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Cancer Medicine Apr 2024Contrast-enhanced spectral imaging (CEM) is a new mammography technique, but its diagnostic value in dense breasts is still inconclusive. We did a systematic review and... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
PURPOSE
Contrast-enhanced spectral imaging (CEM) is a new mammography technique, but its diagnostic value in dense breasts is still inconclusive. We did a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies evaluating the diagnostic performance of CEM for suspicious findings in dense breasts.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases were searched systematically until August 6, 2023. Prospective and retrospective studies were included to evaluate the diagnostic performance of CEM for suspicious findings in dense breasts. The QUADAS-2 tool was used to evaluate the quality and risk of bias of the included studies. STATA V.16.0 and Review Manager V.5.3 were used to meta-analyze the included studies.
RESULTS
A total of 10 studies (827 patients, 958 lesions) were included. These 10 studies reported the diagnostic performance of CEM for the workup of suspicious lesions in patients with dense breasts. The summary sensitivity and summary specificity were 0.95 (95% CI, 0.92-0.97) and 0.81 (95% CI, 0.70-0.89), respectively. Enhanced lesions, circumscribed margins, and malignancy were statistically correlated. The relative malignancy OR value of the enhanced lesions was 28.11 (95% CI, 6.84-115.48). The relative malignancy OR value of circumscribed margins was 0.17 (95% CI, 0.07-0.45).
CONCLUSION
CEM has high diagnostic performance in the workup of suspicious findings in dense breasts, and when lesions are enhanced and have irregular margins, they are often malignant.
Topics: Female; Humans; Breast; Breast Density; Breast Neoplasms; Contrast Media; Mammography; Sensitivity and Specificity
PubMed: 38659408
DOI: 10.1002/cam4.7128 -
Medical Oncology (Northwood, London,... Apr 2024Myeloid neoplasms are a group of bone marrow diseases distinguished by disruptions in the molecular pathways that regulate the balance between hematopoietic stem cell... (Review)
Review
Myeloid neoplasms are a group of bone marrow diseases distinguished by disruptions in the molecular pathways that regulate the balance between hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) self-renewal and the generation of specialized cells. Cytokines and chemokines, two important components of the inflammatory process, also influence hematological differentiation. In this scenario, immunological dysregulation plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of bone marrow neoplasms. The STING pathway recognizes DNA fragments in the cell cytoplasm and triggers an immune response by type I interferons. The role of STING in cancer has not yet been established; however, both actions, as an oncogene or tumor suppressor, have been documented in other types of cancer. Therefore, we performed a systematic review (registered in PROSPERO database #CRD42023407512) to discuss the role of STING pathway in the advancement of pathogenesis and/or prognosis for different myeloid neoplasms. In brief, scientific evidence supports investigations that primarily use cell lines from myeloid neoplasms, such as leukemia. More high-quality research and clinical trials are needed to understand the role of the STING pathway in the pathology of hematological malignancies. Finally, the STING pathway suggests being a promising therapeutic molecular target, particularly when combined with current drug therapies.
Topics: Humans; Hematologic Neoplasms; Membrane Proteins; Myeloproliferative Disorders; Signal Transduction
PubMed: 38656461
DOI: 10.1007/s12032-024-02376-8 -
Journal of Neuro-oncology May 2024Clival metastatic cancer is rare and has limited literature to guide management. We describe management of clival metastasis with Gamma Knife radiosurgery (GKRS). We...
PURPOSE
Clival metastatic cancer is rare and has limited literature to guide management. We describe management of clival metastasis with Gamma Knife radiosurgery (GKRS). We augment our findings with a systematic review of all forms of radiation therapy for clival metastasis.
METHODS
Records of 14 patients with clival metastasis who underwent GKRS at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center from 2002 to 2023 were reviewed. Treatment parameters and clinical outcomes were assessed. A systematic review was conducted using evidence-based guidelines.
