Safety and efficacy of topical testosterone in breast cancer patients receiving ovarian suppression and aromatase inhibitor therapy.

BACKGROUND: Premenopausal, high-risk, hormone receptor-positive breast cancer patients are often treated with ovarian suppression in combination with aromatase inhibitors (AI). This combination has important adverse effects, particularly in sexual function, such as vaginal dryness and loss of libido. There is no effective therapy for reduced sexual function in this setting. Our study aimed to determine the efficacy and safety, particularly regarding sexual function, of a low-dose, topical testosterone gel administration. METHODS: This is a pilot, single-center study, designed to evaluate the efficacy of topical testosterone gel (3 mg/day) in improving sexual function in 29 premenopausal patients on ovarian suppression in combination with an AI. The primary safety endpoint was to assess serum estradiol elevation. The primary efficacy endpoint was sexual function improvement, assessed by the Female Sexual Function Index questionnaire. RESULTS: We report the results on 29 patients. Twenty-two patients (75%) completed the 3-month treatment, and seven discontinued treatment before completion, mostly due to logistical difficulties related to the COVID-19 pandemic. All patients maintained the value of baseline mass spectrometry assay for estradiol of less than 2.7 pg/mL during the undertaken measurements. We observed a significant improvement in Female Sexual Function Index measures over the visits, with an increase from a mean of 11.7 at baseline to 19.1 in the third month (p < 0.001), with the greatest improvement observed between the second and third months. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that topical testosterone seems to be safe and may be effective in improving sexual function in patients on ovarian suppression and AI. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The project was submitted and approved through the hospital's SGPP platform in 11/26/2019 (Project No. SGPP 393819) and CAAE (Research Ethics Committee) (CAAE No 25609719.5.0000.007).

Frequency of Deleterious Germline Variants in HER2-Low Breast Cancer Patients Using a Hereditary Multipanel Gene Testing.

HER2-Low is defined as low levels of HER2 expression, based on a score of 1+ on immunohistochemical (IHC) assay or as an IHC score of 2+ and negative results on in situ hybridization (ISH or FISH). They are a heterogeneous population of breast cancers that vary in prognosis and sensitivity to systemic treatments. The frequency and clinical characteristics of pathogenic germline variants (PGVs) in HER2-Low breast cancer (BC) patients is not defined. We analyzed results from patients with BC who underwent multi-gene panel testing (MGPT) (maximum 145 genes) between 2018-2019. We reclassified HER-2 status accordingly. Relationships between the variables of interest were assessed by adopting the proportional regression Cox models. Of a total of 167 BC patients who underwent MGPT, half were hormone-receptor-positive. The median age was 45 years. About two thirds of the patients were in the earlier stage of BC. A total of 57% of the cases were reclassified as HER-2-negative or -Low. PGVs were found in 19% of the patients overall, as follows: seven BRCA1, four BRCA2, two ATM, one ATR, two CFTR, three CHEK2, one FANCA, one MERTK, one MLH1, three MUTYH, one RAD50, three RAD51C, one RECQL4, and two TP53 mutations. In HER2-Low, 26.5% of the patients had PGVs, and in the overall cohort, this was 19.8%. In conclusion, differences in the prevalence of deleterious germline mutations in HER2-Low BC patients compared to non-HER2-Low BC patients were identified. Similar alterations in BRCA were observed in this group of patients compared to the overall cohort. Germline genetic tests should be evaluated in larger cohorts of patients with HER2-Low status to better address the findings.

Impact of swimming exercise on inflammation in medullary areas of sympathetic outflow control in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

