New factors that affect quality of life in patients with aphasia.

BACKGROUND: Aphasia severity is known to affect quality of life (QoL) in stroke patients, as is mood disorders, functional limitations, limitations on activities of daily life, economic status and level of education. However, communication limitation or fatigue has not been explored in this specific population. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to investigate whether these factors were associated with QoL in patients with aphasia after stroke. METHODS: Patients with aphasia were included from April 2014 to November 2017 after a first stroke and were followed for 2 years post-stroke. QoL was assessed at follow-up by the French Sickness Impact Profile 65 (SIP-65). We explored predictors such as mood disorders, communication impairment, fatigue, limitations on activities of daily life, and aphasia severity in addition to socio-demographic factors. RESULTS: We included 32 individuals (22 men; mean age 60.7 [SD 16.6] years) with aphasia after a first stroke. Poor QoL as assessed by the SIP-65 was significantly associated (Pearson correlations) with increased severity of aphasia initially (P=0.008) and at follow-up (P=0.01); increased communication activity limitations at follow-up (P<0.001); increased limitations on activities of daily life at baseline (P=0.008) and follow-up (P<0.001); increased fatigue at follow-up (P=0.001); and increased depression symptoms at follow-up (P=0.001). On multivariable analysis, QoL was associated with communication activity limitations, limitations on activities of daily life, fatigue and depression, explaining more than 75% of the variance (linear regression R2=0.756, P<0.001). The relative importance in predicting the variance was 32% for limitations on activities of daily life, 21% fatigue, 23% depression and 24% communication activity limitations. CONCLUSION: Aphasia severity, mood disorders and functional limitations may have a negative effect on QoL in patients with aphasia. Also, for the first time, we show that fatigue has an important impact on QoL in this population. Specific management of this symptom might be beneficial and should be explored in future studies.

Imaging features of sporadic breast cancer in women under 40 years old: 97 cases.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate characteristic features of mammography, ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of sporadic breast cancer in women <40 years and to determine correlations with pathological and biological factors. METHODS: A retrospective review of radiological, clinicopathological and biological features of sporadic breast cancers for women under 40 years at our institution between 2007-2012 covering 91 patients. Mammography was available for 97 lesions, ultrasound for 94 and MRI for 38. RESULTS: The most common imaging features were masses, nearly all classified BI-RADS 4 or 5. On mammography microcalcifications alone accounted for 31 %, all suspicious. There were 42.6 % luminal B, 24.5 % luminal A, 19.1 % HER2-enriched and 10.6 % triple-negative (TN) tumours by immunohistochemistry. HER2 overexpression was correlated with the presence of calcifications at mammography (P = 0.03). TN cancers more often had an oval shape and abrupt interface at ultrasound and rim enhancement on MRI. MRI features were suspicious for all cancers and rim enhancement of a mass was a significant predictor of triple-negative tumours (P = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The imaging characteristics of cancers in patients under 40 years without proven gene mutations do not differ from their older counterparts, but appear correlated to phenotypic profiles, which have a different distribution in young women compared to the general population.