Fertility Preserving Surgery Outcomes for Ovarian Malignancy: Data from a Tertiary Cancer Centre in Central London

Fertility Sparing Surgery (FSS) appears to be a safe means of treating early-stage ovarian cancer based on relatively limited evidence. However, there is currently insufficient evidence to aid women in counselling about their potential fertility outcomes. The aim of this study was to assess the reproductive outcomes and prognosis of women who have undergone FSS for ovarian malignancy. Between 1 June 2008 and 1 June 2018, a retrospective review of a clinical database was conducted to identify all consecutive patients who underwent FSS in a central London gynaecological oncology centre. All patients with a histological diagnosis of ovarian malignancy (excluding borderline ovarian tumours) were eligible. All identified patients were then prospectively called into a follow up and asked to complete a questionnaire about their fertility outcomes. A total of 47 women underwent FSS; 36 were included in this study. The mean age was 30.3 years (95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 27.6 to 33.0 years). During the study period, 17/36 (47.2%) of the women had attempted to conceive following surgery, with a successful live birth rate of 52.9% (9/17). The mean time of recurrence was 125.3 months (95% CI: 106.5–144.1 months). The mean time to death was 139.5 months (95% CI: 124.3–154.8). The cancer grade, tumour stage and use of Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) were the main factors significantly associated with the risk of recurrence and death. In conclusion, this study suggests that a large proportion of women will not attempt to conceive following FSS. For those who do attempt to conceive, the likelihood of achieving a live birth is high. However, careful counselling about the higher risk of recurrence and worse survival for women with high grade cancer, disease Stage > IA and potentially those who undergo ART is essential before contemplating FFS

Spectral Downshifting and Passivation Effects Using 2D Perovskite (OAm)₂SnBr₄ Films to Enhance the Properties of Si Nanowire Solar Cells

Si nanowires (Si NWs) are emerging as a promising candidate for photovoltaics due to their significant light-trapping characteristics. However, Si NWs have a high density of surface traps, which lead to carrier recombination; also, thermalization due to the absorption of high-energy photons causes the dissipation of input solar energy. In this study, Ag/Ti/n+/p-Si NWs/MoOx/Ag solar cells were formed based on Si NWs with MoOx as a hole transport layer. A highly luminescent 2D perovskite (C18H35NH3)2SnBr4 was applied to the front surface of the cell. This 2D perovskite with oleylamine (OAm) spacer passivates the surface of the Si NWs. In addition to the passivation effect, the 2D perovskite (OAm)2SnBr4 causes a downshifting and energy-transfer effect, which reduces the heat loss and raises the conversion efficiency. This effect has often been observed in semiconductor quantum dots and is also evident in 2D perovskite films, resulting in improved Jsc, Voc, and fill factor and an increase in the overall cell efficiency to 18%