Liquid-based cytology and its practicability in Bulgaria

PURPOSE: Our aim was to summarize the foreign and our own experience in screening the cervical cancer by using conventional Papanicolaou (PAP) smear and liquid-based cytology (LBC).MATERIAL AND METHODS: In the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical University of Varna, we examined 100 patients and compared the results from LBC with those from conventional PAP smear concerning different criteria as well as to test LBC practicability in Bulgaria.RESULTS: There were significant advantages of LBC mainly due to the lower number of unsatisfactory results and higher specificity of low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (LSIL). The comparison with the results from foreign studies demonstrated the same tendencies and diagnostic values.CONCLUSION: Our investigation proved the benefits of LBC in screening the cervical cancer. A much broader application of this method in Bulgaria was recommended taking into consideration that it was rarely used at presence.Scripta Scientifica Medica 2013; 45(2): 66-69

Our and foreign experience in preoperative chemotherapy compared with primary cytoreductive surgery in advanced ovarian cancer for 20 years period

AIM: In our country the ovarian cancer be camevery common in the last 20 years and is on the third place after the endometrial and cervical cancer. It has a very bad prognosis. Till now cytoreductive surgery (debuking surgery) and taxol/carboplatin based chemotherapy were the two main ways of treatment of this very malignant disease. In the last few years a new way of treatment with preoperative chemotherapy followed by interval debulking surgery has been in vented into practice. Our results and the results of foreign clinics with patients stage IIIC and stage IV showed that the results connected with survival for patients with preoperative chemotherapy followed by interval debulking were similar to those with primary cytoreduction followed by surgery.MATERIAL AND METHODS: We assessed for 20 years period 1000 patients with advanced ovarian cancers (IIIC and IV stage). Neoadjuvant chemotherapy was compared with primary debulking surgery in these advanced ovarian cancer cases. We compared our results with the results of foreign clinics and clinical trials.RESULTS: The post surgical complications and mortality levels were lower after interval debulking than after primary cytoreductive surgery. According to our results and the results of foreign clinics and clinical trials - the most important in dependent prognostic factor for survival was: no residual tumor after primary cytoreductive surgery or interval debulking surgery. The survival rate was better when the metastases were smaller than 4-6 cm in diameter. There were no differences in survival rates between the two groups of patients.CONCLUSIONS: On the basis of our results compared with the results of foreign researchers we conclude that selection of the correct patients stage IIIC and IV ovarian cancers either for primary cytoreductive surgery or for preoperative chemotherapy fol lowed by in terval debulking is very important. A very important role plays the CT and PET scan imaging as well as laparoscopy for the assessment of these patients. Our results are similar to those of foreign clinics working in this field. SCRIPTA SCIENTIFICA MEDICA 2011;V.43(1):19-2