RESULTS
The average age was 61 years with male predominance (n = 10) and average follow-up of 12.4 months. The most common primary cancers were prostate (n = 3) and lung (n = 3). The average time from cancer diagnosis to clival metastasis was 34 months. The most common presenting symptoms were headache (n = 9) and diplopia (n = 7). Five patients presented with abducens nerve palsies, and two presented with oculomotor nerve palsies. The median tumor volume was 9.3 cc, and the median margin dose was 15 Gy. Eleven patients achieved tumor control after one procedure, and three with progression obtained tumor control after repeat GKRS. One patient recovered abducens nerve function. The median survival from cancer diagnosis and GKRS were 49.7 and 15.3 months, respectively. The cause of death was progression of systemic cancer in six patients, clival metastasis in one, and unknown in four. The systematic review included 31 studies with heterogeneous descriptions of treatment and outcomes.
CONCLUSION
Clival metastasis is rare and associated with poor prognosis. GKRS is a safe, effective treatment for clival metastasis.
Topics: Humans; Radiosurgery; Middle Aged; Male; Female; Cranial Fossa, Posterior; Aged; Skull Base Neoplasms; Adult
PubMed: 38598088
DOI: 10.1007/s11060-024-04648-9 -
Cancer Investigation Mar 2024In this study, we investigate the veliparib‑induced toxicity in cancer patients. Databases were searched for RCTs treated with veliparib. We found veliparib could... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
In this study, we investigate the veliparib‑induced toxicity in cancer patients. Databases were searched for RCTs treated with veliparib. We found veliparib could increase the risk of hematologic and gastrointestinal toxicities. Anemia, neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, and nausea were the most common toxicities. Patients diagnosed with gastrointestinal tumors tend to have a higher risk of high-grade neutropenia; patients in the first-line setting tend to have a higher risk of high-grade anemia and neutropenia than those in the ≥ second line setting. Patients receiving higher dosage of veliparib tend to have a higher risk of all-grade anemia. Veliparib could also increase the risk of insomnia, myalgia, pneumonia, dyspnea, hyponatremia, and fatigue.
Topics: Humans; Benzimidazoles; Neoplasms; Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerase Inhibitors; Antineoplastic Agents; Anemia
PubMed: 38588003
DOI: 10.1080/07357907.2024.2338128 -
Journal of Medical Imaging and... Jun 2024Palliative radiotherapy (RT) effectively relieves pain in patients with bone metastases (BMs). Furthermore, several clinical trials, in most cases conducted in... (Review)
Review
Palliative radiotherapy (RT) effectively relieves pain in patients with bone metastases (BMs). Furthermore, several clinical trials, in most cases conducted in high-income countries (HICs), proved that single-fraction RT is equally effective compared to multi-fractionated RT. However, the evidence is scarce regarding low/middle-income countries (LMICs), where the diagnosis of BMs could be later and RT techniques less advanced. Therefore, we conducted a systematic literature review to evaluate the efficacy of palliative RT of BMs in the LMIC setting. A literature search was performed independently by two authors on the PubMed, Cochrane and Scopus databases. Overall, 333 records were screened and after the selection process, 11 papers were included in the analysis. Complete pain response rates ranged from 11.5% to 37.1% (median: 22%) for single-fraction RT and from 0% to 35.1% (median: 19%) for multi-fractionated RT. Partial pain response rates ranged from 23.1% to 76.9% (median: 53.8%) for single fraction RT and from 23.8% to 84.6% (median: 65%) for multi-fractionated RT. Four randomized trials compared single-fraction RT with multiple-fraction RT and none of them showed significant differences in terms of pain relief. Our analysis showed that pain response rates after palliative RT recorded in LMIC are like those reported in studies performed in HIC. Even in this setting, RT in single fraction shows comparable pain response rates to multifractional RT.
