Continuous Wound Infiltration With Ropivacaine After Mastectomy: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the efficacy of continuous wound infiltration with ropivacaine to reduce acute postoperative pain in patients undergoing mastectomy for carcinoma of the breast. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted. One hundred fifty patients were randomly assigned to receive continuous ropivacaine (0.2%) (group A, n = 74) or saline solution (0.9%) (group B, n = 76) at 10 mL/h for 48 h through a multilumen catheter placed during the surgical procedure. Postoperative morphine consumption and visual analog scale (VAS) pain scores were recorded. A quality of life score (Quality of life questionnaire Core 30) and a VAS score were obtained at 1, 3, and 6 mo after surgery. RESULTS: The difference in mean morphine consumption between the two groups was close to significance during the first 48 h postsurgery (P = 0.056; 10.8 ± 16.5 versus 4.8 ± 10.4 mg). At day 1, patients in the ropivacaine-infusion group had lower morphine consumption than the control group (P = 0.0026). The link between local ropivacaine infiltration and a decrease in mean postoperative VAS scores reached significance for the first 24 h postsurgery (P = 0.039). No significant difference was found between the two arms for VAS pain scores (P = 0.36) or for quality of life (overall QLQ-C30 score, P = 0.09) at 1, 3, or 6 mo. CONCLUSIONS: Continuous wound infiltration with ropivacaine is efficacious in reducing postoperative pain. Quality of life and chronic pain at 1, 3, and 6 mo were not improved by ropivacaine wound infiltration.

[HIPEC in ovarian cancer: What should we expect?] / CHIP et cancers de l'ovaire : pour quelles patientes ?

The results of PRODIGE 7 study demonstrate that the use of HIPEC is not beneficial for patients in the treatment of colorectal carcinomatosis. Nevertheless, a recent study published in NewEnglandJournalofMedicine showed that hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) increased overall survival for patients with ovarian peritoneal carcinomatosis. Although, the emergence of targeted therapies (anti-angiogenic agents, PARP-inhibitors, anti-PDL1) results in new standards of treatment in first line or recurrence disease. In this general context, what is the potential interest of HIPEC for the treatment of ovarian carcinoma?

[Morbidity of pelvic lymphadenectomy and para-aortic lymphadenectomy in endometrial cancer]. / Les lymphadénectomies dans le cancer de l'endomètre, bilan après 4ans de pratique, doit-on poursuivre?

The aim of this study was to evaluate the complication rate of pelvic and para-aortic lymphadenectomy in the management of endometrial cancer following the changes to the recommendations of INCa 2010. This is a retrospective study of 208 patients operated for endometrial cancer between July 2010 and March 2014 in two referral centers. Eighty lymphadenectomy were performed, 65 with hysterectomy and bilateral annexectomy and 18 lymphadenectomy were performed for restaging. Complications assessment is based on the Dindo Clavien classification. We report 17 severe complications (grade 3a and over) (P<0.001), including 14 among patients receiving lymphadenectomy. Morbidity increases with the number of lymphnodes removed and their positivity (P<0.001). The para-aortic lymphadenectomy is primarily responsible for complications (P <0.001). We describe 7 lower limbs lymphedema, 12 nerve injuries, 8 ileus, 5 venous or arterial thromboembolism, 17 blood transfusions, 13 lymphoceles including 9 infected. The rate of intraoperative complications on a first lymphadenectomy is 8% while it reached 22% for restaging. Restaging is significantly more at risk of serious complications (P=0.03) with two deaths. Twenty-four chronic disorders with impaired quality of life (2 without lymphadenectomy) are reported. They are present in 50% of restaging (P=0.033 compared to first lymphadenectomy). Lymphadenectomy is a source of severe morbidity (17.5%) with 2.5% mortality. The benefit of this surgery should probably be discussed again.

The Role of Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy and Factors Associated with Invasion in Extensive DCIS of the Breast Treated by Mastectomy: The Cinnamome Prospective Multicenter Study.

BACKGROUND: When invasive components are discovered at mastectomy for vacuum-assisted biopsy (VAB)-diagnosed ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), the only option available is axillary lymph node dissection (ALND). The primary aim of this prospective multicenter trial was to determine the benefit of performing upfront sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy for these patients. The secondary aim was to determine DCIS factors associated with microinvasion or invasion. METHODS: The SLN procedure was performed during mastectomy, and for positive SLN an ALND was performed during the same intervention. A tissue microarray containing DCIS lesions from the mastectomy specimens was subsequently performed. RESULTS: From May 2008 to December 2010, 228 patients were enrolled from 14 French cancer centers, including 192 eligible patients with pure DCIS on VAB and successful SLN procedures. ALND was avoided for 51 [67 %; 95 % confidence interval (CI), 56-77 %] of all the patients who had microinvasive DCIS or DCIS associated with invasive carcinoma at mastectomy and a negative SLN. Of the 192 patients, 76 (39 %) with VAB-diagnosed DCIS were upgraded after mastectomy to micro (n = 20) or invasive disease (n = 56). The rate of positive SLN for patients with DCIS on VAB was 14 %. High nuclear grade of DCIS was associated with greater risk of microinvasion and invasion, and HER2-amplified DCIS was associated with greater risk of invasion. CONCLUSIONS: Underestimation of invasive components is high when DCIS is diagnosed by VAB in patients undergoing mastectomy. Upfront SLN for patients with VAB-diagnosed extensive DCIS avoids unnecessary ALND for two-thirds of patients with micro or invasive disease on mastectomy.

