Diagnostic, prognostic, and predictive importance of neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and CA125 in endometrial hyperplasia and carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Inflammation has an important role in the progression of endometrial carcinoma. AIMS: The aim of this study is to find the association between neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and CA125 in endometrial hyperplasia and endometrial carcinoma. The study also focuses on the association of CA125, NLR, and PLR with histopathological parameters in endometrial carcinoma that are of prognostic importance. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a prospective cross-sectional study on 57 biopsy-proven cases of endometrial hyperplasia and carcinoma conducted over a period of two years. The NLR, PLR, and CA125 were calculated and recorded in all the 57 cases. RESULTS: The 57 cases were divided into three groups: endometrial hyperplasia without atypia group which included 36 cases, endometrial atypical hyperplasia group which included 10 cases, and the endometrial carcinoma group which included 11 cases. Comparison was done between the groups, and parity, NLR, PLR, and CA125 were found to be significant, but patient age and postmenopausal status were not significant. NLR, PLR, and CA125 were found to increase with higher grade, pT-stage, and nodal stage for the endometrial carcinoma cases. CONCLUSION: NLR, PLR, and CA125 were marginally increased or normal in the case of endometrial hyperplasia without atypia and endometrial atypical hyperplasia, while they were significantly increased in endometrial carcinoma, and also correlated with an increase in grade, pT-stage, and nodal stage. Hence, these can be considered for additional screening as diagnostic, prognostic, and predictive markers in case of abnormal uterine bleeding with endometrial pathology.

Prevalence, risk factors and genotype distribution of human papillomavirus infection among women with and without invasive cervical cancer: Findings from a hospital-based study in Bihar, India.

Background Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is largely responsible for the development of invasive cervical cancer (ICC). Its prevalence, risk factors and genotype distribution among women residing in Bihar (third most populous Indian state) with and without ICC are not well known. Methods In this hospital-based study, we followed up 1439 participants with cytology and HPV report. HPV detection and genotyping were performed using the TaqMan-based real-time PCR method. Clinical and sociodemographic data were collected and analysed using statistical methods. Results The overall prevalence of HPV infection was 37.3% (537/1439) and 11 different types of HPV genotypes were observed. Higher HPV positivity was found in premalignant, intraepithelial and invasive malignant lesions of the cervix; 73.8% (93/126) of atypical squamous cells, cannot exclude high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (ASC-H) and high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSIL) and 93.4% (114/122) of invasive malignancies were infected with HPV in comparison to only 26.1% (245/938) of negative for intraepithelial lesion or malignancy (NILM) cytology. Moreover, HPV was found in 95.2% (236/248) of histologically confirmed cases of carcinoma cervix. HPV16 and HPV18 infections were reported in 78.2% (194/248) and 8.9% (22/248), respectively. The remaining patients had infection with other high-risk strains/co-infection with multiple strains or were HPV-negative. Various socio-demographic factors including women >50 years of age, >10 years of marriage and high parity were significantly associated with HPV infection. Conclusion Our data suggest that HPV16 infection may be the major cause for ICC among women residing in Bihar. Our findings may serve as a baseline for developing an appropriate screening and vaccination strategy for Bihar.

Immunology of HPV-mediated cervical cancer: current understanding.

Human papilloma virus (HPV) has emerged as a primary cause of cervical cancer worldwide. HPV is a relatively small (55 nm in diameter) and non-enveloped virus containing approximately 8 kb long double stranded circular DNA genome. To date, 228 genotypes of HPV have been identified. Although all HPV infections do not lead to the development of malignancy of cervix, only persistent infection of high-risk types of HPV (mainly with HPV16 and HPV18) results in the disease. In addition, the immunity of the patients also acts as a key determinant in the carcinogenesis. Since, no HPV type specific medication is available for the patient suffering with cervical cancer, hence, a deep understanding of the disease etiology may be vital for developing an effective strategy for its prevention and management. From the immunological perspectives, the entire mechanisms of disease progression still remain unclear despite continuous efforts. In the present review, the recent developments in immunology of HPV-mediated cervix carcinoma were discussed. At the end, the prevention of disease using HPV type specific recombinant vaccines was also highlighted.

Ultrasonic and Histopathological Evaluation to Exclude Premalignant and Malignant Lesions in Perimenopausal and Postmenopausal Women Presenting as Abnormal Uterine Bleeding.

