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The Cochrane Database of Systematic... Sep 2014Ovarian cancer is the sixth most common cancer and seventh commonest cause of death in women worldwide. Traditionally, many people who have been treated for cancer... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Ovarian cancer is the sixth most common cancer and seventh commonest cause of death in women worldwide. Traditionally, many people who have been treated for cancer undergo long-term follow-up in secondary care. However, it has been suggested that the use of routine review may not be effective in improving survival, quality of life (QoL), or relieving anxiety, or both. In addition, traditional follow-up may not be cost-effective.
OBJECTIVES
To compare the potential benefits of different strategies of follow-up in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer following completion of primary treatment.
SEARCH METHODS
For this update we searched the Cochrane Gynaecological Cancer Group Trials Register, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) Issue 7, 2013, MEDLINE and EMBASE from November 2010 to July 2013. We also searched reference lists of review articles and contacted experts in the field.
SELECTION CRITERIA
All relevant randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that evaluated follow-up strategies for women with epithelial ovarian cancer following completion of primary treatment.
DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
Two review authors independently abstracted data and assessed risk of bias.
MAIN RESULTS
The authors did not identify any new studies that were eligible for inclusion in this update of the review. The search for the original review identified only one RCT that met the inclusion criteria, which included 529 women. This study reported data on immediate treatment of ovarian cancer relapse following rise of serum CA125 levels versus delaying treatment until symptoms developed. All the women participating had previous confirmation of remission, with normal CA125 concentration and no radiological evidence of disease, after surgery and first-line chemotherapy for ovarian cancer.Overall survival between the immediate and delayed arms showed no difference after a median follow-up of 56.9 months (unadjusted hazard ratio (HR) 0.98, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.80 to 1.20; P value 0.85). Time from randomisation to first deterioration in global health score or death was shorter in the immediate treatment group than in the delayed treatment group (HR 0.71, 95% CI 0.58 to 0.88; P value < 0.01). The trial was at low risk of bias.
AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS
Limited evidence from a single trial suggests that routine surveillance with CA125 in asymptomatic patients and treatment at CA125 relapse does not seem to offer survival advantage when compared to treatment at symptomatic relapse. RCTs are needed to compare different types of follow-up, looking at survival, QoL, cost and psychological effects as outcomes.
Topics: CA-125 Antigen; Carcinoma, Ovarian Epithelial; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial; Ovarian Neoplasms; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
PubMed: 25198378
DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD006119.pub3 -
Journal of Clinical Medicine Aug 2020Intestinal metaplasia/differentiation in primary endometrial carcinomas is an uncommon phenomenon, with only few cases described. (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Intestinal metaplasia/differentiation in primary endometrial carcinomas is an uncommon phenomenon, with only few cases described.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
We performed a systematic review of endometrial carcinomas with intestinal metaplasia/differentiation interrogating the electronic databases Pubmed, Web of Science, and Scopus, and we reported an additional case arising in a 49-year-old woman.
RESULTS
We identified only eight patients diagnosed with endometrial carcinomas exhibiting intestinal metaplasia/differentiation, and additionally our case. Endometrial carcinomas with intestinal-type features can present in pure or mixed forms in association with usual-type endometrioid carcinomas; in mixed forms, the two neoplastic components may derive from a common neoplastic progenitor, as evidenced by the concomitant loss of MSH2 and MSH6 protein expression in our case. Disease recurrences occur in a significant fraction of the cases, including patients diagnosed in low-stage disease.
CONCLUSIONS
Endometrial carcinomas with intestinal metaplasia/differentiation are rare and they may represent a more aggressive tumor variant, thus requiring a proper treatment despite the low-tumor stage. The ProMise classification should be performed also in these unusual tumors, since they can be associated with mismatch repair system defects.
PubMed: 32781666
DOI: 10.3390/jcm9082552 -
European Journal of Surgical Oncology :... Oct 2022Postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy followed surgery is the standard management for localized advanced colorectal carcinoma (CRC). Mucinous adenocarcinoma (MAC) is a... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
Mucinous histology is associated with poor prognosis in locally advanced colorectal adenocarcinoma treated with postoperative first-line adjuvant chemotherapy: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
PURPOSE
Postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy followed surgery is the standard management for localized advanced colorectal carcinoma (CRC). Mucinous adenocarcinoma (MAC) is a peculiar histological subtype of CRC, but the prognosis of MAC patients is controversial. The objective of this study is to assess the implication of MAC in survival of patients treated with surgery and firs-line adjuvant chemotherapy.
METHODS
Studies describing outcomes for advanced MAC and non-specific adenocarcinoma (AC) of CRC patients treated with first-line postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy followed surgery were searched in PubMed, Embase, Medline, EBSCO, Wiley, and Cochrane Library (January 1963-August 2021). Hazard ratios (HRs) of overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) for MAC to AC were extracted. Random-effects model was used for calculating the pooled HRs and 95% confidence interval (CI).
RESULTS
This meta-analysis is comprised of 8 studies involving a total of 124,303 CRC patients treated with first-line adjuvant chemotherapy followed surgery. The pooled HR for MAC was 1.23 (95% CI, 1.07-1.41, p < 0.01, I = 80%), and the DFS (HR, 2.95, 95% CI, 1.22-7.14) of MAC patients were significantly poorer than AC patients. Similar results were also observed in stage III and FOLFOX regimen subgroups.
CONCLUSION
MAC was a risk factor for prognosis of localized advanced CRC patients treated with postoperative first-line adjuvant chemotherapy. Thus, the role of first-line adjuvant chemotherapy regimens should be further studied in these MAC patients.
Topics: Humans; Colorectal Neoplasms; Adenocarcinoma; Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; Adenocarcinoma, Mucinous; Prognosis
PubMed: 35768312
DOI: 10.1016/j.ejso.2022.06.024 -
Pancreatology : Official Journal of the... Nov 2022Pancreatic cancer has a dismal prognosis. So far, imaging has been proven incapable of establishing an early enough diagnosis. Thus, biomarkers are urgently needed for... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
BACKGROUND AND AIMS
Pancreatic cancer has a dismal prognosis. So far, imaging has been proven incapable of establishing an early enough diagnosis. Thus, biomarkers are urgently needed for early detection and improved survival. Our aim was to evaluate the pooled diagnostic performance of DNA alterations in pancreatic juice.
METHODS
A systematic literature search was performed in EMBASE, MEDLINE Ovid, Cochrane CENTRAL and Web of Science for studies concerning the diagnostic performance of DNA alterations in pancreatic juice to differentiate patients with high-grade dysplasia or pancreatic cancer from controls. Study quality was assessed using QUADAS-2. The pooled prevalence, sensitivity, specificity and diagnostic odds ratio were calculated.
RESULTS
Studies mostly concerned cell-free DNA mutations (32 studies: 939 cases, 1678 controls) and methylation patterns (14 studies: 579 cases, 467 controls). KRAS, TP53, CDKN2A, GNAS and SMAD4 mutations were evaluated most. Of these, TP53 had the highest diagnostic performance with a pooled sensitivity of 42% (95% CI: 31-54%), specificity of 98% (95%-CI: 92%-100%) and diagnostic odds ratio of 36 (95% CI: 9-133). Of DNA methylation patterns, hypermethylation of CDKN2A, NPTX2 and ppENK were studied most. Hypermethylation of NPTX2 performed best with a sensitivity of 39-70% and specificity of 94-100% for distinguishing pancreatic cancer from controls.
CONCLUSIONS
This meta-analysis shows that, in pancreatic juice, the presence of distinct DNA mutations (TP53, SMAD4 or CDKN2A) and NPTX2 hypermethylation have a high specificity (close to 100%) for the presence of high-grade dysplasia or pancreatic cancer. However, the sensitivity of these DNA alterations is poor to moderate, yet may increase if they are combined in a panel.
