Imaging features, clinical characteristics and neonatal outcomes of pregnancy luteoma: A case series and literature review.

INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to investigate the imaging features, clinical characteristics and neonatal outcomes of pregnancy luteoma. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed patients with pregnancy luteoma admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University between January 2003 and December 2022. We recorded their imaging features, clinical characteristics and neonatal outcomes. Additionally, we reviewed relevant studies in the field. RESULTS: In total, 127 cases were identified, including eight from our hospital and 119 from the literature. Most patients (93/127, 73.23%) were of reproductive age, 20-40 years old, and 66% were parous. Maternal hirsutism or virilization (such as deepening voice, acne, facial hair growth and clitoromegaly) was observed in 29.92% (38/127), whereas 59.06% of patients (75/127) were asymptomatic. Abdominal pain was reported in 13 patients due to compression, torsion or combined ectopic pregnancy. The pregnancy luteomas, primarily discovered during the third trimester (79/106, 74.53%), varied in size ranging from 10 mm to 20 cm in diameter. Seventy-five cases were incidentally detected during cesarean section or postpartum tubal ligation, and 39 were identified through imaging or physical examination during pregnancy. Approximately 26.61% of patients had bilateral lesions. The majority of pregnancy luteomas were solid and well-defined (94/107, 87.85%), with 43.06% (31/72) displaying multiple solid and well-circumscribed nodules. Elevated serum androgen levels (reaching values between 1.24 and 1529 times greater than normal values for term gestation) were observed in patients with hirsutism or virilization, with a larger lesion diameter (P < 0.001) and a higher prevalence of bilateral lesions (P < 0.001). Among the female infants born to masculinized mothers, 68.18% (15/22) were virilized. Information of imaging features was complete in 22 cases. Ultrasonography revealed well-demarcated hypoechoic solid masses with rich blood supply in 12 of 19 cases (63.16%). Nine patients underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computed tomography (CT), and six exhibited solid masses, including three with multi-nodular solid masses. CONCLUSIONS: Pregnancy luteomas mainly manifest as well-defined, hypoechoic and hypervascular solid masses. MRI and CT are superior to ultrasonography in displaying the imaging features of multiple nodules. Maternal masculinization and solid masses with multiple nodules on imaging may help diagnose this rare disease.

Comparison of performance between O-RADS, IOTA simple rules risk assessment and ADNEX model in the discrimination of ovarian Brenner tumors.

PURPOSE: To describe the clinical and sonographic features of ovarian benign Brenner tumor (BBT) and malignant Brenner tumor (MBT), and to compare performance of four diagnostic models in differentiating them. METHODS: Fifteen patients with BBTs and nine patients with MBTs were retrospectively identified in our institution from January 2003 and December 2021. One ultrasound examiner categorized each mass according to ovarian-adnexal reporting and data system (O-RADS), international ovarian tumor analysis (IOTA) Simple Rules Risk (SR-Risk) assessment and assessment of different neoplasias in the adnexa (ADNEX) models with/without CA125. Receiver operating characteristic curves were generated to compare diagnostic performance. RESULTS: Patients with MBT had higher CA125 serum level (62.5% vs. 6.7%, P = 0.009) and larger maximum diameter of lesion (89 mm vs. 43 mm, P = 0.009) than did those with BBT. BBT tended to have higher prevalence of calcifications (100% vs. 55.6%, P = 0.012) and acoustic shadowing (93.3% vs. 33.3%, P = 0.004), and lower color scores manifesting none or minimal flow (100.0% vs. 22.2%, P < 0.001). Areas under curves of O-RADS, IOTA SR-Risk and ADNEX models with/without CA125 were 0.896, 0.913, 0.892 and 0.896, respectively. There were no significant differences between them. CONCLUSION: BBTs are often small solid tumors with sparse color Doppler signals, which contain calcifications with posterior acoustic shadowing. The most common pattern of MBT is a large multilocular-solid or solid mass with irregular tumor borders, and most were moderately or richly vascularized at color Doppler. These four models have excellent performance in distinguishing them.

CPE overexpression is correlated with pelvic lymph node metastasis and poor prognosis in patients with early-stage cervical cancer.

