Comparison of outcomes for Hispanic and non-Hispanic patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma in the International Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Database.

BACKGROUND: Existing data on the impact of Hispanic ethnicity on outcomes for patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is mixed. The authors investigated outcomes of Hispanic and non-Hispanic White (NHW) patients with advanced RCC receiving systemic therapy at large academic cancer centers using the International Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Database (IMDC). METHODS: Eligible patients included non-Black Hispanic and NHW patients with locally advanced or metastatic RCC initiating systemic therapy. Overall survival (OS) and time to first-line treatment failure (TTF) were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. The effect of ethnicity on OS and TTF were estimated by Cox regression hazard ratios (HRs). RESULTS: A total of 1563 patients (181 Hispanic and 1382 NHW) (mostly males [73.8%] with clear cell RCC [81.5%] treated with tyrosine kinase inhibitor [TKI] monotherapy [69.9%]) were included. IMDC risk groups were similar between groups. Hispanic patients were younger at initial diagnosis (median 57 vs. 59 years, p = .015) and less likely to have greater than one metastatic site (60.8% vs. 76.8%, p < .001) or bone metastases (23.8% vs. 33.4%, p = .009). Median OS and TTF was 38.0 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 28.1-59.2) versus 35.7 months (95% CI, 31.9-39.2) and 7.8 months (95% CI, 6.2-9.0) versus 7.5 months (95% CI, 6.9-8.1), respectively, in Hispanic versus NHW patients. In multivariable Cox regression analysis, no statistically significant differences were observed in OS (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 1.07; 95% CI, 0.86-1.31, p = .56) or TTF (adjusted HR, 1.06; 95% CI, 0.89-1.26, p = .50). CONCLUSIONS: The authors did not observe statistically significant differences in OS or TTF between Hispanic and NHW patients with advanced RCC. Receiving treatment at tertiary cancer centers may mitigate observed disparities in cancer outcomes.

Impact of the Type of Analgesic Therapy on Postsurgical Complications of Patients with Kidney Cancer Undergoing Nephrectomy.

BACKGROUND: The treatment of kidney cancer usually involves surgery, and in some cases systemic therapy. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are commonly used to control postsurgical pain in patients undergoing nephrectomy for renal cancer. Nevertheless, the association between these drugs and adverse postsurgical outcomes, including deterioration of renal function, is not fully established. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study included patients >18 years old with kidney cancer undergoing nephrectomy between January 2006 and January 2018. The primary endpoint was to determine the impact of postsurgical analgesic therapy (NSAIDs vs. acetaminophen) on renal function and postsurgical complications. This study was approved by our scientific and bioethical committee. RESULTS: One hundred patients were included in the final analysis. Clear-cell renal-cell carcinoma was the most frequent histologic subtype. Adequate acute pain control was accomplished in 91% of the patients during hospitalization. Twenty percent of the patients presented postsurgical complications. Bleeding-related complications were the most frequent (9%), followed by surgical-site infection (6%) and acute renal injury (6%). The administration of NSAIDs was not related to any postsurgical complication in comparison with the use of acetaminophen (21.3 vs. 17.9%, respectively). The length of hospital stay did not differ between patients treated with NSAIDs and those treated with acetaminophen (the average stay was 4 days for both groups, p = 0.32). CONCLUSION: The use of NSAIDs was not related to acute kidney injury, postsurgical complications, or prolonged hospital stay in patients with renal cancer undergoing nephrectomy.

Risk of Pneumonitis with the Use of Different Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in a Mexican Population.

PURPOSE: The incidence of pneumonitis reported in previous trials in patients with advanced cancer and use of programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) immunotherapy inhibitors was 2.7-3.6%. However, none of these trials included Mexican populations. METHODS: This was a retrospective analysis involving 87 patients with advanced cancer who received PD-1 inhibitors as part of their therapy. The primary outcome was the incidence of pneumonitis after using PD-1 inhibitors. The secondary outcomes were major risk factors and radiological patterns of pneumonitis. RESULTS: We found 13 cases of pneumonitis, giving an overall incidence of 15%; three of the cases were high-grade (grade 3). A ground-glass pattern was the major form found by chest computed tomography scans. We did not find any significant risk factor for pneumonitis. CONCLUSION: The incidence of pneumonitis secondary to treatment with PD-1 inhibitors in our Mexican population was 15%, which is 5 times higher than that found in other studies. No risk factor was identified for this increased incidence of drug-induced pneumonitis following the use of PD-1 inhibitors.

