Breast tuberculosis imaging.
We report unusual magnetic resonance images of breast tuberculosis before and after treatment. Magnetic resonance imaging may assess the efficiency of treatment of breast tuberculosis.
Adult↗
Biomedical subjects
Martine Berlière
Publications and source records attributed to Martine Berlière.
Osteomalacia due to chemotherapy-induced Fanconi syndrome in an adult patient.
BACKGROUND: Chemotherapy-induced Fanconi syndrome is a dangerous condition that could lead to severe electrolyte disturbances and rarely to osteomalacia. CASE: A patient treated with ifosfamide for a metastatic cervix squamous-cell carcinoma was admitted for diffuse, symmetric bilateral pain in bones and articulations. The diagnosis work-up revealed that she suffered from osteomalacia due to a chemotherapy-induced Fanconi syndrome. The patient recovered completely with oral calcitriol supplements. CONCLUSIONS: This very rare chemotherapy-complication suggests that detection of potential tubular dysfunction, by regular serum electrolyte monitoring of patients receiving ifosfamide, may be a reasonable approach to diagnose early chemotherapy-induced Fanconi syndrome, even in adults.
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell↗
Focal expression and final activity of matrix metalloproteinases may explain irregular dysfunctional endometrial bleeding.
Irregular dysfunctional bleeding of the endometrium (ie, metrorrhagia without organic lesion) is common in women, whether treated or not with ovarian hormones. Several matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) become normally expressed and/or activated at menstruation and cause extracellular matrix breakdown. We therefore explored whether episodes of irregular dysfunctional bleeding could be associated with untimely MMP activity. By histology, foci of stromal breakdown were exclusively found in the endometrium of metrorrhagic women at bleeding. In these foci, 1) expression of estrogen receptor-alpha and progesterone receptor was altered; 2) collagenase-1 (MMP-1), stromelysin-1 (MMP-3), and gelatinase B (MMP-9) became detected in stromal cells, together with MMP-9 in neutrophils; and 3) gelatinase A (MMP-2) was more expressed and immunolocalized at the membrane of stromal cells. By biochemistry, endometrial lysates from nonbleeding metrorrhagic patients contained more latent and active MMP-2 and -9 than age-matched controls; at bleeding, collagenase activity, MMP-9, and active MMP-2 were strikingly increased whereas tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-1 (TIMP-1) was considerably decreased. As a functional assay, in situ gelatin zymography revealed large areas of gelatinolytic activity only in endometrium of bleeding patients. Altogether, these results strongly suggest that inappropriate focal expression and activation of several MMPs, combined with decreased inhibition, trigger irregular dysfunctional endometrial bleeding.
Adult↗
Neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with primarily unresectable, advanced-stage ovarian cancer.
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this review is to report our experience and the feasibility of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with advanced-stage ovarian cancer. METHODS: Forty-five patients with primarily unresectable advanced-stage epithelial ovarian cancer were treated in our center between 1995 and 2002 by platinum-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy. Their files were reviewed retrospectively. RESULTS: At the end of neoadjuvant chemotherapy, according to RECIST criteria, 1 patient (2.2%) had achieved a clinical complete response (CR), 33 (73.4%) a partial response (PR), and 8 (17.8%) had stable disease (SD). Only 3 (6.6%) patients showed disease progression (PD). Surgery was performed in patients with objective response or SD after a median number of 4 courses (range: 2-6) of induction chemotherapy. A complete macroscopic debulking was achieved in 24 (53.3%) out of 39 patients in whom cytoreductive surgery was performed. For the entire group, median overall survival was 29 months. Survival was significantly improved in patients with optimal debulking compared to patients with persistent tumor after surgery: 41 months versus 23 months (P = 0.0062). Median survival for patients responding to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (CR and PR) was 44 months compared to 27 months for patients with SD or PD after initial chemotherapy (P = 0.01). Neither treatment-related deaths nor significant toxicities were observed. CONCLUSION: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by optimal debulking may be a safe and valuable treatment alternative in patients with primarily unresectable advanced-stage bulky ovarian cancer. Patients with an objective response to chemotherapy or absence of macroscopic residual tumor after surgery have a better outcome. This approach is currently being tested in large, prospective randomized clinical trials.
Adult↗
Mammography and subsequent whole-breast sonography of nonpalpable breast cancers: the importance of radiologic breast density.
OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to determine the contribution of mammography followed by sonography for the detection of nonpalpable breast cancers in Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) density grades 1-4 breasts, in grades 1 and 2 breasts, and in grades 3 and 4 breasts. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The results of physical, mammographic, and sonographic examinations performed in 4236 patients were reviewed to determine the sensitivities of mammography and sonography for the detection of nonpalpable breast cancers and to calculate the relative risk for detecting nonpalpable breast cancers using sonography in comparison with mammography in density grades 1-4, grades 1 and 2, and grades 3 and 4 breasts. Sonography was performed after mammographic interpretation. RESULTS: Sensitivities of mammography and subsequent sonography for the detection of nonpalpable breast cancers were 69% and 88% in grades 1-4, 80% and 88% in grades 1 and 2, and 56% and 88% in grades 3 and 4 breasts, respectively. The relative risk for detecting nonpalpable breast cancers using sonography was statistically significantly greater than that for detecting nonpalpable breast cancers using mammography in grades 1-4 (relative risk, 1.29; p = 0.024) and in grades 3 and 4 (relative risk, 1.57; p = 0.013) but not in grades 1 and 2 (relative risk, 1.1; p = 0.445) breasts. CONCLUSION: Sonography is a useful adjunct after mammography for the detection of nonpalpable breast cancer, particularly in the dense breast.
Adult↗
A new, liquid-based cytology technique.
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate a new liquid-based cytology technique, Papspin (Thermo Shandon, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.). STUDY DESIGN: Three thousand cervical samples were examined. Each cervix was sampled with a Cervex Brush (Roche, Oss, the Netherlands), used first for a Pap smear and afterwards for a Papspin. One cytospin was prepared from each vial. RESULTS: An identical rate of epithelial cell abnormalities (3.8%) was detected with the two methods. Diagnostic concordance was observed in 86% of the 114 cases. Differences in diagnoses occurred in 168 of 3,000 cases (5.6%) concerning fungal infection (22 cases), epithelial cell abnormalities (24 cases) and minimal differences within the nonneoplastic Bethesda category (122 cases). Endocervical cells were absent from 158 Papspins (5.3%) and 66 Pap smears (2.2%), while they were present in the respective Pap smear or Papspin. Seven Papspins were considered "satisfactory, but limited by ..." (SBLB) as compared to 33 Pap smears given the absence of endocervical cells. CONCLUSION: Discordances concerning epithelial cell abnormalities were observed in 24 of 3,000 cases (0.8%). Fungal infections were more easily diagnosed on Papspin. The absence of endocervical cells in 5.3% of Papspins is due to a bias of methodology. Quality improvement was evident on Papspin for SBLB specimens. HPV testing could be performed with good results.
Adolescent↗