role of prognostic factors on the risk of recurrence and overall survival of patients with uterine adenosarcoma. Methods: A retrospective international multicentre study involving 46 centres collected 32 cases of uterine adenosarcoma, and these cases were included in the present subanalysis. Clinical and demographic features and tumour characteristics were gathered, as well as information on treatment and relapse. Disease-free and overall survival were analysed. Results: The 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) was 85.3% and the 5-year overall survival (OS) rate was 89.5%. The risk factors significantly associated with overall survival were age (HR 1.09, 95% CI 1.03-1.15; p = 0.004) and FIGO stage II-III (HR 17.75, 95% CI 2.87-109.93; p = 0.002). Patients who experienced early relapse (within 12 months) had a tumour size >30 mm and advanced stage. The majority of recurred cases were treated with radiotherapy or surgery and obtained a good response rate. Conclusion: The most significant prognostic factors in uterine adenosarcoma were age and FIGO stage and, indirectly, tumour size at diagnosis. The use of secondary surgery and/or radiotherapy could help in prolonging the disease-free status of the patients.

Side Effects from Cancer Therapies and Perspective of 1044 Long-Term Ovarian Cancer Survivors-Results of Expression VI-Carolin Meets HANNA-Holistic Analysis of Long-Term Survival with Ovarian Cancer: The International NOGGO, ENGOT, and GCIG Survey.

The aim of this survey was to increase the knowledge on the characteristics and health concerns of long-term survivors (LTS; survival > 5 years) after ovarian cancer in order to tailor follow-up care. This international survey was initiated by the NOGGO and was made available to members of ENGOT and GCIG. The survey is anonymous and consists of 68 questions regarding sociodemographic, medical (cancer) history, health concerns including distress, long-term side effects, and lifestyle. For this analysis, 1044 LTS from 14 countries were recruited. In total, 58% were diagnosed with FIGO stage III/IV ovarian cancer and 43.4% developed recurrent disease, while 26.0% were receiving cancer treatment at the time of filling in the survey. LTS who survived 5-10 years self-estimated their health status as being significantly worse than LTS who survived more than 10 years (p = 0.034), whereas distress also remained high 10 years after cancer diagnosis. Almost half of the cohort (46.1%) reported still having symptoms, which were mainly lymphedema (37.7%), fatigue (23.9%), pain (21.6%), polyneuropathy (16.9%), gastrointestinal problems (16.6%), and memory problems (15.5%). Almost all patients (94.2%) regularly received follow-up care. Specialized survivorship care with a focus on long-term side effects, lifestyle, and prevention should be offered beyond the typical five years of follow-up care.

Impact of Hospital Case Volume on Uterine Sarcoma Prognosis: SARCUT Study Subanalysis.

BACKGROUND: High-complexity and low-prevalence procedures benefit from treatment by referral centers. The volume of cases necessary to maintain high training in the treatment of gynecologic sarcoma is currently unknown. This study aimed to determine differences in survival and recurrence as a function of the volume of patients treated per center. METHODS: The multicentric cross-sectional SARComa of the Uterus (SARCUT) study retrospectively collected cases of uterine sarcomas from 44 centers in Europe from January 2001 to December 2007. The survival of patients treated in high case-volume (HighCV) centers was compared with the survival of patients treated in low case-volume (LowCV) centers. RESULTS: The study enrolled 966 patients: 753 in the LowCV group and 213 in the HighCV. Overall survival (OS) was 117 months, and cancer-specific survival (CSS) was 126 months. The difference was significant (respectively p = 0.0003 and 0.0004, log rank). After adjustment for other confounding factors, the remaining significant factors were age (hazard ratio [HR], 1.04; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.03-1.05), histology (HR, 1.19; 95% CI, 1.06-1.34), extrauterine involvement (HR, 1.61; 95% CI, 1.24-2.10) and persistent disease after treatment (HR, 3.22; 95% CI, 2.49-4.18). The cytoreduction performed was significantly associated with the CSS and OS in both groups. The log rank for surgical cytoreduction was a p value lower than 0.0001 for OS, lower than 0.0001 for the LowCV centers, and 0.0032 for the HighCV centers. CONCLUSIONS: The prognosis for patients with uterine sarcoma is directly related to complete tumor cytoreduction, histologic type, and FIGO stage, with significant differences between low and high case-volume centers. Patients with uterine sarcomas should be centralized in HighCV centers to improve their oncologic outcomes.