Exercise reduces sympathetic activity (SA), arterial pressure and heart rate in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Exercise increases oxidative stress (OS) and inflammation is implicated in the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and progression of hypertension. To unravel these effects of exercise and considering that SA is driven by medullary areas, we hypothesized that swimming exercise (SW) affects the gene expression (g.e.) of proteins involved in inflammation and OS in the commissural Nucleus of the Solitary Tract (cNTS) and Rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM), which control the sympathetic outflow in SHR. We used male SHR and Wistar rats (14-16wks-old) which were maintained sedentary (SED) or submitted to SW (1 h/day, 5 days/wk./6wks). The g.e. of cycloxygenase-2 (COX-2), interleukin 6 (IL-6), interleukin 10 (IL-10), AT-1 receptor (AT-1r), neuroglobin (Ngb) and cytoglobin (Ctb) in cNTS and RVLM was carried out by qPCR. We observed that COX-2 g.e. increased in SW-SHR in cNTS and RVLM compared to SED-SHR. The IL-6 g.e. reduced in RVLM in SW-SHR, whereas IL-10 g.e. increased in SW-SHR in comparison to SED-SHR. The AT-1r g.e. decreased in SW-SHR in cNTS and RVLM compared to SED-SHR. The Ngb and Ctb g.e. in cNTS neurons increased in SHR and Wistar rats submitted to SW compared to SED, but only Ctb g.e. increased in RVLM in SW-SHR and Wistar in comparison to SED. Therefore, the SW altered the g.e. in cNTS and RVLM for reducing the inflammation and ROS formation, which is increased particularly in SHR, consequently decreasing the OS.

Continuous palliative sedation for patients with advanced cancer at a tertiary care cancer center.

BACKGROUND: Palliative sedation (PS) is an intervention to treat refractory symptoms and to relieve suffering at the end of life. Its prevalence and practice patterns vary widely worldwide. The aim of our study was to evaluate the frequency, clinical indications and outcomes of PS in advanced cancer patients admitted to our tertiary comprehensive cancer center. METHODS: We retrospectively studied the use of PS in advanced cancer patients who died between March 1st, 2012 and December 31st, 2014. PS was defined as the use of continuous infusion of midazolam or neuroleptics for refractory symptoms in the end of life. This study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of our institution (project number 2481-15). RESULTS: During the study period, 552 cancer patients died at the institution and 374 met the inclusion criteria for this study. Main reason for exclusion was death in the Intensive Care Unit. Among all included patients, 54.2% (n = 203) received PS. Patients who received PS as compared to those not sedated were younger (67.8 vs. 76.4 years-old, p < 0.001) and more likely to have a diagnosis of lung cancer (23% vs. 14%, p = 0.028). The most common indications for sedation were dyspnea (55%) and delirium (19.7%) and the most common drugs used were midazolam (52.7%) or midazolam and a neuroleptic (39.4%). Median initial midazolam infusion rate was 0.75 mg/h (interquartile range - IQR - 0.6-1.5) and final rate was 1.5 mg/h (IQR 0.9-3.0). Patient survival (length of hospital stay from admission to death) of those who had PS was more than the double of those who did not (33.6 days vs 16 days, p < 0.001). The palliative care team was involved in the care of 12% (n = 25) of sedated patients. CONCLUSIONS: PS is a relatively common practice in the end-of-life of cancer patients at our hospital and it is not associated with shortening of hospital stay. Involvement of a dedicated palliative care team is strongly recommended if this procedure is being considered. Further research is needed to identify factors that may affect the frequency and outcomes associated with PS.

Does Time-to-Chemotherapy Impact the Outcomes of Resected Ovarian Cancer? Meta-analysis of Randomized and Observational Data.

OBJECTIVES: This study is a meta-analysis of prior publications evaluating the impact of time-to-chemotherapy (TTC) on disease recurrence and survival 3 years after the original surgery. METHODS: We performed a meta-analysis of studies published in PubMed (1950-2016) as of April 2016. Inclusion criteria were as follows: randomized controlled trials and prospective or retrospective cohorts that included patients with ovarian cancer who had undergone surgery with curative intent and use of adjuvant chemotherapy. We compared rates of disease recurrence and death according to the TTC ("early" vs "delayed") using a random-effects model and performed a metaregression to evaluate the impact of covariates on these outcomes. RESULTS: Of 239 abstracts in the original search, 12 were considered eligible. The cutoffs used for TTC were between 20 and 40 days. All studies used a platinum-based chemotherapy, and the rates of patients with suboptimal resection varied from 33% to 70%. A longer TTC was not associated with higher rates of disease recurrence (odds ratio, 0.89; 95% confidence interval, 0.63-1.24) or death at 3 years (odds ratio, 1.06; 95% confidence interval, 0.9-1.24). There was no evidence of significant publication bias (Egger test P = 0.472), but data were heterogeneous (I = 64.3%). Metaregression showed that the percentage of patients with suboptimal surgery and values used as cutoff to define "delayed" chemotherapy combined were a significant source of bias (residual I = 0%). CONCLUSIONS: In our analysis, TTC after surgery for ovarian cancer with curative intent was not associated with higher risk of disease recurrence or death. However, this association was influenced by the rate of optimal debulking and definition of "late" initiation of chemotherapy, so we must be careful when applying these data to patients with complete resection.

