BEAUTY and the breast: is adjuvant chemotherapy the right time for a beauty boost? Lessons learned from a large randomized controlled trial

Quality of Life Research - Beauty care (BTC) is offered at many cancer hospitals having a great uptake among patients. Nevertheless, its benefits in the Quality of life (QoL) of cancer survivors...     

Ultrasound of renal tumors

Despite the limitations of US in providing a complete evaluation of renal tumors before treatment planning, initial screening, characterization of renal masses and staging of RCCs can benefit from some recent advances of the technique. One of the most relevant clinical benefits of US is the increased early detection of RCCs. Recent technical improvement of gray-scale imaging has increased US performance in the detection of small renal tumors. Combined gray-scale and color Doppler US findings may strongly suggest the histopathologic nature of a renal tumor with respect to the size, the US attenuation characteristics, and the vascular distribution of the lesion. Ultrasound contributes additional diagnostic information for differential diagnosis of some renal masses that remain equivocal at CT, including: atypical cystic lesions; solid renal tumors with poor vascularity; and angiomyolipomas with minimal fat component. Ultrasound also may provide additional diagnostic information over CT in selected cases of RCCs with venous invasion. In addition to some diagnostic and therapeutic procedures that can benefit from US guidance, intraoperative US remains the only available tool that enables to ensure renal-parenchymal-sparing surgery. Electronic Publication     

Les essais cliniques : leur apport dans le parcours de soins des patientes traitées pour un cancer du sein

Breast cancer remains the most common diagnosed cancer and also the leading cause of cancer deaths in women. It is a major socioeconomic burden despite substantial advances in screening and treatment. While it is potentially curable when detected at an early stage, it remains incurable in the metastatic setting. Thus, in view of its high prevalence, improved prevention and treatment of metastases remains a major need. In this paper, we review the contributions of clinical research in the treatment of breast cancer in recent years and explore how increased knowledge of the underlying biology of breast cancer has encouraged our efforts to individualize patients’ care.     

Advanced Hodgkin disease (clinical stages IIIB and IV): low relapse rate after brief chemotherapy followed by high-dose total lymphoid irradiation

From January 1980 to September 1986, 50 patients with Hodgkin disease, clinical stages (CS) IIIB (26 cases) and IVB (24 cases) were treated by three cycles of mechlorethamine, vincristine, procarbazine, and prednisone (MOPP) chemotherapy, followed by high-dose (40 Gy) (sub)total lymphoid irradiation, including the spleen. Ten patients (2 CS IIIB, 8 CS IVB) were in failure, and seven (4 CS IIIB, 3 CS IVB) died during their first complete remission (2 from treatment-related complications, 1 from unknown cause, 4 from insufficient supportive care and/or a shortage of health supplies); three patients (CS IIIB) relapsed (2 alive in second complete remission, 1 deceased). After 7 years, actuarial survival and relapse-free duration were, respectively, 64% for the 50 patients and 89% for the 40 patients in complete remission. Unfavourable outcome was observed in patients with pelvic nodal involvement. The low relapse rate (none in CS IVB) was the most striking result after brief chemotherapy followed by total lymphoid irradiation.     

Imaging of male infertility: Techniques and results

Assessment of male infertility includes clinical examination, laboratory tests (semen analysis, hormones dosage) and sonographic examination of the urogenital tract. Male infertility is due to testicular abnormalities (secretory type) or obstructive disorder (excretory type). Imaging should provide accurate definition of anatomical causes of infertility in order to deliver appropriate treatment. Testicular Doppler ultrasound with transrectal ultrasound is the gold standard imaging technique to explore male infertility. MRI, because of its high resolution, provides a multiplanar study especially in congenital and inflammatory abnormalities of the urogenital tract. This pictorial review illustrates the most frequent causes of male infertility.     

Hodgkin's disease, clinical stages IA to IIIB: combined modality therapy (3 MOPP followed by curative and prophylactic radiotherapy including the spleen). Six-year results

From January 1980 to September 1985, 82 patients with IA to IIIB clinical stage (CS) Hodgkin's disease were treated by three MOPP chemotherapy (CT) cycles followed by extended field radiotherapy (RT) including the spleen (30-40 Gy). 2 patients died during the treatment (medullary aplasia, pulmonary edema). 6 were in failure after three MOPP cycles; they received other CT; 3 died and 3 are alive in remission (survival: 2.5 to 3.5 yr). 74 were in complete remission (CR) after completion of treatment. 4 patients relapsed (all alive after re-treatment) and 4 died in first CR (tuberculosis, hepatitis, myeloma, unknown cause). At 6 yr, actuarial survival and relapse-free survival are respectively 89.8% for the 82 patients and 93% for those in CR. These good results are due to: the administration of CT before RT, limited to three cycles; identification of failures after CT; inclusion of the spleen in RT ports in all cases; and a short lumbo-aortic port in CS I and II.