A primary lesion of advanced melanoma in pregnancy: case report and review of literature of the advanced cases in the last ten years.

INTRODUCTION: Pregnancy- associated melanoma (PAM) is reported between 2.8 and 5.0 per 100,000 pregnancies and approximately 35% of women with melanoma are of childbearing age. The diagnosis and treatment of melanoma during pregnancy needs a balance of risks and benefits for both maternal and fetal well-being. It is a type of malignancy, which requires a multidisciplinary approach, not limited to the obstetrician, but also to oncologists, neonatologists, pharmacists and psychologists. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We present a case of a 36-year-old pregnant woman, who was admitted to our 3rd level Unit of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ARNAS Garibaldi Nesima) at 27 weeks and 2 days of gestation, with a diagnosis of suspected infection, then diagnosed as an advanced melanoma, which caused a premature delivery. A review of the literature of the last ten years from the international electronic bibliographic databases PUBMED was performed following the PRISMA Statement (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis). The search was limited to studies reported in the English language. We only included articles that followed our eligibility criteria, represented by: pregnant women with a diagnosis of advanced melanoma in pregnancy, with special reference to maternal, fetal or perinatal outcomes. RESULTS: The patient was affected by an 11 cm pregnancy-associated melanoma in the lower part back, with 2 hepatic metastasis. Due to the quickly development of general symptoms of sepsis it was decided to perform an urgent C-section. For the systematic review, we found 11 articles of advanced clinical melanoma, providing data from 12 patients. Maternal-perinatal outcomes is different depending on gestational age, general clinical condition, stage at diagnosis. CONCLUSION: Advanced melanoma is usually associated with a higher rate of termination of pregnancy, If the pregnancy continues, for the mother is associated with an higher risk of Cesarean section, sepsis, maternal progression of disease; for the baby is associated with prematurity, low birth weight, neonatal metastatic disease, neonatal morbidity and mortality. The future aim of clinicians should be the creation of an international database of the clinical cases of pregnancy-associated melanoma, to evaluate the same data, to improve treatments, to develop common protocols, and, finally, to improve the obstetric and perinatal outcomes.

Hemorrhagic cystitis in pregnancy: Case report and review of the literature.

Hemorrhagic cystitis is generally a benign self-limited disorder, however there are some severe cases which are associated to a significant blood loss. The etiology may be either bacterial, viral or chemical in origin; though the cause is not identified in most of the cases. Immunocompromised patients or patients who have undergone chemotherapy or radiation constitute the highest risk group. There are only a few articles about hemorrhagic cystitis in pregnancy, frequently associated with preterm labor. We describe, for the first time in literature, one patient with a clinical status of hematuria in two consequent pregnancies, without any identified cause and a medical history negative for recurrent or hemorrhagic cystitis and we report an overview of literature concerning this topic.

Ultrasonographic evaluation of placental cord insertion at different gestational ages in low-risk singleton pregnancies: a predictive algorithm.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the accuracy of ultrasound in visualizing placental cord insertion (PCI) at different gestational ages in order to recommend the most feasible period during pregnancy to identify it. Secondary aim was to propose a predictive algorithm for PCI visualization. METHODS: We performed a single-center, prospective cohort study. We enrolled patients with singleton low-risk pregnancies who underwent fetal ultrasound scan at different gestational ages. We excluded patients with body mass index of 30 Kg/m2 or more, uterine fibroids larger than 5 cm, high-risk pregnancies, fetal weight lower than < 10° percentile or higher than > 90° percentile, increased ("deep pocket" > 80 mm) or decreased ("deep pocket" < 20 mm) amniotic fluid. RESULTS: Among the 468 recruited patients, the visualization of PCI was not possible in 5.77% of the cases. Furthermore, we showed that PCI visualization was lower as the gestational age increased (p = 0.049) and more difficult in case of posterior placenta (p = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: PCI should be evaluated in the first trimester or as early as possible during the second trimester. Moreover, we propose a feasible model to predict the possibility of PCI visualization according to gestational age and uterine site of implantation.

Total rectosigmoidectomy versus partial rectal resection in primary debulking surgery for advanced ovarian cancer.

PURPOSE: To compare in a sample of Italian patients intraoperative, perioperative complications, Quality of Life (QoL), recurrence rate and overall survival of advanced ovarian cancer (AOC) patients according to the type of surgery performed on sigma-rectum, total rectosigmoid resection (TRR) versus partial rectosigmoid resection (PRR). METHODS: From May 2004 to May 2010, consecutive patients affected by epithelial AOC (FIGO Stage III-IV) were assessed for this prospective case-control study, According to the type of colorectal surgery performed to approach rectosigmoid involvement, patients were allocated into Group A (TRR) and Group B (PRR). PRR was performed when the complete removal of disease led to a laceration <30-40% of intestinal wall circumference. RESULTS: 82 and 72 patients were included in Group A and Group B respectively. Surgical outcomes were statistically similar except hospital stay which was significantly lower in the PRR group. There was not a statistically significant difference as regarding intra-operative, perioperative and postoperative complications, even if a higher rate of major complications were recorded in TRR. An improvement in QoL's scores has been recorded in PRR's group. There was not a statistically difference concerning the optimal debulking rate (92% and 96% respectively) and 5-year Overall Survival (48% and 52% respectively). CONCLUSIONS: PRR seems to be feasible in over 40% of patients with advanced ovarian cancer and recto-sigmoid colon involvement. It is related to higher QoL and can be easily performed, without jeopardizing surgical radicality, in those cases in which conservative surgery at intestinal tract does not compromise residual tumor.