A small mature cystic ovarian teratoma associated with anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis and acute respiratory failure: A case report.

OBJECTIVE: To report a rare case of anti-N-Methyl-d-aspartate receptor encephalitis (anti-NMDARE) presented by mental and behavioral changes and seizures accompanied with respiratory failure. CASE REPORT: A 37-year-old multiparous woman was initially presented with abnormal mental behavior and the diagnosis of schizophrenia was made, but the disease progressed rapidly to general convulsion and acute respiratory failure. Although active treatment, including steroids, intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIGs) and plasma exchange was applied, no significant improvement was obtained. Transvaginal ultrasound and pelvic magnetic resonance image (MRI) were arranged and the results showed a suspicious cystic lesion (3 × 2.3 cm) at the right ovary. Laparoscopic unilateral salpingo-oophorectomy was performed and final pathology reported a matured cystic teratoma, suggesting that this patient had anti-NMDARE secondary to ovarian mature teratoma. After surgery, the clinical condition was dramatically improved and she recovered completely without sequelae. CONCLUSION: Although it is well-known about the relation between anti-NMDARE and ovarian mature teratoma, this small tumor may result in the missing diagnosis. Remind us to consider the possibility of any small ovarian cystic lesion-related anti-NMDARE in women with autoimmune encephalitis.

Predictors of Survival in Women with High-Risk Endometrial Cancer and Comparisons of Sandwich versus Concurrent Adjuvant Chemotherapy and Radiotherapy.

Background: to elucidate the predictors of progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in high-risk endometrial cancer patients. Methods: the medical records of all consecutivewomen with high-risk endometrial cancer were reviewed. Results: among 92 high-risk endometrial cancer patients, 30 women experienced recurrence, and 21 women died. The 5-year PFS and OS probabilities were 65.3% and 75.9%, respectively. Multivariable Cox regression revealed that body mass index (hazard ratio (HR) = 1.11), paraaortic lymph node metastasis (HR = 11.11), lymphovascular space invasion (HR = 5.61), and sandwich chemoradiotherapy (HR = 0.15) were independently predictors of PFS. Body mass index (HR = 1.31), paraaortic lymph node metastasis (HR = 32.74), non-endometrioid cell type (HR = 11.31), and sandwich chemoradiotherapy (HR = 0.07) were independently predictors of OS. Among 51 women who underwent sandwich (n = 35) or concurrent (n = 16) chemoradiotherapy, the use of sandwich chemoradiotherapy were associated with better PFS (adjusted HR = 0.26, 95% CI = 0.08-0.87, p = 0.03) and OS (adjusted HR = 0.11, 95% CI = 0.02-0.71, p = 0.02) compared with concurrent chemoradiotherapy. Conclusion: compared with concurrent chemoradiotherapy, sandwich chemoradiotherapy was associated with better PFS and OS in high-risk endometrial cancer patients. In addition, high body mass index, paraaortic lymph node metastasis, and non-endometrioid cell type were also predictors of poor OS in high-risk endometrial cancer patients.

Comparison of single-port and three-port laparoscopic salpingectomy in the management for tubal pregnancy.

BACKGROUND: To compare the short-term outcome of patients undergoing single-port laparoscopic salpingectomy (SP-LS) and conventional three-port laparoscopic salpingectomy (C-LS). METHODS: A retrospective evaluation of 112 patients with tubal pregnancies treated by one surgeon at a single teaching hospital. Among these, 47 patients were treated with SP-LS and the remaining 65 were treated with C-LS. RESULTS: The characteristics of patients were similar in both groups. There were no statistically significant differences in operative time, estimated blood loss, intraoperative and immediate postoperative complications, and length of hospital stay between both groups. Time to bowel recanalization (6.2 ± 1.0 vs. 7.2 ± 1.4 h, p < 0.05) and postoperative visual analog scale for pain scores (3.0 ± 0.5 vs. 3.6 ± 0.6, p < 0.005) were significantly lower in the SP-LS group compared with those in the C-LS group. CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrated the feasibility to use the single-port laparoscopic salpingectomy in the management of women with tubal pregnancy, which showed the similar or better outcome compared with the use of conventional three-port laparoscopic salpingectomy.