INTRODUCTION: Abnormal uterine bleeding may be defined as bleeding pattern that differs in frequency, duration and amount from a pattern observed during a normal menstrual cycle or after menopause. AIM AND OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was (1) to identify the different benign, premalignant and malignant conditions as the cause of abnormal uterine bleeding in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women and (2) to find out the different histopathological patterns of endometrium and cervix in these women. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a prospective study done in gynaecological oncology in 100 cases attending the OPD. Pap smear and cervical biopsy were done following clinical examination and then, the patients were sent for abdominal and pelvic ultrasound examination. Endometrial biopsy was done if endometrial thickness was increased with respect to age. The cut-off value of endometrial thickness in perimenopausal women was 11 mm, and for postmenopausal women, it was 4 mm, respectively. All the tissue specimens were sent for histopathological examination. RESULT: A total of 100 women were evaluated in which 50% were in the perimenopausal age group and 50% in the menopausal age group. Cervical pathology was present in 47% of cases, organic cause of uterine body like fibroid and adenomyosis was present in 26% of women, and thickened endometrium was seen in 24% of cases and endometrial polyp in 3 cases only. In this study, the incidence of benign cases was 49%, premalignant 9% and malignant condition 42%, respectively. Out of 42 malignant cases, 37 (88.09%) were cervical cancer, 3 (7.14%) endometrial carcinoma, 1 (2.38%) vulval cancer and 1 sarcoma of uterus. With regard to histology of endometrium, 34.48% had simple hyperplasia without atypia, 20.68% hyperplasia with atypia and secretory endometrium, and 10.34% endometrial carcinoma. Histologically, 94.59% of cervical cancer was squamous cell carcinoma and 5.40% was adenocarcinoma. CONCLUSION: Evaluation of cases of perimenopausal and postmenopausal bleeding differentiated premalignant and malignant lesions of the uterine body, endometrium and cervix. As our centre is a Regional Cancer Centre of Bihar, incidence of malignant lesions is higher in our centre.

Prognostic Value of HER-2/neu Gene Amplification in Epithelial Ovarian Carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) has tyrosine kinase activity and is a member of the epidermal growth factor receptor family. This initiates a variety of signal for pathways which leads to cell proliferation and tumourigenesis. In approximately 15-30% of breast cancers and 10-30% of gastric/gastroesophageal cancers, amplification or overexpression of HER2 occurs, and it serves as a prognostic and predictive biomarker. HER-2/neu is one of the most frequently studied molecular biological parameters in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC), but its prognostic impact has not been fully assessed. The objective of the current study was firstly to analyse the presence of HER-2 overexpression in EOC patients and secondly to evaluate association between human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2/neu) expression and progression-free survival in patients with EOC. METHOD: In this prospective study of 2 years in our department, 186 gynaecological cancers were operated out of which 98 cases were operated for epithelial ovarian cancer and rest for cervical cancer, endometrial cancer, and other subtypes of ovarian cancer. In this study, HER2 gene status was evaluated in EOC by immunohistochemistry analysis, and overall survival of these patients was evaluated. RESULTS: HER-2 overexpression was found in 22 of the 98 investigated cases (22.45%), in which 14 OC (14.29%) were weakly positive and 8 OC (8.16%) were moderately to intensely positive. In the study, increased HER2 expression was associated with decreased progression-free survival (PFS) and hence poor prognosis (P 0.054). CONCLUSIONS: The introduction of HER2-directed therapies has dramatically influenced the outcome of patients with HER2 positive breast and gastric/gastroesophageal cancers. The present study findings provided that HER-2/neu expression in patients with OC has an adverse impact on the PFS. Therefore, our results show that the decision algorithm usually used in breast cancer by HER2 may be appropriate in ovarian cancer.

Comparison of conventional Pap smear and liquid-based cytology: A study of cervical cancer screening at a tertiary care center in Bihar.

BACKGROUND: Cervical cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer in women in the world and it is the second most common cancer in women 15-44 years of age. Strict implementation of screening programs has led to a large decrease in cervical cancer incidence and mortality in the developed countries. In contrast, cervical cancer remains largely uncontrolled in high-risk developing countries because of ineffective or no screening programs. Conventional Pap smear method has been the mainstay of most of the screening programs for many decades. However, this technique is not without limitations, and the sensitivity and specificity of cervical cytology are relatively low. To overcome the limitations of conventional Pap smear (CPS), liquid-based cytology (LBC) was introduced in 1990s as a better tool for processing cervical samples. OBJECTIVES: This study was undertaken to compare CPS with liquid-based methods, to assess the effectiveness and feasibility of LBC over CPS in our setting, and also to evaluate the prevalence of human papillomavirus (HPV) in our population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was conducted in Gynecological Oncology Unit of Regional Cancer Center at Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Patna, Bihar. About 310 women were enrolled in this study and the sample was taken for both conventional cytology and LBC. The smears were studied in detail and were interpreted as per the Bethesda system of reporting Pap smears. The results were compared and analyzed statistically. RESULTS: Unsatisfactory smears were more commonly reported by conventional method (7.1%) than with liquid-based method (1.61%), and this difference is statistically significant. There was no difference in the detection of epithelial cell abnormalities using both the methods. HPV DNA for high-risk oncogenic strains (16 and 18) was detected in 6.45% of women in this study. CONCLUSION: LBC has been found to be more superior to conventional smears only with respect to lesser number of unsatisfactory smears, but considering the economic implications of LBC, conventional Pap is more feasible in our setting.

