Comparison of glutaminase and cancer antigen 125 for distinguishing benign and malignant ovarian tumors.

Increasing demand for glutaminase (GLS) due to high rates of glutamine metabolism is considered one of the hallmarks of malignancy. In parallel, cancer antigen 125 (CA-125) is a commonly used ovarian tumor marker. This study aimed to compare the roles of GLS and CA-125 in distinguishing between benign and malignant ovarian tumors. The research was conducted as a comparative study, enrolling 156 patients with ovarian tumors. Preoperative serum CA-125 and GLS levels were analyzed to evaluate their effectiveness in distinguishing between benign and malignant ovarian tumors. The results revealed that the mean levels of CA-125 and GLS were significantly higher in malignant ovarian tumors compared with benign ones (389.54 ± 494.320 vs. 193.15 ± 529.932 (U/mL) and 17.37 ± 12.156 vs. 7.48 ± 4.095 (µg/mL), respectively). The CA-125 and GLS cutoff points of 108.2 U/mL and 18.32 µg/mL, respectively, were associated with malignant ovarian tumors. Multivariate analyses showed that GLS had higher predictive capabilities compared with CA-125 (odds ratio 9.4 vs. 2.1). The accuracy of using GLS combined with CA-125 was higher than using CA-125 alone (73.1% vs. 68.8%). In conclusion, higher levels of CA-125 and GLS are associated with malignant ovarian tumors. GLS outperforms CA-125 in distinguishing between benign and malignant ovarian tumors. The combination of GLS and CA-125 demonstrated improved accuracy for distinguishing benign and malignant ovarian tumors when compared with using CA-125 alone.

Cervical pre-cancerous lesion detection: development of smartphone-based VIA application using artificial intelligence.

OBJECTIVE: Visual inspection of cervix after acetic acid application (VIA) has been considered an alternative to Pap smear in resource-limited settings, like Indonesia. However, VIA results mainly depend on examiner's experience and with the lack of comprehensive training of healthcare workers, VIA accuracy keeps declining. We aimed to develop an artificial intelligence (AI)-based Android application that can automatically determine VIA results in real time and may be further developed as a health care support system in cervical cancer screening. RESULT: A total of 199 women who underwent VIA test was studied. Images of cervix before and after VIA test were taken with smartphone, then evaluated and labelled by experienced oncologist as VIA positive or negative. Our AI model training pipeline consists of 3 steps: image pre-processing, feature extraction, and classifier development. Out of the 199 data, 134 were used as train-validation data and the remaining 65 data were used as test data. The trained AI model generated a sensitivity of 80%, specificity of 96.4%, accuracy of 93.8%, precision of 80%, and ROC/AUC of 0.85 (95% CI 0.66-1.0). The developed AI-based Android application may potentially aid cervical cancer screening, especially in low resource settings.

Comparison of the JCAHO Scoring System and the ESAS Scoring System in Determining the Palliative Care Needs of Gynecological Cancer Patients Treated at Hasan Sadikin Hospital.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to analyze the relationship between quality of life with the JCAHO and the ESAS scoring system, and to compare the JCAHO and the ESAS scoring system in determining the palliative care needs of gynecological cancer patients treated at RSHS. METHOD: The subjects of this study were all gynecological cancer patients who were treated at RSHS in May-August 2020. This study was an analytic study with a cross sectional design. The data of this study were obtained from interviews, questionnaires and patient medical records, the study was analyzed bivariate using chi square with α = 0.05. RESULTS: The results showed that the quality of life of patients with gynecological cancer was associated with the JCAHO palliative score (p <0.05), the better the patient's quality of life, the better the JCAHO palliative score. The quality of life of gynecological cancer patients was related to ESAS (p <0.05), the better the patient's quality of life, the better the ESAS. There was difference between the JCAHO palliative score and the ESAS in determining the palliative care needs of gynecological cancer patients (p< 0.05). CONCLUSION: Quality of life has correlation with palliative scores, the lower the palliative score, the better the quality of life. This study showed significant difference between the JCAHO palliative score and the ESAS in determining the palliative care needs of gynecological cancer patients. The JCAHO palliative score measures objectively how the patient is on admission for treatment, this score not only measures the intensity of symptoms but measures the underlying disease, comorbid disease, functional status of the patient and other criteria for the patient.  ESAS assesses the intensity of symptoms, the assessment of palliative care needed can change rapidly if the intensity of symptoms in patients changes.

Ovarian Cancer-Self Assessment: An Innovation for Early Detection and Risk Assessment of Ovarian Cancer.

