CO 2 laser, radiofrequency, and promestriene in the treatment of genitourinary syndrome of menopause in breast cancer survivors: a histomorphometric evaluation of the vulvar vestibule.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to compare the efficacy of CO 2 laser, radiofrequency, and promestriene in treating genitourinary syndrome of menopause in women with breast cancer receiving adjuvant therapy and to analyze the clinical and histological findings of the vulvar vestibule. METHODS: Women with moderate-to-severe symptoms of vulvar atrophy were enrolled. The participants were evaluated according to pretreatment and posttreatment protocols using the visual analog scale and clinical assessments, which included a gynecological examination and vestibular biopsy. Participants were randomly assigned into the laser, radiofrequency, or promestriene groups. Participants in the energy treatment groups underwent three consecutive monthly outpatient vulvovaginal treatment sessions, whereas those in the control group were administered promestriene for 4 months. During a follow-up visit 30 days posttreatment, the participant global posttreatment impression of improvement was evaluated using a Likert scale. RESULTS: Seventy women completed treatment. Histological vulvar atrophy was identified in four (5.7%) of the pretreatment vulvar samples. Postintervention, all histological parameters were normalized. Significant improvements in symptoms were observed, as all three groups showed a reduction in the visual analog scale score, with no statistically significant differences among them. A high level of satisfaction was reported posttreatment in all groups. No damage to the histological structure of the vulvar vestibule or relevant clinical adverse events were identified posttreatment. CONCLUSIONS: Laser, radiofrequency, and promestriene delivered comparable, significant symptom improvements among women with breast cancer receiving adjuvant therapy. These treatments did not cause structural tissue damage or other clinical complications.

TGF-ß1 expression in wound healing is acutely affected by experimental malnutrition and early enteral feeding.

Malnutrition is associated with the delay or failure of healing. We assessed the effect of experimental malnutrition and early enteral feeding with standard diet or diet supplemented with arginine and antioxidants on the levels of mRNA encoding growth factors in acute, open wound healing. Standardised cutaneous dorsal wounds and gastrostomies for enteral feeding were created in malnourished (M, n = 27) and eutrophic control (E, n = 30) Lewis male adult rats. Both M and E rats received isocaloric and isonitrogenous regimens with oral chow and saline (C), standard (S) or supplemented (A) enteral diets. On post-trauma day 7, mRNA levels of growth factor genes were analysed in wound granulation tissue by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). M(C) rats had significantly lower transforming growth factor ß(TGF-ß1 ) mRNA levels than E(C) rats (2·58 ± 0·83 versus 3·53 ± 0·57, P < 0·01) and in comparison with M(S) and M(A) rats (4·66 ± 2·49 and 4·61 ± 2·11, respectively; P < 0·05). VEGF and KGF-7 mRNA levels were lower in M(A) rats than in E(A) rats (0·74 ± 0·16 versus 1·25 ± 0·66; and 1·07 ± 0·45 versus 1·79 ± 0·89, respectively; P≤ 0·04), but did not differ from levels in E(C) and M(C) animals. In experimental open acute wound healing, previous malnutrition decreased local mRNA levels of TGF-ß1 genes, which was minimised by early enteral feeding with standard or supplemented diets.