Retrospective analysis of patients of cervical cancer a tertiary center in Bihar.

OBJECTIVE: A retrospective analysis of all patients with cancer of the cervix attending regional cancer center of Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Patna, from June 2015 to June 2017. The aim of this study was to know patient demographics, histology, age, stage and status of presentation, compliance with treatment and follow-up. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Five hundred and eighteen consecutively registered patients with cancer of the cervix were included in the study. RESULTS: The prevalence of cervical cancer among gynecological malignancy was 52%. It is the second most common cancer after breast cancer at our center. Patients hailed from the various districts of Bihar (89%), India, and from Nepal (10.61%). The majority (>50%) were aged 40-59 years. Stage information was available for 71.81% of the patients, of which Stage I comprised 12.36%, Stage II, 35.21%; Stage III, 50%; and Stage IV, 2.41%. Squamous cell carcinoma was the most common reported histopathology (~90%). A significant proportion of the women defaulted after registration, or after undergoing investigations (17%). Of the 68% cases planned for treatment, 50% initiated it, but only 38% completed it, About 11% of cases underwent Wertheim's hysterectomy and rest of patients were treated by radiotherapy with or without chemotherapy. CONCLUSION: The incidence of cervical cancer is still unacceptably high at our center. Organized cervical cancer screening needs to be adopted for early diagnosis.

Chyluria in pregnancy-a decade of experience in a single tertiary care hospital.

BACKGROUND: Chyluria i.e. passage of chyle in urine, giving it milky appearance, is common in many parts of India but rare in west. Very few case of chyluria in pregnant female has been reported in literature. Persistence of this condition may have deleterious effects on health of child and mother. In the present study 43 cases of chyluria during pregnancy and their management seen over a period more than 10 years have been presented. OBJECTIVES: The study aims to present our experience of managing 43 cases with chyluria during pregnancy over a period of ten years from July 2003 to June 2014. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Forty three pregnant patients with chyluria, who presented between July 2003 to June 2014 to the department of Urology, Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Patna were included. Patients underwent conservative management and/or sclerotherapy after evaluation. Follow-up of all patients was done by observation of urine color, routine examination of urine and test for post prandial chyle in urine up to 3 months after delivery. RESULTS: Conservative management by dietary restriction of fat and physical rest was successful in six patients. Thirteen patients improved after first course of sclerotherapy with 10% povidone iodine and 25% dextrose and 19 patients improve after second session. In non-responders, three patients who were near term underwent caesarian section while two patients opted for medical termination of pregnancy at their own will. After sclerotherapy, minor complications like clot retention, fever, hematuria, and abdominal pain were observed in small number of patients and managed symptomatically. CONCLUSIONS: Sclerotherapy for symptomatic relief of chyluria during pregnancy showed high response rate (86.2%) in short term follow-up. Sclerotherapy with 10% povidone iodine and 25% dextrose combination have been proved safe and effective during pregnancy. Medical termination of pregnancy and cesarean section (those near term) may be the options in resistant cases not responding to sclerotherapy.

A Retrospective Study of Efficacy and Safety of Albumin-Bound Paclitaxel in Metastatic Breast Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Nab-paclitaxel is a novel nanoparticle, albumin-bound, solvent-free, taxane-based chemotherapy approved for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer (MBC). This study reports clinical benefit and toxicities experienced by women with MBC treated with nab-paclitaxel. METHODS: Women with MBC treated with single-agent nab-paclitaxel between January 2012 and March 2014 were included in this analysis. Retrospective data obtained included demographics, disease characteristics, prior chemotherapy, nab-paclitaxel treatment, toxicity and survival. Clinical benefit was defined as partial or complete response or stable disease (by clinical or radiologic evaluation, or both) at 6 months or more. RESULTS: Overall response rates (complete or partial responses) were 43% (95% CI: 35.3 - 60.0) for all patients. Median time to disease progression was 26.6 weeks, and median survival was 63.6 weeks. No severe hypersensitivity reactions were reported despite the lack of premedication. Toxicities observed were typical of paclitaxel and included grade 3 sensory neuropathy (14.3%), grade 4 neutropenia (7.14%) and grade 4 febrile neutropenia (7.14%). Patients received a median of six treatment cycles; three patients had 25% dose reductions because of toxicities. CONCLUSIONS: Our clinical experience demonstrates that most women treated with nab-paclitaxel experienced some clinical benefit. Patients achieving clinical benefit lived significantly longer than those who did not. Nab-paclitaxel was well tolerated, with the primary toxicity being mild sensory neuropathy. Nab-paclitaxel represents another treatment option, with a favorable toxicity profile, for women with MBC.