IntroductionThe purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the efficacy of cisplatin chemotherapy in BRCA1 mutation carriers with metastatic breast cancer.MethodsIn a phase II, open-label study, 20 patients with metastatic breast cancer who carried a mutation in BRCA1 were treated with cisplatin 75 mg/m2 intravenously every 3 weeks as part of a 21-day cycle for 6 cycles. Restaging studies to assess response were performed after cycles 2 and 6, and every three months thereafter.ResultsBetween July 2007 and January 2009, 20 patients were enrolled. Baseline characteristics were as follows: 65% had prior adjuvant chemotherapy, 55% had prior chemotherapy for metastatic breast cancer; mean age was 48 years (ranges 32 to 70); 30% estrogen receptor (ER) or progesterone receptor (PR)+, 70% ER/PR/Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2 (HER2)- and 0% HER2+. Overall response rate was 80%; nine patients experienced a complete clinical response (45%) and seven experienced a partial response (35%). Overall survival was 80% at one year, 60% at two years and 25% at three years. Four of the 20 patients are alive four years after initiating treatment. The median time to progression was 12 months. The median survival from the start of cisplatinum treatment was 30 months. Cisplatin-related adverse events, including nausea (50%), anemia (5%) and neutropenia (35%) were mostly mild to moderate in severity.ConclusionsThis phase II study demonstrates that cisplatin chemotherapy has high activity in women with a BRCA1 mutation and metastatic breast cancer and is generally well tolerated.Trial registrationThis trial is registered retrospectively on the clinical trials website ClinicalTrials.gov. The identifier is NCT01611727.

The results demonstrate potential benefits of our method for enhancing expert's performance because it quickly localizes the infarct and detects cases missed by experts, and it is to be considered as an aid in the emergency department because it substantially outperforms novice readers (100% vs 27%) in infarct detection on NCCT.

PurposeNeuroendocrine tumours (NET) are a heterogeneous group of neoplasms of diffuse neuroendocrine cells. