Diagnostic accuracy of inferior vena cava ultrasound for heart failure in patients with acute dyspnoea: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Dyspnoea is the most common sign of heart failure (HF). Patients accessing the ED for HF-related symptoms require fast diagnosis and early treatment. Transthoracic echocardiography has a crucial role in HF diagnosis, but requires qualified staff and adequate time for execution. The measurement of inferior vena cava (IVC) diameter has been recently proposed as a rapid, simple and reliable marker of volume overload. The aim of this systematic review was to assess the accuracy of IVC-ultrasound as a stand-alone test for HF diagnosis in patients presenting to the ED with acute dyspnoea. METHODS: Studies evaluating the diagnostic accuracy of the inferior vena cava collapsibility index (IVC-CIx) for HF diagnosis were systematically searched in the EMBASE and MEDLINE databases (up to January 2018). Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies 2 tool was used for the quality assessment of the primary studies. A bivariate random-effects regression approach was used for summary estimates of both sensitivity and specificity. RESULTS: Seven studies, for a total of 591 patients, were included. Three studies were at low-risk of bias. All studies used a proper reference test. Weighted mean prevalence of HF was 49.3% at random-effect model (I2 index for heterogeneity=74.7%). IVC-CIx bivariate weighted mean sensitivity was 79.1% (95% CI 68.5% to 86.8%) and bivariate weighted mean specificity was 81.8% (95% CI 75.0% to 87.0%). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that the sensitivity and specificity of IVC-CIx are suboptimal to rule in or rule out HF diagnosis in patients with acute dyspnoea in the ED setting. Therefore, IVC-CIx is not advisable as a stand-alone test, but may be useful when integrated in a specific diagnostic algorithm for the differential diagnosis of acute dyspnoea.

Cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors plus aromatase inhibitor in first-line treatment hormone-receptor-positive/HER2-negative advanced breast cancer women with or without visceral disease: time to turn page?

Breast cancer is the most common female tumour type and accounts for the leading cancer mortality in women worldwide. Up to 75% of breast cancers express the oestrogen receptor or progesterone receptor (hormone-receptor-positive). Aromatase inhibitors were the preferred first-line treatment option. New and acquired resistance to hormonal blockade has led to the development of targeted treatments. Cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) are a large family of serine-threonine kinases that play an important role in regulating cell cycle progression: palbociclib, ribociclib, and abemaciclib. We conducted a study to evaluate the efficacy of CDK inhibitors (CDKi) plus aromatase inhibitor in hormone-receptor-positive/HER2-negative ABC patients with visceral disease, postponing the use of chemotherapeutic agents and strengthening the power of endocrine agents. We enrolled 22 patients treated with CDKi (palbocilib) plus aromatase inhibitor (group A) and 38 patients treated with chemotherapy (group B). Our small study confirms the effectiveness of treatment with CDKi plus aromatase inhibitor, even in patients with visceral metastases, when compared with chemotherapy.

BRAF Mutation in Colorectal Rhabdoid and Poorly Differentiated Medullary Carcinomas.

Colorectal rhabdoid carcinomas (CRbCs) are very rare and aggressive cancers. The BRAFmutation and CpG island methylator phenotype have been reported to be common features ofCRbCs. This study reviews the literature about CRbCs and analyzes the clinicopathological andmolecular profiles of seven CRbCs characterized by large discohesive cells with abundanteosinophilic cytoplasm, showing hyaline inclusions and large rounded to bean-shaped nuclei. Forcomparison, we included four poorly differentiated medullary carcinomas (PDMCs) with focalaspects mimicking rhabdoid features. Overall survival was poor in both subsets, with 78% ofpatients dying of disease within 2-11 months. The main features of CRbCs were: Loss of/reduced SMARCB1/INI expression, intense vimentin immunostaining, and dense neutrophilic infiltration. The PDMCs were positive for pancytokeratin but negative for vimentin and showed moderate peritumoral/intratumoral CD8+ lymphocytes. All PDMCs showed SMARCB1(INI-1) expression. The coexistence of BRAF and TP53 mutations was observed in 80% of CRbCs and PDMCs. PDMCs always showed microsatellite instability and CpG island methylator phenotype (CIMP), while CRbCs were CIMP negative and exhibited microsatellite instability (MSI) in two out of seven cases. CRbCs are characterized by BRAF and TP53 mutations. Loss/reduced expression of nuclear SMARCB1/INI, intense vimentin immunostaining, dense neutrophilic infiltration, and low frequency of CIMP are useful markers to recognize these rare aggressive tumors.