Cancer immunotherapy experience in the Integral Oncology Centre "Diana Laura Riojas de Colosio", Médica Sur Hospital.

INTRODUCTION: The useof immunotherapy in Mexico has been used since 2012 with ipilimumab and since 2015 with nivolumab and pembrolizumab, so it is a matter of necessity to know the experience of these drugs. MATERIAL AND METHODS: An observational, descriptive, cross-sectional, and retrospective study was performed in Médica Sur Hospital, where with dossiers from 2012 to June 2018 patients with metastatic cancer who received immunotherapy with ipilimumab, nivolumab, and pembrolizumab for six months were evaluated, searching as principal outcomes the adverse effects of those drugs and as secondary outcomes the response to treatment. RESULTS: Seventy subjects fulfilled the inclusion criteria for the study, and 42 (60%) were women with an average age of 60.73 ±13.64 years (16-82 years). The pathologies that received immunotherapy were the following: melanoma and lung cancer. The most frequent clinical and laboratory adverse effects were as follows: fatigue - 32 (45.71%), asthaenia - 30 (42%), nausea - 8 (11.4%), diarrhoea - 8 (11.4%), and rash - 7 (10%). The worst adverse effects were respiratory and endocrinological: pneumonitis - 10 (14.28%), hypothyroidism - 4 (5.71%), hyperglycaemia - 1 (1.4%), and hypophysitis - 2 (2.9%). With respect to treatment response: complete response - 8 (11.4%), partial response - 11 (15.71%), stable disease - 33 (47.14%), and disease progression - 19 (27.14%). CONCLUSIONS: The most common adverse effects did not condition the suspension of treatment or increase in intra-hospital stay, but there were some adverse effects that actually had an impact on evolution, hospital stay, and mortality.

Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) prognostic value in lung adenocarcinoma.

Prognosis in patients with lung cancer is poor. Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) are proteins involved in the invasion and metastases of cancer. The objective of this study is to determine if there is a relationship between tumor expression of NGAL and MMP-9 in lung adenocarcinoma patients with prognosis and overall survival. Retrospective analysis was made of patients with lung adenocarcinoma treated at Medica Sur Hospital between 2005 and 2013. Tumor tissue was analyzed for NGAL and MMP-9 expression by immunohistochemistry. We identified 41 patients. Mean overexpression in tumoral tissue of NGAL was 70 % and 30 % for MMP-9. Univariate analysis revealed that prognostic factors associated with overall survival (OS) were NGAL expression and stage at diagnosis. Median OS for NGAL expression < 70 % was 45.7 months (95 % CI; 15.2-76.2) and for patients with ≥ 70 % 4.6 months (95 % CI; 0.5-18.8; P < 0.0001), and for stage at diagnosis (stages I and II mean not reached), stage III mean OS 15.57 months (95 % CI; 9.8-21.2) and stage IV 9.6 months (95 % CI; 0.8-18.4. P = 0.002). No differences in OS were found for expression of MMP-9. Multivariate analysis revealed significance for OS in NGAL expression (HR 5.01 [95 % CI; 1.68-14.93] P = 0.004) and stage at diagnosis (HR 2.05 [95 % CI 1.30-3.22] P = 0.002). Tumoral tissue expression of NGAL ≥ 70 % confers a worse prognosis compared to those who did not. NGAL is an independent prognostic factor of stage at diagnosis.

