Breast cancer in young women in southern Tunisia: Anatomical study and clinical prognostic factors: About a series of 83 patients.

PURPOSE: To define epidemiological, clinical, therapeutic and prognostic factors influencing survival of breast cancer in young women younger than 35 in southern Tunisia. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This is a retrospective study of 83 patients younger than 35 years and treated within tumors mammary committee of Sfax. RESULTS: The mean age was 31.7 years. T2 stage, high grade with positive node tumors were frequent. Breast surgery was performed for 73 patients. Chemotherapy was neo-adjuvant, adjuvant and palliative for respectively 10, 62 and 13 patients. Radiotherapy was delivered for 65 patients with curative intent and for 8 metastatic patients. Endocrine therapy was adjuvant in 38 patients and palliative in 6 cases. The overall survival (OS) at 5 years was 66.8%. Pejorative prognostic factors in uni-variate analysis were clinical T stage (T3, T4), and the number of involved lymph nodes. CONCLUSION: Despite adequate treatment, the prognosis of breast cancer in young women remains worse. Early diagnosis is necessary to promote outcome.

Impact of breast cancer stage, time from diagnosis and chemotherapy on plasma and cellular biomarkers of hypercoagulability.

BACKGROUND: In breast cancer patients routine thromboprophylaxis is not recommended but individualized risk assessment is encouraged. The incorporation of hypercoagulability biomarkers could increase the sensitivity of risk assessment models (RAM) to identify patients at VTE risk. To this aim we investigated the impact of cancer-related characteristics on hypercoagulability biomarkers. METHODS: Thrombin generation (TG) assessed with the Thrombogramme-Thrombinoscope®, levels of platelet derived microparticles (Pd-MP) assessed with flow cytometry, procoagulant phospholid dependent clotting time (PPL-ct) measured with a clotting assay and D-Dimers (were assessed in a cohort of 62 women with breast cancer and in 30 age matched healthy women. RESULTS: Patients showed significantly higher TG, Pd-MP, D-Dimers levels and shortened PPL-ct compared to the controls. The PPL-ct was inversely correlated with the levels of Pd-MP, which were increased in 97% of patients. TG and D-Dimers were increased in 76% and 59% of patients respectively. In any stage of the disease TG was significantly increased as compared to the controls. There was no significant difference of TG in patients with local, regional of metastatic stage. There was no significant difference in Pd-MP or Pd-MP/PS+ between the subgroups of patients with local or regional stage of cancer. Patients with metastatic disease had significantly higher levels of Pd-MP and Pd-MP/PS+ compared to those with regional stage. The D-Dimers increased in patients with metastatic stage. In patients on chemotherapy with less than 6 months since diagnosis TG was significantly higher compared to those on chemotherapy who diagnosed in interval > 6 months. Patients with metastatic disease had significantly higher levels of Pd-MP and D-Dimers compared to those with non-metastatic disease. CONCLUSION: In breast cancer patients the stage, the time elapsed since the diagnosis and the administration of chemotherapy are determinants of cellular and plasma hypercoagulability. The levels and the procoagulant activity of Pd-MP are interconnected with the biological activity and the overall burden of cancer. TG reflects the procoagulant properties of both breast cancer and chemotherapy in the initial period of cancer diagnosis. Thus the weighted incorporation of the biomarkers of cellular and plasma hypercoagulabilty in RAM for VTE might improve their predictive value.

[Esthesioneuroblastoma]. / Les esthésioneuroblastomes.

Esthesioneuroblastoma is an uncommon malignancy originating from olfactive epithelium. Men are more frequently affected than women. Nasal symptoms are the most common revealing signs. Immunohistochemistry helps diagnosis. There is no randomized trial evaluating treatment due to the low incidence of this tumor. Radiotherapy and surgery are the standard of care. Radiotherapy is benefic even in early stage disease. Chemotherapy is indicated in case of locally advanced or metastatic disease.

Nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) around the Mediterranean area: standard of care.

Mediterranean area (MA) represents a zone of intermediate incidence (1-5/100,000) for NPC, the highest frequency being observed in North Africa (NA) where it is characterized by a bimodal age repartition due to a first adolescence peak. In MA and NA, NPC remain diagnosed at advanced stages which impact poorly on overall and disease-free survival. It's therapy in MA followed the progresses and standardisation of protocols, based on concomitant chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) alone or preceded by induction chemotherapy (ICT) in advanced (N2-3, T3-4) stages, while localized cases are managed irradiation alone. NPC overall an disease-free survival improved, due to the use of combined chemo and radiotherapy.

Reappraisal of clinical outcome in adult medulloblastomas with emphasis on patterns of relapse.

BACKGROUND: Clinical outcome and prognostic factors were assessed in adult medulloblastoma patients, with emphasis on patterns of relapse. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Records of 36 consecutive adult patients with medulloblastoma were reviewed. Patients were classified into 2 prognostic groups according to the extent of disease and quality of surgical excision based on the early postoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings. Standard-risk (SR) patients (n = 11) received postoperative craniospinal radiation therapy (RT) only, 36 Gy, 1.8 Gy per daily fraction, with a 18 Gy boost to the posterior cerebral fossa (PCF). High-risk (HR) patients (n = 25) received additional adjuvant chemotherapy. RESULTS: With a median follow-up of 46 months (range 5-155), 19 patients experienced tumour relapse. Sites of relapse(s) included tumour bed in 6 patients, resulting in a PCF control of 83.4%. Three-year overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were 67.3% and 57.4%, respectively. The comparison of the HR and SR populations demonstrated significant differences in OS (p = 0.005) and PFS (p = 0.001). Quality of surgical excision and extent of disease beyond the PCF were predictive factors for OS (p = 0.04, p = 0.001, respectively) and PFS (p = 0.004, and p = 0.02, respectively). CONCLUSION: The quality of resection was a significant prognostic factor, suggesting that surgery should be as extensive as possible. Systematic postoperative MRI allowed accurate selection of SR patients for whom RT alone was enough to obtain high local control. Every effort should be made to avoid RT disruption. Increased delay led to worse outcome.