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BMC Cancer Jan 2022Paratesticular leiomyosarcoma (LMS) is a rare tumor. Conventionally, tumor resection by high inguinal orchiectomy is performed as the preferred treatment approach for...
BACKGROUND
Paratesticular leiomyosarcoma (LMS) is a rare tumor. Conventionally, tumor resection by high inguinal orchiectomy is performed as the preferred treatment approach for paratesticular sarcoma. On the other hand, testis-sparing surgery has recently attracted attention as a less-invasive treatment option for paratesticular sarcoma. However, the prognostic predictors and optimal treatment strategy for paratesticular LMS remain unclear because of its rarity. In this study, we systematically reviewed previously reported cases of paratesticular LMS to evaluate the prognostic factors and establish the optimal treatment strategy.
METHODS
A systematic search of Medline, Web of Science, Embase, and Google was performed to find articles describing localized paratesticular LMS published between 1971 and 2020 in English. The final cohort included 217 patients in 167 articles. The starting point of this study was the time of definitive surgical treatment, and the end point was the time of local recurrence (LR), distant metastasis (DM), and disease-specific mortality.
RESULTS
Patients with cutaneous LMS had a slightly better LR-free survival, DM-free survival, and disease-specific survival than those with subcutaneous LMS (p = 0.745, p = 0.033, and p = 0.126, respectively). Patients with higher grade tumors had a significantly higher risk of DM and disease-specific mortality (Grade 3 vs Grade 1 p < 0.001, and Grade 3 vs Grade 1 p < 0.001, respectively). In addition, those with a microscopic positive margin had a significantly higher risk of LR and DM than those with a negative margin (p < 0.001, and p = 0.018, respectively). Patients who underwent simple tumorectomy had a slightly higher risk of LR than those who underwent high inguinal orchiectomy (p = 0.067). Subgroup analysis of cutaneous LMS demonstrated that the difference in LR between simple tumorectomy and high inguinal orchiectomy was limited (p = 0.212). On the other hand, subgroup analysis of subcutaneous LMS revealed a significant difference in LR (p = 0.039).
CONCLUSIONS
Our study demonstrated that subcutaneous LMS and high-grade tumors are prognostic factors for paratesticular LMS. For subcutaneous LMS, tumorectomy with high inguinal orchiectomy should be the optimal treatment strategy to achieve a negative surgical margin.
Topics: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Humans; Leiomyosarcoma; Male; Margins of Excision; Middle Aged; Orchiectomy; Organ Sparing Treatments; Prognosis; Retrospective Studies; Testicular Neoplasms; Testis; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 34980039
DOI: 10.1186/s12885-021-09122-7 -
Pediatric Blood & Cancer Jun 2024Approximately one third of children with rhabdomyosarcoma relapse or have refractory disease. Treatment approaches include a combination of systemic therapies and local... (Review)
Review
Approximately one third of children with rhabdomyosarcoma relapse or have refractory disease. Treatment approaches include a combination of systemic therapies and local therapies, directed at tumour site(s). This review was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of the combination of surgery and brachytherapy as local therapy for treating children and young people with relapsed/refractory rhabdomyosarcoma. This review identified studies based on a previous systematic review looking at the treatments for children and young people under 18 years old with relapsed/refractory rhabdomyosarcoma. Studies conducted after 2000 were included. Survival outcomes, relapse rates, adverse events and functional outcomes were extracted. From 16,965 records identified in the baseline systematic review, 205 included the words 'AMORE' or 'brachytherapy', and were screened for eligibility in this substudy. Thirteen studies met the inclusion criteria for Local-REFoRMS, including over 55 relapsed and refractory rhabdomyosarcoma patients. Most studies were retrospective cohort studies conducted within Europe. Most patients had embryonal disease within the head and neck or bladder/prostate regions, and received local therapy for first relapse. Approximately one quarter of patients relapsed following surgery and brachytherapy, with local relapses occurring more than metastatic relapse. Adverse events and functional outcomes were infrequently reported, but related to the site of surgery and brachytherapy. Study quality was limited by inconsistent reporting and potential selection bias. Outcomes following surgery and brachytherapy for a selected group of relapsed and refractory rhabdomyosarcoma show reasonable benefits, but reporting was often unclear and based on small sample sizes.