Bone metastases as the initial presentation of hepatocellular carcinoma. Two case reports and a literature review.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary tumor of the liver and is the fifth most common cancer in the world; its incidence has been increasing in recent years. Extrahepatic spread is present at the time of diagnosis in only about 5 to 15% of patients. Skeletal metastasis of HCC occurs less frequently compared with other cancers and is considered a rare primary form of presentation. We report two cases of unsuspected HCC presenting with multiple bone lesions as the initial presentation. The first patient was a 76-year-old man with symptoms of fatigue and back pain. The PET-CT revealed the hypercaptant bone lesions and a liver lesion. The pathology report showed that the metastases were positive for the hepatic marker HEPAR-1, indicating that they had originated from the HCC. The second patient was a 56-year-old man. He presented to the emergency department for right shoulder pain and weakness of the entire right arm with no history of trauma. During hospitalization, the patient became quadriplegic. MRI revealed osseous blastic lesions in the cervical vertebrae and right shoulder. A CT-guided biopsy was performed in the cervical lesion and showed poorly differentiated carcinoma. Immunohistochemistry staining was positive for HEPAR-1. In conclusion, this cases show an unusual presentation of HCC with skeletal metastasis.

Nephroblastoma in Older Adult: Case Report and Review of Literature.

Introduction: Nephroblastoma, or Wilms' tumor, is a malignant renal neoplasm commonly found in children, is extremely rare in adults representing only 0.5% of all renal neoplasms. Adult Wilms tumor is rare, to our knowledge fewer than 300 cases have been reported in the English literature to date. However, in older adults after 60 years of age, only less than 45 cases have been reported. For this reason, treatment guidelines in adults still are lacking. Prognosis in nephroblastoma for adult patients is found to be worse than in children. Case Presentation: We report the case of a 65-year-old female with lumbar fossa mass, flank pain and hematuria, and pathologic diagnosis of Wilms tumor. We performed nephrectomy. No adjuvant treatment was given. Our patient remains asymptomatic and without evidence of recurrence 12 months after the surgery. Conclusion: Nephroblastoma in the elderly presents different clinical behavior and prognosis compared to nephroblastoma in children.

Impact of healthcare inequities on survival in Mexican patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma.

Introduction: The survival of patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) has improved dramatically due to novel systemic treatments. However, mRCC mortality continues to rise in Latin America. Methods: A retrospective, multicenter study of patients diagnosed with mRCC between 2010-2018 in Mexico City was conducted. The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of healthcare insurance on access to treatment and survival in patients with mRCC. Results: Among 924 patients, 55.4%, 42.6%, and 1.9% had no insurance (NI), social security, (SS) and private insurance (PI), respectively. De novo metastatic disease was more common in NI patients (70.9%) compared to SS (47.2%) and PI (55.6%) patients (p<0.001). According to IMDC Prognostic Index, 20.2% were classified as favorable, 49% as intermediate, and 30.8% as poor-risk disease. Access to systemic treatment differed by healthcare insurance: 36.1%, 99.5%, and 100% for the NI, SS, and PI patients, respectively (p<0.001). NI patients received fewer lines of treatment, with 24.8% receiving only one line of treatment (p<0.001). Median overall survival (OS) was 13.9 months for NI, 98.9 months for SS, and 147.6 months for NI patients (p<0.001). In multivariate analysis, NI status, brain metastases, sarcomatoid features, bone metastases, no treatment were significantly associated with worse OS. Conclusion: OS in mRCC was affected by insurance availability in this resource-limited cohort of Mexican patients. These results underscore the need for effective strategies to achieve equitable healthcare access in an era of effective, yet costly systemic treatments.

Upfront Cytoreductive Nephrectomy for Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Treated with Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors or Targeted Therapy: An Observational Study from the International Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Database Consortium.

