Characteristics and patterns of care of endometrial cancer before and during COVID-19 pandemic

Objective: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak has correlated with the disruption of screening activities and diagnostic assessments. Endometrial cancer (EC) is one of the most common gynecological malignancies and it is often detected at an early stage, because it frequently produces symptoms. Here, we aim to investigate the impact of COVID-19 outbreak on patterns of presentation and treatment of EC patients. Methods: This is a retrospective study involving 54 centers in Italy. We evaluated patterns of presentation and treatment of EC patients before (period 1: March 1, 2019 to February 29, 2020) and during (period 2: April 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021) the COVID-19 outbreak. Results: Medical records of 5,164 EC patients have been retrieved: 2,718 and 2,446 women treated in period 1 and period 2, respectively. Surgery was the mainstay of treatment in both periods (p=0.356). Nodal assessment was omitted in 689 (27.3%) and 484 (21.2%) patients treated in period 1 and 2, respectively (p<0.001). While, the prevalence of patients undergoing sentinel node mapping (with or without backup lymphadenectomy) has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic (46.7% in period 1 vs. 52.8% in period 2; p<0.001). Overall, 1,280 (50.4%) and 1,021 (44.7%) patients had no adjuvant therapy in period 1 and 2, respectively (p<0.001). Adjuvant therapy use has increased during COVID-19 pandemic (p<0.001). Conclusion: Our data suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the characteristics and patterns of care of EC patients. These findings highlight the need to implement healthcare services during the pandemic

Practice patterns and 90-day treatment-related morbidity in early-stage cervical cancer

To evaluate the impact of the Laparoscopic Approach to Cervical Cancer (LACC) Trial on patterns of care and surgery-related morbidity in early-stage cervical cancer

Global urban environmental change drives adaptation in white clover

Urbanization transforms environments in ways that alter biological evolution. We examined whether urban environmental change drives parallel evolution by sampling 110,019 white clover plants from 6169 populations in 160 cities globally. Plants were assayed for a Mendelian antiherbivore defense that also affects tolerance to abiotic stressors. Urban-rural gradients were associated with the evolution of clines in defense in 47% of cities throughout the world. Variation in the strength of clines was explained by environmental changes in drought stress and vegetation cover that varied among cities. Sequencing 2074 genomes from 26 cities revealed that the evolution of urban-rural clines was best explained by adaptive evolution, but the degree of parallel adaptation varied among cities. Our results demonstrate that urbanization leads to adaptation at a global scale

A multi-element psychosocial intervention for early psychosis (GET UP PIANO TRIAL) conducted in a catchment area of 10 million inhabitants: study protocol for a pragmatic cluster randomized controlled trial

Multi-element interventions for first-episode psychosis (FEP) are promising, but have mostly been conducted in non-epidemiologically representative samples, thereby raising the risk of underestimating the complexities involved in treating FEP in 'real-world' services

Clinical Significance of the Interaction between Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Type 16 and Other High-Risk Human Papillomaviruses in Women with Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia (CIN) and Invasive Cervical Cancer

The aim is to evaluate the clinical consequences of coinfection between HPV 16 and other high-risk HPVs among women with a histological diagnosis of CIN or invasive cervical cancer. A total of 2985 women, with a diagnosis of either CIN or cancer (<IB) on cervical or cone biopsy, were included. HPV genotypes were identified using the INNO-LiPA HPV genotyping assay, version EXTRA, on cervical scraping, before the colposcopic evaluation and the colposcopic biopsies or conization. In the overall population, HPV16 interacted positively with HPV18 (RR = 2, 95% CI 1.5–2.6) and negatively with HPV33, 51, 52, and 66, in log-linear analysis. There was an excess of CIN3 diagnoses among subjects coinfected with HPV16 and HPV18 or HPV52, although the absolute number of cases was relatively small. In a logistic model, the odds ratio of CIN3+ associated with coinfection of HPV16 and HPV18 (OR = 3.8, 95% CI 2.5–5.7, p=0.004 compared to single HPV16) or HPV52 (OR = 3.6, 95% CI 2.6–5.1, p=0.009 compared to single HPV) was higher than that associated with single HPV 16 infections. Finally, multiple infections had no effect on residual disease and did not influence the recurrence of high-grade CIN during a median follow-up of 25 months (IR 17–41). HPV16 interacted positively with HPV18 and negatively with HPV33, 51, 52, and 66 supporting the notion that HPV16 interacts mostly negatively with other HR-HPVs in CIN lesions. Among specimens coinfected with HPV16 and 18 or 52, there was an excess of CIN3+ although the impact on the prevalence of severe cervical lesions was limited

