Clinical impact of selective and nonselective beta-blockers on survival in patients with ovarian cancer.

BACKGROUND: Preclinical evidence has suggested that sustained adrenergic activation can promote ovarian cancer growth and metastasis. The authors examined the impact of beta-adrenergic blockade on the clinical outcome of women with epithelial ovarian, primary peritoneal, or fallopian tube cancers (collectively, epithelial ovarian cancer [EOC]). METHODS: A multicenter review of 1425 women with histopathologically confirmed EOC was performed. Comparisons were made between patients with documented beta-blocker use during chemotherapy and those without beta-blocker use. RESULTS: The median age of patients in the current study was 63 years (range, 21-93 years). The sample included 269 patients who received beta-blockers. Of those, 193 (71.7%) were receiving beta-1-adrenergic receptor selective agents, and the remaining patients were receiving nonselective beta antagonists. The primary indication for beta-blocker use was hypertension but also included arrhythmia and postmyocardial infarction management. For patients receiving any beta-blocker, the median overall survival (OS) was 47.8 months versus 42 months for nonusers (P =.04). The median OS based on beta-blocker receptor selectivity was 94.9 months for those receiving nonselective beta-blockers versus 38 months for those receiving beta-1-adrenergic receptor selective agents (P<.001). Hypertension was associated with decreased OS compared with no hypertension across all groups. However, even among patients with hypertension, a longer median OS was observed among users of a nonselective beta-blocker compared with nonusers (38.2 months vs 90 months; P<.001). CONCLUSIONS: Use of nonselective beta-blockers in patients with EOC was associated with longer OS. These findings may have implications for new therapeutic approaches. Cancer 2015;121:3435-43. © 2015 American Cancer Society.

The course of lichen sclerosus diagnosed prior to puberty.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To help determine the long-term course of girls diagnosed with lichen sclerosus before puberty. DESIGN: Retrospective chart review and follow-up interview. SETTING: Washington University pediatric gynecology and dermatology clinics. PARTICIPANTS: Premenarchal girls diagnosed with lichen sclerosus from 1989-2010. INTERVENTIONS: Telephone interview. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Resolution of symptoms, specifically pain and/or pruritus. RESULTS: Follow-up was available for 36 premenarchal girls. The mean age at lichen sclerosus (LS) diagnosis was 7 years (range: 3-14 years). The mean duration of follow-up was 5.3 years (range: 2 months-15 years). Treatment with topical steroids (primarily 0.05% clobetasol propionate ointment) resulted in improvement in symptoms within an average of 14 weeks (range: 2 weeks-2 years) in 33 girls. Eighty-three percent of patients (n = 30) experienced remission after initial treatment. Sixteen patients reported relapses requiring an average of 3.1 years of intermittent maintenance therapy. The mean length of remission to date was 3.6 years (range 1 months-10 years). 72% of patients reported remission at the time of the phone interview. Of note, 7 out of 9 patients in our study who continue to report symptoms are still premenarchal. One postmenarchal patient was asymptomatic but had signs of LS on physical exam. CONCLUSION: The prognosis and long term course of LS diagnosed prior to puberty is unclear. Although remission may occur prior to menarche in some cases, once children reach menarche with active disease, complete remission may be less likely. Treatment duration of LS in our study had a wide range, but 3 months appears to be adequate for most patients to obtain remission.

Eptifibatide induced profound thrombocytopenia in a patient with pelvic malignancy: A case report.

► Eptifibatide is associated with profound thrombocytopenia and thrombosis secondary to a HITT-like mechanism associated with drug-dependant antibodies. ► Caution with eptifibatide use is needed in those pre-disposed to hypercoaguability, particularly those with an underlying malignancy.