Topics: Humans; Biomarkers, Tumor; Carcinoma, Pancreatic Ductal; Early Detection of Cancer; Mutation; Pancreatic Juice; Pancreatic Neoplasms
PubMed: 35864067
DOI: 10.1016/j.pan.2022.06.260 -
Cancer Imaging : the Official... Jul 2013Approximately 72% of endometrial cancers are FIGO stage I at diagnosis and about 10% have lymph node metastases. An ideal diagnostic test for nodal disease would be able... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Approximately 72% of endometrial cancers are FIGO stage I at diagnosis and about 10% have lymph node metastases. An ideal diagnostic test for nodal disease would be able to prevent both overtreatment (i.e. unnecessary lymphadenectomy) and undertreatment (i.e. withholding lymphadenectomy or adjuvant postoperative treatment to patients with lymph node metastases).
OBJECTIVES
In this review we compare the accuracy of preoperative tests (computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, positron emission tomography-computed tomography, CA-125 serum levels, and ultrasonography) for the detection of lymph node metastases in endometrial cancers with the final histopathologic diagnosis after complete pelvic and para-aortic lymphadenectomy as the gold standard.
METHOD
A systematic search in MEDLINE (using PubMed), Embase and The Cochrane Library was performed up to 23 July 2012.
RESULTS
We found one article that met our inclusion criteria for computed tomography, none for magnetic resonance imaging, 2 for positron emission tomography/computed tomography), 2 for CA-125 and none for ultrasonography.
CONCLUSIONS
Due to the lack of high-quality articles on a preoperative test for lymph node status in endometrial cancer, no proper comparison between these modalities can be made.
Topics: CA-125 Antigen; Endometrial Neoplasms; Female; Humans; Lymphatic Metastasis; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Positron-Emission Tomography; Tomography, X-Ray Computed
PubMed: 23876490
DOI: 10.1102/1470-7330.2013.0032 -
Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine Sep 2022The gallbladder undergoes different types of pathologies, ranging from inflammatory to preneoplasia and finally to malignant lesions. Gallbladder carcinoma can be highly...
The gallbladder undergoes different types of pathologies, ranging from inflammatory to preneoplasia and finally to malignant lesions. Gallbladder carcinoma can be highly invasive, and it is known that chronic inflammation of the gallbladder can lead to preneoplastic abnormalities and subsequently malignant phenotypes. Gallbladder neoplasia has a low incidence but is associated with a very poor prognosis. An early diagnosis is therefore extremely important in order to improve the prognosis of patients. Immunohistochemical markers of the mucin family can distinguish between different types of gallbladder lesions. Mucins are glycoproteins that can be attached to threonine residues that are -glycosylated (due to the hydroxyl group of this amino acid). Mucins are divided into two types: those that bind to the membrane, such as MUC1, and those that form gels or are secreted, such as MUC5AC. Various alterations in mucin expression have been revealed to be associated with the development of neoplasia, as they modulate cell growth, karyokinetic transformation, dedifferentiation, adhesion, invasion and immune surveillance. p53 is a tumor suppressor gene and is linked to the development of different types of neoplasia. The incidence of the p53 gene is variable in the pathophysiology of gallbladder cancer. Several studies have revealed an incidence of ~50% of the p53 gene in gallbladder tumors. Studying the immunohistochemical profile of mucins and the presence of different gene mutations in neoplastic lesions of the gallbladder and surrounding mucosa may contribute to the understanding of the pathophysiology of the disease and the mechanisms involved in tumor development, allowing the identification of patients at increased risk of developing neoplasia, thus leading to improved management.