BACKGROUND: The role of upfront cytoreductive nephrectomy (CN) for metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) in the era of immune checkpoint inhibitors is unclear. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the relationship between upfront CN and clinical outcomes in the setting of mRCC treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors or targeted therapy. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Using the International Metastatic RCC Database Consortium, we retrospectively identified patients diagnosed with de novo mRCC treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors or targeted therapy. OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Overall survival (OS) was compared between the two groups using the Kaplan-Meier method and multivariable Cox regressions adjusting for known prognostic factors. RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS: We identified a total of 4639 eligible patients with mRCC. Among the 4202 patients treated with targeted therapy and 437 patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors, 2326 (55%) and 234 (54%) patients received upfront CN prior to treatment start. In multivariable analyses, CN was associated with significantly better OS in both the immune checkpoint inhibitor-treated (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.61; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.41-0.90, p = 0.013) and the targeted therapy treatment (HR: 0.72; 95% CI, 0.67-0.78, p < 0.001) group. There was no difference in OS benefit of CN between the immune checkpoint inhibitor and targeted therapy treatment groups (interaction p = 0.6). Limitations include selection of patients from large academic centers and the retrospective nature of the study. CONCLUSIONS: Upfront CN is associated with a significant OS benefit in selected patients treated by either immune checkpoint inhibitors or targeted therapy, and still has a role in selected patients in the era of immune checkpoint inhibitors. PATIENT SUMMARY: Before effective systemic therapies were available for metastatic kidney cancer, surgical removal of the primary (kidney) tumor was the mainstay of treatment. The role of removing the primary tumor has recently been called into question given that more effective systemic therapies have become available. In this study, we find that removal of the primary kidney tumor still has a benefit for selected patients treated with highly effective modern systemic therapies, including targeted therapies and immune checkpoint inhibitors.

[An unusual association of malakoplakia and adenocarcinoma of the prostate]. / Asociación inusual de malacoplaquia y adenocarcinoma prostático.

Malakoplakia is a chronic inflammatory process caused by a lysosomal defect in bacterial digestion. Although rare, it occurs more frequently in the genitourinary tract and in patients with immune dysfunction. The bladder is the most commonly affected site, although cases have been reported in other organs, including the prostate gland. Clinically, this lesion can be confused with malignant tumours, both on physical examination and imagining techniques. This is particularly pronounced in the prostate, making the differential diagnosis challenging. Histologically, characteristic aggregates of histiocytes with basophilic intracytoplasmic inclusions composed of calcium and iron salts are found. We present a case diagnosed on transrectal biopsy as acinar adenocarcinoma with a Gleason 5 + 5 = 10 score. Prostatectomy revealed an unusual association of diffuse prostate malakoplakia and an area of acinar adenocarcinoma with a Gleason score of 3 + 4 = 7.

Impact of the Discordance Between Scales of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and International Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Database Consortium in Patients' Prognosis With Metastatic Renal Cancer.

Background: In Mexico, about 30% of renal cancer patients are diagnosed in a metastatic state. Despite the recent advances in the treatment of cancer, metastatic renal cancer is still an incurable illness. Thus, identifying prognostic factors helps improve prognosis accuracy and survival prediction for patients. Methods: In this study, we retrospectively analyzed 26 patients with histological diagnosis of renal cell carcinoma, including clear cell and other subtypes in stage IV (metastatic), recurrent or unresectable disease. We performed a multivariate analysis of overall survival regarding the congruity between prognostic scales. Results: Our results showed a significant difference in favor of patients with congruity between scales for progression-free survival (18.9 vs. 3.1 months; P = 0.048) and a tendency towards better overall survival in patients with the congruity of both scales compared to the discordant patients (112 vs. 32 months; P = 0.99). Conclusion: This study highlights the discordance between Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and International Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Database Consortium scales, which was associated with worse prognosis with a significant difference in progression-free survival but not in overall survival.

Expression of Programmed Death Ligand 1 in Breast Cancer in Mexican Women.

Background: Breast cancer is one of the most common malignant forms of neoplasia worldwide; programmed death protein 1 (PD-1), an inhibitory receptor of T lymphocytes, and its ligand programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1), play an important role in the ability of tumor cells to evade the host's immune system. Methods: We conducted a descriptive, observational study using retrospective data and an open evaluation using immunohistochemistry to determine the general prevalence of PD-L1 expression in 63 women with breast cancer who underwent a modified radical mastectomy, or quadrantectomy, with axillary lymph node removal. Results: The prevalence of PD-L1 expression was 32% in patients with breast cancer treated with radical mastectomy. PD-L1 expression was higher in patients with large tumor size (19% for pT1, 37% for pT2, 50% for pT3, and 100% for pT4), metastasis in regional lymph nodes (25% for N0, 38% for N1, 75% for pN2, and 38% for pN3), and higher histological grade carcinoma (0% for grade 1, 23% for grade 2, and 50% for grade 3). Conclusions: These findings suggest that PD-L1 expression is heterogeneous in breast cancer tumors and that its expression varies highly in tumor regions over time. The evaluation of PD-L1 expression is significant, because of the therapeutical implications that could improve the outcomes and prognosis of these patients.

