Clinical significance of CD34, podoplanin and Ki-67 expression in patients with locally advanced squamous cell cervical carcinoma.

The aim of the study was to assess immunohistochemical CD34, podoplanin and Ki-67 expression in cervical tumour of patients with cervical squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) staged IIB and IIIB, a relationship with selected clinical and histological parameters and its prognostic significance. This prospective study included 52 patients. Microvessel density (MVD) by CD34, lymphatic vessel density (LVD) by podoplanin and the Ki-67 index in specimens from paraffin blocks with cervical SCC tissues were examined. The relationship between these data and selected clinical and histological parameters was analysed. Positive correlation of MVD and the Ki-67 index was observed. No correlation was observed for MVD, LVD and the Ki-67 index in the tumour with staging, grading, length of treatment and squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC-Ag) concentration before and after treatment. The expression of MVD, LVD and the Ki-67 index in cervical SCC did not contribute to the risk of relapse and cancer-related death. No relationship was found for MVD, LVD and the Ki-67 index in cervical tumour of patients with locally advanced cervical SCC with staging, grading and serum SCC-Ag level. MVD, LVD and the Ki-67 index in the tumour did not contribute to the risk of relapse or cervical SCC-related death.Impact StatementWhat is already known on this subject? In many patients, invasive cervical squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is diagnosed in a locally advanced stage, when the prognosis depends on many well-known factors connected with tumour biology, staging and general condition of the patient. Despite numerous studies, the value of immunohistochemical CD34, podoplanin and Ki-67 expression in cervical tumour of these patients is still not well defined.What do the results of this study add? In our prospective study, no relationship for microvessel density (MVD), lymphatic vessel density (LVD) and the Ki-67 index in cervical tumour of patients with locally advanced cervical SCC with staging, grading and serum squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC-Ag) level was found. Additionally, MVD, LVD and the Ki-67 index in the tumour did not contribute to the risk of relapse or cervical SCC-related death.What are the implications of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? Our study underlines the limited value of immunohistochemical CD34, podoplanin and Ki-67 expression in cervical tumour of patients with locally advanced cervical SCC. Further research should be focussed on identifying and validating novel prognostic and predictive factors.

Dose-volume metric-based prediction of radiotherapy-induced lymphocyte loss in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer treated with modern radiotherapy techniques.

Background and Purpose: Radiation-induced lymphopenia (RIL) is a common side effect of radiotherapy (RT) that may negatively impact survival. We aimed to identify RIL predictors in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) and volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT). Materials and Methods: We retrospectively analysed data of 306 patients who underwent radical RT for NSCLC. Absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) loss was evaluated for each patient by fitting an exponential decay curve to data from first 45 days since treatment start, and percentage ALC loss relative to baseline was calculated based on area under the decay curve and baseline ALC. We compared IMRT and VMAT treatment plans and used linear regression to predict ALC loss. Results: ALC decreased during RT in the whole patient group, while neutrophil counts remained stable and decreased only in those treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CRT). Percentage ALC loss ranged between 11 and 78 % and was more strongly than lymphocyte nadir correlated with dose-volume metrics for relevant normal structures. We found evidence for the association of high radiation dose to the lungs, heart and body with percentage ALC loss, with lung volume exposed to 20-30 Gy being most important predictors in patients treated with IMRT. A multivariable model based on CRT use, baseline ALC and first principal component (PC1) of the dose-volume predictors showed good predictive performance (bias-corrected R2 of 0.40). Conclusion: Percentage lymphocyte loss is a robust measure of RIL that is predicted by baseline ALC, CRT use and dose-volume parameters to the lungs, heart and body.

Kyphoscoliosis - what can we do for respiration besides NIV?

Kyphoscoliosis is a significant clinical problem with no precise guidelines for management, especially concerning respiratory pathology. No exhaustive systematic review has yet been performed. The aim was to conduct a systematic review of available data concerning the pathophysiology and treatment of kyphoscoliosis. An electronic systematic search compliant with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines was conducted. The Pubmed database was examined and the search was updated to November 10, 2016. In total, 188 articles were screened, and 52 full text articles were then assessed for eligibility. As 24 of them met exclusion criteria, only 28 articles were further analysed. These articles were published in 18 journals from 1959 to 2015, with 25 being original studies, and one randomised control trial. The total corpus included 18 prospective studies, 7 retrospective studies and 3 case reports. KS is a significant complex, multidisciplinary clinical problem. The heterogeneous nature of the majority of published studies prevents unequivocal conclusions being drawn. Despite a great progress in knowledge about the respiratory system functioning and pathology in KS, the treatment seems to be not yet quite yet satisfactory. Therefore, there is a strong need for large prospective studies and unified clinical guidelines in on the management of this group of patients.