Topics: Humans; Brachytherapy; Rhabdomyosarcoma; Child; Adolescent; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; Combined Modality Therapy; Male; Child, Preschool; Female
PubMed: 38566349
DOI: 10.1002/pbc.30952 -
BioMed Research International 2018Uterine fibroids are the most common benign pelvic tumor of the female genital tract and tend to increase with age; they cause menorrhagia, dysmenorrhea, pelvic pressure... (Review)
Review
Uterine fibroids are the most common benign pelvic tumor of the female genital tract and tend to increase with age; they cause menorrhagia, dysmenorrhea, pelvic pressure symptoms, back pain, and subfertility. Currently, the management is based mainly on medical or surgical approaches. The nonsurgical and minimally invasive therapies are emerging approaches that to the state of the art include uterine artery embolization (UAE), image-guided thermal ablation techniques like magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound surgery (MRgFUS) or radiofrequency ablation (RF), and percutaneous microwave ablation (PMWA). The purpose of the present review is to describe feasibility results and safety of PMWA according to largest studies available in current literature. Moreover technical aspects of the procedure were analyzed providing important data on large scale about potential efficacy of PMWA in clinical setting. However larger studies with international registries and randomized, prospective trials are still needed to better demonstrate the expanding benefits of PMWA in the management of uterine fibroids.
Topics: Female; Humans; Leiomyoma; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Microwaves; Pelvic Neoplasms; Pelvis; Radiofrequency Therapy; Radiotherapy, Image-Guided; Treatment Outcome; Uterine Artery Embolization
PubMed: 29511672
DOI: 10.1155/2018/2360107 -
Indian Journal of Palliative Care 2022Pain is the one the most dreadful side effects of head and neck cancers and cancer related treatments affecting patients during and after the treatment adding to the... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Pain is the one the most dreadful side effects of head and neck cancers and cancer related treatments affecting patients during and after the treatment adding to the problems affecting their ability to speak, swallow, breath and feeding. Manual therapy is standard set of physiotherapy treatments used for alleviating neck pain. It has found to be effective in small subset of cancer patients for relieving pain.
OBJECTIVES
To highlight the use of various manual therapy techniques focusing in decreasing neck pain and improving quality of life in Head and Neck Cancer survivors that may suggest its safe utilisation in oncology rehabilitation.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Electronic search was conducted in PubMed, Google Scholar, CINAHL, Pedro, and COCHRANE databases. Reference lists of the included studies and relevant reviews were manually searched. Studies that met the inclusion criteria were evaluated using McMaster critical review form for quantitative studies. A descriptive synthesis was undertaken due to the heterogeneity of the included studies.
RESULTS
Seven studies were assessed for risk of bias that comprised of three clinical trials, one case series and three case reports that applied Maitland's mobilisation, Myofascial release, Muscle Energy Techniques to head and neck cancer survivors in various clinical settings. The outcomes highlighted decrease in pain, improvement in cervical range of motion and quality of life.
CONCLUSION
This review recommends application of manual therapy to head and neck cancer survivors. However, authors caution application of manual therapy in terms of choosing a particular technique. Further, well designed larger sample size with randomisation and double blinding would help to generate better evidence for head and neck cancer survivors.
PubMed: 35673382
DOI: 10.25259/IJPC_10_2021 -
Cancer Treatment Reviews Mar 2024Patients with high-risk or metastatic Ewing sarcoma (ES) and rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) have a guarded prognosis. High-dose chemotherapy (HDT) with autologous stem cell... (Review)
Review
High-dose chemotherapy for Ewing sarcoma and Rhabdomyosarcoma: A systematic review by the Australia and New Zealand sarcoma association clinical practice guidelines working party.
INTRODUCTION
Patients with high-risk or metastatic Ewing sarcoma (ES) and rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) have a guarded prognosis. High-dose chemotherapy (HDT) with autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) has been evaluated as a treatment option to improve outcomes. However, survival benefits remain unclear, and treatment is associated with severe toxicities.