Intermittent Epicardial Lead Failure Detected Using a Continuous Ambulatory Electrocardiogram Monitor.

A 69-year-old man received epicardial pacing leads for complete atrioventricular block that occurred during a mechanical tricuspid valve replacement procedure. During follow-up, the patient reported intermittent episodes of dizziness and bradycardia. Remote transmissions and device interrogations failed to elucidate the cause of his symptoms. A continuous ambulatory electrocardiogram (ECG) monitor was used as an alternative diagnostic tool. Multiple pauses were detected by the monitor and, upon review, these events were deemed to be due to the intermittent loss of capture by the epicardial lead. Once this diagnosis was made and the malfunctioning lead was replaced, the patient's symptoms resolved. This case highlights the novel use of a continuous ambulatory ECG monitor in diagnosing intermittent loss of capture, which was not detected by remote monitoring or device interrogations.

Epithelial-Cadherin Expression Is Associated With Better Recurrence-Free and Overall Survival in Invasive Lobular Breast Cancer in Mexican Women.

BACKGROUND: There are different clinicopathological characteristics that are associated with the prognosis in patients with breast cancer. To date, the prognostic valor of for epithelial cadherin (E cadherin) expression in invasive lobular breast cancer remains unknown. METHODS: A retrospective single-center study that included 207 patients with primary invasive lobular breast cancer was conducted. The primary outcome was to report the correlation of the different clinical pathological characteristics including the expression of epithelial-cadherin (E-cadherin) in invasive lobular breast cancer in Mexican women with recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS). RESULTS: After 11 years of follow-up of patients with invasive lobular breast cancer, RFS was 89.4% and OS of 96.1%. The best prognosis in RFS was in patients with negative nodes 95.2% (P = 0.0001) and OS was 98.6-100% (P = 0.0001). Regarding tumor size, an RFS of 98.3% was observed in those measuring ≤ 2 cm (P = 0.0001) and OS of 99.2% (P = 0.0001). Negative Her2 was related to an RFS of 92.1% (P = 0.0001), and had better OS of 98.3% (P = 0.0001). Ki67 proliferation index ≤ 14% was associated with an RFS of 93.2% (P = 0.005). Negative lymph vascular invasion (LVI) increases the RFS of 91.8% (P = 0.032). The rate of positive expression of E-cadherin was associated with an increase in the RFS of 97.4%, with a mean of 128.6 ± 2.4 months (95% confidence interval (CI): 123.75 - 133.45 months) compared to the absence of expression E-cadherin: signal log ratio (SLR) 68.9%, a mean of 95 ± 6 months (95% CI: 83.28 - 106.88 months), P <0.001. When the OS was analyzed, the presence of E-cadherin expression increased the OS of 100% vs. 86.9% with the absence, P = 0.015. CONCLUSIONS: The prognostic impact of the different clinicopathological characteristics known worldwide was confirmed. Results of the analysis in the presented study indicate that positive expression of E-cadherin correlates with an improvement in OS and RFS in invasive lobular breast cancer in Mexican women.

Interactive Data Visualization Tool for Patient-Centered Decision Making in Kidney Cancer.