Prognostic value of programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression in patients with stage III non-small cell lung cancer under different treatment types: a retrospective study.

OBJECTIVE: Currently programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) inhibitors in combination with other therapies are being evaluated to determine their efficacy in cancer treatment. However, the effect of PD-ligand (L) 1 expression on disease outcomes in stage III (EC III) non-small cell lung cancer is not completely understood. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the influence of PD-L1 expression on the outcomes of EC III non-small cell lung cancer. METHODS: This study was conducted on patients diagnosed with EC III non-small cell lung cancer who underwent treatment at a tertiary care hospital. PD-L1 expression was determined using immunohistochemical staining, all patients expressed PD-L1. Survival was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Relationships between variables were assessed using Cox proportional regression models. RESULTS: A total of 49 patients (median age=69 years) with EC III non-small cell lung cancer and PD-L1 expression were evaluated. More than half of the patients were men, and most were regular smokers. The patients were treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy, surgery, or sequential or combined chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The median progression-free survival of the entire cohort was 14.2 months, and the median overall survival was 20 months. There was no significant association between PD-L1 expression and disease progression, clinical characteristics, or overall survival. CONCLUSIONS: PD-L1 expression was not correlated with EC III non-small cell lung cancer outcomes. Whether these findings differ from the association with immune checkpoint inhibitors remains to be addressed in future studies.

Gabapentin for the prevention of chemotherapy- induced nausea and vomiting: a pilot study.

INTRODUCTION: Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) is a distressing side effect that affects many patients undergoing emetogenic chemotherapy, despite the use of antiemetic medications. The purpose of this trial was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of gabapentin for the prevention of CINV during the first cycle of treatment in patients receiving moderately or highly emetogenic chemotherapy. METHODS: Eighty chemotherapy-naive patients, scheduled to receive moderately and highly emetogenic chemotherapy, were enrolled in this randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. All patients received intravenous ondansetron 8 mg, dexamethasone 10 mg and ranitidine 50 mg before chemotherapy on day 1 and oral dexamethasone 4 mg twice a day on days 2 and 3. Patients were randomly assigned to take gabapentin 300 mg or placebo on the following schedule: 5 and 4 days before chemotherapy once daily, 3 and 2 days before chemotherapy twice daily, 1 day before to 5 days after chemotherapy thrice daily. The primary endpoint was complete overall protection from both vomiting and nausea over the course of the entire study (day 1 through day 5), and complete protection during the delayed period (24-120 h after chemotherapy). RESULTS: The proportion of patients achieving complete response improved from 40% to 62.5%, (p = 0.04) when comparing the control group and the gabapentin group, respectively. In the subset of patients who achieved complete control in the acute phase, the percentage of patients who achieved delayed complete control was higher in the gabapentin group (89.3 × 60.7%, p = 0.01). Adverse events did not significantly differ between study arms. CONCLUSIONS: Gabapentin is a low-cost strategy to improve complete control of CINV, specially delayed CINV control.

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy or upfront surgery in localized pancreatic cancer: a contemporary analysis.