Impact of perioperative characteristics on the recurrence risk and survival of patients with uterine leiomyosarcoma.

OBJECTIVES: To analyze the impact of perioperative characteristics on the risk of recurrence in patients with uterine leiomyosarcomas. METHODS: A sub-analysis of the SARComa of the UTerus (SARCUT) study, which is a multicentric cross-sectional pan-European study that included 390 patients diagnosed with leiomyosarcoma, between 2001 and 2007. Perioperative factors related to risk of recurrence and survival were analyzed. RESULTS: The 5-year and 10-year disease-free survivals (DFS) were 46% and 55%, respectively. Overall survival at 5 and 10 years was 34% and 47%, respectively. The most important factors related to global recurrence were the incomplete cytoreduction (hazard ratio [HR] 2.87; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.91-4.31); performing bilateral adnexectomy (HR 2.71; 95% CI 1.23-5.93); tumor persistence after any treatment (HR 2.38; 95% CI 1.39-4.06); and adjuvant chemotherapy administration (HR 2.55; 95% CI 1.82-3.58) or adjuvant radiotherapy (HR 2.26; 95% CI 1.53-3.32). The major factors significantly associated with pelvic relapse were tumor persistence after any treatment (HR 3.63; 95% CI 1.83-7.20) and adjuvant radiotherapy (HR 2.74; 95% CI 1.44-5.20). Incomplete cytoreduction was the most important factor associated with distant relapse (HR 1.91; 95% CI 1.22-2.97). The most important factors related to overall survival were tumor persistence after any treatment (HR 4.59; 95% CI 2.51-8.40), incomplete cytoreduction (HR 3.68; 95% CI 2.44-5.56), tumor margin involvement (HR 2.41; 95% CI 1.64-3.55) and adjuvant chemotherapy (HR 1.91; 95% CI 1.31-2.78). CONCLUSIONS: Complete cytoreduction is the main prognosis factor impacting the DFS and overall survival of patients with uterine leiomyosarcoma. Adjuvant chemotherapy administration was associated with decreased rates of DFS and overall survival. The adjuvant radiotherapy was associated with a higher risk of global recurrence.

Deep-learning magnetic resonance imaging-based automatic segmentation for organs-at-risk in the brain: Accuracy and impact on dose distribution.

Background and purpose: Normal tissue sparing in radiotherapy relies on proper delineation. While manual contouring is time consuming and subject to inter-observer variability, auto-contouring could optimize workflows and harmonize practice. We assessed the accuracy of a commercial, deep-learning, MRI-based tool for brain organs-at-risk delineation. Materials and methods: Thirty adult brain tumor patients were retrospectively manually recontoured. Two additional structure sets were obtained: AI (artificial intelligence) and AIedit (manually corrected auto-contours). For 15 selected cases, identical plans were optimized for each structure set. We used Dice Similarity Coefficient (DSC) and mean surface-distance (MSD) for geometric comparison and gamma analysis and dose-volume-histogram comparison for dose metrics evaluation. Wilcoxon signed-ranks test was used for paired data, Spearman coefficient(ρ) for correlations and Bland-Altman plots to assess level of agreement. Results: Auto-contouring was significantly faster than manual (1.1/20 min, p < 0.01). Median DSC and MSD were 0.7/0.9 mm for AI and 0.8/0.5 mm for AIedit. DSC was significantly correlated with structure size (ρ = 0.76, p < 0.01), with higher DSC for large structures. Median gamma pass rate was 74% (71-81%) for Plan_AI and 82% (75-86%) for Plan_AIedit, with no correlation with DSC or MSD. Differences between Dmean_AI and Dmean_Ref were ≤ 0.2 Gy (p < 0.05). The dose difference was moderately correlated with DSC. Bland Altman plot showed minimal discrepancy (0.1/0) between AI and reference Dmean/Dmax. Conclusions: The AI-model showed good accuracy for large structures, but developments are required for smaller ones. Auto-segmentation was significantly faster, with minor differences in dose distribution caused by geometric variations.