PURPOSE: Patients and providers often lack clinical decision tools to enable effective shared decision making. This is especially true in the rapidly changing therapeutic landscape of metastatic kidney cancer. Using the International Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Database Consortium (IMDC) criteria, a validated risk prediction tool for patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma, we created and user-tested a novel interactive visualization for clinical use. METHODS: An interactive visualization depicting IMDC criteria was created, with the final version including data for more than 4,500 patients. Usability testing was performed with nonmedical lay-users and medical oncology fellow physicians. Subjects used the tool to calculate median survival times based on IMDC criteria. User confidence was surveyed. An iterative user feedback implementation cycle was completed and informed revision of the tool. RESULTS: The tool is available at CloViz-IMDC. Initially, 400 lay-users and 15 physicians completed clinical scenarios and surveys. Cumulative accuracy across scenarios was higher for physicians than lay-users (84% v 74%; P = .03). Eighty-three percent of lay-users and 87% of physicians thought the tool became intuitive with use. Sixty-eight percent of lay-users wanted to use the tool clinically compared with 87% of physicians. After revisions, the updated tool was user-tested with 100 lay-users and 15 physicians. Physicians, but not lay-users, showed significant improvement in accuracy in the updated version of the tool (90% v 67%; P = .008). Seventy-two percent of lay-users and 93% of physicians wanted to use the updated tool in a clinical setting. CONCLUSION: A graphical method of interacting with a validated nomogram provides prognosis results that can be used by nonmedical lay-users and physicians, and has the potential for expanded use across many clinical conditions.

Prevalence and Molecular Profile of Breast Carcinoma Using Immunohistochemistry Markers in Mexican Women.

BACKGROUND: In Mexico, breast cancer is the leading cause of death by malignant tumors in women aged 20 and older. The World Health Organization estimates that 69% of deaths caused by breast cancer occur in developing countries. Little is known about the prevalence of breast carcinoma in Mexico and its molecular subclassification. METHODS: This retrospective cross-sectional study included patients who underwent a mastectomy (single, radical or lumpectomy) or a breast tumor biopsy (core-needle or excisional) from January 2002 to December 2018. The primary purpose of the study was to determine the prevalence and molecular profile of breast in comprehensive cancer center in Mexico and compare our results with those published in the US. This study was approved by our scientific and bioethical committee. RESULTS: The final analysis included 379 patients. The youngest patient was 23 years old and the oldest patient was 89; the mean age at diagnosis was 54.63 years. Patients of 40 years old or younger accounted for 48 of the cases (12.66%) and those older than 40 accounted for 331 of the cases (87.33%). The molecular subclassification showed luminal A subtype in 139 cases (36.67%), luminal B subtype in 143 cases (37.73%), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive carcinomas in 32 cases (8.44%) and triple-negative carcinomas in 65 cases (17.15%). Diabetes mellitus was present in 43 patients (11.34%), hypertension in 78 patients (20.58%), obesity in 82 patients (21.63%) and 66 patients reported being treated with exogenous hormone therapy (17.41%). CONCLUSIONS: Breast carcinoma occurs at an earlier age in Mexican women compared to women in the US. Hormone-positive tumors were found to be more prevalent in older patients, while high-grade tumors were more frequently identified in younger patients.

Neuroendocrine Tumor of the Common Bile Duct: Case Report.

Carcinoma of the extrahepatic biliary tract accounts for <2% of all cancers. Neuroendocrine tumor of the extrahepatic bile duct is very rare, and there are <200 cases reported since 1959. The preoperative diagnosis is infrequent (5.12%). The definite diagnosis relies on postoperative pathology which utilized immunohistochemistry study on many biomarkers to diagnose the histological subtypes of neuroendocrine neoplasms, such as chromogranin A, synaptophysin, and neuron-specific enolase. When the primary tumor has no metastases, radical removal of the lesion appears as curative treatment. The treatment of the carcinoid syndrome or other functioning syndrome is the first priority. We report a case of a 12-year-old Mexican woman with neuroendocrine tumor of the extrahepatic bile duct (common bile duct neuroendocrine tumor) seen in our hospital. Resection of the common bile duct, cholecystectomy, end to side Roux-en-y hepaticojejunostomy, and portal lymphadenectomy was performed. A review of the pertinent literature was performed. Given the rarity of the disease, treatment principles are based mainly on retrospective series and case reports. We present the eighth case in adolescence in the literature.

Acute Cardiac Tamponade Secondary to Cardiac Vascular-Type Pleomorphic Leiomyosarcoma: Case Report.