METHODS
A systematic review was conducted, using the population, intervention, comparison outcome (PICO) model, to evaluate whether utilization of HDT/ASCT impacts the outcome of patients with ES and RMS compared to standard chemotherapy alone, as part of first line treatment or in the relapse setting. Medline, Embase and Cochrane Central were queried for publications from 1990 to October 2022 that evaluated event-free survival (EFS), overall survival (OS), and toxicities. Each study was screened by two independent reviewers for suitability. A qualitative synthesis of the results was performed.
RESULTS
Of 1,172 unique studies screened, 41 studies were eligible for inclusion with 29 studies considering ES, 10 studies considering RMS and 2 studies considering both. In ES patients with high-risk localised disease who received HDT/ASCT after VIDE chemotherapy, consolidation with melphalan-based HDT/ASCT as first line therapy conveyed an EFS and OS benefit over standard chemotherapy consolidation. Efficacy of HDT/ASCT using a VDC/IE backbone, which is now standard care, has not been established. Survival benefits are not confirmed for ES patients with metastatic disease at initial diagnosis. For relapsed/refractory ES, four retrospective studies report improvement in outcomes with HDT/ASCT with the greatest evidence in patients who demonstrate a treatment response before HDT, and in patients under the age of 14. In RMS, there is no proven survival benefit of HDT/ASCT in primary localised, metastatic or relapsed disease.
CONCLUSION
Prospective randomised trials are required to determine the utility of HDT/ASCT in ES and RMS. Selected patients with relapsed ES could be considered for HDT/ASCT.
Topics: Humans; Sarcoma, Ewing; Combined Modality Therapy; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols; Retrospective Studies; Prospective Studies; New Zealand; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; Rhabdomyosarcoma; Transplantation, Autologous; Treatment Outcome; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation
PubMed: 38325070
DOI: 10.1016/j.ctrv.2024.102694 -
European Journal of Cancer (Oxford,... Nov 2022Checkpoint inhibition has radically improved the perspective for patients with metastatic cancer, but predicting who will not respond with high certainty remains... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Checkpoint inhibition has radically improved the perspective for patients with metastatic cancer, but predicting who will not respond with high certainty remains difficult. Imaging-derived biomarkers may be able to provide additional insights into the heterogeneity in tumour response between patients. In this systematic review, we aimed to summarise and qualitatively assess the current evidence on imaging biomarkers that predict response and survival in patients treated with checkpoint inhibitors in all cancer types.
METHODS
PubMed and Embase were searched from database inception to 29th November 2021. Articles eligible for inclusion described baseline imaging predictive factors, radiomics and/or imaging machine learning models for predicting response and survival in patients with any kind of malignancy treated with checkpoint inhibitors. Risk of bias was assessed using the QUIPS and PROBAST tools and data was extracted.
RESULTS
In total, 119 studies including 15,580 patients were selected. Of these studies, 73 investigated simple imaging factors. 45 studies investigated radiomic features or deep learning models. Predictors of worse survival were (i) higher tumour burden, (ii) presence of liver metastases, (iii) less subcutaneous adipose tissue, (iv) less dense muscle and (v) presence of symptomatic brain metastases. Hazard rate ratios did not exceed 2.00 for any predictor in the larger and higher quality studies. The added value of baseline fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography parameters in predicting response to treatment was limited. Pilot studies of radioactive drug tracer imaging showed promising results. Reports on radiomics were almost unanimously positive, but numerous methodological concerns exist.
CONCLUSIONS
There is well-supported evidence for several imaging biomarkers that can be used in clinical decision making. Further research, however, is needed into biomarkers that can more accurately identify which patients who will not benefit from checkpoint inhibition. Radiomics and radioactive drug labelling appear to be promising approaches for this purpose.
Topics: Brain Neoplasms; Humans; Positron-Emission Tomography; Radiopharmaceuticals
PubMed: 36096039
DOI: 10.1016/j.ejca.2022.07.034 -
Ginekologia Polska 2022Uterine leyomyomas are benign, monoclonal tumors that can cause abnormal uterine bleeding, pelvic pain, dyspareunia and/or obstruction of bladder or rectum. Women's...