Long-term follow-up after laparoscopic management of endometrial cancer in the obese: a fifteen-year cohort study.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To assess the surgical outcomes and long-term results of laparoscopic treatment of endometrial cancer in obese patients, and compare these results with those of nonobese women. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study (Canadian Task Force classification II-2). SETTING: Two referral cancer centers. PATIENTS: Fifty-two obese and 155 nonobese women with clinical stage I endometrial cancer managed by laparoscopy from 1990-2005 in two referral centers. INTERVENTIONS: Demographic, surgical, perioperative and pathological characteristics of obese women and nonobese women with endometrial cancer treated by laparoscopy were analyzed and then compared. Recurrence-free and overall survival was calculated by use of Kaplan-Meier method. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Median BMI of the study population was 26.2 Kg/m(2). Median BMI among obese patients was 34.2 Kg/m(2). The conversion rate was independent from the BMI of the patient (3.8% vs 4.5%, p = .80). Neither mean operative time (187.5 vs 172 min, p = .11) neither hospital stay (5.2 vs 4.9 days, p = .44) were related with BMI. Lymphadenectomy was considered not feasible in 7 obese (17%) and 8 nonobese (7%) women (p = 0.09). Fewer lymph nodes were retrieved among obese women (8 versus 11, p <.0002). No differences were found between the groups in terms of perioperative complications. Median follow-up was 69 and 71 months for the obese and nonobese, respectively (p = .59). Overall and disease-free 5-year survival rates did not differ between obese and nonobese patients (90.3% and 87.5% versus 88.5% and 89.8%, respectively). CONCLUSION: Despite some limitations, the laparoscopic approach seems to be particularly useful for obese patients with endometrial cancer, with similar survival and recurrence rates and without any more complications compared to the nonobese population.

Ovarian epithelial dysplasia and prophylactic oophorectomy for genetic risk.

UNLABELLED: To make an accurate histopathological description of ovarian dysplasia in a population at genetic risk of ovarian cancer and devise an ovarian dysplasia score. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this retrospective cohort study, 90 patients who had undergone bilateral oophorectomy or ovarian cystectomy between 1992 and 2005 and whose ovaries were reported as normal were divided into two groups: Group A comprising prophylactic oophorectomies for genetic predisposition (N = 28), and Group B or control group, fertile and non-cancerous (N = 62). Eleven epithelial cytological and architectural features were defined. Ovaries were analysed and reviewed by four pathologists blinded to clinical data. An ovarian dysplasia score was devised to quantify extent of ovarian epithelial abnormalities. The degrees of ovarian epithelial abnormalities (dysplasia scores) were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: Mean dysplasia score was significantly higher in Group A (prophylactic oophorectomies) than in Group B (control group) (9.67 vs. 4.19, P < 0.001). In Group A, we observed a gradation in the severity of the dysplastic lesions between (i) proven BRCA mutations and prophylactic oophorectomies without mutations (11.26 vs. 8.1), and (ii) according to age (10.27 after age 50 years vs. 8.6 before age 50 years, P = 0.2962). CONCLUSION: These results suggest abnormalities in ovaries from high risk women. The ovarian dysplasia may be a pre-malignant, non-invasive histological lesion that could be an important step in early neoplasia.

Capillary permeability and extracellular volume fraction in uterine cervical cancer as patient outcome predictors: measurements by using dynamic MRI spin-lattice relaxometry.

PURPOSE: To improve the outcome prediction of uterine cervical carcinoma by measuring the vascular permeability (k(ep)) and the extracellular volume fraction (v(e)) of the tumor from Dynamic T(1)- IRM Relaxometry. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-six patients with proven cervical carcinoma were divided into good outcome and poor outcome groups. Classic tumor prognostic factors, the longest diameter L and the volume V of the tumor, were measured from morphologic MR images. The tumor parameters k(ep) and v(e) were determined from the relaxometry time-curve acquired during the contrast uptake after a bolus intravenous injection of an extracellular contrast agent. RESULTS: All "small" tumors (L<35 mm or V<11 cm(3)) were good outcome with 100% sensitivity but a rather low specificity (36% and 43% for L and V, respectively). With regard to the physiopathological parameter k(ep), "large" tumors (L >or= 35 mm) can also be classified as good outcome on the condition that k(ep) >or= 2.2 min(-1) with 100% sensitivity and 89% specificity. Regarding the extracellular volume fraction (v(e)), no significant difference was observed between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Measurement of the tumor vascular permeability might be useful to predict prognostic, to evaluate the treatment efficacy, and to adapt a proper therapy schedule.