Hereditary Breast Cancer in Romania-Molecular Particularities and Genetic Counseling Challenges in an Eastern European Country.

In Romania, breast cancer (BC) is the most common malignancy in women. However, there is limited data on the prevalence of predisposing germline mutations in the population in the era of precision medicine, where molecular testing has become an indispensable tool in cancer diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutics. Therefore, we conducted a retrospective study to determine the prevalence, mutational spectrum, and histopathological prediction factors for hereditary breast cancer (HBC) in Romania. A cohort of 411 women diagnosed with BC selected upon NCCN v.1.2020 guidelines underwent an 84-gene NGS-based panel testing for breast cancer risk assessment during 2018-2022 in the Department of Oncogenetics of the Oncological Institute of Cluj-Napoca, Romania. A total of 135 (33%) patients presented pathogenic mutations in 19 genes. The prevalence of genetic variants was determined, and demographic and clinicopathological characteristics were analyzed. We observed differences among BRCA and non-BRCA carriers regarding family history of cancer, age of onset, and histopathological subtypes. Triple-negative (TN) tumors were more often BRCA1 positive, unlike BRCA2 positive tumors, which were more often the Luminal B subtype. The most frequent non-BRCA mutations were found in CHEK2, ATM, and PALB2, and several recurrent variants were identified for each gene. Unlike other European countries, germline testing for HBC is still limited due to the high costs and is not covered by the National Health System (NSH), thus leading to significant discrepancies related to the screening and prophylaxis of cancer.

Prognostic factors in patients with uterine sarcoma: the SARCUT study.

OBJECTIVE: Uterine sarcomas are a rare and heterogeneous group of malignancies that include different histological sub-types. The aim of this study was to identify and evaluate the impact of the different prognostic factors on overall survival and disease-free survival of patients with uterine sarcoma. METHODS: This international multicenter retrospective study included 683 patients diagnosed with uterine sarcoma at 46 different institutions between January 2001 and December 2007. RESULTS: The 5-year overall survival for leiomyosarcoma, endometrial stromal sarcoma, undifferentiated sarcoma, and adenosarcoma was 65.3%, 78.3%, 52.4%, and 89.5%, respectively, and the 5-year disease-free survival was 54.3%, 68.1%, 40.3%, and 85.3%, respectively. The 10-year overall survival for leiomyosarcoma, endometrial stromal sarcoma, undifferentiated sarcoma and adenosarcoma was 52.6%, 64.8%, 52.4%, and 79.5%, respectively, and the 10-year disease-free survival was 44.7%, 53.3%, 40.3%, and 77.5%, respectively. The most significant factor associated with overall survival in all types of sarcoma except for adenosarcoma was the presence of residual disease after primary treatment. In adenosarcoma, disease stage at diagnosis was the most important factor (hazard ratio 17.7; 95% CI 2.86 to 109.93). CONCLUSION: Incomplete cytoreduction, tumor persistence, advanced stage, extra-uterine and tumor margin involvement, and the presence of necrosis were relevant prognostic factors significantly affecting overall survival in uterine sarcoma. The presence of lymph vascular space involvement and administration of adjuvant chemotherapy were significantly associated with a higher risk of relapse.

Lymph node dissection in uterine leiomyosarcomas: A matched-pair study.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of the lymph node dissection (LND) in the disease-free (DFS) and overall survival (OS) of the women treated surgically of uterine leiomyosarcoma (ULMS). MATERIAL AND METHODS: A multicentric retrospective study was conducted among European countries collecting patients diagnosed of uterine sarcoma (SARcoma of the UTerus - SARCUT study). A total of 390 ULMS were selected for the present study to compare patients who underwent LND and those who did not. A further matched-pair subanalysis identified 116 women, 58 pairs (58 with LND and 58 without it) comparable in age, tumor size, surgical procedures, extrauterine disease and adjuvant treatment. Demographic data, pathology results and follow-up were abstracted from medical records and analyzed. Disease-free (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were studied using Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox regression analysis. RESULTS: Among the 390 patients, the 5-year DFS was significantly higher in no-LDN group comparing to the LDN group (57.7% vs. 33.0%; HR 1.75, 95% CI 1.19-2.56; p = 0.007), but not the 5-year OS (64.6% vs. 64.3%; HR 1,10 95% CI 0,77-1,79; p = 0.704). In the matched-pair subanalysis, there were no statistical differences between the study groups. The 5- year DFS was 50.5% in the no-LND and 33.0% in the LND group (HR 1.38; 95% CI 0,83-2.31; p = 0,218) and the 5-year OS was 59.7% and 64.3% respectively (HR 0.81; 95% CI 0,45-1,49; p = 0,509). CONCLUSIONS: LND performed in women diagnosed of ULMS have no impact neither in the disease-free nor in the overall survival compared to patients without LDN in a complete homogeneous group.

