The effects of lifestyle and behavioural interventions on cancer recurrence, overall survival and quality of life in breast cancer survivors: A systematic review and network meta-analysis.

Lifestyle/behavioural interventions may improve breast cancer outcomes and quality of life (QoL); however, uncertainty remains about the most effective interventions due to limited evidence. This study aimed to assess and compare the effects of lifestyle/behavioural interventions on cancer recurrence, survival and QoL in breast cancer survivors. Electronic databases including Medline, EMBASE, PsycINFO, CINAHL and EBM Reviews were searched for relevant literature. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and quasi-RCTs comparing a lifestyle/behavioural intervention with a control condition in breast cancer survivors were included. Outcomes included cancer recurrence, overall survival and QoL. A network meta-analysis synthesized intervention effect. Studies not included in the analysis were reported narratively. Of 6251 identified articles, 38 studies met the selection criteria. Limited evidence exists on the impacts of lifestyle/behavioural interventions on breast cancer recurrence/survival. Exercise was identified as the most effective intervention in improving overall survival (HR 0.50, 95 % CI 0.36, 0.68). Lifestyle/behavioural interventions may improve QoL; psychosocial interventions (SMD 1.28, 95 % CI 0.80, 1.77) and aerobic-resistance exercise (SMD 0.33, 95 % CI -0.03, 0.69) were the most effective interventions to enhance QoL. This review highlights potential post-breast cancer benefits from lifestyle/behavioural interventions, notably exercise and psychosocial support for QoL and exercise for overall survival. Thus, encouraging active lifestyle, stress management and coping skills programs during and after cancer treatment may enhance physical wellbeing and QoL. However, the findings should be interpreted with caution due to the small number and sample sizes of studies. Future longer-term RCTs are required for conclusive recommendations.

Dose-Dense Docetaxel versus Weekly Paclitaxel following Dose-Dense Epirubicin and Cyclophosphamide as Adjuvant Chemotherapy in Node-Positive Breast Cancer Patients: A Retrospective Cohort Analysis.

METHODS: This study included patients from two prospective studies conducted in our institute from April 2007 to March 2009. Ninety-one women with axillary lymph node-positive breast cancer who had received four cycles of dose-dense epirubicin and cyclophosphamide were treated with either weekly paclitaxel (80 mg/m2) for 12 doses or biweekly docetaxel (75 mg/m2) for four cycles. RESULTS: After a median follow-up of 88 and 109 months, 11 (23.4%) and 10 (22.7%) patients had experienced disease recurrence (p = 0.16), while 10 (21.3%) and 5 (11.4%) patients had died in the paclitaxel and docetaxel arm, respectively (p = 0.56). No significant difference could be seen in 5-year DFS or OS among groups (HR: 0.58; 95% CI: 0.19-1.81, p = 0.35; HR: 0.58; 95% CI: 0.19-1.81, p = 0.35, respectively). CONCLUSION: In conclusion, both evaluated adjuvant chemotherapy regimens have comparable effectiveness regarding DFS and OS.

Patient-Reported Barriers and Facilitators to Seeking and Accessing Support in Gynecologic and Breast Cancer Survivors With Sexual Problems: A Systematic Review of Qualitative and Quantitative Studies.

BACKGROUND: Greater understanding of patient-reported barriers and facilitators to seeking and accessing sexual health services will help formulate strategies to assist gynecologic and breast cancer patients to overcome obstacles to accessing sexual health support because they typically do not seek sexual education and/or treatment when confronted with sexual concerns. AIM: The objectives of this systematic review were to (i) explore the patient-reported barriers to seeking and accessing support for sexual problems in gynecologic and breast cancer survivors, and (ii) identify strategies used to successfully overcome the barriers to accessing sexual health information and/or treatment. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The main outcome measures included factors that prevent and/or facilitate gynecologic and breast cancer patients with sexual concerns seeking and accessing sexual health-related services. METHODS: Systematic searches of major electronic databases (Ovid MEDLINE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, ProQuest, and Chinese database CNKI) from January 2009 to July 2019 were used to identify the barriers and facilitators to seeking sexual education/treatment from the perspective of gynecologic and breast cancer survivors. A narrative synthesis was conducted. RESULTS: 20 studies met the inclusion criteria including 12 qualitative, 6 quantitative, and 2 mixed methods studies. 4 interconnected themes were derived from 13 subthemes relating to the barriers/facilitators to seeking and accessing sexual health support. The most common barriers were embarrassment/discomfort in discussing sexual concerns, perceived discomfort of healthcare providers in discussing sexual issues, limitations of the healthcare system to address sexual problems, and the multidimensional nature of sexuality. Help-seeking for sexual health concerns was facilitated by: (i) oncology health professionals initiating and conducting open, honest discussions around sexual concerns with patients; (ii) the availability of information in multiple forms; and (iii) appropriate timing of information provision according to women's preferences. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Oncology health professionals need to develop an open, honest, accepting communication style and be accessible to women with cancer and their partners within healthcare systems. STRENGTHS & LIMITATIONS: The systematic review was conducted in accordance with guidelines. Variability in the primary aims and outcomes of the included studies precluded a meta-analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Training programs for providers of oncology care should enhance their knowledge of sexual issues in gynecologic and/or breast cancer, enhance their communication skills with patients, and improve their ability to consult or refer patients to psycho-oncologists or other mental health professionals. Dai Y, Cook OY, Yeganeh L, et al. Patient-Reported Barriers and Facilitators to Seeking and Accessing Support in Gynecologic and Breast Cancer Survivors With Sexual Problems: A Systematic Review of Qualitative and Quantitative Studies. J Sex Med 2020;17:1326-1358.

