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.

Erdafitinib in the Treatment of Metastatic Urothelial Carcinoma.

A Hispanic man, aged 42 years, was diagnosed with stage IV metastatic urothelial bladder cancer (MUBC) with nonregional lymphadenopathies and lung, bone, and skin involvement. He received first-line treatment with gemcitabine and cisplatin for 6 cycles, achieving a partial response (PR). Next, he received immunotherapy maintenance with avelumab for 4 months until disease progression. A next-generation sequencing test of paraffin-embedded tumor tissue identified a fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 (FGFR3) S249C missense mutation.

Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma With Sarcomatoid Features.

A previously healthy woman, aged 38 years, presented with a 3-month history of fatigue, dyspnea on exertion, significant weight loss, and severe left flank pain; her symptoms restricted any work activities. Laboratory test results were notable for hypercalcemia (corrected serum calcium, 12.8 mg/dL), anemia (9.3 g/dL), and lactate dehydrogenase elevation (>1.5 times the upper limit of normal). A CT scan revealed a 14-cm left renal mass and multiple lung and mediastinal lymph node metastases. A surgical open biopsy was performed; histopathological analysis concluded clear cell renal carcinoma (RCC) with 30% sarcomatoid features. The patient was diagnosed with International Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Database Consortium (IMDC) poor-risk metastatic RCC with sarcomatoid features. She started first-line systemic treatment.

The Role of Postmastectomy Radiotherapy in Locally Advanced Breast Cancer After Pathological Complete Response to Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy.

The Case A previously healthy woman, aged 32 years, presented to the oncology clinic with a 6-month history of left-breast tumor, mastalgia, and swollen axillary nodes. Physical examination was relevant for a 6-cm palpable mass in the upper outer quadrant of the left breast and an ipsilateral 2-cm, nonfixed axillary lymph node. Mammography showed a 1-cm mass in the upper outer quadrant, a 5.2-cm mass in the lower outer quadrant, and enlarged pathologic lymph nodes (BI-RADS category 5 disease). Breast ultrasound revealed 3 axillary lymph nodes with cortical thickening and loss of normal morphology (the largest with a 2.6-cm length in the long axis) (Figure 1A-B). The breast´s core biopsy revealed a grade 3 apocrine invasive carcinoma with lymphovascular invasion; immunohistochemistry testing showed HER2-negative, hormone receptor-negative disease (estrogen receptor, 0%; progesterone receptor, 0%; HER2-negative, Ki67, 50%) (Figure 2A-B). A fine-needle aspiration biopsy of the axillary lymph nodes showed invasive breast carcinoma as well. Bone scintigraphy and a chest/abdomen CT scan ruled out metastatic disease. Upon initial diagnosis, clinical stage was deemed as cT3N1M0 (American Joint Committee on Cancer 8th edition: anatomic stage IIIA, clinical prognostic stage IIIC). After a multidisciplinary tumor board discussion, the patient underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy with weekly paclitaxel, followed by 4 cycles of dose-dense doxorubicin plus cyclophosphamide. After completing neoadjuvant treatment, clinical examination was relevant for a residual 1-cm palpable left breast mass and no palpable axillary nodes. Mammography and breast ultrasound showed a 77% partial response in the primary tumors, and axillary nodes with normal morphology and size (Figure 1C-D). Due to multicentric tumor disease, breast-conserving surgery would not confer satisfactory cosmetic results on her, and a modified radical mastectomy with intraoperative sentinel lymph node biopsy (and second-stage breast reconstruction) was planned. However, during surgery, the surgeons failed to identify the mapped lymph node, and level I-III axillary lymph node dissection was performed. The pathology report described complete pathological response: Miller and Payne criteria grade 5 response with the absence of malignant cells within the mastectomy specimen and in 24 lymph nodes (Figure 2C-E). Pathological staging after neoadjuvant treatment concluded ypT0N0M0 disease. Subsequent treatment for this patient was discussed in another tumor board.

Predictive value of intracrystalline interphase point measured by optical low-coherence reflectometry for the estimation of the anatomical position of an intraocular lens after cataract surgery.

PURPOSE: To investigate the predictive value of the intracrystalline interphase point (ICIP) measured with optical low-coherence reflectometry (OCLR) to estimate the final lens position (FLP) of an intraocular lens (IOL) after cataract surgery. SETTING: Alcañiz Hospital, Teruel, Spain. DESIGN: Single-center retrospective descriptive study. METHODS: Patients undergoing cataract surgery were enrolled. They were grouped according to the IOL implanted as follows: Group 1, Acrysof IQ aspheric SN60WF IOL (77 eyes); Group 2, enVista MX60 IOL (71 eyes); Group 3, CT Asphina 409 IOL (44 eyes). An OCLR-based biometer (Lenstar LS 900 system) was used for biometric measurements preoperatively and at 4 to 5 weeks postoperatively. RESULTS: The study comprised 192 eyes of 174 patients (mean age: 76.4 years). One hundred seventy eyes (88.5%) eyes showed an absolute refractive prediction error (ARPE) less than 0.50 diopters (D). The mean ARPE was 0.25 D ± 0.21 (SD). Significantly higher FLP values were found in Group 2 compared with the other two groups (P < .001). Significantly lower ICIP values were found in the eyes with an ARPE of 0.50 D or more compared with eyes that had an ARPE less than 0.50 D in Group 1 (P = .042) and Group 2 (P = .023). The correlation of the FLP with the ICIP was good in all three groups (r ≥ 0.74, P <.001). Three linear expressions were obtained to predict the FLP from the ICIP and other preoperative data (R2: 0.85, 0.69, and 0.49 in Groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The position of the ICIP measured with OCLR correlated with the FLP after cataract surgery, and it can be used to optimize IOL power calculations.

Afectación ocular en la toxocariasis / Eye infection in the toxocariasis

La toxocariasis es una infección por un nematodo que tiene dos formas clínicas de manifestarse: larva migrans visceral y toxocariasis ocular. estas últimas es casi exclusivamente unilateral y típica de la edad infantil; sin embargo, se ha descrito en individuos desde los 2 a los 40 años de edad. Puede presentarse con disminución de la visión, estrabismo, leucocoria o uveítis. Más frecuente es la presencia de un granuloma subrretiano en el polo posterior, o bien un granuloma coriorretiniano periférico. Menos frecuente es la existencia de una endoftalmitis con desprendimiento de retina. Las tres formas de afección ocular presentan las mismas patogenia. Presentamos dos casos clínicos correspondientes a un granuloma coriorretiniano periférico en un varón de 42 años de edad, y a un granuloma de polo posterior en un varón de 29 años. En ambos pacientes el diagnóstico se realizó fundamentalmente por los signos y síntomas, el aspecto clínico típico del fondo de ojo y los antecedentes personales