OBJECTIVE: The modality to detect ovarian cancer at an early stage is very limited. Early diagnosis determines the prognosis. This study aimed to develop a risk assessment tool for early detection of ovarian cancer using artificial intelligence. To accomplish this, the presence of ten signs and symptoms reported by patients with ovarian cancer was assessed. METHODS: This study was carried out as a cohort study of patients diagnosed with suspected ovarian tumors undergoing cytoreduction operation at Hasan Sadikin Hospital, Bandung, from December 2019 to September 2020. Compared to ovarian cancer self-assessment through questionnaire, postoperative histopathology in patients with suspected ovarian tumors. The questionnaire proceeded by artificial intelligence is grouped into risk and no risk. Statistical analyses were done using Chi-Square and Exact Fisher Test. RESULT: In total, 115 patients included in this study. The differences were statistically significant in terms of the six variables (abdominal bloating, nausea/vomiting, decreased of appetite, fullness, menstrual disturbance, and weight loss) ovarian cancer self-assessment compared to postoperative histopathology with a tendency towards benign ovarian tumors (p<0.05), while there was no statistically significant difference in the four variables (abdominal enlargement, abdominal pain, urinating disturbance, and defecation disturbance)  (p>0.05).  According to the artificial intelligence grouping, fifty-five patients were at risk, and sixty patients were not at risk. The Fifty-five risk patients were related  with postoperative histopathology diagnosis (with RR 0.682 and CI 95% 0.519-0.895). CONCLUSION: Risk assessments based on ovarian cancer self-assessment unfortunately were not comparable to postoperative histopathology as a single predictor. Ten variables in ovarian cancer artificial intelligence self-assessment for early detection needs improvement in adding another variable like tumor marker and ultrasonography assessment.

A Case of Rapid Transformation from Hydatidiform Mole to Invasive Mole: The Importance of ß-hCG (Human Chorionic Gonadotropin) Serum Levels in Follow-Up Evaluation.

BACKGROUND Gestational trophoblastic disease (GTD) is a spectrum of disorders consisting of premalignant (ie, complete [CHM] and partial hydatidiform moles [PHM]) and malignant conditions (ie, invasive moles, choriocarcinoma, placental site trophoblastic tumors, and epithelioid trophoblastic tumor). If GTD persists after initial treatment and has persistent elevated beta human chorionic gonadotropin (ß-hCG), it is referred to as post-molar gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (pGTN). To date, there is no detailed information regarding how fast invasive moles can develop from CHM. However, the risk of developing any pGTN from CHM is rare within 1 month and is greatest in the first 12 months after evacuation, with most cases presenting within 6 months. CASE REPORT We present a case of a 46-year-old primigravida woman with rapid transformation of an invasive mole. In the beginning, the patient had a chief concern of a uterus size greater than the gestational dates. Laboratory evaluation showed high ß-hCG serum level (>300 000 mIU/mL), and ultrasonography evaluation revealed a hydatidiform mole. Suction evacuation and curettage procedures were then performed. Pathology evaluation afterwards revealed a complete hydatidiform mole without any sign of malignancy. Twenty-two days afterwards, the patient came to the emergency room with vaginal bleeding. ß-hCG serum level was high (53 969 mIU/mL), and ultrasonography examination showed the presence of fluid filling the uterine cavity. The patient was then diagnosed with GTN, and hysterectomy was chosen as the treatment of choice. After the surgery, her ß-hCG serum level gradually reverted back to normal. CONCLUSIONS Invasive moles can develop less than 1 month after suction evacuation and curettage procedure for CHM. Serial ß-hCG serum level evaluation according to the guideline should be performed to prevent late diagnosis, which could lead to the development of metastasis and worsen the prognosis.

The Platelet to Lymphocyte and Neutrophil to Lymphocyte Ratios in Predicting Response to Platinum-based Chemotherapy for Epithelial Ovarian Cancer.

OBJECTIVE: The patients with advanced-stage ovarian cancer have higher factors complicating surgery; thus, the best choice for them is surgery with chemotherapy with six cycles of adjuvant chemotherapy. Generally, chemotherapy can be evaluated in various ways, phsychal examination, radiology examination, and laboratory examination. This study aims is to examine if the measurement of the platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) can be used to predict a patient's response to chemotherapy. METHODS: Analytic observational study with a case-control design conducted in the Dr. Hasan Sadikin Hospital in Bandung from 2017 to 2018. This study used the medical record of ovarian cancer patients with post-surgery complete blood counts and histopathological reports. The sample size was determined based on the categorical test's statistical calculation to obtain a total number of at minimal 90 samples. All the study subjects who had undergone complete chemotherapy were followed up for 6 months. Their response to chemotherapy was assessed with a clinical examination, ultrasonography, and a CA-125 blood test every 3 months. RESULTS: In 2017-2018, 504 patients were diagnosed with ovarian cancer at the Dr. Hasan Sadikin Hospital in Bandung, Indonesia. After reassessment, 116 patients had stage I to III ovarian cancer and underwent cytoreduction followed by platinum chemotherapy. The age, cancer stage, and types of epithelial cells in the platinum-sensitive and platinum-resistant patients were characterized. There were significant differences between the two groups in age and cancer stage characteristics (p < 0.05). The increase in platelet/lymphocyte (p = 0.003) and neutrophil/lymphocyte ratios (p = 0.026) are associated with the increase in the response to platinum chemotherapy against epithelium-based cancers. CONCLUSION: A patient's NLR and PLR are strongly associated with his response to chemotherapy.