Topics: Humans; Palliative Care; Bone Neoplasms; Developing Countries; Cancer Pain; Pain Management; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 38577713
DOI: 10.1111/1754-9485.13647 -
World Neurosurgery Mar 2024Phosphaturic Mesenchymal Tumors (PMTs) are rare mesenchymal neoplasms known for producing Tumor-induced Osteomalacia (TIO). TIO is an uncommon paraneoplastic syndrome... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Phosphaturic Mesenchymal Tumors (PMTs) are rare mesenchymal neoplasms known for producing Tumor-induced Osteomalacia (TIO). TIO is an uncommon paraneoplastic syndrome characterized by radiographic evidence of inadequate bone mineralization and analytical abnormalites.
METHODS
We sought to present a case of TIO caused by skull base PMT with intracranial extension, manifesting with pain, progressive weakness, and multiple bone fractures. Furthermore, a systematic review was performed, following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis guidelines. A search was conducted in PubMed database with title/abstract keywords "Phosphaturic mesenchymal tumor" and "Osteomalacia." Search results were reviewed looking for intracranial or skull base tumors.
RESULTS
Our systematic review included 29 reported cases of intracranial PMT. In the reviewed cases there was a significative female predominance with 22 cases (75,86%). Osteomalacia was presented in 25 cases (86,20%). Bone fractures were present in 10 cases (34,48%). The most common site of involvement was the anterior cranial fossa in 14 cases (48,27%). Surgery was performed in 27 cases (93,10%) with previous tumor embolization in 4 cases (13,79%). Total recovery of the presenting symptoms in the first year was achieved in 21 cases (72,41%). Recurrence of the disease was described in 6 cases (25%).
CONCLUSIONS
Skull base PMTs with intracranial extension are extremely rare tumors. Most patients are middle-aged adults with a PMT predominantly located in anterior cranial fossa. Surgery is the current treatment of choice with optimal outcome at 1-year follow-up, although recurrence could be present in almost 25% of the cases.
PubMed: 38561034
DOI: 10.1016/j.wneu.2024.03.138 -
Neurosurgical Focus Apr 2024Eyebrow supraorbital craniotomy is a versatile keyhole technique for treating intracranial pathologies. The eyelid supraorbital approach, an alternative approach to an... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
OBJECTIVE
Eyebrow supraorbital craniotomy is a versatile keyhole technique for treating intracranial pathologies. The eyelid supraorbital approach, an alternative approach to an eyebrow supraorbital craniotomy, has not been widely adopted among most neurosurgeons. The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to perform a pooled analysis of the complications of eyebrow or eyelid approaches for the treatment of aneurysms, meningiomas, and orbital tumors.
METHODS
A systematic review of the literature in the PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Review databases was conducted for identifying relevant literature using keywords such as "supraorbital," "eyelid," "eyebrow," "tumor," and "aneurysm." Eyebrow supraorbital craniotomies with or without orbitotomies and eyelid supraorbital craniotomies with orbitotomies for the treatment of orbital tumors, intracranial meningiomas, and aneurysms were selected. The primary outcomes were overall complications, cosmetic complications, and residual aneurysms and tumors. Secondary outcomes included five complication domains: orbital, wound-related, scalp or facial, neurological, and other complications.
RESULTS
One hundred three articles were included in the synthesis. The pooled numbers of patients in the eyebrow and eyelid groups were 4689 and 358, respectively. No differences were found in overall complications or cosmetic complications between the eyebrow and eyelid groups. The proportion of residuals in the eyelid group (11.21%, effect size [ES] 0.26, 95% CI 0.12-0.41) was significantly higher (p < 0.05) than that in the eyebrow group (6.17%, ES 0.10, 95% CI 0.08-0.13). A subgroup analysis demonstrated significantly higher incidences of orbital, wound-related, and scalp or facial complications in the eyelid group (p < 0.05), but higher other complications in the eyebrow group. Performing an orbitotomy substantially increased the complication risk.