Live birth rates after different endometrial preparation methods in frozen cleavage-stage embryo transfer cycles: a randomized controlled trial.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to compare the clinical outcomes in different endometrial preparation methods prior to frozen embryo transfer (FET) in women with normal menstrual cycles. METHODS: A total of 471 eligible patients were randomly allocated into four groups of endometrial preparation prior to FET: natural cycle with spontaneous ovulation (n = 120), natural cycle with human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) for ovulation induction (n = 117), hormone replacement cycle (HRC) (n = 113) and HRC with pre-treatment with GnRH-a (n = 121). Natural cycle with hCG also received hCG in luteal phase. The primary outcome was live birth rate. The secondary outcomes included implantation, biochemical and clinical pregnancy, ongoing pregnancy, and late miscarriage rates. Data analysis included t test, ANOVA and χ2. RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences in the mean age (p = 0.31), duration (p = 0.43) and cause of infertility (p = 0.77) and the number (p = 0.33) and quality (p = 0.21) of embryos transferred between the groups. No significant differences regarding the implantation rates per embryo transfer (p = 0.97) and biochemical pregnancy rates (p = 0.90) were observed between the groups. The rates of clinical pregnancy were 34.2%, 32.5%, 31% and 36.4% in the natural cycle, natural with hCG, HRC and HRC with GnRH-a groups, respectively (p = 0.83). Ongoing pregnancy (p = 0.89) and miscarriage (p = 0.33) rates were comparable between groups. The rate of live birth was 30.8% in the natural group, 30% in the natural with hCG, 27.4% in the HRC and 31.4% in the HRC with GnRH-a groups (p = 0.91). CONCLUSION: Four different types of endometrial preparation methods for FET cycles appear to be equally effective in terms of implantation, pregnancy, miscarriage and live birth rates in women with normal menstrual cycles. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT02251925.

Effects of lifestyle modification on cancer recurrence, overall survival and quality of life in gynaecological cancer survivors: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

The benefits of lifestyle interventions for women who have survived gynaecological cancer (GC) remain unclear. This systematic review aimed to determine the effect of lifestyle interventions on cancer recurrence, overall survival and quality of life (QoL) in women with GC. We searched Medline, Embase, PsycINFO and EBM Reviews from June to July 2016 to identify relevant literature. We included randomized controlled trials in which a lifestyle intervention (diet, weight loss, physical activity and/or behavioural interventions) were compared with a control condition (usual care, placebo or other lifestyle interventions) in women who had survived endometrial or ovarian cancer. Primary outcomes included cancer recurrence and overall survival and the secondary outcome was QoL. Data extraction and risk-of-bias assessment were performed by two independent reviewers. A random-effects meta-analysis model was used to calculate mean differences (md) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). The literature search yielded 928 citations and three trials met the inclusion criteria. No randomized controlled trial assessed the effect of lifestyle interventions on cancer recurrence or survival. Meta-analysis of two randomized controlled trials on the effect of lifestyle interventions on total QoL at 3 or 6 months post-intervention showed no significant difference between intervention and control groups [(md; 1.60; 95% CI, -1.65 to 4.85) and (md; 2.07; 95% CI, -1.80 to 5.94), respectively]. That is, lifestyle intervention had no effect on overall QoL or individual QoL domains (physical, emotional, social wellbeing and fatigue) in GC survivors. Systematic review registration: PROSPERO CRD42016043719.

Methylprednisolone for prevention of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome in patients with polycystic ovarian syndrome undergoing in-vitro fertilisation: a randomised controlled trial.