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy is considered a new treatment option for potentially resectable pancreatic cancer. However, data are not well established on overall survival and delaying surgery in resectable pancreatic cancer, as well as on those patients that ultimately cannot undergo surgery. We analyzed pancreatic cancer patients treated in a tertiary hospital from January 2016 to December 2020. Patients with resectable stage I and II pancreatic cancer were evaluated regarding surgery, neoadjuvant treatment, and other clinical demographics. The survival function was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method, and the relationship between the variables of interest and the overall survival (OS) was assessed by adopting the proportional regression Cox models. A total of 216 patients were evaluated. 81 of them with resectable/borderline resectable disease and 135 with unresectable /metastatic disease at diagnosis. Median OS for stage I and II disease were 36 and 28 months, respectively. For resectable pancreatic cancer median OS was 28 months, for borderline resectable pancreatic cancer median OS was 11 months. Median OS for stage III (locally advanced) and stage IV (metastatic) were 10 and 7 months, respectively (p < 0.0001). Median OS of 9 months were obtained for patients with stage I and II that did not undergo surgery compared to 25 months in patients that underwent surgery in any time (p < 0.001). Comparing patients with localized disease, median OS for patients treated with upfront surgery was 28 months, compared to 15 months in patients treated with neoadjuvant approach (p = 0.04). Most patients that did not undergo surgery have decline of performance status or disease progression on neoadjuvant treatment. On multivariable analysis in pancreatic cancer stages I and II, including age, sex, borderline or resectable disease, CA 19-9, positive lymph nodes and neoadjuvant treatment, the surgery was the only factor associated with improved overall survival (p = 0.04). Upfront surgery should still be considered a standard of care approach for resectable pancreatic cancer. Biomarker driven studies and randomized trials with combination therapies are necessary to address neoadjuvant chemotherapy and delaying surgery in purely resectable pancreatic cancer.

[Professional or household performance of patients with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy]. / Desempenho profissional ou doméstico das pacientes em quimioterapia para câncer de mama.

OBJECTIVES: Evaluate patients with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy with respect to their epidemiologic and clinical variables as well as performance at work or at home. METHODS: this was a cross-sectional study including 52 women interviewed during breast cancer chemotherapy, stratified in two groups: those who continued to work and do household tasks, and did not continue to work or do household tasks. Patients were from two public hospitals in the State of São Paulo, one in Santo Andre and the other in São Bernardo do Campo. The WPAI - GH (Work Productivity and Activity Impairment) questionnaire was used to evaluate work and household performance of professionals or housewives, respectively. RESULTS: Mean age of the patients was 55.7 (SD=13.8), most were Caucasian (88.5%), married (55.8%), employed (65.3%) and the majority had to stop working because of treatment (51.0%), at more advanced stage (p<0.05), fatigue and nausea (p<0.05). Mean WPAI - GH was 67.04 (|SD = 5.62) for patients who stopped working and 49.17 (SD = 6.89) for those who continued to work (Mann-Whitney U test: p = 0.04). CONCLUSION: Chemotherapy leads to a decrease in performance of a sizable fraction of women with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy. A more advanced stage of neoplasia was positively associated with withdrawal from these activities probably due to side effects such as fatigue and nausea.

Management of metastatic cutaneous melanoma: updates in clinical practice.

In recent years, several drugs have been approved for the treatment of patients with metastatic cutaneous melanoma, completely reshaping the landscape of this aggressive disease. Immune therapy with cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen 4 and programmed cell death-1 inhibitors yielded significant and durable responses, achieving long-term disease control in up to 40% of the patients. BRAF inhibitors (BRAFi), in combination with MEK inhibitors, also resulted in improved overall survival compared with single-agent BRAFi in patients with BRAFV600-mutated metastatic melanoma. The optimized sequencing and duration of treatment, however, is yet to be found. In this article, we thoroughly review current data and discuss how to best sequence the various treatment modalities available at present, based on four distinct clinical presentations commonly seen in clinic. In addition, we review treatment options beyond checkpoint inhibitors and targeted therapy, which may be required by patients failing such effective treatments.

A Severe, Refractory Case of Mucous Membrane Pemphigoid After Treatment With Pembrolizumab: Brief Communication.

Pembrolizumab is a humanized antibody that targets the programmed death-1 receptor expressed in T cells with high selectivity. This therapeutic is of great importance in cancer immunotherapy yet managing the potential immune-related adverse events remains a concern. Here, we report a rare case of mucous membrane pemphigoid in the oral mucosa, upper respiratory tract, and conjunctiva of a patient with ovarian adenocarcinoma without cutaneous manifestation, which persisted even after pembrolizumab discontinuation. A brief review of pembrolizumab-related bullous pemphigoid cases is presented and possible mechanisms underlying these lesions are discussed.

