Epidemiology of breast cancer in women based on diagnosis data from oncologists and senologists in Algeria.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer (BC) is a major health issue threatening women's life. No reliable epidemiological data on BC diagnosed by oncologists/senologists are available in Algeria. METHODS: The BreCaReAl study, a non-interventional prospective cohort study, included adult women with confirmed BC in Algeria. Disease incidence, patients and disease characteristics, treatment patterns, and mortality rate were recorded up to 12 months of follow-up. RESULTS: Overall, 1,437 patients were analysed: median age was 48 [41;57] years and 337 (23.5%) women had a family history of BC. BC incidence was 22.3 (95% CI: 21.5; 23.2) cases per 100,000 inhabitants over 8 months. Delayed diagnosis was reported in 400 (29.2%) patients. First line of treatments were mainly chemotherapy and surgery. Twenty-eight serious adverse events were reported including 10 (37.0%) events which led to death. Mortality rate reached 3.2% at 12 months CONCLUSION: A delayed diagnosis highlights the importance of implementing more effective screening strategies.

The contribution of laparoscopy to the diagnosis of adnexal masses in young and premenopausal women.

The purpose of this retrospective study was to investigate the contribution of laparoscopy to the diagnosis of adnexal masses in young and premenopausal women, in whom surgery was deemed necessary, between the years 2002-2008. A total of 130 young and premenopausal women scheduled for surgery for an adnexal mass with a diameter of 5-10 cm underwent transvaginal ultrasound (US) examination prior to surgery. Laparoscopic management was successfully completed for 118 of the 130 patients in this study; however, 12 required conversion of laparoscopy to laparotomy due to endometriosis with extensive bowel adhesions, or suspected ovarian malignancy and peritoneal implants. One hundred and twenty-four patients (95.38%) had benign lesions, four (3.07%) had borderline tumors and two patients had malignant lesions (1.53%). We found a statistically significant association between laparoscopic and histological findings. Laparoscopic diagnosis of adnexal masses suspicious at US may help avoid many laparotomies for the treatment of benign ovarian disorders.

Case report: Denys- Drash syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Denys-Drash Syndrome (DDS) is an uncommon disorder that appears sporadically and in rare cases may be inherited as an autosomal dominant trait It manifests either at birth or within the first year of life and typically consists of the triad of congenital nephropathy, Wilms tumour and intersex disorder. CASE REPORT: A 10 year-old Caucasian girl was referred to the Dental Department, at Glasgow Royal Hospital for Sick Children by her Paediatric Nephrologist Consultant. The patient was being teased by her peers over her markedly discoloured teeth. The dental history revealed that the patient was a regular dental attendee from an early age. She was dentally anxious having only experienced dental treatment under general anaesthesia (GA) when she was 4 years old. Apparently her primary dentition also showed a generalised discolouration. TREATMENT: This consisted of multiple visits for diet analysis and tooth brushing instruction with the use of disclosing tablets. Plaque control significantly improved when using a battery operated toothbrush because of its larger handle which the patient found easier to use and a 0.05% sodium fluoride mouthwash was given for daily use. Dyract(AP) veneers directly bonded onto maxillary permanent incisors and mandibular permanent anterior teeth was carried out. This was an interim measure to improve the patient's appearance while assessing the patient co-operation. The compomer facings were replaced with BelleGlass NG veneers which were cemented onto the maxillary incisors and mandibular anterior teeth using Adhesive By Choice (ABC) system under rubber dam on two separate visits. FOLLOW-UP: At her last visit, 27 months after treatment, the patient was still satisfied with the restorative treatment. However, further teeth had erupted including all the premolars. BelleGlass NG crowns were indicated. It was also decided to replace the preformed chrome cobalt crowns with full coverage BelleGlass NG crowns.