PURPOSE: Elevated carboxypeptidase E (CPE) levels play crucial roles in tumorigenesis and metastasis. This study investigated the expression and clinicopathological significance of CPE in early-stage cervical cancer. METHODS: Elevated carboxypeptidase E expression was analyzed using quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blotting in normal cervical tissue, cervical cancer cell lines, and in cervical cancer tissues and adjacent noncancerous tissues (ANTs) from the same patient. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was used to examine CPE expression in tissue samples from 112 patients with early-stage cervical cancer (FIGO stages Ia2-IIa2), 60 patients with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia, and 19 patients with normal cervical tissues (NCTs). Associations between CPE expression and prognostic and diagnostic factors were evaluated statistically. RESULTS: CPE expression was significantly higher in cervical cancer cell lines and tissues than in normal tissues and ANTs. Semi-quantitative analysis of IHC indicated that CPE gradually increased from CIN I to cervical cancer, but was absent in NCTs. CPE expression was seen in 40.2 % (45/112) of the cervical cancer samples. CPE expression was significantly associated with FIGO stage (P = 0.003), tumor size (P = 0.012), stromal invasion (P < 0.001), lymphovascular space invasion (P = 0.016), parametrial infiltration (P = 0.027), vaginal involvement (P = 0.007), postoperative adjuvant therapy (P = 0.024), recurrence (P < 0.001), survival (P < 0.001), and pelvic lymph node metastasis (PLNM) (P < 0.001), and it was significantly higher in tissues from patients with PLNM than without PLNM. Logistic regression analysis identified high-level CPE expression as an independent risk factor for PLNM (P = 0.001). Patients with higher CPE expression had shorter overall survival duration than patients with lower CPE expression. Univariate and multivariate Cox-regression analyses suggested that high-level CPE expression is an independent prognostic factor for overall survival in early-stage cervical cancer. CONCLUSIONS: High-level CPE expression was associated with a poor prognosis in early-stage cervical cancer. CPE may serve as a biomarker for predicting PLNM and survival in these patients.

Comparisons of foramen ovale flap in the fetuses with true and false positive diagnosis of coarctation of the aorta.

Background: Accurate diagnosis of coaractation of aorta (CoA) remains challenging because of its relatively low sensitivity and specificity. It is difficult to distinguish true CoA from a normal physiological right-sided dominance or ventricular discrepancy caused by intracardiac minor anomalies. Redundant foramen ovale flap (RFOF) may cause ventricular disproportion. Methods: All fetuses suspected with CoA on routine screening ultrasound were retrospectively reviewed and allotted into two groups: postnatally confirmed CoA (true positive group) and prenatally suspected CoA but without CoA postnatally (false positive group). Sixty-nine normal fetuses were included as a normal group (normal group). The diameters of FOF and left atrium (LA) were measured in the four-chamber view and FOF/LA ratio ≥0.65 was considered as RFOF. Cardiac parameters between groups were compared. Results: Fifty-seven fetuses undergoing echocardiography for suspicion of CoA were enrolled; 11 (19.2%) had CoA postnatally. A significant linear relationship was identified between ventricular discrepancy degree and FOF prominence (P<0.001, R=0.48). A significant linear relationship was also identified between the RFOF and disproportion of the great arteries (P<0.001, R=0.42). FOF prominence significantly differed between groups true positive and false positive (P<0.001). RFOF occurred significantly differently in the true positive and false positive groups (56.5% vs. 0.91%, P=0.002). Cardiac parameters, including the aortic valve (AO) z-score (P=0.785), aortic isthmus (AOi) z-score (P=0.944), pulmonary artery (PA) z-score (P=0.693), PA/AO ratios (P=0.055), left ventricle (LV) z-score (P=0.192) and right ventricle (RV)/LV ratios (P=0.225), were comparable between fetuses with and without CoA after birth except RV z-score (P=0.035). Conclusions: There is no statistical difference of cardiac parameters between fetuses with and without CoA after birth except RV diameter. The proportion of fetuses with RFOF is significantly greater in patients without CoA. Fetal echocardiography including bulging of the FOF in the LA should be investigated for suspected CoA to decrease false positive diagnosis of CoA.

