The Impact of Opportunistic Salpingectomy on Ovarian Reserve: A Systematic Review.

Background: In the last decade, increasing evidence has suggested that high-grade serous ovarian cancers may have their origin in the fallopian tube rather than the ovary. This emerging theory presents an opportunity to prevent epithelial ovarian cancer by incorporating prophylactic bilateral salpingectomy into all surgical procedures for average-risk women. The aim of this review is to investigate the hypothesis that bilateral salpingectomy (BS) may have a negative impact on ovarian reserve, not only following hysterectomy for benign uterine pathologies but also when performed during cesarean sections as a method of sterilization or as a treatment for hydrosalpinx in Assisted Reproductive Technology interventions. Methods: PubMed, Medline, Google Scholar, and Cochrane were searched for original studies, meta-analyses, and opinion articles published between 2014 and 2024. Results: Out of 114 records from the database search, after the removal of duplicates, 102 articles were considered relevant for the current study. Conclusions: Performing opportunistic salpingectomy seems to have no adverse impact on ovarian function in the short term. However, because there is an existing risk of damaging ovarian blood supply during salpingectomy, there are concerns about potential long-term adverse effects on the ovarian reserve, which need further investigation.

Endometriosis and the Role of Pro-Inflammatory and Anti-Inflammatory Cytokines in Pathophysiology: A Narrative Review of the Literature.

Endometriosis is a chronic inflammatory disease, which explains the pain that such patients report. Currently, we are faced with ineffective, non-invasive diagnostic methods and treatments that come with multiple side effects and high recurrence rates for both the disease and pain. These are the reasons why we are exploring the possibility of the involvement of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory molecules in the process of the appearance of endometriosis. Cytokines play an important role in the progression of endometriosis, influencing cell proliferation and differentiation. Pro-inflammatory molecules are found in intrafollicular fluid. They have an impact on the number of mature and optimal-quality oocytes. Endometriosis affects fertility, and the involvement of endometriosis in embryo transfer during in vitro fertilization (IVF) is being investigated in several studies. Furthermore, the reciprocal influence between anti-inflammatory and pro-inflammatory cytokines and their role in the pathogenesis of endometriosis has been assessed. Today, we can affirm that pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines play roles in survival, growth, differentiation, invasion, angiogenesis, and immune escape, which provides a perspective for approaching future clinical implications and can be used as biomarkers or therapy.

Exploring Patient Adherence to Post-Surgical Follow-Up in Pelvic Endometriosis.

Endometriosis is a significant cause of disability that affects 5-10% of reproductive-aged women. Laparoscopy with histological confirmation is the gold standard in establishing the diagnosis as therapeutic management surgery is addressed to a certain category of patients. The objective of this study was to assess patient adherence to follow-up after surgery for endometriosis as the primary endpoint, pain symptoms, quality of life, mental health, and fertility as the secondary endpoints. We have analyzed patients' adherence to follow-up after surgery for endometriosis after 1, 3, 5, and 7 years. Out of the 2538 total number of surgeries, 453 patients replied just to the first questionnaire (group A), 528 to the first and second (group B), and only 356 carried out the entire follow-up schedule. General health was significantly lower for group A (46.6 vs. 56.4) but with no statistical difference in the post-surgical improvement in both groups. Pain level score improvement was lower for group A (10.5 vs. 18.8), which is statistically significant. In this light, laparoscopy still remains the gold standard in diagnosis only. Furthermore, no malignancy was discovered. The mental component was improved by laparoscopy based on SF-36 in group B. Studies on patient preference for surgery versus alternative treatment are needed.

Chylous Ascites, Unusual Association with Ductal Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma with Plasmacytoid Morphology: A Case Report and Literature Review.

Chylous ascites represents a relatively uncommon condition. In this paper, we present a case of chyloperitoneum associated with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and a review of literature regarding chylous ascites. A 76-year-old male patient was admitted in emergency department with acute abdomen. A pancreatic cancer was suspected. Subtotal spleno-pancreatectomy, for a nodular mass infiltrating the mild and distal portion of the pancreas, was necessary. During surgical intervention in the peritoneal cavity, a moderate quantity of whitish and thick consistency fluid with milk-like appearance was observed to be accumulated. After examination of the fluid, chyloperitoneum was diagnosed. The histologic examination showed a PDAC, with multiple emboli in lymph vessels, with tumor cells with plasmacytoid morphology, diagnosed as lymphangiosis carcinomatosa. The patient died at 3 weeks after surgical intervention. In patients with pancreatic cancer and chylous ascites, suspicion of tumor-related blockage of the lymphatic flow should be suspected. Prognosis of PDAC should be evaluated not only based on the number of lymph node metastases, but also considering the number of lymph vessels with tumor emboli and the architecture of tumor cells. This is the first reported case of a PDAC with plasmacytoid morphology of lymphangiosis carcinomatosa.

Gastrointestinal mixed adenoneuroendocrine carcinoma (MANEC): An immunohistochemistry study of 13 microsatellite stable cases.

BACKGROUND: Mixed adenoneuroendocrine carcinoma (MANEC) is currently included in the category of neuroendocrine carcinomas but the therapeutically management is not yet defined. AIMS: To present the immunohistochemical (IHC) features of the epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) of MANEC. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The clinicopathological features of 13 consecutive cases of MANEC (6 gastric and 7 colorectal) were correlated with the IHC expression of the biomarkers E-cadherin, ß-catenin, N-cadherin, vimentin, maspin, CD44 and S100. In all of the cases open surgery was performed. RESULTS: All of the cases showed microsatellite stable status, expressed E-cadherin and membrane ß-catenin in both components (neuroendocrine and adenocarcinoma) and were negative for N-cadherin, vimentin and S-100. The colorectal MANECs were negative for maspin. In gastric MANECs, maspin showed cytoplasm positivity in the neuroendocrine component and nuclear translocation in the adenocarcinoma cells. CD44 was positive in all of the cases, in both components. No tumor buddings were identified. Three of the 13 patients survived for at least 32 months, all of them showing lymphatic emboli but not lymph node metastases. Pure neuroendocrine lymph node metastases were seen in only four of the cases: one from stomach, two of the ascending colon and two cases of the upper rectum. CONCLUSIONS: Gastrointestinal MANEC is a microsatellite stable tumor with nodular growth, which components might originate from a CD44-positive stem-like precursor cell. Lymph node status remains the most reliable prognostic parameter and agressivity seems to not be influenced by tumor budding degree or EMT-related features. The histologic aspect of metastatic component (neuroendocrine versus adenocarcinoma) should be included in the histopathological reports and might be used for establishing the proper-targeted therapy of MANEC.