Optimizing Laparoscopically Extracorporeal Knot Tying Using a Novel Pusher Device.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and feasibility of a novel pusher device for performing extracorporeal knot tying. Each of the 3 laparoscopists randomly performed 10 device-assisted double sheet bends (the device group), ten 4s modified Roeder sliding knots (the sliding group), and 10 laparoscopic traditional extracorporeal static surgeon's knots (the static group). All knots and 5 unknotted threads were measured for strength. The device group had higher knot strength, lower knotting failure rate, and shorter knotting time compared with the sliding group. The knot strengths of the successful knots in the device group were consistent with those obtained in the static group, and higher than the sliding group. Our laparoscopic novel pusher device should be an effective device in assisting knot tying with the advantages of steady and strong knot strength, lower failure rate, and shorter knotting time.

Outcome of patients with recurrent adult-type granulosa cell tumors--a Taiwanese Gynecologic Oncology Group study.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to evaluate the long-term outcome of ovarian recurrent granulosa cell tumors (GCTs) in a large series of patients treated in Taiwanese Gynecologic Oncology Group (TGOG) centers and to define the prognostic parameters for survival. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective multi-institutional review of patients with recurrent ovarian GCTs treated in TGOG centers was conducted. The clinical and pathological characteristics, treatment, and outcomes of patients with ovarian recurrent GCTs were analyzed using Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazards analyses to determine the predictors for survival. RESULTS: A total of 44 patients from 16 medical centers were identified between January 1994 and December 2010. The median disease-free survival (DFS), postrecurrence survival, and overall survival (OS) were 61.5 months (range, 3.7-219.3 months), 55.8 months (range, 4.6-193.7 months), and 115.3 months (range, 17.2-390.6 months), respectively. In multivariate analysis, DFS (> 61.5 months versus ≤ 61.5 months, hazard ratio (HR) 0.15, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.03-0.78, p = 0.024) at the initial operation after diagnosis of relapse was the only predictor that correlated with OS. CONCLUSION: DFS after the initial operation was the only important predictor for overall survival in patients with recurrent GCTs, regardless of treatment, suggesting that the natural behavior of the tumor is a critical factor for patients with recurrent GCTs.

Primary fallopian tube cancer: domestic data and up-to-date review.

Primary fallopian tube carcinoma (PFTC) is a rare gynecological malignancy with the following characteristics: its preoperative diagnosis is easy to miss or delay because of a lack of specific symptoms and signs; it is difficult to distinguish from serous epithelial ovarian cancer or primary peritoneal serous carcinoma during or even after operation because they have the same histopathological features; and there is uncertainty regarding the optimal management because of the lack of available standard guidelines. All of these factors contribute to the major challenge of undertaking a comprehensive study of this disease. To improve our understanding of this rare disease, the domestic data were summarized first. We searched PubMed on this topic, using the term "primary fallopian tube tumor and Taiwan" (from January 1, 1990 to November 3, 2013) and identified 15 published articles, but only 11 studies focused on the outcome of patients with PFTC in Taiwan. These limited data were not enough to increase our knowledge in dealing with this disease; therefore, the addition of large series or published review articles addressing this topic was needed. According to these reports, we concluded: (1) the main type of PFTC was serous type, often poorly differentiated; (2) the diagnosis of PFTC is frequently missed or delayed; (3) PFTC is often of an earlier International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage than is epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC), because of the appearance of earlier but nonspecific symptoms or signs, such as abdominal pain, vaginal bleeding, and watery discharge or mass; (4) the most important clinicopathological prognostic factor was FIGO stage; (5) the therapeutic strategy is still uncertain, but is often based on the guidelines for treating EOC. An intensive surgical effort such as a complete surgical resection or optimal cytoreduction surgery with a minimal residual tumor followed by a platinum-paclitaxel combination chemotherapy with/without targeted therapy (for example, antiangiogenesis agents) may provide the best possibility of disease-free or overall survival.

Uterine-sparing surgery for adenomyosis and/or adenomyoma.