Soft tissue sarcomas represent <1% of all neoplasms. Leiomyosarcomas comprise only 5-7% of cases, and only 2% of these are vascular. Vascular leiomyosarcomas are extremely rare and represent only 0.001% of all neoplasms, the venous type being up to 5 times more frequent. Arterial leiomyosarcomas most frequently affect the great vessels, being fatal in most cases. In the reported cases of arterial leiomyosarcomas, the most frequently affected site is the pulmonary artery. We present the clinical case of 2 patients (a 42-year-old woman and a 36-year-old man) with a diagnosis of arterial pleomorphic leiomyosarcoma that conditioned cardiac tamponade as the initial manifestation. As it is an exceptionally rare neoplasm and with few cases reported in the literature, it is important to identify and describe this pathology which, due to the impossibility of offering surgical treatment, represents a therapeutic challenge.

A Risk-benefit Analysis of Prophylactic Anticoagulation for Patients with Metastatic Germ Cell Tumours Undergoing First-line Chemotherapy.

BACKGROUND: It remains unclear which patients with metastatic germ cell tumours (mGCTs) need prophylactic anticoagulation to prevent venous thromboembolic events (VTEs). OBJECTIVE: To assess the risk and onset of VTEs stratified by risk factors. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This multi-institutional retrospective dataset included mGCT patients treated with first-line platinum-based chemotherapy. INTERVENTION: Patients with prophylactic anticoagulation were excluded. OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: A regression analysis was performed to select risk factors for VTEs. The simulated number needed to treat (NNT) and the number needed to harm (NNH) with prophylactic anticoagulation were calculated based on the cumulative incidences retrieved from this study and hazard rates of recently published trials describing the efficacy of prophylactic anticoagulation to prevent VTEs and the risk of bleeding events. RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS: From 1120 patients, 121 (11%) had a VTE, which occurred prior to chemotherapy in 49 (4%) and on or after chemotherapy in 72 (6%). Six patients (<1%) had a bleeding event without anticoagulation. After backward regression, the one risk factor for a VTE during or after chemotherapy was the use of a venous access device. The simulated cumulative VTE incidence from prophylactic anticoagulation for patients on or after chemotherapy would translate into an NNT of 45 (95% confidence interval [CI] 36-56) and an NNH of 186 (95% CI 87-506). Limitations are mainly related to the retrospective nature of the study. CONCLUSIONS: The mGCTs associated VTEs are most common before and during, but not after, chemotherapy. Avoiding venous access device and/or prophylactic anticoagulation with an acceptable risk-benefit profile may decrease VTE occurring on chemotherapy. PATIENT SUMMARY: We found that venous thromboembolic events (VTEs) occur rarely after chemotherapy. Based on experience of prophylactic anticoagulation in other cancers, we conclude that the risk of VTE in men undergoing chemotherapy for metastatic germ cell tumours can be decreased by thromboprophylaxis with a reasonable risk-benefit profile and by avoidance of venous access devices.

Impact of Testicular Germ Cell Tumor Laterality on Recurrence-Free Survival in the Mexican Population.

BACKGROUND: To date, the prognostic value of laterality for testicular germ cell tumors remains unknown. Herein, we describe this prognostic factor in the Mexican population. METHODS: A retrospective single-center study that included 37 patients with primary testicular germ cell tumors was conducted. Primary outcome was recurrence-free survival (RFS) at 2 years. Secondary outcomes were RFS by histology, progression-free survival by laterality, and 2-year overall survival. RESULTS: Thirty-seven patients were included, of which five showed relapses. By laterality, the 2-year RFS rate was 100% for left tumors and 77.3% for right tumors, with a trend toward statistical significance (P = 0.058). By histology, the RFS rate was higher for seminomas than non-seminomas (89% vs. 83%, respectively) without this difference being statistically significant. Progression-free survival was higher for right tumors than left tumors (91% vs. 80%, respectively) but without reaching statistical significance. The overall survival rate for the entire cohort was 94.5%. CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows that patients with primary germ cell tumors of the right testicle have a higher risk of recurrence than those with primary germ cell tumors of the left testicle, with a trend toward statistical significance.