Coexistence of tooth agenesis and ovarian cancer — a systematic literature review

Objectives: Dental agenesis — a congenital lack of teeth — is one of the most frequently diagnosed developmentaldefects of dentition. Genetics is a crucial factor in the etiology of this disorder. Missing teeth can be caused by mutationin genes including MSX1, PAX9, AXIN2, and EDARADD. As is also true for ovarian cancer, over 20% of cases are associatedwith hereditary factors. Mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are said to be the most frequent of these. The aim ofthis study was to provide a systematic review of the literature on the coexistence of ovarian cancer and tooth agenesis.Material and methods: Publications were searched for in the online databases PubMed, SCOPUS, and Wiley Online Library.Current and archival issues of the Journal of Stomatology and Dental and Medical Problems were also searched. The keywords used to find relevant publications were: ovarian cancer, hypodontia, and tooth agenesis, in various combinations.Results: Three publications were qualified to this review. Two of these compared the incidence of hypodontia in womenwith ovarian cancer and in healthy women, and the other was aimed at locating the gene responsible for the coexistenceof ovarian cancer and tooth agenesis. As shown by these studies, women with ovarian cancer are (depending on the study)3.3 or 8.1 times more likely to have hypodontia than healthy women. However, no specific gene was found that might beresponsible for the coexistence of ovarian cancer and tooth agenesis

Diagnostic and prognostic relevance of microparticles in peripheral and uterine blood of patients with endometrial cancer

Objectives: Exosomes — microvesicles which are secreted by living cells — can be produced from different cell types and detected in various body fluids. They are the carriers of intercellular information which regulate tumor microenvironment and are considered to be involved in tumor progression and metastasis. Cancer cells can secrete more exosomes than healthy cells, and are expected to be potential tools for tumor diagnosis and treatment.Material and methods: In this report, we present the results of microparticle analysis in peripheral and uterine blood of patients with endometrial cancer. To the best of our knowledge, this study has been the first to report microvesicle status in peripheral and uterine blood samples. The aim of the study was to determine the amount of total (TF+), endothelial (CD144+) and monocytic (CD14+) microparticles. The counting of the selected microparticles in citrate plasma was performed using flow cytometry on the BD Canto II cytometer.Results: We found that the total amount of microparticles in cancer patients was much higher than in healthy controls. Moreover, microparticle count in uterine blood was higher than in peripheral blood of patients with endometrial cancer. Wealso demonstrated that the amount of microparticles correlates with the histologic grade and clinical stage of the tumor.Conclusions: The most interesting finding in this work was the high level of TF, CD144 and CD14 MPs in uterine blood samples. Thus we can consider the monocyte-macrophage-derived MPs as a candidate marker of endometrial cancer and maybe very critical part of the endometrial carcinogenesis

Non-endometrioid and high-grade endometrioid endometrial cancers show DNA fragmentation factor 40 (DFF40) and B-cell lymphoma 2 protein (BCL2) underexpression, which predicts disease-free and overall survival, but not DNA fragmentation factor 45 (DFF45) underexpression

Abstract Background The expression of DNA fragmentation factor 45 (DFF45) and B-cell lymphoma 2 (BCL2) in glands of the normal human endometrium is related to phases of the menstrual cycle and decreases after menopause, whereas the expression of DNA fragmentation factor 40 (DFF40) is stable. Moreover, DF45, BCL2 and DFF40 underexpression has been reported in numerous malignancies, including uterine leiomyosarcomas. In this study, we aimed to investigate DFF45, BCL2 and DFF40 expression in endometrioid and non-endometrioid types of endometrial cancers (ECs). We also evaluated the correlations between DFF45, BCL2 and DFF40 expression levels and clinicopathological parameters and determined the value of these three proteins as prognostic markers of disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS). Methods Immunohistochemistry was performed to evaluate DFF45, BCL2 and DFF40 expression in 342 cases of ECs. Student’s t-test, the Mann-Whitney U-test, and the chi-squared test were used for the statistical analyses as appropriate. The Cox-Mantel test, Cox’s proportional hazard model, and relative risk analyses were used to evaluate associations between DFF40, DFF45, and BCL2 expression and clinicopathological characteristics. Results DFF40 and BCL2, but not DFF45, were significantly underexpressed in non-endometrioid and high-grade endometrioid ECs compared with low- and moderate-grade endometrioid ECs. Women with DFF40- and BCL2-negative tumors had higher risks of disease recurrence, lymph node involvement, lympho-vascular space infiltration, and deep myometrial invasion compared with women with DFF40- and BCL2-positive tumors. Additionally, women with DFF40- and BCL2-negative tumors had significantly lower OS and DFS than women with DFF40- and BCL2-positive tumors. A multivariable analysis of the model, including the clinicopathological characteristics and immunohistochemical results, showed that negative BCL2 expression, lymph node involvement, and high-stage and high-grade disease were independent predictors of OS, whereas negative BCL2 expression, lymph node involvement, and high-stage disease were independent predictors of DFS. Conclusions Compared with low- and moderate-grade endometrioid ECs, non-endometrioid and high-grade endometrioid ECs showed significant DFF40 and BCL2 underexpression. The absence of DFF40 and BCL2 expression negatively affects DFS and OS. Further prospective studies are warranted to assess the potential utility of DFF40 and BCL2 as targets in the diagnosis or treatment of ECs

