Retrospective analysis of the diagnostic effectiveness of the sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) in vulvar cancer

Objectives: Inguinal lymphadenectomy used in the treatment of vulvar cancer often results in complications, such aslymphoedema or abnormal wound healing. Aim of this study was assessment of the diagnostic effectiveness of the sentinellymph node biopsy (SLNB) procedure in patients treated due to vulvar cancer.Material and methods: Eighty-four patients diagnosed with squamous cell vulvar carcinoma (FIGO I-IV) underwentpreoperative lymphoscintigraphy with technetium 99 to map sentinel lymph node. During surgery sentinel lymph nodeswere identified and resected, followed by complete bilateral groin lymphadenectomy.Results: Sentinel lymph nodes were mapped with lymphoscintigraphy and biopsied in 84.3% and 90.1% of patients, respectively.False negative predictive value (FNPV) was 9.1% and false negative rate (FNR) was recorded in 16.7% of cases. Patientsin advanced stages (FIGO III and IV) had significantly lower rate of lymphatic mapping compared to those in stage I and II(OR = 0.148, p = 0.022). Detection of sentinel lymph node in lymphoscintigraphy for tumor grade 2 and 3 was nearly eighttimes lower than for grade 1 cancers, however without statistical significance (OR = 0.126, p = 0.058).Conclusions: The use of SLNB should be limited to vulvar cancer patients in early clinical stages

Contemporary principles of diagnostic and therapeutic management in cervical and ovarian neuroendocrine tumors

Enhancing knowledge about neuroendocrine neoplasms causes the need to improve management of these tumors. Althoughthese tumors are rare in clinical practice, their biological diversity makes both diagnostics and therapy a challengefor contemporary oncology. The article discusses the latest developments in the diagnostic procedures and methods oftreatment of the cervical and ovarian neuroendocrine tumors. Algorithms are presented to understand the differences intherapeutic management in these malignancies

Prognosis of the patients suffered from uterine carcinosarcoma from rural and urban areas

Objectives: Uterine carcinosarcoma is a very aggressive neoplasm. Patients’ median age at diagnosis ranges from 62 to 67 years. The aim of this study was to compare treatment results and prognostic factors for residents of urban and rural areas suffering from uterine carcinosarcoma. Material and methods: Clinical outcomes of 58 uterine carcinosarcoma patients treated in one institution were assessed: 25 residents of rural and 33 of urban areas. All the patients were treated by using surgery followed by chemotherapy (48 pts) or radiotherapy (10 pts). Standard chemotherapy regimen comprised of paclitaxel 175 mg/m2 and carboplatin on day one at area under curve (AUC) six every 21 days. Radiotherapy was performed by combined treatment – tele and brachytherapy. External beam pelvic radiation therapy (EBRT) once a day, five days a week with a daily fraction size of 1.8 Gy over five weeks at cumulative dose 50.4 Gy was the first part of adjuvant treatment. High-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy at dose 22.5 Gy was the second part of radiotherapy. Results: A strong correlation between tumor diameter and the presence of lymph node metastasis was observed. Tumor size greater then 4.5 cm correlated with presence of node involvement and this parameter was statistically significant (p = 0.015). There was no significant correlation between other analyzed clinical factors and overall survival. In the period 2004 – 2010 43.5% (10/23) and 50% (14/28) of rural and urban residents, respectively, died due to carcinosarcoma progression. Conclusion: Uterine carcinosarcoma patients in rural and urban areas seem to have similar outcomes.

Analysis of incidence and overall survival of patients with vulvar cancer in Poland in 2008–2016 — implications for cancer registries

Objectives: To analyze the incidence and overall survival rate of patients with vulvar cancer in Poland, based on the reporting data from the National Health Fund.Material and methods: The incidence of vulvar cancer in Poland in 2008–2016 (9-year follow-up period) by voivodship and the number of patients undergoing combined hospital treatment were analyzed. For the group of patients treated systemically, overall survival (OS) probability was calculated using the Kaplan-Meier estimation method.Results: In the period 2008–2016 in Poland, the diagnosis of malignant neoplasm of the vulva (C51% group) was made in 29,702 patients. The mean annual prevalence rate per 100,000 inhabitants was 8.3 ± 1.2 for Poland. The largest numbers of patients were reported in Mazowieckie and Slaskie voivodeships and the lowest in Opolskie and Podlaskie voivodeships. The median overall survival of patients treated with the combined method in 2008–2016 in Poland was 64.7 months (95% Cl: 58.0–70.0). One-year survival rate was observed in 77.6% of patients, 2-year in 64.4%, 3-year in 58%, over 5 years — 54.22%.Conclusions: In the years 2008–2016 in Poland, based on the data reported to the National Health Fund, the incidence of vulvar cancer was 4 times higher than the statistics of the National Cancer Registry, the WHO or the USA, which indicates either substantive or reporting errors. In Poland, 54% of patients treated with the combined therapy survive over 5 years which is a much lower result compared to highly developed countries

Design, Synthesis, and Evaluation of 2,9-Bis[(substituted-aminomethyl)phenyl]-1,10-phenanthroline Derivatives as G-Quadruplex Ligands.