A Rare Case of Early Transformation of Gestational Trophoblastic Neoplasia Following Molar Pregnancy.

BACKGROUND Gestational trophoblastic disease (GTD) encompasses a group of disorders that arise from abnormal growth of trophoblastic tissue. The spectrum of GTD includes 2 major groups: benign and malignant. The benign form is a hydatidiform mole, either complete or partial; the malignant forms, referred to as gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (GTN), consist of invasive moles, choriocarcinomas, placental site trophoblastic tumors, and epithelioid trophoblastic tumors. Most patients who undergo evacuation of a hydatidiform mole by curettage have a disease-free period before a new tumor develops that can be considered malignant. In rare cases, metastasis occurs rapidly and manifests coincidentally before the hydatidiform mole can be evacuated. CASE REPORT A 19-year-old woman in Bandung City, West Java, Indonesia, was diagnosed with a molar pregnancy with early evidence of a mass in her vagina that was suspicious for stage II GTN. The early emergence of a vaginal mass was a rare case of early transformation of a molar pregnancy into GTN. CONCLUSIONS Careful evaluation is warranted of patients with characteristics typical of an intrauterine molar pregnancy who have an early presentation of a vaginal mass because of the possibility that the diagnosis could be GTN.

Delayed definitive treatment of life-threatening neurosurgery patient with suspected coronavirus disease 2019 infection in the midst of pandemic: Report of two cases.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected global health system; in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, both surgeon and anesthesiologist often dealt with emergency situation, optimal timing of surgery and safety protocol in hospital setting must be implemented with many facets for both patients and health-care providers. CASE DESCRIPTION: We reported two cases. Case#1 - A 16-year-old male was referred to our hospital, due to a decreased of consciousness following a motor vehicle accident. Head CT scan revealed an epidural hemorrhage on the left temporoparietal. The patient was suspected for having COVID-19 from the reactivity of his serum against SARS-CoV-2 antigen. Procedures for the confirmation of COVID-19 and surgical preparation caused 12 h delayed from the admission. Nevertheless, the patient was deteriorated clinically before he was transported to the operating room and died after 6 cycles of cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Case#2 - A 25-year-old male was referred to RSHS, due to a decreased of consciousness, diagnosed as bilateral proximal shunt exposed with suspected COVID-19; delay occurred due to unavailability of negative pressure intensive unit for postoperative care. This caused 5760 h (4 days) delayed for bilateral shunt removal and temporary extraventricular drainage. CONCLUSION: Optimal timing of surgery, a good safety, and health protocol during pandemic in emergency setting are an obligation to protect health providers and patients. A decision-making plan must be organized precisely to maintain alertness, achieve the highest possible standard of care, and outcome in emergency surgical cases. Lack of monitoring must be abated to avoid fatality for patient, especially in emergency surgery setting.

Chemokine Ligand 5 to Predict Optimal Cytoreduction in Ovarian Cancer.

PURPOSE: The ultimate goal of cytoreduction surgery is the complete removal of all visible tumors (complete cytoreductive surgery) or tumor residues <1 cm (optimal cytoreduction surgery). Following cytoreduction surgery in ovarian cancer, tumor residue is one of the most important prognostic factors. Oncologists strive to be able to predict the outcome of cytoreduction surgery during the presurgical period. The purpose of this study was to assess CCL5 as a modality for determining whether a patient could perform optimal cytoreduction surgery or not. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was an observational, analytic, and cross-sectional study of patients with ovarian cancer who underwent surgery at the Dr. Hasan Sadikin Bandung from 2019 to 2020. All of the patients had stage I-IV disease based on the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) score. RESULTS: In total, 72 patients were enrolled in this study, 31 of whom underwent suboptimal cytoreduction surgery and 41 underwent optimal cytoreduction surgery. The mean serum CCL5 level at suboptimal cytoreduction was 70,920.87 ± 36,362.966, while that at optimal cytoreduction was 43,244.95 ± 21,983.887. CCL5, as a predictor of suboptimal cytoreduction surgery, had a sensitivity of 61.3%, a specificity of 68.3%, and an accuracy of 65.7% (p = 0.012). CONCLUSION: Preoperative CCL5 serum levels can predict suboptimal cytoreduction surgery outcomes in patients with ovarian cancer.