Ultrasound differentiation between benign versus malignant adnexal masses in pregnant patients

Objectives. The aim of this study was to assess the performance of the International Ovarian Tumor Analysis (IOTA) group ultrasound Simple Rules method in differentiating between benign and malignant ovarian tumors in pregnant patients. Materials and Methods. A prospective observational study that involved pregnant patients referred to our center due to suspicions of ovarian masses between January 2015 and December 2017 was performed. The Simple Rules performance was evaluated against the histopathological results. Each of the 10 sonographic Simple Rules were computed by logistic regression to demonstrate their odds ratios in predicting malignancy. Results. Ultrasound were conducted in 153 subjects, and 61 of those patients underwent surgery. By assigning masses not classifiable by Simple Rules as probably malignant, the Simple Rules method showed a sensitivity of 91.67% (CI 64.61–98.51) and a specificity of 69.39% (CI 55.47–80.48). After exclusion of masses where the Simple Rules method could not be applied, the method showed a sensitivity of 87.5% (CI 52.91–97.76) and a specificity of 94.44% (CI 81.86–98.46). The logistic regression model showed that the M-rules increased the risk of malignancy while the B-rules decreased the risk. Conclusion. Most ovarian masses in pregnant patient may be correctly categorized as benign or malignant using Simple Rules. This protocol may facilitate the management of pregnant patients presenting with adnexal masses

COLPOSCOPY PROTOCOLS 2020

The Polish Society of Colposcopy and Cervical Pathophysiology and the Polish Society of Gynecologists and Obstetricians provide comprehensive guidelines for colposcopy practice in secondary cervical cancer prevention in Poland. This part of the guidelines, developed by the clinical experts of the Working Group No. 1 (WG1), concerns the colposcopy protocols with the main aim of algorithmizing the procedure, together with all procedure-related processes. The detailed analysis of strong scientific evidence and an extensive literature review of current international colposcopic recommendations were carried out, with also a broad investigation of recently ongoing dynamic changes in national health systems. The attention to colposcopic limitations also occurring in Polish conditions was kept. The overriding goal was the recommended obligatory minimal colposcopy approach introduction. To enhance the standard of colposcopy, adjustment of a precolposcopic assessment, a performance technique, types of used biopsies, as well as the procedure documentation was made. Elements of the risk-based stratification for the increased risk of developing cervical cancer was also included if it was applicable for that part of the guidelines. Comprehensive colposcopy guidelines are a step towards the ongoing era of a precision medicine in cervical cancer prevention in Poland.The Polish Society of Colposcopy and Cervical Pathophysiology and the Polish Society of Gynecologists and Obstetricians provide comprehensive guidelines for colposcopy practice in secondary cervical cancer prevention in Poland. This part of the guidelines, developed by the clinical experts of the Working Group No. 1 (WG1), concerns the colposcopy protocols with the main aim of algorithmizing the procedure, together with all procedure-related processes. The detailed analysis of strong scientific evidences and an extensive literature review of current international colposcopic recommendations were carried out, with also a broad investigation of recently ongoing dynamic changes in national health systems. The particular attention to colposcopic limitations also occurring in Polish conditions was kept. The overriding goal was the recommended obligatory minimal colposcopy approach introduction. To enhance the standard of colposcopy, adjustment of a precolposcopic assessment, a performance technique, types of used biopsies, as well as the procedure documentation was made. Elements of the risk-based stratification for the increased risk of developing cervical cancer was also included, if it was applicable for that part of the guidelines. Comprehensive colposcopy guidelines are a step towards the ongoing era of a precision medicine in cervical cancer prevention in Poland