Adenomyosis of the uterus is defined as the presence of endometrial tissue, including glands and stroma, situated at least 2.5 mm below the endometrial-myometrial junction and widely distributed within the myometrium layer of the uterus. There is no consensus on the appropriate treatment for symptomatic uterine adenomyosis in women who want to preserve their uterus, partly because adenomyosis is somewhat enigmatic in diagnosis and owing to its clinical significance. Hysterectomy, through either exploratory laparotomy or minimally invasive procedures, is a definite treatment for uterine adenomyosis, once the women have completed childbirth or do not require future fertility. However, many women with a uterine pathology still have a strong desire to preserve the uterus, for which conservative and uterine-sparing procedures are increasingly used, and with which fertility preservation or quality-of-life improvement can be achieved. Although medical management can be effective, similar to the management of uterine fibroids (myoma), its effect is often transient and rapid regrowth of adenomyosis and relapse of symptoms and signs always occur once the treatment is stopped. Therefore, other strategies should be selected. Conservative and uterine-sparing surgery might be one of the most familiar procedures of these uterine-sparing procedures. In this article, the latest knowledge and research evidence on uterine-sparing surgery for uterine adenomyosis are reviewed.

Clinical presentation and outcome of adult-type granulosa cell tumors: a retrospective study of 30 patients in a single institute.

BACKGROUND: Ovarian adult-type granulosa cell tumors (GCTs) are characterized as low-malignant and late-recurrent ovarian tumors. Although some clinical and pathological prognostic factors have been reported, other factors have yet to be sufficiently investigated for necessary confirmation. The aim of this study was to test the correlation between clinical factors and outcome, based on patients seen in a single institute. METHODS: Thirty patients with pathologically confirmed adult-type GCTs between 1984 and 2010 were reviewed retrospectively. Among them, eight (26.7%) had recurrence, which subsequently contributed to two mortalities. RESULTS: In a comparison of the clinical characteristics of the premenopausal and postmenopausal women with GCT, all of the postmenopausal women had symptoms (100% vs. 63.6%, p = 0.01). With regard to disease recurrence, only abnormal preoperative serum cancer antigen 125 level (≥ 35 U/mL) was significant (50% vs. 11%, p = 0.03), and residual tumor showed a borderline trend (100% vs. 21.4%, p = 0.06). Other factors, including International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage, tumor size, tumor rupture prior to or during operation, body mass index, parity, serum estrogen level, and adjuvant therapy, were not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Physicians should be alert to the difference in the symptom presentation of GCTs between pre- and postmenopausal women, giving particular attention to the usefulness of the preoperative serum level of cancer antigen 125 in patients with GCTs. More evidence is needed to confirm this observation.

Stereotactic body radiation therapy via helical tomotherapy to replace brachytherapy for brachytherapy-unsuitable cervical cancer patients - a preliminary result.

AIM: To review the experience and to evaluate the results of stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) via helical tomotherapy (HT), for the treatment of brachytherapy-unsuitable cervical cancer. METHODS: Between September 1, 2008 to January 31, 2012, nine cervical cancer patients unsuitable for brachytherapy were enrolled. All of the patients received definitive whole pelvic radiotherapy with or without chemotherapy, followed by SBRT via HT. RESULTS: The actuarial locoregional control rate at 3 years was 78%. The mean biological equivalent dose in 2-Gy fractions of the tumor, rectum, bladder, and intestines was 76.0 ± 7.3, 73.8 ± 13.2, 70.5 ± 10.0, and 43.1 ± 7.1, respectively. Only two had residual tumors after treatment, and the others were tumor-free. Two patients experienced grade 3 acute toxicity: one had diarrhea; and another experienced thrombocytopenia. There were no grade 3 or 4 subacute toxicities. Three patients suffered from manageable rectal bleeding in months 11, 14, and 25, respectively. One stage I VA patient experienced fistula formation in month 3. CONCLUSION: SBRT via HT provides the possibility for treatment of locally advanced cervical cancer in patients who are unsuitable for brachytherapy. Long-term follow up and enrollment of more such patients to receive SBRT via the HT technique are warranted.