Prognostic value of programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression in patients with stage III non-small cell lung cancer under different treatment types: a retrospective study

ABSTRACT Objective Currently programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) inhibitors in combination with other therapies are being evaluated to determine their efficacy in cancer treatment. However, the effect of PD-ligand (L) 1 expression on disease outcomes in stage III (EC III) non-small cell lung cancer is not completely understood. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the influence of PD-L1 expression on the outcomes of EC III non-small cell lung cancer. Methods This study was conducted on patients diagnosed with EC III non-small cell lung cancer who underwent treatment at a tertiary care hospital. PD-L1 expression was determined using immunohistochemical staining, all patients expressed PD-L1. Survival was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Relationships between variables were assessed using Cox proportional regression models. Results A total of 49 patients (median age=69 years) with EC III non-small cell lung cancer and PD-L1 expression were evaluated. More than half of the patients were men, and most were regular smokers. The patients were treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy, surgery, or sequential or combined chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The median progression-free survival of the entire cohort was 14.2 months, and the median overall survival was 20 months. There was no significant association between PD-L1 expression and disease progression, clinical characteristics, or overall survival. Conclusions PD-L1 expression was not correlated with EC III non-small cell lung cancer outcomes. Whether these findings differ from the association with immune checkpoint inhibitors remains to be addressed in future studies.

Ovarian yolk sac tumor coexisting with epithelial ovarian cancer: An aggressive rare entity.

Yolk sac tumor (YST) is the second most common subtype of ovarian germ cell tumors. It usually occurs in the second and third decades of life and is rare in postmenopausal women. In postmenopausal women, YST is commonly an aggressive tumor and can present as a pure germ cell component or as a mixed component with other germ cell or epithelial components. The recognition of this histological subtype is important not only for differential diagnosis but also for determining prognosis and treatment decisions. In this case report, we describe a 61-year-old woman with YST coexisting with epithelial carcinoma focusing on the efficacy of systemic therapies.

Neuromyelitis optica: a challenging diagnosis at secondary hospital.

Known since the 19th century, neuromyelitis optica (NMO), or Devic's disease, is an idiopathic immune-mediated inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system selectively affecting the optic nerve and spinal cord. Commonly diagnosed in demyelinating diseases reference centers, we report an 18-year-old female patient who sought medical attention with a 3-month history of weight loss, headache, and vomiting, followed by diplopia, a burning sensation over the lower limbs, and difficulty walking. A few days prior to hospital admission, the muscle strength in her lower limbs became worse and ascended to the upper limbs associated with sensory changes in the trunk and voiding dysfunction. At admission, the neurological examination was consistent with a spinal cord syndrome. After few days of hospitalization, she was tetraplegic with severe signs of brainstem involvement requiring mechanical ventilatory support. Intravenous methylprednisolone and cyclophosphamide were promptly started after ruling out the diagnosis of infectious disease and cord compression. Due to no substantial early improvement, intravenous immunoglobulin was also used. From then on, the neurological status gradually improved. Magnetic resonance imaging showed extensive demyelinating features in the spinal cord, and the serum IgG autoantibody was negative. The patient was referred to a tertiary neurological reference center where she remains under treatment.

Hipersensibilidade a inalantes em adultos jovens que responderam o questionário do International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood / Hypersensitivity to inhalants in young adults who answered to the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood questionnaire

Objetivo: A prevalência de doenças alérgicas, como asma, rinite e eczema, aumentou significativamente, tendo etiologia multifatorial como a exposição à alérgenos. Este estudo teve como objetivo determinar a prevalência de sensibilização à aeroalérgenos através de testes cutâneos em adultos jovens da Faculdade de Medicina do ABC, que responderam ao questionário padrão ISAAC (International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood) em 2006 e 2007. Métodos: Estudo transversal realizado em 600 jovens que responderam ao questionário ISAAC. Desses, 100 foram randomizados para realizar testes cutâneos de hipersensibilidade imediata para os alérgenos: D. pteronyssinus e D. farinae, Blomia tropicalis, Blatella, epitélio de cão e gato. Os resultados foram correlacionados com as respostas dos questionários. Resultados: Nos questionários, 28 (28%) alunos apresentaram-se assintomáticos, 14 (14%) com asma ativa, 63 (63%) com rinite ativa e 12 (12%) com eczema. Entre os submetidos aos testes cutâneos, 37 (74,0%) apresentavam sintomas de rinite (p < 0,05), 9 (64,3%) de asma e 6 (50,0%) de eczema. Observou-se que 50 (50%) alunos apresentaram reações positivas para pelo menos um alérgeno, dos quais 39 (78%) apresentavam sintomas alérgicos e 11 (22,0%) eram assintomáticos (p = 0,18 e OR = 1,82). Entre os que mostraram positividade para mais de um alérgeno, 11 (73,3%) tinha asma, 13 (92,9%) tinham rinite e 7 (58,3%) eczema. (p < 0,05). Conclusões: Observou-se relação direta entre a prevalência de doenças alérgicas e positividade aos testes cutâneos. Rinite foi a doença mais frequente, seguida pela asma e eczema, nos quais os ácaros apresentaram maior prevalência, principalmente o D. farinae.

