CLINICAL PROGNOSTIC FACTORS IN PRE- AND POST-MENOPAUSAL WOMEN WITH OVARIAN CARCINOMA.

AIMS: To assess the impact of prognostic factors on the outcome of ovarian carcinoma (OC) and to determine the difference between pre and postmenopausal patients. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort, single centre study. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: One-hundred-sixty patients with stage IC-IV OC diagnosed between 2004-2016 were included. Treatment consisted in primary surgery followed by adjuvant chemotherapy (n=127, 79.4%), neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by surgery (n=27, 16.9%) and chemotherapy alone (3.7%). RESULTS: At diagnosis 62 patients (38.8%) were premenopausal. Most patients presented with advanced OC (stage III/IV, 63.1%). After a median follow-up of 60 months, median progression free survival (PFS) for all stages was 36 months and median overall survival (OS) was 96 months. Postmenopausal patients had a poorer oncologic outcome compared with pre-menopausal women (PFS 24 vs. 72 months, p=0.0001, HR=2.32). Other clinical prognostic factors identified were performance status 1 vs. 0 (p=0.0001), ascites (p=0.027). Pathology prognostic factors were tumour grade (G1 vs. G2 and G3, p=0.0001) and endometrioid subtype compared to serous (p=0.008). Patients with residual disease after surgery had an increased risk of recurrence and death (HR=6.1, p=0.0001 and HR=4.2, p=0.0001). CONCLUSION: Premenopausal patients had a better oncologic long-term outcome and stage, ascites, grading, residual disease, were independent prognostic factors.

Hypokalemic periodic paralysis as first sign of thyrotoxicosis.

BACKGROUND: periodic paralysis related to hypokalemia is seldom reported in thyrotoxicosis, and it usually occurs in Asian males. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Two Romanian (Caucasian) young patients presented with hypokalemic paralysis. TSH, FT4, TT3 was measured by immunochemiluminescence. Case report 1. Patient O.R, aged 19, presented marked asthenia and lower limbs paralysis, following high carbohydrate meal. He declared 10 kg weight loss on hypocaloric diet and mild sweating. Biochemical data revealed moderate hypokalemia (K+=2.6 mmol/L) and thyrotoxicosis (TSH<0.03 mIU/L, FT4=30 pmol/L, TT3=315 ng/dL). Case report 2. Patient T.A., aged 18, presented 2 episodes of weakness and flaccid paralysis, with hypokalemia, precipitated by effort, without any sign of thyrotoxicosis. Biochemical data revealed severe hypokalemia (K+=1.8 mmol/L) and thyrotoxicosis (TSH<0.03 mIU/L, FT4=24 pmol/L, TT3=190 ng/dL). Treatment with intravenous potassium, thereafter methimazole and propranolol were administered in both cases, with the maintenance of normal kalemia and thyrotoxicosis' control. CONCLUSION: these 2 cases of hypokalemic periodic paralysis occurring in young Caucasian teenagers with mild thyrotoxicosis underlined the importance of thyroid screening in patients with symptomatic hypokalemia, even in the absence of symptoms and signs of thyrotoxicosis.