Prognostic factors in undifferentiated uterine sarcoma: a subanalysis of the SARCUT study.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to analyze the prognostic factors related to the recurrence rate and overall survival of patients with undifferentiated uterine sarcoma. METHODS: An international multicenter study involving 43 international centers, the SARCUT study, collected 966 uterine sarcoma cases; among them 39 cases corresponded to undifferentiated uterine sarcoma and where included in the present subanalysis. The risk factors related to the oncological outcomes where analyzed. RESULTS: The median age of the patients was 63 (range 14-85) years. Seventeen (43.5%) patients presented FIGO stage I. The 5-year overall survival (OS) was 15.3% and 12-months disease-free survival (DFS) 41%. FIGO stage I was significantly associated with a better prognosis. In addition, patients who received adjuvant radiotherapy showed significant longer disease-free survival compared to those without adjuvant radiotherapy (20.5 vs. 4.0 months, respectively; p = 0.04) and longer overall survival (34.7 vs. 18.2 months, respectively; p = 0.05). Chemotherapy administration was associated with shorter DFS (HR 4.41, 95% CI 1.35-14.43, p = 0.014). Persistent disease after primary treatment (HR = 6.86, 95% CI 1.51-31.09, p = 0.012) and FIGO stage IV (HR 4.12, 95%CI 1.37-12.44, p = 0.011) showed significant worse prognosis for OS. CONCLUSION: FIGO stage seems to be the most important prognostic factor in patients with undifferentiated uterine sarcoma. Adjuvant radiotherapy seems to be significantly associated also to a better disease-free and overall survival. On the contrary, the role of chemotherapy administration remains unclear since was associated to a shorted DFS.

Cytotoxicity Evaluation of Unmodified Paddlewheel Dirhodium(II,II)-Acetate/-Formamidinate Complexes and Their Axially Modified Low-Valent Metallodendrimers.

Two diphenyl formamidine ligands, four dirhodium(II,II) complexes, and three axially modified low-valent dirhodium(II,II) metallodendrimers were synthesized and evaluated as anticancer agents against the A2780, A2780cis, and OVCAR-3 human ovarian cancer cell lines. The dirhodium(II,II) complexes show moderate cytotoxic activity in the tested tumor cell lines, with acetate and methyl-substituted formamidinate compounds displaying increased cytotoxicity that is relative to cisplatin in the A2780cis cisplatin resistant cell line. Additionally, methyl- and fluoro-substituted formamidinate complexes showed comparable and increased cytotoxic activity in the OVCAR-3 cell line when compared to cisplatin. The low-valent metallodendrimers show some activity, but a general decrease in cytotoxicity was observed when compared to the precursor complexes in all but one case, which is where the more active acetate-derived metallodendrimer showed a lower IC50 value in the OVCAR-3 cell line in comparison with the dirhodium(II,II) tetraacetate.