Giant mature ovarian cystic teratoma including more than 300 teeth.

Preoperative diagnosis of malignant tumors arising from mature cystic teratoma (MCT) of the ovary is not easy; malignant tumors are mostly diagnosed only postoperatively. Tumor size, serum tumor markers, and patient age have been proposed as risk factors for malignancy. This article reports a rare case of a giant, benign MCT of the ovary in a young woman (25 years old). It had a very large size (320 x 270 x 185 mm, 10 kg), a great number of teeth (> 300), and preoperative serum level of tumor markers were elevated (CA125, 875 U/mL(-1); CA19-9, 2087 U/mL(-1); CEA, 5.1 ng/mL(-1); AFP, 23.3 ng/mL(-1); SCC, 20.7 ng/mL(-1)). Based on clinical and laboratory data, tumor markers and tumor size when used alone or in combination do not appear to be useful in making a differential diagnosis between MCT and squamous cell carcinoma arising from MCT. However, radiologically detectable, well-differentiated teeth may be indicative of benignity.

[Obstructive jaundice and hydronephrosis]. / Ictère rétentionnel et hydronéphrose.

BACKGROUND: Giant hydronephrosis leading to obstructive jaundice in adults is extremely rare. CASE: This 83-year-old woman presented obstructive jaundice that was due to blockage of the pelviureteric junction and resolved by percutaneous nephrostomy. DISCUSSION: We discuss the pathophysiologic hypotheses and rule out mechanical compression as a cause.

[Sentinel lymph node biopsy for breast cancer after neoadjuvant chemotherapy: influence of nodal status before treatment]. / Lymphadénectomie axillaire sentinelle après chimiothérapie néoadjuvante pour cancer du sein: influence du statut ganglionnaire initial.

OBJECTIVES: To determine feasibility and accuracy of SLN biopsy in locally advanced breast cancer treated by neoadjuvant chemotherapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From April 2001 to December 2004, a prospective series was constituted of 74 women with invasive breast carcinoma T1T2T3N0N1 receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The SLN located was removed using subdermal periareolar injection of radiolabelled nanocolloid and axillary lymph node dissection was systematically performed. RESULTS: A SLN was identified in 68/74 (92%) patients. It was metastatic in 30/68 cases (44%). The false negative (FN) rate was 14% (5/35). In the subgroup of 42 patients clinically N(0) before chemotherapy, accuracy was 100 %, and FN rate 0%, in the 32 N1, accuracy was 83%, and FN rate 25%. CONCLUSIONS: SLN biopsy using a single subdermal injection of radiolabelled nanocolloid in patients with a breast cancer treated by neoadjuvant chemotherapy is technically feasible and appears to be highly accurate in the subgroup of patients with a clinically negative axilla breast cancer before treatment.

Laparoscopic radical hysterectomy for invasive cervical cancer: 8-year experience of a pilot study.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to retrospectively evaluate, in a series of 50 consecutive patients, the feasibility, morbidity, and survival outcome of the laparoscopic radical hysterectomy for carcinoma of the uterine cervix. METHODS: Fifty patients with invasive cervical cancer were operated on by laparoscopic radical hysterectomy between 1993 and 2001 at two cancer centers. Patients in a good general condition with a cervical carcinoma less than 4 cm and a body mass index up to 29 were eligible. Thirty-one patients had prior brachytherapy. RESULTS: The median overall operative time was 258 min. The mean number of harvested pelvic external iliac nodes was 13.22 per patient. The median postoperative hospital stay was 7.5 days. Two patients had major urinary complications; one had a bladder fistula and one a ureteral stenosis. The median follow-up was 44 months. The overall 5-year survival rate of FIGO stage Ia2 and Ib1 patients was 96%. CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrate that radical hysterectomy can be performed by laparoscopy in stage IB1 or less advanced node negative cervical cancer patients without compromising survival. Prior brachytherapy did not affect the feasibility of this radical procedure.

Induction chemotherapy for breast carcinoma: predictive markers and relation with outcome.