Biological variation estimates of complete blood count parameters in healthy subjects

Background: the complete blood count (CBC) is the test more frequently requested in clinical practice. Therefore, estimating the biological variation (BV) of CBC parameters is essential for assessing the analytical performance of hematological analyzers and for enabling accurate data interpretation and appropriate clinical management. This study was aimed to define BV estimates and reference change value (RCV) of CBC parameters. Methods: the study population consisted of 21 healthy volunteers, who had BV of CBC parameters assessed with Sysmex XN. The study protocol, the analytical measurements and the statistical analysis were carried out according to current recommendations of the European Federation for Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (EFLM). Results: Within-subject BV ranged between 0,3% for mean cell hemoglobin (MCH) and 19,7% for immature granulocytes (IG), whilst between-subjects BVs ranged between 0,9% for mean corpuscolar haemoglobin concentration (MCHC) and 66,6% for microcytic red blood cells (Micro-R). The RCV ranged between 2,3% for MCH and 73,5% for IG. Conclusion: This study has allowed the estimation of BV of many CBC parameters, some of which have not been currently explored, thus leading the way to use RCV calculated according to time of monitoring and/or differentiated by sex

Human Papillomavirus Distribution in Women with Abnormal Pap Smear and/or Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia in Vaccination Era. A Single-Center Study in the North Italian Population

Time trends prevalence of human papillomavirus (HPV) genotypes including negative and untypable infections were analyzed during a 15-year period (2005–2019) among 5807 subjects with abnormal pap-smears and/or cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN). The rates of HPV16 dropped by 13% every 3 years (Prevalence Ratio, PR = 0.87, 95% CI = 0.82–0.93) in the CIN1 biopsy, while HPV16 status was unchanged over time in the CIN2+ biopsy. In CIN1 lesions, there was a corresponding increase of HR-HPV types unrelated to nonavalent vaccine. The rates of HPV 18, 31, and 52, decreased by 35% (PR = 0.65, 95% CI = 0.54–0.79), 19% (PR = 0.81, 95% CI = 0.73–0.91), and 21% (PR = 0.79, 95% CI = 0.73–0.86) every 3-year interval in CIN2+, respectively. Overall, the prevalence of negative/untypable HPV specimens in the entire database increased from 9.6% (129/1349) in the period 2011–2013 to 17.6% (161/913) and 28.4% (224/790) in the 2014–2016 period and in the 2017–2019 period, respectively (PR = 1.69, 95% CI = 1.52–1.88). HPV 16 prevalence decreased significantly among subjects with low-grade cervical squamous lesions. A significant increase of both HPV types unrelated to nonavalent vaccination and negative/untypable HPV infections was reported. The prevalence of HPV types among subjects with abnormal pap smears in Northern Italy is changing. Many variables including demographic factors and possibly vaccination could be responsible for this modification

The role of fulvestrant in endometrial cancer

Endometrial cancer is the most common malignancy of the female genital tract in industrialized countries. The traditional treatment of endometrial cancer is based on a surgical approach. In recent years, systemic endocrine therapy has demonstrated good efficacy in recurrent or metastatic setting, delaying progression, ameliorating quality of life and palliating symptoms. Areas covered: Phase I and II studies on selective estrogen receptor down-regulators used for the treatment of endometrial cancer treatment have been reviewed. The pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic features of selective receptor down-regulators have been also investigated. Expert opinion: Selective estrogen receptor down-regulators may exhibit clinical efficacy in the treatment of gynecological malignancies due to their pure estrogen receptor antagonist properties. However, up to now data are still limited and some unsolved questions remain. Fulvestrant has poor oral bioavailability and low pharmacodynamic characteristics. Further trials are required to examine new selective estrogen receptor down-regulator agents with better pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic profiles