Impact of sentinel lymph node mapping on recurrence patterns in endometrial cancer.

BACKGROUND: Sentinel lymph node (SLN) mapping has emerged as a promising solution to the ongoing debate regarding lymphadenectomy in the initial surgical management of endometrial cancer. Currently, little is known about its possible impact on location of disease recurrence compared to systematic lymphadenectomy. METHODS: In this retrospective study, 472 consecutive patients with endometrial cancer who underwent either SLN mapping (SLN cohort, n=275) or systematic lymphadenectomy (LND cohort, n=197) from sequential, non-overlapping historical time points were compared. Clinical characteristics were extracted from a prospectively gathered electronic database. Both overall and pelvic sidewall recurrence free survival (RFS) were evaluated at 48-month post-operative follow-up. RESULTS: No significant difference in overall RFS could be identified between the cohorts at 48months (HR 0.74, 95% CI 0.43-1.28, p=0.29). However, the SLN cohort had improved pelvic sidewall RFS compared to the LND cohort (HR 0.32, 95% CI 0.14-0.74, p=0.007). The pelvic sidewall recurrences accounted for 30% of recurrences in the SLN cohort (8 out of 26 recurrences) compared to 71.4% in the LND cohort (20 out of 28 recurrences). CONCLUSIONS: SLN mapping may enable more efficient detection of the LNs at greatest risk of metastasis and help to guide adjuvant therapy, which in turn seems to decrease the risk of pelvic sidewall recurrences.

Dose dense carboplatin paclitaxel improves progression free survival in patients with endometrial cancer.

OBJECTIVE: Pilot study to assess the value of weekly paclitaxel plus carboplatin every 3weeks (dose dense regimen, DD) compared to the standard 3-weekly protocol in the adjuvant setting for endometrial cancer. METHODS: Retrospective cohort study comparing consecutive patients with high and intermediate-high risk endometrial cancer, undergoing DD protocol (from 2011 to 2015) to a non-overlapping historical cohort with similar characteristics who received treatment every three weeks (2008-2011). RESULTS: 122 patients with endometrial cancer were included in the study, of these, 61 patients received the dose dense protocol and 61 were treated with the standard 3-weekly protocol. After a median follow-up of 61.6months in the 3-weekly cohort, compared with 41.6months in the DD cohort, 40 progressions were recorded. 29 progressions were observed in women treated in the standard protocol, with a three years progression free survival (PFS) of 57.4%, compared to 11 progressions observed in patients in the DD schedule, with a three years PFS of 79.5% (P=0.03). Patients who were treated with the DD protocol were less likely to have progression events compared to the standard cohort with a hazard ratio of 0.4 on multivariate analysis (CI 95%, 0.2-0.8, P=0.01), had significantly less distant metastases (P=0.01), and had improved overall survival when diagnosed with advanced stage disease (P=0.02). Complaints of musculoskeletal pain were more frequent in the standard cohort (n=17, 27.9%) compared to the dose dense cohort (n=4, 6.6%), P=0.005. CONCLUSION: Preliminary data suggests that dose dense chemotherapy might be a reasonable and superior option for adjuvant treatment of endometrial cancer, compared to standard chemotherapy.

[Cervical incompetence: diagnosis, indications and cerclage outcome]. / Incompetence cervicale: diagnostic, indications et devenir du cerclage.

BACKGROUND: Cervical incompetence, a major cause of late abortions and preterm delivery is a diagnosis increasingly easy to establish.Strapping is deemed effective to prevent recurrence of such accidents midwifery. AIM: To evaluate the relevance of the diagnosis of cervical incompetence, check the main indications of banding and study the outcome of rimmed pregnancies. METHODS: A retrospective study about 103 rimmed pregnancies collected in the service of Motherhood Hospital Mahmoud El Matri Ariana to the period of January 2001 until December 2008. RESULTS: The diagnosis of cervical incompetence is suspected in a body of evidence linking ATCD of late abortions or premature births found in respectively 46.2% and 31.1% of our patients in our series, 16.98% are carriers of known uterine defects. 8.49% are classified as high risk front of 3-ATCD of late abortions or preterm delivery and were circled systematically. 2.83% are rimmed after confirmation the incompetent cervix by calibration of the cervix and 55.99% because of clinically short cervix. The strapping has reduced the rate of late abortion which decreased from 46.6% before strapping to 7.6% after. As for preterm delivery, it is reduced from 31.1% before strapping to 18.5% after. This difference is statistically significant. The average term of confinement in our series is 36SA six days. 68 cases were delivered at term. Among patients in whom we have accepted the vaginal delivery, 74.2% had spontaneous labor. One case of rupture of the anterior lip of the cervix was noted. CONCLUSION: The indication of a cervical strapping needs a well established diagnosis involving data from history, clinical examination and possibly endo-vaginal ultrasound to confirm the high-risk of cervical incompetence. The strapping participates significantly to prolong the duration of pregnancy, to lower rates of early major premature and to improve the chance of viability and prognosis of fetuses without serious repercussions on the workflow.

First trimester diagnosis of Pallister-Killian syndrome in a fetus with suggestive abnormalities.

BACKGROUND: Pallister-Killian Syndrome is a rare, sporadic chromosomal disorder characterized by a tetrasomy 12p often in mosaic. It is only in 2000 that the first case of PKS was diagnosed in the first trimester further to an increased nuchal translucency. AIM: Report a new case. CASE REPORT: To our knowledge, we present the first case of early prenatal diagnosis of Pallister Killian Syndrome due to the presence of an increased nuchal translucency, a diaphragmatic hernia, a typical facial dysmorphism and a micromelia of a predominantly rhizomelic type . A chorionic cells biopsy showed a normal karyotype. The diagnosis was revealed on cytogenetic analysis of amniotic fluid sampling. CONCLUSION: The main ultrasound indicators of PKS seem to be: Hydramnios, congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) and a micromelia of a rhizomelic type. The Hydrops fetalis, hygroma coli or increased nuchal translucency (INT), fetal overgrowth, ventriculomegaly and presence of a sacral appendix are less common. The amniocentesis with the study of the karyotype on amniotic cells is considered to be the gold standard for the diagnosis of PKS. A good morphological study during the first trimester in search of ultrasound abnormalities highly suggestive of PKS is able to direct the cytogenetic study.