PubMed: 35949333
DOI: 10.3892/etm.2022.11541 -
Scientific Reports Dec 2021MUC5B promoter rs35705950 T/G gene polymorphism has been associated with the risk of IPF, but the influence of this relationship varies among different populations. In... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
MUC5B promoter rs35705950 T/G gene polymorphism has been associated with the risk of IPF, but the influence of this relationship varies among different populations. In the past 2 years, there were new clinical studies with different results, but none of them reached unified conclusions. Therefore, this study further included the latest case-control studies, integrated their results and carried out meta-analysis on them to draw reliable conclusions. PubMed, EMBASE, CNKI, Wanfang database and VIP Chinese science were searched by a computer to collect the related literatures of MUC5B gene polymorphism and IPF susceptibility published before June 15, 2021. The first author, year of publication, diagnostic criteria and gene frequency were extracted after screened them. Forest plot was drawn and the trial sequential analysis (TSA) was carried out to confirm the stability of the meta-analysis results. Registration number: CRD42021272940. A total of 24 case-control studies (13 studies on the Caucasian, 7 studies on the Asian and 4 studies on the mixed population), and a total of 6749 IPF patients and 13,898 healthy controls were included in this study. The T vs.G, TT vs. GG, GT vs. GG, GT + TT vs. GG and TT vs. GG + GT genetic models of MUC5B promoter rs35705950 T/G polymorphism were associated with IPF risk in all populations, and the effect values were ([OR] 4.12, 95% CI [3.64, 4.67]), ([OR] 10.12, 95% CI [7.06, 14.49]), ([OR] 4.84, 95% CI [3.85, 6.08]), ([OR] 4.84, 95% CI [3.79, 6.19]) and ([OR] 5.11, 95% CI [4.02, 6.49]), respectively. The results of TSA confirmed the stability of the results. Subgroup analysis showed that T vs.G, TT vs. GG, GT vs. GG, GT + TT vs. GG and TT vs. GG + GT genetic models of MUC5B polymorphism were associated with IPF risk in Caucasian population. The effect values were ([OR] 4.50, 95% CI [3.93, 5.16]), ([OR] 10.98, 95% CI [7.59, 15.89]), ([OR] 6.27, 95% CI [5.37, 7.32]), ([OR] 6.30, 95% CI [5.19, 7.64]) and ([OR] 5.15, 95% CI [4.01, 6.61]), respectively. Similar results were also found in Asian and mixed populations. The association strength of the minor T allele in the Caucasian was more significant than that of the Asian population ([OR] 4.50 vs. [OR] 2.39), and the association strength of all genetic models carrying "T" was more significant than that of the Asian population ([OR] 10.98 vs. [OR] 4.29). In Caucasian, Asian and mixed populations, T minor allele carriers were more likely to be susceptible to pulmonary fibrosis, and TT genotype carriers were more likely to be susceptible to IPF than GT genotype carriers. The association between IPF and Caucasian population with minor T allele and all "T" genetic model was more significant than that of Asian population.
Topics: Alleles; Genetic Predisposition to Disease; Humans; Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis; Mucin-5B; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; Promoter Regions, Genetic
PubMed: 34907291
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-03533-z -
Oncotarget Jul 2017Inflammation plays an important role in the development and progression of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). However, no meta-analysis has comprehensively and... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
Inflammation plays an important role in the development and progression of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). However, no meta-analysis has comprehensively and quantitatively investigated the prognostic value of the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in EOC patients. Therefore, we performed a meta-analysis to quantify the prognostic impact of this biomarker. We searched the PubMed and Web of Science databases from their inception through December 31, 2016, and examined observational studies evaluating the association of preoperative NLR with progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) of EOC patients. A random-effects model was used to summarize hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Twelve retrospective cohort studies including 3,154 EOC patients were identified. Elevated NLR in EOC patients was associated with worse PFS (summarized HR=1.80; 95% CI = 1.22-2.65; I2 = 79.1%) and OS (summarized HR = 1.72; 95% CI = 1.18-2.51; I2 = 73.5%) compared with low NLR. No evidence of publication bias was detected by funnel plot analysis and formal statistical tests. Although the results were robust in all subgroup analyses, not all results were statistically significant. We determined that adjustments for CA-125 level and performance status might be sources of heterogeneity. These combined results indicate that preoperative NLR is an important predictor of prognosis in EOC patients. Since the high heterogeneity and retrospective study design of included studies, these results require further validation with prospective cohort and trials enrolling larger patient populations and conducting longer follow-up examinations.