OBJECTIVES
Uterine leyomyomas are benign, monoclonal tumors that can cause abnormal uterine bleeding, pelvic pain, dyspareunia and/or obstruction of bladder or rectum. Women's growing interest in treatments that avoid surgery and/or preserve the uterus has contributed to the development of minimally invasive methods. Conducting a literature review and assessment of the effectiveness and safety of minimally invasive methods of treating fibroids, with particular emphasis on high intensity focused ultrasound.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
Systematic review of MEDLINE, Cochrane and PubMed was performed using the following key words: uterine artery embolization, high-intensity focused ultrasound, microwave ablation, radiofrequency ablation, minimally invasive, leiomyoma, fertility, pregnancy. English abstracts relevant to the topic were selected. Full-text articles were carefully analyzed.
RESULTS
Uterine artery embolization is a proven, widely accepted method that is effective in appropriately qualified cases. Although high focused ultrasound is still an experimental procedure, preliminary studies seem to be promising. If its efficacy and safety are confirmed in randomized controlled trials, this method may find its place in clinical practice. Microwave and radiofrequency ablation are interesting minimally invasive methods with the future potential to be recognized as a method of treating fibroids.
CONCLUSIONS
Minimally invasive methods are becoming an important treatment option for fibroids. Further research is needed to recognize these procedures as a fully-fledged alternative to surgical treatment.
Topics: Pregnancy; Female; Humans; Uterine Neoplasms; Leiomyoma; Uterine Artery Embolization; Uterus; Hysterectomy; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 35106750
DOI: 10.5603/GP.a2021.0202 -
Oral Oncology Dec 2023Low skeletal muscle mass is emerging as an adverse predictive and prognostic factor in cancer patients. The use of this parameter as a risk factor for complications... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
Impact of low skeletal muscle mass on postoperative complications in head and neck cancer patients undergoing free flap reconstructive surgery - A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Low skeletal muscle mass is emerging as an adverse predictive and prognostic factor in cancer patients. The use of this parameter as a risk factor for complications after surgery is not currently used in clinical practice. This meta-analysis aims to assess the association of low skeletal muscle mass defined by radiological criteria and complications after reconstructive microsurgery in head and neck cancer patients. A systematic review for articles was performed using the PubMed, EMBASE database and by manual search. Articles that assessed low skeletal muscle mass and its impact on postoperative complications in head and neck cancer patients undergoing free flap surgery were selected. Pooled estimates of postoperative outcome data were calculated by extracting the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). The search strategy returned with 6 studies meeting the inclusion criteria. A total of 1082 patients were analyzed. The prevalence of low skeletal muscle mass between studies ranged from 24.6% to 61.5%. The meta-analysis showed an OR for complications after surgery of 2.42 (95% CI 1.53-3.32, p = 0.00). The study therefore concludes that skeletal muscle mass is an independent risk factor for postoperative complications in head and neck cancer reconstructive surgery patients. This argues for implementing screening for low skeletal muscle in preoperative management to optimize surgical decision making.
Topics: Humans; Free Tissue Flaps; Surgery, Plastic; Postoperative Complications; Head and Neck Neoplasms; Muscle, Skeletal; Retrospective Studies
PubMed: 37863016
DOI: 10.1016/j.oraloncology.2023.106598 -
Prostate Cancer and Prostatic Diseases Apr 2022To systematically review and analyse the associations between fat and muscle mass measures with overall survival in men with prostate cancer. (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
BACKGROUND
To systematically review and analyse the associations between fat and muscle mass measures with overall survival in men with prostate cancer.
METHODS
A systematic search was conducted in CINAHL, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, PubMed, and Web of Science databases from inception to December 2020, while abstracts from the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), Clinical Oncology Society of Australia (COSA), and the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) conferences were searched from 2014 to 2020. Eligible articles examined the association of body composition measures, such as fat mass (e.g., fat mass, visceral adipose tissue (VAT), subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT), and VAT/SAT) and muscle mass measures, with overall survival in prostate cancer patients at any treatment stage. The primary endpoint was overall survival. Random-effect meta-analysis was conducted for studies reporting multivariable or univariable analysis assessing the associations of fat mass measures (i.e., fat mass, VAT, SAT, VAT/SAT) and muscle mass measures with overall survival.