CONCLUSIONS
This is the first meta-analysis that quantitatively compared complications of eyebrow versus eyelid approaches to supraorbital craniotomy. This study found similar overall complication rates but higher rates of selected complication domains in the eyelid group. The literature is limited by a high degree of variability in the reported outcomes.
Topics: Humans; Orbital Neoplasms; Eyebrows; Craniotomy; Meningioma; Orbit; Intracranial Aneurysm; Meningeal Neoplasms
PubMed: 38560941
DOI: 10.3171/2024.1.FOCUS23878 -
Journal of Neurosurgery. Spine Jun 2024Synovial sarcoma (SS) is a relatively rare type of soft-tissue sarcoma that is commonly treated with surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, and palliative care. Stereotactic... (Review)
Review
OBJECTIVE
Synovial sarcoma (SS) is a relatively rare type of soft-tissue sarcoma that is commonly treated with surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, and palliative care. Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is an emerging approach that shows promise in treating CNS conditions, but it has not been studied for SS. The authors present a systematic review that explores the effectiveness of different treatments, with a focus on SRS, for managing spinal SS.
METHODS
A systematic PubMed search was conducted that covered studies from 1964 to 2022, yielding 70 relevant studies. Inclusion criteria encompassed primary and metastatic spinal SS, various treatment modalities, patient age 17 years or older, English-language studies, retrospective series, and case reports. Based on these criteria, 26 studies were included in this review and 44 were excluded.
RESULTS
Of the included studies, 15 patients from 9 studies were treated with surgical intervention followed by both conventional radiotherapy (RT) and chemotherapy, 10 patients from 10 studies were treated with surgery followed by RT, 5 studies comprising 8 patients were exclusively treated with surgery, 5 cases in 3 studies were treated with surgery plus concomitant chemotherapy, 4 patients in 2 studies were treated with SRS, and only 1 study reported treatment without surgery and with chemotherapy and RT. The median progression-free survival and overall survival periods observed in the SRS-treated patients were 37 months and 60 months, respectively, which were higher than those of any other treatment method or combination used.
CONCLUSIONS
The authors' study offers a thorough review of spinal SS treatments. They are hopeful that this will aid clinicians in informed decision-making for better patient outcomes.
Topics: Humans; Sarcoma, Synovial; Spinal Neoplasms; Radiosurgery; Combined Modality Therapy
PubMed: 38489819
DOI: 10.3171/2024.1.SPINE231184 -
Neurosurgical Review Mar 2024Cancer-related pain is a common and debilitating condition that can significantly affect the quality of life of patients. Opioids, NSAIDs, and antidepressants are among... (Review)
Review
Cancer-related pain is a common and debilitating condition that can significantly affect the quality of life of patients. Opioids, NSAIDs, and antidepressants are among the first-line therapies, but their efficacy is limited or their use can be restricted due to serious side effects. Neuromodulation and lesioning techniques have also proven to be a valuable instrument for managing refractory pain. For patients who have exhausted all standard treatment options, hypophysectomy may be an effective alternative treatment. We conducted a comprehensive systematic review of the available literature on PubMed and Scielo databases on using hypophysectomy to treat refractory cancer-related pain. Data extraction from included studies included study design, treatment model, number of treated patients, sex, age, Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) score, primary cancer site, lead time from diagnosis to treatment, alcohol injection volume, treatment data, and clinical outcomes. Statistical analysis was reported using counts (N, %) and means (range). The study included data from 735 patients from 24 papers treated with hypophysectomy for refractory cancer-related pain. 329 cancer-related pain patients were treated with NALP, 216 with TSS, 66 with RF, 55 with Y90 brachytherapy, 51 with Gamma Knife radiosurgery (GK), and 18 with cryoablation. The median age was 58.5 years. The average follow-up time was 8.97 months. Good pain relief was observed in 557 out of 735 patients, with complete pain relief in 108 out of 268 patients. Pain improvement onset was observed 24 h after TSS, a few days after NALP or cryoablation, and a few days to 4 weeks after GK. Complications varied among treatment modalities, with diabetes insipidus (DI) being the most common complication. Although mostly forgotten in modern neurosurgical practice, hypophysectomy is an attractive option for treating refractory cancer-related pain after failure of traditional therapies. Radiosurgery is a promising treatment modality due to its high success rate and reduced risk of complications.