International audienceGenomic sequences able to form guanine quadruplexes (G4) are found in oncogene promoters, in telomeres, and in 5'- and 3'-untranslated regions as well as introns of messenger RNAs. These regions are potential targets for drugs designed to treat cancer. Herein, we present the design and syntheses of ten new phenanthroline derivatives and characterization of their interactions with G4-forming oligonucleotides. We evaluated ligand-induced stabilization and specificity and selectivity of ligands for various G4 conformations using FRET-melting experiments. We investigated the interaction of compound 1 a (2,9-bis{4-[(3-dimethylaminopropyl)aminomethyl]phenyl}-1,10-phenanthroline), which combined the greatest stabilizing effect and specificity for G4, with human telomeric sequences using FRET, circular dichroism, and ESI-MS. In addition, we showed that compound 1 a interferes with the G4 helicase activity of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Pif1. Interestingly, compound 1 a was significantly more cytotoxic toward two human leukemic cell lines than to normal human blood mononuclear cells. These novel phenanthroline derivatives will be a starting point for further development and optimization of potent G4 ligands that have potential as anticancer agents

Molecular weight analysis of starches: which technique?

A number of methods are available to researchers for estimating molecular weights (molar masses) and molecular weight distributions of starches − or those in solution, using an appropriate solvent/solubilisation protocol. We outline the methods available and assess their relative merits and limitations. We focus on size-exclusion chromatography or field flow fractionation coupled to multi-angle light scattering, viscometry, and sedimentation velocity and sedimentation equilibrium in the analytical ultracentrifuge

Socio-linguistic experience of immigration. Identity negotiation and cross-linguistic influences : a comparative analysis of two Polish communities in Austria and Ireland

THESIS 9783.1THESIS 9783.2The thesis was written under the title of Socio-linguistic Experience of Immigration. Identity Negotiation and Cross-Linguistic Influences: a Comparative Analysis of Two Polish Communities in Austria and Ireland. The focus of this thesis is a comparative analysis of different sociological and linguistic aspects of Polish immigration in Ireland and Austria. When considering the sociological dimension of Polish immigration in the two host countries four hypotheses were formulated to guide our research. They related to the degree of openess of the host communities to immigration of the new comers; attitudes of Poles to other Poles and the hosts depending on the socio-political circumstances; attachment to the homeland and the host country; attachment to the native and target language

Zapotrzebowanie na biomasę drzewną na cele energetyczne w Polsce do 2015 roku

The article contains the results of research, in which the estimated consumption of wood biomass for energy purposes in Poland in 2010 and the anticipated demand for this energy carrier by 2015 was determined in a systemic manner.Rynek energetyczny w Polsce jest w coraz większym stopniu kształtowany przez odnawialne źródła energii, w tym w dużym stopniu przez biomasę drzewną. Należy podkreślić, że chociaż ranga problematyki wykorzystania biomasy drzewnej do celów energetycznych jest wysoka to, jak dotychczas, występuje duża luka informacyjna dotycząca zapotrzebowania na ten rodzaj energii. Celem podjętych badań było określenie w sposób systemowy wielkości zużycia biomasy drzewnej do celów energetycznych w Polsce wraz z przewidywanym potencjalnym poziomem popytu na biomasę drzewną jako nośnika energii do 2015 roku. Badania miały charakter zarówno retrospektywny, jak prospektywny. Zakres czasowy obejmował: w badaniach diagnostycznych – 2010 rok, a w wypadku prognoz – 2015 rok. Zakresem podmiotowym badaniami objęto: sektor drzewny, energetykę, gospodarkę komunalną. W ujęciu diagnostycznym punktem wyjścia do oszacowania wielkości zużycia biomasy drzewnej w 2010 roku było oszacowanie udziału biomasy drzewnej w biomasie stałej oraz przyjęcie średniego przelicznika jednostki opałowej na jednostkę surowca drzewnego opałowego. Zastosowano dwie procedury badawcze. W pierwszej wykorzystano istniejące w literaturze przedmiotu fragmentaryczne informacje o zużyciu biomasy stałej, w drugiej – punktem wyjścia do obliczeń było przyjęcie zapotrzebowania na energię finalną pochodzącą z biomasy stałej. W procedurze badawczej zmierzającej do oszacowania przyszłego zapotrzebowania na cele energetyczne biomasy drzewnej zastosowano podejście metodyczne podobne jak w ujęciu diagnostycznym. Jednak w tym wypadku odmienne były wielkości wyjściowe dotyczące przewidywanej struktury nośników energii. Proces badawczy uzupełniony został badaniami ankietowymi wśród podmiotów gospodarczych będących potencjalnymi użytkownikami biomasy drzewnej (jednostki tzw. energetyki zawodowej, jednostki gospodarki komunalnej i użyteczności publicznej, np. szpitale, szkoły, przedszkola). Z przeprowadzonych obliczeń wynika, że popyt na biomasę drzewną do wykorzystania w energetyce jest w Polsce duży. Krajowe zapotrzebowanie na ten nośnik energii kreowane przez energetykę zawodową, branże sektora drzewnego, gospodarkę komunalną i jednostki użyteczności publicznej oraz odbiorców indywidualnych wynosi około 16 mln m3 i do roku 2015 będzie wzrastało do poziomu 18 mln m3. Badanie potwierdziło hipotezę o znaczącym odsetku zużywania biomasy powstającej w sektorze drzewnym na własne potrzeby energetyczne. Okazało się, że jest to około 3,0 mln m3 biomasy drzewnej, co stanowi 58% jej podaży dla energetycznego kierunku zagospodarowania. Badania potwierdziły rozproszony charakter rynku biomasy drzewnej. Biomasa drzewna dostarczana jest w wielu wypadkach (dotyczy to zwłaszcza dużych jej użytkowników) na odległość w promieniu 70–200 km