Induction chemotherapy provides an excellent model for evaluation of potential predictive factors. We studied expression of SBR grade, estrogen (ER) and progesterone (PR) receptors, HER2, Ki67 and P53 on core biopsies before and after chemotherapy in a series of 115 patients, who received anthracycline-based induction chemotherapy for primary breast cancer. HER2 overexpression independently predicted response to neoadjuvant anthracycline-based chemotherapy. Patients with HER2-positive status are 4.54 times more likely to have a pathological complete response than those with negative status (p<0.005). HER2, ER and PR status were stable during treatment. P53 and Ki67 significantly increased after treatment (p<0.005 and p<0.0005). SBR grade, proliferation markers, ER evaluated before and after treatment predicted disease-free survival (DFS) in univariate analysis.

Prognostic value of residual node involvement in operable breast cancer after induction chemotherapy.

The purpose of this retrospective study was to evaluate the influence of axillary disease on patients' survival after neoadjuvant chemotherapy and to assess patient and tumor characteristics associated with post-chemotherapy axillary involvement. After six induction cycles, 277 patients with operable breast cancer (stage II-III) underwent surgery with axillary dissection, followed by radiotherapy (n = 267) or additional chemotherapy (n = 63) and adjuvant tamoxifen therapy (n = 138). At a median follow-up of 8.5 years, overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were analyzed as a function of node involvement. The differences in OS and DFS according to the number of positive nodes were highly statistically significant with a decreased survival associated with the increasing number of nodes (p = 5 x 10(-6) and 9 x 10(-7), respectively). Upon multivariate analysis, the node number after chemotherapy appeared as the most significant prognostic factor (p = 7 x 10(-4) for OS and p = 3 x 10(-5) for DFS). All the other classical prognostic factors were insignificant, except post-chemotherapy Scarff-Bloom-Richardson (SBR) grading for OS (p = 8 x 10(-4)) and adjuvant hormonotherapy for DFS (p = 1 x 10(-2)). Although constituting a different parameter from primary surgery data, the number of positive nodes after chemotherapy could still remain a valuable prognostic factor at secondary surgery, raising the question for high risk patients of a second non-cross-resistant adjuvant regimen, or high dose chemotherapy with peripheral blood stem cells support.

Efficacy of a primary chemotherapy regimen combining vinorelbine, epirubicin, and methotrexate (VEM) as neoadjuvant treatment in 89 patients with operable breast cancer.

PURPOSE: In order to improve the breast conservation rate for noninflammatory operable breast cancer stage II and IIIa, neoadjuvant chemotherapy containing vinorelbine, 25 mg/m(2), epirubicin, 35 mg/m(2), and methotrexate, 20 mg/m(2), VEM, was administered days 1 and 8 every 28 days for six cycles. METHODS: From October, 1991 to April, 1996, 89 patients (median age 52 years, range 31-72; 68 stage II and 19 stage IIIa) received 519 cycles (median six) of VEM chemotherapy. RESULTS: Hematotoxicity was mild (World Health Organization grade 3-4 neutropenia in 28% of cycles for 22 patients, and anemia or thrombocytopenia >grade 2) when it occurred, and there were no toxic deaths. The clinical objective response was 90% (28% complete response and 62% partial response). All patients underwent surgery: 77 (87%) had conservative and 12 (13%) had modified radical mastectomy, and 12 (14%) reached pathological complete response. At December, 2000, with a median follow-up of 86 months (39-100), 13 patients had relapsed, and five had died of metastatic disease. Median disease-free survival was 100 months (8.4 years) and median survival had not yet been reached.

Scarff-Bloom-Richardson (SBR) grading: a pleiotropic marker of chemosensitivity in invasive ductal breast carcinomas treated by neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

The Scarff-Bloom-Richardson (SBR) grade, an important prognostic factor in breast cancer, was also associated with cell proliferation, a consistent indicator of response to chemotherapy. The determination of an association between SBR grade and responsiveness would be clinically useful. We explored the influence of SBR grade on response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with invasive ductal breast carcinoma. The present study centered on 431 patients registered onto one of four prospective phase II trials. SBR grading was performed according to the Elston method on needle core biopsies prospectively collected prior to treatment from 290 patients and on residual tumour at surgery from 171 patients. The post-operative grades were then compared with those obtained at diagnosis. Univariate and multivariate analysis were used to evaluate the significance of SBR grade on response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Both statistical analysis revealed that SBR grade III tumours responded better to neoadjuvant treatment than SBR grade I (p<10(-6)). None of the other patient and tumour characteristics tested correlated with response. Moreover, tumour responsiveness was significantly related to changes of the SBR grade (p=7 x 10(-3)). As a conclusion, we showed that SBR grade is a strong predictive factor of response to induction chemotherapy in breast cancer, independently of the type of regimen used. The association between evolution of the histological grade following chemotherapy and response to treatment may prove valuable for clinicians as they make their decision regarding patient therapy.