Topics: Humans; Middle Aged; Hypophysectomy; Cancer Pain; Quality of Life; Treatment Outcome; Pain; Radiosurgery; Neoplasms
PubMed: 38467866
DOI: 10.1007/s10143-024-02347-7 -
Scientific Reports Mar 2024To test the hypothesis that genetic and pharmacological modulation of the classical cannabinoid type 1 (CB) and 2 (CB) receptors attenuate cancer-induced bone pain, we... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
To test the hypothesis that genetic and pharmacological modulation of the classical cannabinoid type 1 (CB) and 2 (CB) receptors attenuate cancer-induced bone pain, we searched Medline, Web of Science and Scopus for relevant skeletal and non-skeletal cancer studies from inception to July 28, 2022. We identified 29 animal and 35 human studies. In mice, a meta-analysis of pooled studies showed that treatment of osteolysis-bearing males with the endocannabinoids AEA and 2-AG (mean difference [MD] - 24.83, 95% confidence interval [CI] - 34.89, - 14.76, p < 0.00001) or the synthetic cannabinoid (CB) agonists ACPA, WIN55,212-2, CP55,940 (CB-non-selective) and AM1241 (CB-selective) (MD - 28.73, CI - 45.43, - 12.02, p = 0.0008) are associated with significant reduction in paw withdrawal frequency. Consistently, the synthetic agonists AM1241 and JWH015 (CB-selective) increased paw withdrawal threshold (MD 0.89, CI 0.79, 0.99, p < 0.00001), and ACEA (CB-selective), AM1241 and JWH015 (CB-selective) reduced spontaneous flinches (MD - 4.85, CI - 6.74, - 2.96, p < 0. 00001) in osteolysis-bearing male mice. In rats, significant increase in paw withdrawal threshold is associated with the administration of ACEA and WIN55,212-2 (CB-non-selective), JWH015 and AM1241 (CB-selective) in osteolysis-bearing females (MD 8.18, CI 6.14, 10.21, p < 0.00001), and treatment with AM1241 (CB-selective) increased paw withdrawal thermal latency in males (mean difference [MD]: 3.94, CI 2.13, 5.75, p < 0.0001), confirming the analgesic capabilities of CB ligands in rodents. In human, treatment of cancer patients with medical cannabis (standardized MD - 0.19, CI - 0.35, - 0.02, p = 0.03) and the plant-derived delta-9-THC (20 mg) (MD 3.29, CI 2.24, 4.33, p < 0.00001) or its synthetic derivative NIB (4 mg) (MD 2.55, CI 1.58, 3.51, p < 0.00001) are associated with reduction in pain intensity. Bioinformatics validation of KEGG, GO and MPO pathway, function and process enrichment analysis of mouse, rat and human data revealed that CB and CB receptors are enriched in a cocktail of nociceptive and sensory perception, inflammatory, immune-modulatory, and cancer pathways. Thus, we cautiously conclude that pharmacological modulators of CB receptors show promise in the treatment of cancer-induced bone pain, however further assessment of their effects on bone pain in genetically engineered animal models and cancer patients is warranted.
Topics: Male; Rats; Humans; Mice; Animals; Receptors, Cannabinoid; Osteolysis; Cannabinoids; Cannabinoid Receptor Agonists; Cancer Pain; Neoplasms; Receptor, Cannabinoid, CB2; Receptor, Cannabinoid, CB1
PubMed: 38461339
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-56220-0