Spinal fractures in patients with ankylosing spondylitis

The ankylosed spine is prone to fracture even after minor trauma due to its changed biomechanical properties. The two central features of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) that promote the pathological remodeling of the spine are inflammation and new bone formation. AS is also associated with osteoporosis that is attributed to an uncoupling of the bone formation and bone resorption processes. Therefore, bone resorption occurs and promotes weakening of the spine as well as increased risk of vertebral fractures which can be hugely different in terms of clinical relevance. Even in the presence of symptomatic clinical vertebral fractures, the diagnosis can be overruled by attributing the pain to disease activity. Furthermore, given the highly abnormal structure of the spine, vertebral fracture diagnosis can be difficult on the basis of radiography alone. CT can show the fractures in detail. Magnetic resonance imaging is considered the method of choice for the imaging of spinal cord injuries, and a reasonable option for exclusion of occult fractures undetected by CT. Since it is equally important for radiologists and clinicians to have a common knowledge base rather than a compartmentalized view, the aim of this review article was to provide the required clinical knowledge that radiologists need to know and the relevant radiological semiotics that clinicians require in diagnosing clinically significant injury to the ankylosed spine.     

Co-expression of cancer testis antigens and topoisomerase 2-alpha in triple negative breast carcinomas

Triple negative breast cancers (TNBC) are characterized by aggressive tumor biology, lack of targeted treatments and poor prognosis. Anthracyclins were shown to induce immunogenic death in target cells, potentially leading to “endogenous” vaccination. We comparatively assessed expression of cancer testis antigens (CTA) and topoisomerase 2-alpha (TOPO2A), a well defined molecular target of anthracyclins, in TNBC fully characterized for basal-like (BL) immunophenotype, BL morphology and conventional clinicopathological factors. The study included 83 patients undergoing surgery between January 2003 and December 2009. Tissue sections were stained with CK5/6, CK14, EGFR, Ki-67, TOPO2A, MAGE-A1, MAGE-A10, NY-ESO and multi-MAGE-A specific reagents. Of the 83 TNBC, >66.3% had BL immunophenotype and 48.2% had BL morphology. MAGE-A1 specific staining was most frequently detectable (69.2%), followed by multi-MAGE-A (58%), NY-ESO (27.1%) and MAGE-A10 (16%) specific staining. MAGE-A10 expression significantly correlated with tumor size (p = 0.026). Furthermore, MAGE-A1, MAGE-A10 and multi-MAGE-A specific stainings significantly correlated with advanced clinical stage (p = 0.024, p = 0.041, p = 0.031, respectively). We found no significant association between CTA expression and disease free (DFS) or overall survival (OS). Most interestingly, a significant correlation was observed between expression of MAGE-A10 and NY-ESO and expression of TOPO2A (p = 0.005, p = 0.013). Expression of defined CTA and TOPO2A are significantly correlated in TNBC. Considering the limited therapeutic options for TNBC, these findings might suggest novel forms of combination therapies that should be further explored.     

Twenty-five-gauge vitrectomy versus 23-gauge vitrectomy in the management of macular diseases: a comparative analysis through a Health Technology Assessment model

Small-gauge vitreoretinal techniques have been shown to be safe and effective in the management of a wide spectrum of vitreoretinal diseases. However, the costs of the new technologies may represent a critical issue for national health systems. The aim of the study is to plan a Health Technology Assessment (HTA) by performing a comparative analysis between the 23- and 25-gauge techniques in the management of macular diseases (epiretinal membranes, macular holes, vitreo-macular traction syndrome). In this prospective study, 45–80-year-old patients undergoing vitrectomy surgery for macular disease were enrolled at the Torino Eye Hospital. In the HTA model we assessed the safety, clinical effectiveness, and cost and financial evaluation of 23-gauge compared with 25-gauge vitrectomies. Fifty patients entered the study; 14 patients underwent 23-gauge vitrectomy and 36 underwent 25-gauge vitrectomy. There was no statistically significant difference in post-operative visual acuity at 1 year between the two groups. No cases of retinal detachment or endophtalmitis were registered at 1-year follow-up. The 23-gauge technique was slightly more expensive than the 25-gauge: the total surgical costs were EUR1217.70 versus EUR1164.84 (p = 0.351). We provide a financial comparison between new vitreoretinal procedures recently introduced in the market and reimbursed by the Italian National Health System and we also stimulate a critical debate about the expensive technocratic model of medicine.