Topics: Biomarkers; CA-125 Antigen; Carcinoma, Ovarian Epithelial; Disease Progression; Female; Humans; Leukocyte Count; Lymphocyte Count; Lymphocytes; Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial; Neutrophils; Ovarian Neoplasms; Prognosis; Proportional Hazards Models; Retrospective Studies; Survival Analysis
PubMed: 28423365
DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.16793 -
Endoscopy International Open May 2020Accurate diagnosis and risk stratification of pancreatic cysts (PCs) is challenging. The aim of this study was to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis to... (Review)
Review
Accurate diagnosis and risk stratification of pancreatic cysts (PCs) is challenging. The aim of this study was to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the feasibility, safety, and diagnostic yield of endoscopic ultrasound-guided through-the-needle biopsy (TTNB) versus fine-needle aspiration (FNA) in PCs. Comprehensive search of databases (PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane, Web of Science) for relevant studies on TTNB of PCs (from inception to June 2019). The primary outcome was to compare the pooled diagnostic yield and concordance rate with surgical pathology of TTNB histology and FNA cytology of PCs. The secondary outcome was to estimate the safety profile of TTNB. Eight studies (426 patients) were included. The diagnostic yield was significantly higher with TTNB over FNA for a specific cyst type (OR: 9.4; 95 % CI: [5.7-15.4]; I = 48) or a mucinous cyst (MC) (OR: 3.9; 95 % CI: [2.0-7.4], I = 72 %). The concordance rate with surgical pathology was significantly higher with TTNB over FNA for a specific cyst type (OR: 13.5; 95 % CI: [3.5-52.3]; I = 48), for a MC (OR: 8.9; 95 % [CI: 1.9-40.8]; I = 29), and for MC histologic severity (OR: 10.4; 95 % CI: [2.9-36.9]; I = 0). The pooled sensitivity and specificity of TTNB for MCs were 90.1 % (95 % CI: [78.4-97.6]; I = 36.5 %) and 94 % (95 % CI: [81.5-99.7]; I = 0), respectively. The pooled adverse event rate was 7.0 % (95 % CI: [2.3-14.1]; I = 82.9). TTNB is safe, has a high sensitivity and specificity for MCs and may be superior to FNA cytology in risk-stratifying MCs and providing a specific cyst diagnosis.
PubMed: 32355885
DOI: 10.1055/a-1119-6543 -
Journal of Medical Case Reports Dec 2014Ependymomas are rare glial tumors of the brain representing less than 5% of brain tumors. However, spinal cord ependymomas in adults account for over 60% of all... (Review)
Review
INTRODUCTION
Ependymomas are rare glial tumors of the brain representing less than 5% of brain tumors. However, spinal cord ependymomas in adults account for over 60% of all ependymomas including those arising from the filum terminale and only 40% are intracranial. Reports of the appearance of another neoplasia at a different location in patients with spinal ependymoma are scarce.
METHODS
We searched PubMed for studies related to spinal cord ependymomas published over the last 30 years (from January 1984) and retrieved 1197.
RESULTS
We identified only two studies that met our criteria and we found an incidence of 9% of secondary neoplasias after treatment for spinal ependymoma. The neoplasms were diagnosed from 2 months to 20 years after patients underwent surgery for intraspinal ependymoma. These included pancreatic cancer, prostate cancer, Hodgkin lymphoma, intracranial meningioma, mucin-producing pulmonary adenocarcinoma, gastric cancer and astrocytoma.
CONCLUSIONS
The genetic abnormalities affecting patients with spinal ependymomas may indicate a predisposition to the development of secondary cancers or a general failure of the repairing mechanism in their DNA. The unaffected survival rates in those individuals permit for a long period the accumulation of different mutations on the genome and thus the appearance of a second cancer. However, more studies are needed, particularly in young patients with high survival rates.
Topics: Ependymoma; Humans; Spinal Cord Neoplasms
PubMed: 25519213
DOI: 10.1186/1752-1947-8-438