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of methylprednisolone on prevention of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) in polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) patients undergoing in-vitro fertilisation (IVF). This randomised controlled trial was carried out between November 2009 and December 2013. A total of 219 eligible patients were randomly allocated for treatment (n = 108) or control groups (n = 111). The treatment group received oral methylprednisolone starting from the first day of stimulation. These patients also received an intravenous dose of methylprednisolone on the days of egg collection and embryo transfer. The control group received no glucocorticoid treatment to prevent OHSS. Nineteen percent of patients (18/93) who received methylprednisolone developed OHSS compared with 16.5% (15/91) in the control group and no significant difference was found (p = .61). There were no significant differences between treatment and control groups in the rates of implantation (10% versus 11%, p = .77) and clinical pregnancy (23.2% versus 17.7%, p = .46). Methylprednisolone did not reduce the incidence and severity of OHSS in PCOS patients undergoing IVF and no improvement in clinical outcomes was observed. Impact statement No significant differences were found in OHSS incidence and clinical outcomes between women who received methylprednisolone and control group. There seems to be no benefit for the routine use of glucocorticoids in IVF/ICSI treatments.

Dose-dense epirubicin and cyclophosphamide followed by weekly Paclitaxel in node-positive breast cancer.

Background. Adding taxanes to anthracycline-based adjuvant chemotherapy has shown significant improvement in node-positive breast cancer patients but the optimal dose schedule has still remained undetermined. Objectives. The feasibility of dose-dense epirubicin in combination with cyclophosphamide (EC) followed by weekly paclitaxel as adjuvant chemotherapy in node-positive breast cancer patients was investigated. Methods. All patients were treated with epirubicin (100 mg/m(2)) and cyclophosphamide (600 mg/m(2)) every two weeks for four cycles with daily Pegfilgrastim (G-CSF) that was administered 3-10 days after each cycle of epirubicin and cyclophosphamide infusion which followed by (80 mg/m(2)) paclitaxel for twelve consecutive weeks. Results. Sixty consecutive patients were analyzed, of whom 57 patients (95%) completed the regimen and no case of toxicity-related death was observed. Grade 3/4 hematologic toxicity was uncommon and the most common grade 3/4 nonhematological adverse event was neuropathy disorders. Conclusions. Dose-dense epirubicin and cyclophosphamide followed by weekly paclitaxel with G-CSF support is a well-tolerated and feasible regimen in node-positive breast cancer patients without serious complications.

Association of thrombophilia and polycystic ovarian syndrome in women with history of recurrent pregnancy loss.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the prevalence of thrombophilic disorders in polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) women with history of recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was carried out in 184 women with history of RPL, of which 92 of them were diagnosed with PCOS and 92 patients were without known PCOS. The prevalence of thrombophilic disorders was compared between the two mentioned groups. RESULTS: According to the findings, 70.7% of PCOS women with history of RPL had thrombophilic disorders. The prevalence of protein C deficiency was significantly higher in PCOS group compared to the non-PCOS group (21.7% vs. 10.9%, p = 0.04). There was a trend toward higher prevalence of protein S deficiency in PCOS group compared to the control group, but the difference did not reach statistical significance (23.9% vs. 13%, p = 0.05). The prevalence of other thrombophilic disorders such as antithrombin III deficiency, homocysteine elevation, antiphospholipid antibody and Factor V Leiden was comparable between groups. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of thrombophilic disorders was more common in PCOS women than the normal group. The protein C deficiency is associated with PCOS in women with history of RPL. There was a trend toward higher prevalence of protein S deficiency in PCOS women, which needs further study.

Comparison of different stimulation protocols efficacy in poor responders undergoing IVF: a retrospective study.

PURPOSE: To compare the efficacy of different stimulation protocols on pregnancy outcomes in poor responders undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective study to compare the efficacy of four different protocols including gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist (long, short and miniflare) and GnRH antagonist on pregnancy outcomes in poor responders. This investigation was performed on 566 poor respond patients who were candidates for IVF. Main outcome measures included the total number of oocytes and mature oocytes retrieved, pregnancy rates, implantation and overall cancellation rates which were compared between four mentioned groups. RESULTS: Number of follicles >18 mm on hCG day were significantly higher in GnRH-a long versus GnRH antagonist, GnRH-a short and GnRH-a miniflare protocols. The mean number of oocytes and mature oocytes retrieved were significantly higher in GnRH-a long versus miniflare (4.7 ± 3.05 versus 3.26 ± 2.9 and 3.69 ± 3.1 versus 2.65 ± 2.2, respectively). There were no significant differences in implantation, pregnancy and overall cancellation rates between four groups. CONCLUSION: The present study suggests that the application of four different protocols in poor respond patients seem to have similar efficacy in improving clinical outcomes such as implantation, pregnancy rates and cancellation rate even though GnRH-a long protocol yielded more retrieved oocytes and mature oocytes compared to GnRH-a miniflare protocol.