RESULTS
Sixteen cohort studies that comprised 4807 men with prostate cancer were included. Total adiposity (hazard ratio (HR) 0.98, 95% CI: 0.75-1.28, p = 0.888) and VAT (HR 1.03, 95% CI: 0.74-1.43, p = 0.873) were not significantly associated with overall survival, while higher subcutaneous adipose tissue levels were associated with higher survival (HR 0.68, 95% CI: 0.54-0.84, p = 0.001). Greater mortality risk was found in patients with localised (HR 1.91, 95% CI: 1.40-2.62, p < 0.001) and advanced disease (HR 1.43, 95% CI: 1.07-1.92, p = 0.020) presenting with low levels of muscle mass compared to those presenting with high levels.
DISCUSSION
These results indicate that although overall adiposity should be cautiously interpreted in regards to survival, high muscle mass and SAT, and low VAT/SAT ratio values are associated with overall survival in men with prostate cancer.
Topics: Male; Humans; Prostatic Neoplasms; Intra-Abdominal Fat; Subcutaneous Fat; Adiposity; Obesity; Muscles
PubMed: 34420038
DOI: 10.1038/s41391-021-00442-0 -
Medicine Jul 2016Perivascular epithelioid cell tumor (PEComa) is a rare entity with distinctive morphology and of expressing myomelanocytic markers. Gastrointestinal tract (GI) is one of... (Review)
Review
Perivascular epithelioid cell tumor (PEComa) is a rare entity with distinctive morphology and of expressing myomelanocytic markers. Gastrointestinal tract (GI) is one of the most common anatomic sites of origin and counts for 20% to 25% of all reported cases of perivascular epithelioid cell tumors not otherwise specified (PEComas-NOS). However, the biologic behavior of perivascular epithelioid cell tumors of gastrointestinal tract (GI PEComas-NOS) is still unclear. The aim of conducting this systematic review is to sum up what is known so far of the epidemiology, natural history, management and prognosis of GI PEComas-NOS.A systematic research was performed on PubMed and EMBASE using the following terms: ("perivascular epithelioid cell tumor" or "PEComa") and ("gastrointestinal tract" or "GI" or "oral " or "mouth" or "esophagus" or "gullet" or "gastric" or "stomach" or "duodenum" or "jejunum" or "ileum" or "cecum" or "colon" or "colorectal" or "sigmoid" or "rectum" or "anus" or "mesentery") up to December 1, 2015. Retrieved GI PEComas-NOS publications, which included these terms, contains case reports, case series to case characteristic researches.A total of 168 articles were reviewed, 41 GI PEComa-NOS English studies among which were retrieved for analysis. We reviewed epidemiology, natural history, management and prognosis of GI PEComa-NOS. Generally GI PEComa-NOS is believed to have women predomination. The most frequently involved location is colon with non-specific clinical signs. Pathologically, GI PEComas-NOS shows epithelioid predominance (70%), meanwhile coexpresses melanocytic and muscle markers characteristically, while immunohistochemistry is a useful tool for identify, which indicates that HMB-45 is regarded as the most sensitive reagent. Complete resection served as mainstay of treatment, while chemotherapy should be unanimously considered to apply in malignant cases. Eventually, it is necessary for closed and long-term follow-up with endoscope and imaging for ruling out local recurrence or distant metastasis of this tumor.GI PEComas-NOS lives with unclear behavior. There are still many unverified clinicopathological issues of GI PEComas-NOS that needs to be clarified. Further studies and analyses concerning this rare entity should be brought out. Thus, the randomized clinical researches (RCTs) are required to be conducted.
Topics: Biomarkers, Tumor; Diagnosis, Differential; Gastrointestinal Neoplasms; Humans; Perivascular Epithelioid Cell Neoplasms; Prognosis
PubMed: 27428182
DOI: 10.1097/MD.0000000000003890