The indicator of clinical outcomes for patients with heterotopic pregnancy following in-vitro fertilization with embryo transfer.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the early predictors for pregnancy outcomes in patients with heterotopic pregnancy (HP) following in-vitro fertilization with embryo transfer (IVF-ET). MATERIAL AND METHODS: This retrospective study reviewed 81 patients with HP following IVF-ET in our institution between January 2003 and September 2017. The relationships between clinical outcomes and general characteristics, sonographic features and different management options were analyzed by logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: The gestational age at the time of diagnosis was 50.9 ± 12.3 days. Among these cases, 76 were accurately diagnosed by TVS, 1 was misdiagnosed as adnexal torsion by TVS, and 4 were confirmed to have IUPs after the surgical treatment. Hence, the sensitivity of TVS for detecting HP was 93.8% (76/81). However, forty-seven patients (58.0%) had suspected HP when they underwent the initial TVS. Among these patients, live births occurred for 60 patients, 11 of whom delivered preterm. The miscarriage rate was 58.3% (14/24) for patients without IUP cardiac activity at HP diagnosis, and 12.3% (7/57) for patients with IUP cardiac activity; a significant correlation was identified (χ2 = 18.651, P < 0.001). Additionally, the abortion rate of patients following fresh non-donor embryo was higher than patients after frozen-thawed embryo (χ2 = 10.437, P = 0.001). Further by logistic regression analysis, patients following frozen-thawed embryo and an IUP with cardiac activity at HP diagnosis were identified as two independent factors of pregnancy outcome. (OR = 0.060, 95%CI = 0.008-0.471, P = 0.007; OR = 0.010, 95%CI = 0.001-0.124, P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Patients following frozen-thawed embryo and an IUP with cardiac activity at HP diagnosis could be the independent predictors for a favorable prognosis.

The oncogenic Golgi phosphoprotein 3 like overexpression is associated with cisplatin resistance in ovarian carcinoma and activating the NF-κB signaling pathway.

BACKGROUND: Chemo-resistance is a leading cause of tumor relapse and treatment failure in patients with ovarian cancer. The identification of effective strategies to overcome drug resistance will have a significant clinical impact on the disease. METHODS: The protein and mRNA expression of GOLPH3L in ovarian cancer cell lines and patient tissues were determined using Real-time PCR and Western blot, respectively. 177 human ovarian cancer tissue samples were analyzed by IHC to investigate the association between GOLPH3L expression and the clinicopathological characteristics of ovarian cancer patients. Functional assays, such as MTT, FACS, and Tunel assay used to determine the oncogenic role of GOLPH3L in human ovarian cancer progression. Furthermore, western blotting and luciferase assay were used to determine the mechanism of GOLPH3L promotes chemoresistance in ovarian cancer cells. RESULTS: The expression of GOLPH3L was markedly upregulated in ovarian cancer cell lines and tissues, and high GOLPH3L expression was associated with an aggressive phenotype and poor prognosis with ovarian cancer patients. GOLPH3L overexpression confers CDDP resistance on ovarian cancer cells; however, inhibition of GOLPH3L sensitized ovarian cancer cell lines to CDDP cytotoxicity both in vitro and in vivo. Additionally, GOLPH3L upregulated the levels of nuclear p65 and phosphorylated inhibitor of nuclear factor Kappa-B kinase-ß and IκBα, thereby activating canonical nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) signaling. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that GOLPH3L is a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of ovarian cancer: targeting GOLPH3L signaling may represent a promising strategy to enhance platinum response in patients with chemoresistant ovarian cancer.

Optimal cytoreductive surgery for underlying ovarian cancer associated with deep venous thrombosis without placement of inferior vena cava filter: A case report and literature review.

Ovarian cancer associated with deep venous thrombosis (DVT) is an uncommon, potentially life-threatening condition. The primary therapeutic strategy for the treatment of this condition is up-front primary cytoreductive surgery, with placement of an inferior vena cava (IVC) filter prior to surgery to prevent fatal pulmonary embolism. The present study describes the case of a 49-year-old female, who presented with DVT unresponsive to anticoagulant therapy in the lower extremities prior to the diagnosis of ovarian cancer. During the search for the underlying malignancy, transvaginal sonography (TVS) revealed a cystic solid mass in the pelvic cavity. Subsequently, the patient underwent up-front primary cytoreductive surgery without placement of a preoperative IVC filter, followed by six cycles of chemotherapy. The patient was diagnosed with ovarian clear cell adenocarcinoma stage IIIC, complicated by DVT, and had survived >3 years without relapse at the time of completion of the present study. The successful outcome of the present case demonstrated that occult primary cancer should be suspected in patients with DVT unresponsive to anticoagulant therapy. The present study also indicated that up-front primary cytoreductive surgery without placement of an IVC filter represents an effective potential strategy for the treatment of advanced ovarian cancer associated with DVT, as the thrombus strongly adheres to the vessel wall following organization.