FOLFCIS Treatment and Genomic Correlates of Response in Advanced Anal Squamous Cell Cancer

Background

Treatment of advanced anal squamous cell cancer (SCC) is usually with the combination of cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil, which is associated with heterogeneous responses across patients and significant toxicity. We examined the safety and efficacy of a modified schedule, FOLFCIS (leucovorin, fluorouracil, and cisplatin), and performed an integrated clinical and genomic analysis of anal SCC.

False Discovery Rates for Rare Variants From Sequenced Data

The detection of rare deleterious variants is the preeminent current technical challenge in statistical genetics. Sorting the deleterious from neutral variants at a disease locus is challenging because of the sparseness of the evidence for each individual variant. Hierarchical modeling and Bayesian model uncertainty are two techniques that have been shown to be promising in pinpointing individual rare variants that may be driving the association. Interpreting the results from these techniques from the perspective of multiple testing is a challenge and the goal of this article is to better understand their false discovery properties. Using simulations, we conclude that accurate false discovery control cannot be achieved in this framework unless the magnitude of the variants' risk is large and the hierarchical characteristics have high accuracy in distinguishing deleterious from neutral variants.     

Management of HER2-Positive Breast Cancer for a Young Patient with Visceral Crisis—The Adjuvant Role of Lifestyle Changes

The safety profile and effectiveness of existing anti-HER2-targeted therapies have not been evaluated in patients with breast cancer and visceral crisis. We report the case of a 26-year-old woman who was diagnosed with advanced HER2-positive breast cancer and initially treated with curative intent therapy in a neoadjuvant setting, using Trastuzumab and Pertuzumab in combination with Docetaxel; her cancer recurred two years later, with liver metastases and pulmonary lymphangitic carcinomatosis, causing visceral crisis. Furthermore, the patient’s clinical status worsened when she developed respiratory failure, hepatomegaly and a severe hepatocytolysis. Since the patient was free of disease more than six months, we started with Paclitaxel half dose because of the hepatic dysfunction, and we gradually reintroduced Trastuzumab and then Pertuzumab. In the meantime, the patient changed her lifestyle by increasing her consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables and fiber and reducing her intake of processed meat, dairy and sugar. As a result, the patient showed a significant improvement in her respiratory symptoms and liver tests in less than two months. Imaging reevaluation showed partial remission of liver metastases and pulmonary lymphangitic carcinomatosis. She underwent seven months of dual anti-HER2 blockade before relapsing cerebrally. Our results suggest that the sequential combination therapy with Trastuzumab, Pertuzumab and Paclitaxel presented in this study, associated with a healthy lifestyle, may be a good management for recurrent HER2-positive breast cancer with pulmonary visceral crisis and severe liver dysfunction.     

Characterization of BRCA1 and BRCA2 deleterious mutations and variants of unknown clinical significance in unilateral and bilateral breast cancer: the WECARE study

BRCA1 and BRCA2 screening in women at high‐risk of breast cancer results in the identification of both unambiguously defined deleterious mutations and sequence variants of unknown clinical significance (VUS). We examined a population‐based sample of young women with contralateral breast cancer (CBC, n=705) or unilateral breast cancer (UBC, n=1398). We identified 470 unique sequence variants, of which 113 were deleterious mutations. The remaining 357 VUS comprised 185 unique missense changes, 60% were observed only once, while 3% occurred with a frequency of >10%. Deleterious mutations occurred three times more often in women with CBC (15.3%) than in women with UBC (5.2%), whereas combined, VUS were observed in similar frequencies in women with CBC and UBC. A protein alignment algorithm defined 16 rare VUS, occurring at highly conserved residues and/or conferring a considerable biochemical difference, the majority located in the BRCA2 DNA‐binding domain. We confirm a multiplicity of BRCA1 and BRCA2 VUS that occur at a wide range of allele frequencies. Although some VUS inflict chemical differences at conserved residues, suggesting a deleterious effect, the majority are not associated with an increased risk of CBC. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

One stop shop approach for the diagnosis of liver hemangioma

Hepatic hemangioma is usually detected on a routine ultrasound examination because of silent clinical behaviour. The typical ultrasound appearance of hemangioma is easily recognizable and quickly guides the diagnosis without the need for further investigation. But there is also an entire spectrum of atypical and uncommon ultrasound features and our review comes to detail these particular aspects. An atypical aspect in standard ultrasound leads to the continuation of explorations with an imaging investigation with contrast substance [ultrasound/ computed tomography/or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)]. For a clinician who practices ultrasound and has an ultrasound system in the room, the easiest, fastest, non-invasive and cost-effective method is contrast enhanced ultrasound (CEUS). Approximately 85% of patients are correctly diagnosed with this method and the patient has the correct diagnosis in about 30 min without fear of malignancy and without waiting for a computer tomography (CT)/MRI appointment. In less than 15% of patients CEUS does not provide a conclusive appearance; thus, CT scan or MRI becomes mandatory and liver biopsy is rarely required. The aim of this updated review is to synthesize the typical and atypical ultrasound aspects of hepatic hemangioma in the adult patient and to propose a fast, non-invasive and cost-effective clinical-ultrasound algorithm for the diagnosis of hepatic hemangioma.     

Complications after catheterization of nasolacrimal duct

THE AIM OF THIS STUDY: Is to identify two severe complications after catheterism of nasolacrimal duct. A boy, 9 months old, was treated in Clinica I Oftalmologie la?i for presptal cellulitis after catheterism of nasolacrimal duct which was performed in other Eye clinic, without general anesthesia. Also, this child presented the rupture of punctal and inferior canalicular duct. CONCLUSION: Catheterism of nasolacrimal duct must be performed by ophthalmopediatric doctors with experience, under general anesthesia, to prevent complications.