Adjuvant progestagens for endometrial cancer.

BACKGROUND: Endometrial cancer is the most common genital tract carcinoma among women in developed countries, with most women presenting with stage 1 disease. Adjuvant progestagen therapy has been advocated following primary surgery to reduce the risk of recurrence of disease. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of adjuvant progestagen therapy for the treatment of endometrial cancer. SEARCH STRATEGY: We searched the Cochrane Gynaecological Cancer Group Trials Specilaised Register, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) Issue 2, 2009. MEDLINE and EMBASE up to April 2009. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of progestagen therapy in women who have had surgery for endometrial cancer. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two review authors independently abstracted data and assessed risk of bias. Risk ratios (RRs) comparing survival in women who did and did not receive progestagen were pooled in random effects meta-analyses. . MAIN RESULTS: Seven trials assessing 4556 women were identified. Three trials included women with stage one disease only, whereas four included women with more advanced disease. Meta-analysis of four trials showed that there was no significant difference in the risk of death at five years between adjuvant progestagen therapy and no further treatment (RR = 1.00, 95% CI 0.85 to 1.18). This conclusion is also robust to single trial analyses at 4 and 7 years and in one trial across all points in time using a hazard ratio (HR). There was also no significant difference between progestagen therapy and control in terms of the risk of death from endometrial cancer, cardiovascular disease and intercurrent disease. Relapse of disease appeared to be reduced by progestagen therapy in one trial (HR = 0.71, 95% CI 0.52 to 0.97 and 5 year RR = 0.74, 95% CI 0.58 to 0.96), but there was no evidence of a difference in disease recurrence in another trial at 7 years (RR = 1.34, 95% CI 0.79 to 2.27). AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: There is no evidence to support the use of adjuvant progestagen therapy in the primary treatment of endometrial cancer.

Interventions for preventing blood loss during the treatment of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia.

BACKGROUND: Cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) is the most common pre-malignant lesion. Surgical treatments for CIN are commonly associated with blood loss. OBJECTIVES: To assess the effectiveness and safety of interventions for preventing blood loss during the treatment of CIN. SEARCH STRATEGY: We searched the Cochrane Gynaecological Cancer Group Trials Register, MEDLINE, EMBASE and CENTRAL up to April 2009. We also searched registers of clinical trials, abstracts of scientific meetings and reference lists of included studies. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of vasopressin, tranexamic acid, haemostatic sutures, Amino-Cerv or Monsel's solution in women undergoing surgery for CIN. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two reviewers independently abstracted data and assessed risk of bias. Risk ratios comparing adverse events in women who received one of the interventions were pooled in a random-effects meta-analyses or included in single trial analyses. MAIN RESULTS: Twelve RCTs (N = 1602, of whom 1512 were assessed) were included.Vasopressin significantly reduced perioperative bleeding (mean difference (MD) = -100.80, 95% confidence interval (CI) -129.48 to -72.12) and was associated with a decreased risk of bleeding that required haemostatic sutures or further vasopressin, compared to placebo (risk ratio (RR) = 0.39, 95% CI 0.27 to 0.56).Tranexamic acid significantly reduced risk of secondary haemorrhage (RR = 0.23, 95% CI 0.11 to 0.50), but not primary haemorrhage (RR = 1.24, 95% CI 0.04 to 38.23) after knife and laser cone biopsy, compared with placebo. There was also a statistically significant reduction in postoperative blood loss compared with placebo (MD = -55.60, 95% CI -94.91 to -16.29).Packing with Monsel's solution resulted in less perioperative blood loss (MD = -22.00, 95% CI -23.09 to -20.91) and decreased the risk of dysmenorrhoea (RR = 0.37, 95% CI 0.16 to 0.84), unsatisfactory colposcopy (RR = 0.43, 95% CI 0.30 to 0.63) and cervical stenosis (RR = 0.35, 95% CI 0.25 to 0.49) compared to routine suturing, but was not statistically different to sutures for risk of primary and secondary haemorrhages.Amino-Cerv antibiotic gel failed to make a difference on secondary haemorrhage but was associated with significantly less vaginal discharge at 2 weeks compared with routine care (RR = 0.27, 95% CI 0.09 to 0.86).There was no significant difference in blood loss between women who received ball electrode diathermy and those who received Monsel's paste (MD = 4.82, 95% CI -3.45 to 13.09). AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: Bleeding associated with surgery of the cervix appears to be reduced by vasopressin, used in combination with local anaesthetic. Tranexamic acid appears to be beneficial after knife and laser cone biopsy. There are insufficient data to assess the effects on primary haemorrhage. There is some evidence that haemostatic suturing has an adverse effect on blood loss, cervical stenosis and satisfactory colposcopy.

Surgery for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia.

BACKGROUND: Cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) is the most common pre-malignant lesion. Atypical squamous changes occur in the transformation zone of the cervix with mild, moderate or severe changes described by their depth (CIN 1, 2 or 3). Cervical intraepithelial neoplasia is treated by local ablation or lower morbidity excision techniques. Choice of treatment depends on the grade and extent of the disease. OBJECTIVES: To assess the effectiveness and safety of alternative surgical treatments for CIN. SEARCH STRATEGY: We searched the Cochrane Gynaecological Cancer Group Trials Register, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (The Cochrane Library), MEDLINE and EMBASE (up to April 2009). We also searched registers of clinical trials, abstracts of scientific meetings and reference lists of included studies. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of alternative surgical treatments in women with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two review authors independently abstracted data and assessed risks of bias. Risk ratios that compared residual disease after the follow-up examination and adverse events in women who received one of either laser ablation, laser conisation, large loop excision of the transformation zone (LLETZ), knife conisation or cryotherapy were pooled in random-effects model meta-analyses. MAIN RESULTS: Twenty-nine trials were included. Seven surgical techniques were tested in various comparisons. No significant differences in treatment failures were demonstrated in terms of persistent disease after treatment. Large loop excision of the transformation zone appeared to provide the most reliable specimens for histology with the least morbidity. Morbidity was lower than with laser conisation, although the trials did not provide data for every outcome measure. There were not enough data to assess the effect on morbidity when compared with laser ablation. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: The evidence suggests that there is no obvious superior surgical technique for treating cervical intraepithelial neoplasia in terms of treatment failures or operative morbidity.

The impact of a computerised whiteboard system on digit preference bias in the recording of emergency department process times.

OBJECTIVE: Digit preference bias has previously been described in a number of different clinical settings including the emergency department. This study aimed to assess whether the implementation of a computerised recording system affects the digit preference bias in recording of times of arrival, assessment and departure at an emergency department. METHODS: A preintervention/postintervention study was undertaken in a type 1 district general hospital emergency department that receives approximately 70 000 attendances per annum. Consecutive 8-week samples were taken before and after the introduction of an electronic whiteboard/patient tracking system. Timings of arrival, nursing and medical assessment and departure were compared. RESULTS: Twelve thousand four hundred and ninety-three patients presented during the 8-week control period and 11 758 patients presented in the 8-week period after the introduction of electronic data capturing. Within the control group, over 80% of the nursing assessment (82.7%), medical examination (92.5%) and departure times (92.7%) ended in '0' or '5', compared with just over 20% after electronic recordings (22.0, 21.7 and 21.8% respectively). CONCLUSION: The introduction of the patient tracking system eliminated the digit preference bias found in recording of the time of nursing assessment, examination and departure that was present in the preintervention data.