Key elements in hypersensitivity reactions to chemotherapy: experience with rapid drug desensitization in gynaecological cancer in a Tertiary Hospital.

Summary: Rapid drug desensitization (RDD) is a procedure performed when no alternative drug is considered equally effective. The aim of our study is to describe the experience with RDD to cytostatics in patients being treated for gynaecological cancer in a tertiary hospital, over a period of 5 years. In this paper, we review 22 cases and 107 episodes of RDD; 86.3% of patients had advanced disease and the mortality rate at the time of data collection was 50.0%. RDD was performed on 81.8% patients for platinum, 13.6% for taxanes, and 4.5% for anthracyclines. The reintroduction of antineoplastic drugs in all patients with a previous history of immediate hypersensitivity reaction demonstrated the safety and efficacy of this procedure. There was serious complication (anaphylaxis) in only one case.

Primary chemotherapy with sequential docetaxel followed by docetaxel and epirubicin in large operable breast cancer.

UNLABELLED: Primary chemotherapy is increasingly used in patients with large operable breast cancer. Docetaxel and epirubicin are the most active agents in breast cancer treatment. PURPOSE: To evaluate clinical response rate, breast conserving surgery and pathological response rate in patients with large operable breast cancer treated with docetaxel followed by docetaxel and epirubicin as primary chemotherapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with operable breast cancer more than 3 cm in the longest diameter with T2N0, T2N1 and T3N0 disease were enrolled. Patients were treated with three cycles of docetaxel 100 mg/m2 followed by three cycles of docetaxel 75 mg/m2 and epirubicin 90 mg/m2 prior to surgery. RESULTS: Sixty-five patients were enrolled between 09/2002 and 12/2005. The median age was 48.9 years and 72.3% were premenopausal. Median tumour size was 4.26 cm, 10.8% were T3 tumours and 38.5% had clinical positive lymph nodes. Of the tumours 58.5% were grade 1/2, 33.9% ER positive and 21.5% c-erb negative. All six cycles were administered to 62 patients; six cycles were delayed and five had dose reductions. Complete clinical response occurred in 41.5% of patients and partial response in 49.2%. Breast conserving surgery was performed in 30% of patients however it was feasible in 57%. Complete pathological response occurred in both primary tumour and nodes in 28%, and in 34% just in the primary tumour. Nine percent of cases had neutropenia and 7.7% febrile neutropenia, and two cases had a hypersensitivity reaction to docetaxel. One associated treatment death occurred. CONCLUSION: Docetaxel followed by epirubicin and docetaxel as primary chemotherapy results in a high clinical and pathological response rate. The majority of adverse events were predictable and manageable.

Endometrial adenocarcinoma after endometrial ablation. A case report.

The authors present a case of endometrial adenocarcinoma after endometrial ablation, emphasizing the importance of close surveillance of these patients, patient selection and education. Even patients with none of the risk factors for endometrial cancer or contraindications to endometrial ablation should be checked carefully.

Paraovarian tumor of borderline malignancy--a case report.

A case of a 23-year-old woman with a paraovarian tumor is presented. The patient complained of pelvic pain and abdominal swelling. Cystectomy was the initial surgical treatment, but after the histological diagnosis, a staging surgery was carried out. The clinical aspects and subsequent management of related cases are discussed, and a literature review is made.

Endometrioid adenocarcinoma arising in endometriosis foci six years after estrogen replacement therapy: a case report.

We present a case of a 53-year-old woman who developed an endometrioid adenocarcinoma six years after total abdominal hysterectomy (TAH) and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (BSO), who was on estrogenic-only hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

[Prognosis value of p53, C-erB-2 and Ki67 proteins in ovarian carcinoma]. / Valor prognóstico das proteínas p53, C-erB-2 E Ki67 no carcinoma do ovário.

The prognosis in ovarian carcinoma remains poor. We need to identify patients who are less likely to respond to treatment. In order to evaluate the prognostic value of C-erb-B2, p53 and Ki 67 expression and correlate these markers with classic prognostic factors, we studied paraffin-embedded tumor tissue from 81 patients with epithelial ovarian cancer and made a quantitative evaluation of C-erb-B2, p53 and Ki 67 expression by immunohistochemistry. The results were: age 5.4 +/- 15(22-88); 66% with normal physical activity; 48.2% with residual disease < 2 cm; initial stage--42% and advanced stage--58%. Age, performance status, residual disease and stage were correlated with 2 and 5 years survival. Positive immunostaining: p53--87%, C-erb B-2--51% and Ki67--100%. P53 and C-erb B-2 were associated with residual disease and stage; patients with no C-erbB-2 staining had a significantly better survival. A direct and significant correlation was found between p53 and Ki67 and between C-erb B-2 and p53. We conclude that these markers have a high expression in ovarian carcinoma and p53 and C-er B-2 correlate with stage and residual disease. Although C-erb B-2 was associated with better survival, it was not found to be an independent prognostic factor.

[Wertheim-Meigs procedure. 10-year results]. / Operação de Wertheim-Meigs. Resultados de 10 anos.

Wertheim-Meigs hysterectomy is used in the treatment of cervical cancer, but since 1988 we have also used it to stage and treat endometrial carcinoma. To evaluate the morbidity of Wertheim Meigs hysterectomy as well as node invasion incidence and its correlation with other prognostic factors, the authors made a retrospective study of 112 patients, from October 1986 to March 1996. Among the 112 cases evaluated, 52% had cervical carcinoma and 48% had endometrial carcinoma; mean ages were 45 +/- 10 and 60 +/- 8 years (p < 0.005). FIGO stage distribution was: I-94.8 and 33.3%; II-5.2 and 51.9%; III-0 and 13%; IV-0 and 1.8%, for cervical and endometrial carcinoma. Hemorrhagic and traumatic accidents happened in 24.3% and 1.7% respectively. We had 15.5% early post operative complications and 1.7% late post operative ones. The mean duration of surgery and hospitalization was 163 +/- 29 minutes and 10 +/- 5 days. Pelvic lymphadenectomy was performed in 70% of patients and para-aortic nodes were also excised in the other 30%. The mean number of lymphatic nodes excised were 17 +/- 9. Pelvic node invasion was found in 9% and in 3.7% of para-aortic ones. When we studied endometrial cancer, we found a positive correlation between external myometrium invasion and lymphovascular invasion and positive node (p < 0.05). From the data available we may conclude that the complication rate of Wertheim Meigs is quite important, even though all but one complication were transitory. It may be possible to make a better selection of patients who need this surgical procedure by correct evaluation of risk factors.