Objective: The prevalence of allergy diseases, such as asthma, rhinitis and eczema, increased significantly having the multifactorial etiology as the allergens exposure. The study objective was to appoint the prevalence of sensitization to the aeroallergens through the skin allergy test (prick test) in young adults from the Faculdade de Medicina do ABC, who filled the ISAAC (International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood) questionnaire in 2006 and 2007. Methods: Cross-sectional study of 600 young adults who answered the ISAAC questionnaire. From those, 100 were randomly picked to do the skin allergy test for immediate hypersensitivity to the allergens: D. pteronyssinus, D. farinae, Blomia tropicalis, Blatella, dog and cat epithelial. The results and the questionnaires answers were correlated. Results: In the questionnaires, 28 (28%) students presented themselves as asymptomatic, 14 (14%) with active asthma, 63 (63%) with active rhinitis and 12 (12%) with eczema. In the allergy skin tests, 37 (74.0%) had rhinitis symptoms (p < 0.05), 9 (64.3%) had asthma and 6 (50.0%) had eczema. It was proven that 50 (50%) students who had been tested positive for at least one allergen, from them 39 (78%) had allergic symptoms and 11 (22.0%) was asymptomatic (p = 0.18 and OR = 1.82). From those who has more than one allergen, 11 (73.3%) students had asthma, 13 (92.9%) had rhinitis and 7 (58.3%) had eczema (p < 0.05).Conclusions: It was noted a direct relationship to the prevalence of allergy diseases and a positivity in the skin allergy tests. The rhinitis was the main diseases founded followed by the asthma and eczema, which the mites had higher prevalence, specially the D. farinae.

Shoulder function following partial spinal accessory nerve transfer for brachial plexus birth injury.

Over a 5-year-period, 26 infants underwent a partial transfer of the spinal accessory nerve into the suprascapular nerve using a nerve graft, as part of the repair of a brachial plexus birth injury. At a minimum follow-up of 2.5 years, all children had shoulder function of Grade 4 or better using a modified Gilbert Scale. Average lateral rotation was measured at 53 degrees.

A relação da circunferência abdominal com outros componentes da síndrome metabólica em pacientes atendidos na feira de saúde da FMABC em 2008 / Relationship of abdominal circumference with other metabolic syndrome components in patients seen during the FMABC health fair in 2008

JUSTIFICATIVA E OBJETIVOS: Síndrome metabólica,atualmente considerada epidemia mundial, caracteriza-se pela associação de dislipidemia, diabetes mellitus/intolerância à glicose, hipertensão arterial e obesidade. Interligando estas alterações metabólicas está a resistência à insulina. Sua presença leva ao aumento do risco de doenças cardiovasculares. O objetivo deste estudo foi demonstrara existência de uma síndrome, ao invés de doenças isoladas, relacionando circunferência abdominal, glicemia e pressão arterial (PA). MÉTODO: Foram atendidos 473 pacientes na Feira de Saúde em 2008 da FMABC pela Liga de Controle do Diabetes. Variáveis mensuradas: glicemia, peso, altura, índicede massa corpórea (IMC), circunferência abdominal (CA) e pressão arterial. Dados coletados: hábitos, uso de medicamentos, antecedentes pessoais e familiares. Foram excluídos pacientes < 18 ou > 79 anos, em uso de anti-hipertensivos e antidiabéticos. RESULTADOS: Foram analisados 148 pacientes, sendo 92 mulheres, idade média de 40,37 ± 14,1 anos. A média de glicemia foi 100,3 ± 18,9 mg/dL, de CA foi 88,1 ± 13,4 cm e a de IMC 26,8 ± 5,4 kg/m2. Dos homens que estavam de jejum, 9% tinham CA aumentada (> 104 cm), sendo 50% intolerante à glicose (glicemia > 100 mg/dL), com p = 0,03. Já no sexo feminino 48,9% não estava de jejum, sendo 55% destas com CA > 88 cm. Entre os pacientes masculinos com CA alterada, 62,5% tinham PA > 130 x 85 mmHg, com p = 0,04. Já no sexo feminino, 23,9% com CA > 88 cm apresentaram níveis de PA elevados. Não houve significância estatística entre CA, hiperglicemiae PA entre as mulheres. CONCLUSÃO: O presente estudo mostrou que a circunferência abdominal aumentada se relaciona com intolerância à glicose e hipertensão, principalmente entre os homens. Isso corrobora com a literatura que busca demonstrar a existência de uma síndrome como fator de risco para fenômenos ateroscleróticos.