Influence of Clinical and Surgical Factors on Uterine Carcinosarcoma Survival.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to assess the impact of prognostic factors on the survival of patients diagnosed with uterine carcinosarcoma. METHODS: A sub-analysis of the SARCUT study, a multicentric retrospective European study, was carried out. We selected 283 cases of diagnosed uterine carcinosarcoma for the present study. Prognosis factors influencing survival were analyzed. RESULTS: Significant prognostic factors for overall survival were: incomplete cytoreduction (HR = 4.02; 95%CI = 2.68-6.18), FIGO stages III and IV (HR = 3.21; 95%CI = 1.83-5.61), tumor persistence after any treatment (HR = 2.90; 95%CI = 1.97-4.27), presence of extrauterine disease (HR = 2.62; 95%CI = 1.75-3.92), a positive resection margin (HR = 1.56; 95%CI = 1.05-2.34), age (HR = 1.02; 95%CI = 1.00-1.05), and tumor size (HR = 1.01; 95%CI = 1.00-1.01). Significant prognostic factors for disease-free survival were: incomplete cytoreduction (HR = 3.00; 95%CI = 1.67-5.37), tumor persistence after any treatment (HR = 2.64; 95%CI = 1.81-3.86), FIGO stages III and IV (HR = 2.33; 95%CI = 1.59-3.41), presence of extrauterine disease (HR = 2.13; 95%CI = 1.44-3.17), administration of adjuvant chemotherapy (HR = 1.84; 95%CI = 1.27-2.67), a positive resection margin (HR = 1.65; 95%CI = 1.11-2.44), presence of LVSI (HR = 1.61; 95%CI = 1.02-2.55), and tumor size (HR = 1.00; 95%CI = 1.00-1.01). CONCLUSIONS: Incomplete cytoreduction, presence of tumor residual after treatment, advanced FIGO stage, extrauterine disease, and tumor size are significant prognostic factors decreasing disease-free survival and overall survival of patients with uterine carcinosarcoma.

Ovarian Real-World International Consortium (ORWIC): A multicentre, real-world analysis of epithelial ovarian cancer treatment and outcomes.

Introduction: Much drug development and published analysis for epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) focuses on early-line treatment. Full sequences of treatment from diagnosis to death and the impact of later lines of therapy are rarely studied. We describe the establishment of an international network of cancer centers configured to compare real-world treatment pathways in UK, Portugal, Germany, South Korea, France and Romania (the Ovarian Real-World International Consortium; ORWIC). Methods: 3344 patients diagnosed with EOC (2012-2018) were analysed using a common data model and hub and spoke programming approach applied to existing electronic medical records. Consistent definition of line of therapy between sites and an efficient approach to analysis within the limitations of local information governance was achieved. Results: Median age of participants was 53-67 years old and 5-29% were ECOG >1. Between 62% and 84% of patients were diagnosed with late-stage disease (FIGO III-IV). Sites treating younger and fitter patients had higher rates of debulking surgery for those diagnosed at late stage than sites with older, more frail patients. At least 21% of patients treated with systemic anti-cancer therapy (SACT) had recurrent disease following second-line therapy (2L); up to 11 lines of SACT treatment were recorded for some patients. Platinum-based SACT was consistently used across sites at 1L, but choices at 2L varied, with hormone therapies commonly used in the UK and Portugal. The use (and type) of maintenance therapy following 1L also varied. Beyond 2L, there was little consensus between sites on treatment choice: trial compounds and unspecified combinations of other agents were common. Discussion: Specific treatment sequences are reported up to 4L and the establishment of this network facilitates future analysis of comparative outcomes per line of treatment with the aim of optimizing available options for patients with recurrent EOC. In particular, this real-world network can be used to assess the growing use of PARP inhibitors. The real-world optimization of advanced line treatment will be especially important for patients not usually eligible for involvement with clinical trials. The resources to enable this analysis to be implemented elsewhere are supplied and the network will seek to grow in coverage of further sites.

Antiproliferative Ruthenium Complexes Containing Curcuminoid Ligands Tested In Vitro on Human Ovarian Tumor Cell Line A2780, towards Their Capability to Modulate the NF-κBTranscription Factor, FGF-2 Growth Factor, and MMP-9 Pathway.

So far, the polyphenolic components of turmeric have shown a significant pharmacological preventative activity for a wide spectrum of diseases, including oncological disorders. This type of natural product could be of great interest for the inhibition of cancer cell proliferation, displaying less side effects in comparison to classical chemotherapeutics. The poor bioavailability and quick metabolism of such natural compounds require new investigative methods to improve their stability in the organisms. A synthetic approach to increase the efficiency of curcuminoids is to coordinate them to metals through the beta-dicarbonyl moiety. We report the synthesis and the biological attempts on human ovarian carcinoma A2780 of ruthenium(II) complexes 1-4, containing curcuminoid ligands. The cytotoxicity of complexes 1-4 proves their antiproliferative capability, and a correlation between the IC50 values and NF-κB transcription factor, FGF-2, and MMP-9 levels was figured out through the principal component analysis (PCA).

