PURE vs. mixed clear cell ovarian carcinomas: Is there any impact on survival?

OBJECTIVE: Our primary aim in this study is to define the clinical characteristics of patients with clear-cell ovarian carcinoma and evaluate the prognostic factors affecting survival. STUDY DESIGN: Records of 85 patients, operated between 2000 and 2018, for an adnexal mass and whose final pathology reported clear cell ovarian carcinoma were reviewed. The study considered demographic data, clinical characteristics of the patients, as well as pure and mixed-type clear cell histology. The patients' follow-up time, disease-free and overall survival recorded. The primary outcomes were disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS). RESULTS: The median age of the patients at diagnosis was 52. In 64.7 % of the cases, clear cell histology was pure, while the others (35.3 %) were mixed. Patients with ovarian endometriosis constituted 27.1 % of the whole population. The median OS for the entire population was 92 months (95 %CI:72-124). On univariate and multivariate analyses, advanced age was found to have a significant independent impact on OS and DFS (p < 0.05) and, was associated with a worse prognosis. Also, the multivariate analyses showed that the presence of endometriosis has a significant independent impact on OS (p < 0.05). When examining the relationship between the histological origin (mixed vs. pure) and 5-year survival, the mixed type showed longer OS and DFS rates (76.8 % vs. 69.8 %, 61.5 % vs. 53.8 %), the difference was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: This retrospective study showed that although mixed type histological origin was associated with higher OS and DFS rates compared to pure type in patients with CCOC, the difference was not statistically significant. Advanced age and the presence of endometriosis was found to have a significant independent effect on OS and DFS and was associated with a worse prognosis. Overall, this study provides useful insights into the clinical characteristics of patients with CCOC and identifies important prognostic factors affecting survival.

Adjuvant chemotherapy may contribute to an increased risk for metabolic syndrome in patients with breast cancer.

PURPOSE: Cytotoxic treatment may cause weight gain and important alterations in the metabolic status of breast cancer (BC) patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the changes in metabolic and anthropometric parameters of patients with BC who received adjuvant chemotherapy. METHODS: All consecutive women treated with adjuvant TAC (docetaxel 75 mg/m(2), doxorubicine 50 mg/m(2), cyclophosphamide 500 mg/m(2)) chemotherapy for node-positive breast carcinoma at our Institution between 2008 and 2010 were included. RESULTS: Among 104 patients, 84 of them were stage II and 20 of them were stage III. When we compared the measurements between 1(st) and 6(th) adjuvant chemotherapy, we observed statistically significant increases in weight and serum triglyceride levels, and decreases in high density lipoprotein, apolipoprotein A-1, transferrin, albumin and prealbumin levels. An elevation of follicle stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone together with the decrease of estradiol was detected. Waist-to-hip ratio has also increased significantly. In subgroup analyses, we observed dramatic changes in body mass index in pre-menopausal women whereas no significant change was seen in the post-menopausal group. CONCLUSIONS: Adjuvant chemotherapy may contribute to an increased risk for metabolic syndrome in patients with BC and these changes are more profound in pre-menopausal patients.