Background Postmastectomy lymphedema can be considered the main cause of upper extremity functional impairment in patients with breast cancer. Fatigue, pain, and limited range of motion are common symptoms. If left untreated, lymphedema causes cellulitis, which can lead to gangrene in rare cases. This study was carried out to identify and compare the therapeutic advantages of virtual reality-based exercises and proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation for postmastectomy lymphedema. Thus, a quasi-randomized comparative study of thirty female patients with unilateral postmastectomy lymphedema was conducted. Fifteen patients performed virtual reality-based exercises as well as manual lymphatic drainage, pneumatic compression, and home programs, while the other fifteen patients performed proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation as well as manual lymphatic drainage, pneumatic compression, and home programs. The excess arm volume between the healthy and affected limbs was estimated before and after eight sessions of treatment for both groups. In addition, the affected limb functional score was calculated. Arm volume was calculated by the truncated cone formula and girth measurements obtained by the circumferential method. The Arabic version of the QuickDASH-9 scale was used to assess extremity function. Results The excess arm volume significantly decreased in both the virtual reality group (p = 0.001) and proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation group (p = 0.005), and there was no significant difference between the two groups (p = 0.902). Age was inversely related to the improvement percentage of the QuickDASH-9 score in the virtual reality group. The functional improvement percentage was statistically significantly different between the two groups (p = 0.045). Conclusion It can be concluded that both virtual reality and proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation have a beneficial therapeutic effect on edema in patients with unilateral postmastectomy lymphedema; neither method was found to be superior, except virtual reality was found to be superior to proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation in motivating patients and providing visual feedback. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04185181 Registered 4 December 2019 - Retrospectively registered.

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Purpose: Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive subtype of breast cancer with poor prognosis despite the high rates of response to chemotherapy. We aim to study the clinical features, factors influencing recurrence and survival outcomes of TNBC patients. Methods: We retrospectively studied the charts of patients with biopsy proven TNBC treated at The Clinical Oncology Department Ain-Shams University between 2009 and 2012. Results: One hundred and forty five patients fulfilled the eligibility criteria. The incidence of TNBC was 10.5% -15% with a mean of 12% of all breast cancer patients. The follow-up duration ranged from six months to four years. The age range was 26 to 78 years. Infiltrating ductal carcinoma represented 93.1% of the pathologic types. 87% of patients were free of metastases (M0) at presentation. Clinical stages II and III represented 38 and 39.5% of the patients. 66% of patients had modified radical mastectomy. Following surgery, 77.5% of patients received adjuvant chemotherapy while 61% of the patients had adjuvant radiation therapy. Anthracyclines based chemotherapy was given to 52% of patients. Disease-free survival (DFS) of the M0 patients at 20 and 30 months was 92% and 80% respectively. Relapse occurred in 23% of M0 patients. After a mean duration of DFS of 15.1 months, the most common sites of metastases for relapsed M0 patients were pulmonary (44.8%), bone (41.4%), and locoregional (13.8%). The median overall survival (ORS) of patients was 18 months (1 -45 months), whereas for the M1 group of patients the median ORS was 9 months (2 -29 months). Conclusion: The incidence, pathological characteristics, and clinical behavior of TNBC were similar to what is mentioned in the literature. Adding taxanes to the chemotherapy protocols and using postoperative radiotherapy were both associated with a significant increase in the mean period of DFS, while did not significantly affect the ORS.

Background: Dupilumab is a human monoclonal antibody directed against the alpha subunit of the interleukin-4 receptor and inhibits the signaling of IL-4 and IL-13. It is approved for treating asthma and other type-2 inflammatory diseases. There is a conflict in the literature regarding the safety and efficacy of dupilumab. Thus, we aimed to assess the safety and efficacy of dupilumab in patients with moderate to severe asthma.Methods: Six databases (PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane library, and clinicaltrials.gov registry) were searched until January 2022. We included randomized controlled trials that compared dupilumab with the placebo in moderate to severe asthma patients. We extracted the data at 12 and 24 weeks and analyzed them using review manager 5.4.Findings: Thirteen trials were included. Dupilumab significantly improved the forced expiratory volume in 1 s, asthma control questionnaire score, the fraction of exhaled nitric oxide level, and immunoglobulin E level at 12 and 24 weeks (p < 0.05). However, it was associated with increased blood eosinophils at 12 and 24 weeks. Dupilumab was generally a safe agent for asthmatic patients. It showed no significant difference compared with the placebo regarding most adverse events.Conclusion: Dupilumab improves pulmonary function and reduces local and systemic inflammatory markers with minimal adverse events in patients with moderate to severe asthma.