[Study of the beneficial effects of triptorelin on lower urinary tract symptoms in Algeria in patients with non-localized prostate cancer]. / Étude algérienne des effets bénéfiques de la triptoréline sur les symptômes du bas appareil urinaire chez les patients atteints d'un cancer de la prostate non localisé.

INTRODUCTION: This study aims to assess the effectiveness of triptorelin on lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in Algerian patients with non-localized prostate cancer in routine practice. MATERIALS: This prospective, observational, non-interventional, multicentre study was conducted in Algeria. Included patients who had locally advanced or metastatic prostate cancer and were treated with triptorelin 11.25mg given every 12 weeks. LUTS were evaluated with the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) until week 48 after treatment initiation. An IPSS>7 indicated moderate to severe LUTS. The primary objective of the study was to determine the distribution of IPSS at week 48. RESULTS: This study enrolled 193 patients at 21 centres. A total of 144 participants had IPSS available at baseline and after baseline (136 patients had moderate to severe LUTS and eight had mild LUTS at baseline). At week 48, amongst the 116 patients with IPSS available and moderate to severe LUTS at baseline, 94 (81.0%) had moderate to severe LUTS and 22 (19.0%) had mild LUTS. At week 48, the eight patients with mild symptoms at baseline remained in this category. The proportion of patient with severe LUTS decreased from 53.7% at baseline to 12.1% at week 48. Adverse events were reported in 22.9% of participants. CONCLUSION: A reduction of LUTS is observed in patients with locally advanced or metastatic prostate cancer treated with triptorelin in routine practice. This is in agreement with similar observational studies of triptorelin conducted in other countries. LEVEL OF PROOF: 4.

[Formaldehyde fixation in the third millennium]. / La fixation formolée à l'aube du troisième millénaire.

This review deals with the general principles and problems of formaldehyde fixation. After a short description of 1) formaldehyde methods of production, 2) chemical properties of formaldehyde solution, and 3) kinetic of formaldehyde binding in tissue, formaldehyde reactivity with the tissue biopolymers, proteins and cucleic acids mainly, are described. How formaldehyde fixation of tissues adversely affects the reactivity of cellular proteins with their respective specific antibody and the ways the most commonly used retrieval techniques in immunohistochemistry act are, thereafter, discussed. Finally, concerns that need to be dealt with when formalin-fixed specimens are used for genomic analysis and studies of DNA expression are highlighted.