The prognostic value of the post-treatment serum CA 125 level in patients with advanced endometrial cancer.

OBJECTIVES: The goal of this analysis was to assess the prognostic value of the post-treatment serum CA 125 level in each member of a group of advanced endometrial cancer (aEC) patients in comparison to other clinical and pathological parameters. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Records of 266 patients treated at the Maria Sklodowska-Curie Memorial Cancer Centre and Institute of Oncology, Cracow Branch between the years 2006 and 2018 were included in the study. Follow-up ranged from 1 to 138 months. Progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were set as the endpoints. The tests chi-squared, Fisher, log-rank, Mann-Whitney, Kruskal-Wallis and Cox proportional hazard ratio were used for statistical analyses. RESULTS: In the analysed group, there was a significant association between an elevated serum CA 125 level following adjuvant treatment and shorter PFS and OS. After setting a cut-off value for CA 125 there was a statistically significant correlation between the marker and PFS and OS. Multivariate analysis indicated that the post-treatment serum CA 125 level is an independent prognostic factor of the course of aEC. CONCLUSIONS: The post-treatment serum CA 125 level correlates significantly with both PFS and OS in each patient with aEC. The marker is an independent prognostic factor in this group. A low post-treatment level of the marker is a strong indicator of good 5-year survival, with 82% of patients reaching 5-year OS.

The analysis of the prognostic value of the neutrophil/ lymphocyte ratio and the platelet/lymphocyte ratio among advanced endometrial cancer patients.

OBJECTIVES: About 20% of endometrial cancer (EC) patients have advanced disease (FIGO III & IV) at the moment of diagnosis. An attempt to evaluate the prognostic value of biochemical markers of inflammation and classic endometrial cancer prognostic factors in the group of advanced EC (aEC) patients has been made in this study. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Records of 266 patients treated in the Maria Sklodowska-Curie Memorial Cancer Centre and Institute of Oncology, Cracow Branch between the year 2006 and 2018 were included in the study. Follow-up ranged from 1 to 138 months. Progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) have been set as endpoints. Tests such as: chi-squared, Fisher, log-rank, Mann-Whitney, Kruskal-Wallis and Cox proportional hazard ratio were used in the statistical analyses. RESULTS: In the analysed group high total platelet count (PLT) before operative treatment and high levels of white blood cells (WBC), PLT, neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR) before adjuvant therapy (AT) have been significantly associated with shorter PFS and OS. After setting the cut-off values of NLR and PLR a statistically significant correlation between those parameters and PFS as well as OS has been shown. Multivariate analysis has indicated that NLR is an independent prognostic factor of the course of aEC. CONCLUSIONS: NLR and PLR correlate significantly with OS and PFS in aEC. NLR is an independent prognostic factor in this group. It is possible to distinguish 3 risk groups, among aEC patients, based on NRL and PLR.

Longitudinal Health-Related Quality of Life Study among Cervical Cancer Patients Treated with Radiotherapy.

Quality of life studies in medicine, particularly in oncology, have become a basic tool used to assess patient's performance in different types of cancer and different modalities of treatment. The aim of this study was a subjective evaluation of the quality of life in cervical cancer patients treated with radiotherapy. The study has a longitudinal character and comprises four stages: before treatment, at the end of treatment, 5 months and 5 years after treatment. Standardized questionnaires such as EORTC QoL C30, HADS (European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of life C30 Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale) and the authors demographic-clinical assessment survey were the study tools. Physical functioning was assessed as the highest before treatment and depreciated to the lowest value 5 years after treatment. Emotional functioning was the lowest before treatment and then decreased again in the fourth stage of the assessment. Global quality of life was the lowest in the fourth stage of the study. Memory and concentration were fairly good at every stage of the study, with the highest score at the end of the treatment. At stages 3 and 4, the respondent's social functioning was the best, followed by the ability to fulfil their social role. General health and quality of life were assessed by the respondents on a level slightly above average, though five years after treatment the score was slightly below average.

Asymptomatic uterus-like mass (ULM) of the extraperitoneal space - a case report of a rare finding with unusual clinical presentation and review of the literature.

The paper presents a case of a uterus-like mass (ULM), a rare type of tumour of the female reproductive system, which did not present any clinical symptoms described in other cases of ULMs. There are 35 reported cases of this type of tumour. It is defined as a lesion composed of smooth muscle-like stromal cells with a central cavity lined with endometrial type epithelium. There are three theories on the pathogenesis of ULMs which we discuss along with clinical presentation, diagnostic features, treatment options and potential oncological implications of this type of tumour, based on our case, and the review of the literature.

Comparison of effectiveness of treatment of patients with sporadic and germline BRCA1-related ovarian cancer.

OBJECTIVES: Numerous reports suggest that the clinical course of ovarian cancer (OC) in BRCA, including BRCA1, mutation carriers (BRCA1-OC) is different than in patients with sporadic ovarian cancer (SOC). Most of the authors indicate more fa-vourable treatment results in patients with BRCA1-OC. The aim of the study was to compare the effectiveness of treatment of patients with advanced-stage (FIGO III/IV) SOC and BRCA1-OC. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Between 2004 and 2009, 957 OC patients were treated in Cracow Branch of Cancer Center, M. Sklodowska-Curie Memorial Institute, Poland. Germline BRCA1 mutation was found in 66 patients. To compare the effective-ness of treatment, the group of 47 advanced-stage BRCA1-OC patients was matched with the group of 47 advanced-stage SOC patients. Pairs of patients were matched in terms of the most important prognostic factors, i.e. stages according to FIGO, primary cytoreduction extent, tumour histologic subtype and grade, as well as year of diagnosis and treatment. RESULTS: The 5-year overall survival rate was 42.9% for BRCA1-OC patients and 34.3% for SOC patients (p = 0.354). Mean time to progression was 22.7 and 14.5 months for BRCA1-OC and SOC group, respectively (p = 0.05). Complete response to pri-mary surgery and first line chemotherapy was obtained in 42.5% and 37.9% of cases, respectively; the difference, however, did not reach the statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: Results of combined treatment in the group of BRCA1-related OC patients seem to be better than in the group of sporadic ovarian cancer patients.