Relationship between Family History of Breast Cancer and Clinicopathological Features in Moroccan Patients

Background: Breast cancer is the most common cancer affecting women all over the world. In addition to hormonal and environmental causes, family history is emerging as an important risk factor in the etiology of this disease. The aim of the present study is thus to compare the clinico- pathological features of familial and sporadic breast cancer in Moroccan patients.Methods: A comparative retrospective cohort study was conducted on 570 women with familial and sporadic breast cancer who were diagnosed and treated in the Oncology Center of Ibn Rochd University Hospital in 2009. Data on breast cancer risk factors and clinico-pathological characteristics of the tumors were extracted from patients’ medical records.Results: Familial cases represented 18.4% of breast cancer patients. The age of onset appears to be earlier in familial breast cancers (P=0.0024). There were no significant differences between familial and sporadic groups according to histological type, tumor size and estrogen receptor status. However, Scarff-Bloom-Richardson grade III was found in 43.8% of familial cases vs 26.7% of sporadic cases (P=0.0127) and the lymph node involvement was observed in 72.4% of familial cases vs 58.9% in sporadic cases (P=0.0213). Moreover, familial breast cancer patients present especially progesterone receptor-negative tumors (P=0.0380).Conclusions: Our initial significant findings show that familial breast cancer seems to affect young women and tends to present high Scarff-Bloom-Richardson grade tumors with lymph node involvement and absence of progesterone receptors. These preliminary results may be useful as clinical marker to identify familial breast cancer allowing the development of careful follow-up for this patients subtype.Keywords: Breast neoplasm, family history, clinico-pathological characteristics, Morocc

Investigation of radiological diagnostic reference levels in the University Hospital Center Hassan II, Fez

The increasing use of ionizing radiation in the medical field, in Morocco, imposes the issues of the quality of radiological practices and standards for radiation protection especially for patients and manipulator. The present work is part of improving these practices. It constitutes one of the first steps in the process of setting up the diagnostic references levels (DRLs). This concept is considered as an optimization tool for the medical practices concerning the X-ray. This study has been devoted to the determination of diagnostic reference levels, relating to 10 examination types of medical imaging (at the university hospital center Hassan II).After the data collection, the DRL corresponding, have been raised, according to the method known as of 75th percentile. The analysis of the results and their comparison with literature data, allowed making a preliminary assessment of the quality of medical practices, in terms of radiation protection of patients, in the services concerned and outing with some recommendations and perspectives

TUMEUR D’ASKIN. A PROPOS DE HUIT OBSERVATIONS

La tumeur d’Askin est une tumeur neuroectodermique primitive de la région thoracopulmonaire. Elle est rare représentant 6.5% des sarcomes, survenant chez l’enfant et le sujet jeune. Son pronostic est très défavorable ; la survie à 2 ans étant de 38% [1]. Le traitement est basé sur la chimiothérapie néo-adjuvante, suivie d'une chirurgie radicale si possible et/ou d'une irradiation, puis d'une chimiothérapie adjuvante selon la réponse de la tumeur à la chimiothérapie initiale [2,3] .Nous rapportons 8 cas de tumeurs d’Askin traités dans notre service. C’est une étude rétrospective de 8 cas de tumeurs d’Askin colligés au centre d’oncologie Ibn Rochd de Casablanca, durant la période 1998 -2003. Nous rapportons les résultats de notre expérience ainsi qu’une revue de la littérature

CARCINOSARCOME DU SEIN. A PROPOS D’UN CAS

Breast Carcinosarcome is a rare and aggressive cancer. We report a case of Carcinosarcoma of the right breast in a 51 year old patient, single person, diabetic, treated by surgery first, six cycles of adjuvant chemotherapy then radiotherapy on the right wall. The patient is in complete remission after a 12 months of follow up. The goal of our work is to bring back the anatomopathologic, therapeutic and finally prognostic characteristics of this rare entity.Le Carcinosarcome du sein est un cancer rare et agressif. Nous rapportons un cas de Carcinosarcome du sein droit chez une patiente de 51 ans, célibataire, diabétique type II, traitée par chirurgie première, six cycles de chimiothérapie en adjuvant puis radiothérapie sur la paroi droite. La patiente est en rémission complète après un recul de 12 mois. Le but de notre travail est de rapporter les caractéristiques anatomopathologiques, thérapeutiques et enfin pronostiques de cette entité rare

Immunohistochemical expression of latent membrane protein 1 (LMP1) and p53 in nasopharyngeal carcinoma: Moroccan experience

BACKGROUND: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a malignant epithelial tumor intimately associated with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). NPC is a characteristic tumor displaying epidemiological, genetic and regional distribution properties that makes it unique by its natural behavior. OBJECTIVES: To assess the expression pattern of LMP1 and p53 proteins in the different histological types of NPC in a sample of the Moroccan population and to define any association between the expression of those proteins with the sex, the age and the histological types of NPC. METHODS: Archival formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded NPC biopsies were evaluated in 23 Moroccan patients for the presence of LMP1 and p53 using immunohistochemistry (IHC). RESULTS: No LMP1 expression was observed whereas 8 of 23 cases (34. 7%) had detectable p53 protein in the nuclei of tumor cells. After statistical analysis according to the Fisher's exact probability test, no significant association between p53 expression and histological type, age and sex distributions was demonstrated (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: This study confirms that p53 overexpression is present in a subset of Moroccan NPC patients. Our results are consistent with those reported by other studies concerning the same NPC endemic risk area and provide original data concerning Morocco