[Overexpression of laminine-5( LN-5) in peritoneal lavage of colorectal cancer patients preliminary results]. / Overexpression della laminina-5 (LN-5) nel lavaggio peritoneale di pazienti con carcinomi del grosso intestino. Risultati preliminari.

Recent studies show that interaction between LN (heterotrimeric protein formed by a3/b3/g2 chains) and cancer cells plays an important role in tumor invasion, also in colorectal cancer. The overall survival was significantly worse in patients with free peritoneal cancer cells(FPTCs): detection of FPTCs after curative surgery is a challenge, because could improve staging and prognosis. Peritoneal citology is the current standard procedure with very low sensivity. We aimed to study the expression of LN5 in the peritoneal lavage of colorectal cancer pts and in controls with semiquantitative reverse trancriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). LN-5 overexpression was evaluated observing PCR- products intensity at electrophoresis: high intensity is correlated to overexpression. Pre and post-operative peritoneal lavages of 30 pts with colorectal cancer (13M;17F), with median age of 69 (58-84), and of 10 controls, were analyzed by conventional cytology and a semiquantitative RT-PCR. No cancer pts showed pre/postoperative negative cytology and did not express LN-5. In cancer pts. cytology was positive in 2 pts in pre/postoperative lavage. LN-5 overexpression was observed in 56,6% preoperatively and in 76,6% postoperatively. LN-5 g 2 chain was most frequent chain. Our study suggests a relationship between LN-5 and FPTCs, as shown by the low expression of lamimine in controls. LN-5 could be a useful marker to identify a subgroup of early-stage patients at increased risk of recurrence; moreover, mortality seems to correlated to LAMB3 chain. The diagnostic accuracy could be improved by using a quantitative RT-PCR or western-blot and detecting serum laminine. Finally, to validate these findings a larger number of pts with follow-up study is required.

Transvaginal cervical length measurement for prediction of preterm birth in women with threatened preterm labor: a meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: To integrate data on the performance of cervical length measurement for the prediction of preterm birth in symptomatic women. METHODS: MEDLINE, SCOPUS and manual searches for studies with transvaginal ultrasound measurement of the cervical length in symptomatic women were carried out. Random effects models were used for data integration, and pooled test estimates of sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative likelihood ratios (LR+ and LR-) were calculated along with their 95% CIs. RESULTS: Twenty-eight studies fulfilled the selection criteria. For birth within 1 week from presentation, the pooled sensitivity, specificity, LR+ and LR- of cervical length < 15 mm were 59.9% (95% CI, 52.7-66.8%), 90.5% (95% CI, 89.0-91.9%), 5.71 (95% CI, 3.77-8.65) and 0.51 (95% CI, 0.33-0.80), respectively. The same estimates for studies with presentation at or before 34 + 0 weeks were 71.0% (95% CI, 60.6-79.9%), 89.8% (95% CI, 87.4-91.9%), 5.19 (95% CI, 2.29-11.74) and 0.38 (95% CI, 0.11-1.34), respectively. For prediction of birth before 34 weeks, the pooled sensitivity, specificity, LR+ and LR- of cervical length < 15 mm were 46.2% (95% CI, 34.8-57.8%), 93.7% (95% CI, 90.7-96.0%), 4.31 (95% CI, 2.73-6.82) and 0.63 (95% CI, 0.38-1.04), respectively. There was considerable heterogeneity across studies in most estimates. CONCLUSIONS: Measurement of cervical length in symptomatic women can detect a significant proportion of those who will deliver within 1 week and help to rationalize their management. The considerable heterogeneity across studies may be indicative of methodological flaws, which either were not reported at all or were under-reported.