Desempenho profissional ou doméstico das pacientes em quimioterapia para câncer de mama / Professional or household performance of patients with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy

OBJETIVOS: Analisar os aspectos epidemiológicos, clínicos, desempenho profissional e doméstico nas pacientes com câncer de mama em tratamento quimioterápico. MÉTODOS: O estudo foi transversal, com 52 mulheres entrevistadas, divididas em dois grupos: afastadas e não afastadas das atividades profissionais e domésticas, durante o tratamento com quimioterapia para câncer de mama. As pacientes foram provenientes de dois hospitais, um situado no município de Santo André e o outro no município de São Bernardo do Campo. Ambos são hospitais públicos de referência, que atendem a população de Santo André, São Bernardo do Campo, São Caetano do Sul, Diadema e Mauá, que são municípios vizinhos, pertencentes ao Estado de São Paulo, próximos da capital. Utilizou-se o questionário WPAI-GH (Work Productitity and Actitity Impairment) para avaliar a atividade profissional e/ou doméstica das pacientes. RESULTADOS: As pacientes tinham idade média de 55,7 anos (dp=13,8), a maior parte de etnia branca (88,5 por cento), casada (55,8 por cento), assalariada (65,3 por cento) e a maioria se afastou das atividades (51,0 por cento), com estadiamento da doença mais avançado (p<0,05), fadiga e náuseas (p<0,05). A média do WPAI - GH foi 67,04 (dp = 5,62) para as pacientes afastadas, e 49,17 (dp = 6,89) para as não afastadas do trabalho (teste U de Mann-Whitney: p = 0,04). CONCLUSÃO: A quimioterapia acarreta diminuição da capacidade produtiva em parte significativa das mulheres com câncer de mama. O estadiamento mais avançado da neoplasia associou-se positivamente com o afastamento das atividades diárias das pacientes, provavelmente decorrente dos efeitos colaterais provocados, como fadiga e náuseas.

OBJECTIVES: Evaluate patients with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy with respect to their epidemiologic and clinical variables as well as performance at work or at home. METHODS: this was a cross-sectional study including 52 women interviewed during breast cancer chemotherapy, stratified in two groups: those who continued to work and do household tasks, and did not continue to work or do household tasks. Patients were from two public hospitals in the State of São Paulo, one in Santo Andre and the other in São Bernardo do Campo. The WPAI - GH (Work Productivity and Activity Impairment) questionnaire was used to evaluate work and household performance of professionals or housewives, respectively. RESULTS: Mean age of the patients was 55.7 (SD=13.8), most were Caucasian (88.5 percent), married (55.8 percent), employed (65.3 percent) and the majority had to stop working because of treatment (51.0 percent), at more advanced stage (p<0.05), fatigue and nausea (p<0.05). Mean WPAI - GH was 67.04 (SD = 5.62) for patients who stopped working and 49.17 (SD = 6.89) for those who continued to work (Mann-Whitney U test: p = 0.04). CONCLUSION: Chemotherapy leads to a decrease in performance of a sizable fraction of women with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy. A more advanced stage of neoplasia was positively associated with withdrawal from these activities probably due to side effects such as fatigue and nausea.