Evolutionary perspectives, heterogeneity and ovarian cancer: a complicated tale from past to present.

Ovarian cancer is composed of a complex system of cells best described by features such as clonal evolution, spatial and temporal genetic heterogeneity, and development of drug resistance, thus making it the most lethal gynecologic cancer. Seminal work on cancer as an evolutionary process has a long history; however, recent cost-effective large-scale molecular profiling has started to provide novel insights coupled with the development of mathematical algorithms. In the current review, we have systematically searched for articles that focused on the clonal evolution of ovarian cancer to offer the whole landscape of research that has been done and highlight future research avenues given its characteristic features and connections to evolutionary biology.

Prognostic factors for in-transit metastasis in patients with malignant melanoma.

Background and aims: Malignant melanoma represents an aggressive and unpredictable malignancy, with high locoregional recurrence rates, regardless of tumor stage and therapeutic management. This study aims to identify the main histopathological prognostic factors involved in the development of in-transit metastasis in patients with malignant melanoma. Methods: The study includes only patients that were diagnosed with malignant melanoma and with histologically confirmed in-transit metastasis who were treated in a comprehensive cancer center between 2010-2021. Histopathological parameters were investigated, univariate and multivariate analysis was performed. Results: A total of 26 patients were included in the analysis. On univariate and multivariate analysis, only primary cutaneous melanomas located on the thorax correlated with the risk of developing in-transit metastasis, whereas clinicopathological factors such as an increased Breslow thickness and Clark level, the presence of ulceration, positive lymph nodes, a non-brisk TIL density, a high mitotic rate, a nodular subtype, and age >50 years may represent risk factors, even though we could not find any correlations. Conclusions: Primary cutaneous melanomas that arise on the thorax present a high risk for the occurrence of locoregional disease, whereas other clinicopathological characteristics could not be used to predict local recurrence. However, prospective and more extensive cohort studies are needed in order to validate these important prognostic factors.

Continuous Intravenous Administration of Granulocyte-Colony-Stimulating Factors-A Breakthrough in the Treatment of Cancer Patients with Febrile Neutropenia.

(1) Background: Febrile neutropenia (FN) remains one of the most challenging problems in medical oncology and is a very severe side effect of chemotherapy. Its late consequences, when it is recurrent or of a severe grade, are dose reduction and therapy delays. Current guidelines allow the administration of granulocyte-colony-stimulating factors (G-CSF) for profound FN (except for the case when a pegylated form of G-CSF is administrated with prophylactic intention) in addition to antibiotics and supportive care. (2) Methods: This is a prospective study that included 96 patients with confirmed malignancy, treated with chemotherapy, who developed FN during their oncological therapy, and were hospitalized. They received standard treatment plus a dose of G-CSF of 16 µg/Kg/day IV continuous infusion. (3) Results: The gender distribution was almost symmetrical: Male patients made up 48.96% and 51.04% were female patients, with no significance on recovery from FN (p = 1.00). The patients who received prophylactic G-CSF made up 20.21%, but this was not a predictive or prognostic factor for the recovery time from aplasia (p = 0.34). The median chemotherapy line where patients with FN were included was two and the number of previous chemotherapy cycles before FN was three. The median serological number of neutrophils (PMN) was 450/mm3 and leucocytes (WBC) 1875/mm3 at the time of FN. Ten patients possess PMN less than 100/mm3. The median time to recovery was 25.5 h for 96 included patients, with one failure in which the patient possessed grade 5 FN. Predictive factors for shorter recovery time were lower levels of C reactive protein (p < 0.001) and procalcitonin (p = 0.002) upon hospital admission and higher WBC (p = 0.006) and PMN (p < 0.001) at the time of the provoking cycle of chemotherapy for FN. The best chance for a shorter duration of FN was a short history of chemotherapy regarding the number of cycles) (p < 0.0001). (4) Conclusions: Continuous IV administration of G-CSF could be an alternative salvage treatment for patients with profound febrile neutropenia, with a very fast recovery time for neutrophiles.

Adenosquamous Carcinoma of the Uterine Cervix - Impact of Histology on Clinical Management.

INTRODUCTION: Historically, the incidence rate of cervical cancer (CC) in Eastern Europe and particularly in Bulgaria has constantly been higher than that in the other European countries. Adenosquamous carcinoma (ASC) is a rare histological subtype of CC with incidence rate of less than 6 per 100,000. We aimed to analyze the epidemiology and prognosis of all Bulgarian patients with ASC, registered at the Bulgarian National Cancer Registry (BNCR), and to compare patients' characteristics and outcomes with those of patients, treated at a large specialized institution - the Department of Gynecologic Oncology, University Hospital in Pleven, Bulgaria. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a retrospective study of all cases of ASC, registered at the BNCR for a 10-year period of time. The Kaplan-Meier analysis with Log rank test was used to estimate the significant differences. RESULTS: The incidence rate of ASC was calculated as 3.2% of all CC registered in BNCR and 4.97% of all stage I patients, treated in our department. The 5-year overall survival (OS) rate of all patients with ASC tumors from the registry was 50.5%. A total of 171 (48.4%) of the patients had T1 tumors and a 5-year OS of 67.1%. Lymph node status was a significant prognostic factor for OS (p=0.001). Thirty-one patients with T1 tumors and ASC histology were treated in our department for the same period of time. Lymph node metastases were found in 10 of them (32.2%). The 5-year observed OS in ASC group was 74.19%. CONCLUSION: The histological subtype of cancer of the uterine cervix has an impact on prognosis and should not be simply considered as a descriptive characteristic but a poor prognostic feature and should be an integral part of the decision-making in clinical management of patients.

Critical Aspects Concerning the Development of a Pooling Approach for SARS-CoV-2 Diagnosis Using Large-Scale PCR Testing.

The primary approach to controlling the spread of the pandemic SARS-CoV-2 is to diagnose and isolate the infected people quickly. Our paper aimed to investigate the efficiency and the reliability of a hierarchical pooling approach for large-scale PCR testing for SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis. To identify the best conditions for the pooling approach for SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis by RT-qPCR, we investigated four manual methods for both RNA extraction and PCR assessment targeting one or more of the RdRp, N, S, and ORF1a genes, by using two PCR devices and an automated flux for SARS-CoV-2 detection. We determined the most efficient and accurate diagnostic assay, taking into account multiple parameters. The optimal pool size calculation included the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2, the assay sensitivity of 95%, an assay specificity of 100%, and a range of pool sizes of 5 to 15 samples. Our investigation revealed that the most efficient and accurate procedure for detecting the SARS-CoV-2 has a detection limit of 2.5 copies/PCR reaction. This pooling approach proved to be efficient and accurate in detecting SARS-CoV-2 for all samples with individual quantification cycle (Cq) values lower than 35, accounting for more than 94% of all positive specimens. Our data could serve as a comprehensive practical guide for SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic centers planning to address such a pooling strategy.

Immediate Breast Reconstruction in Large Ptotic Breasts Using the Inferior Based Dermal Flap. Indications and Technique.

Introduction: Achieving good aesthetic outcomes during immediate reconstruction in women with large ptotic breast presents a unique challenge for the reconstructive surgeon. We present our paradigm regarding immediate reconstruction in patients with large ptotic breasts, using the inferiorly based dermal flap. Materials and Methods: Ten patients with large ptotic breasts underwent mastectomy and immediate implant reconstruction at the "Prof. Dr. I. Chiricuta" Institute of Oncology. The mastectomy was carried out using a Wise pattern skin resection with preservation of a dermal flap at the lower pole of the breast. The flap was sutured to the pectoralis major muscle and completed the subpectoral pocket created for the implant. Results: The reconstruction was done bilaterally in three cases with a total number of 13 reconstructed breasts. Of these 11 required dermal flaps. All reconstructions were completed successfully and there were no implant losses. Four breasts (36%) developed superficial necrosis of the tip of the mastectomy flaps at the T junction. Conclusion: The dermal flap technique is safe, versatile and reliable. It is used in a wide array of reconstructive scenarios as it provides the surgeon with an excellent alternative to more costly and unreliable methods.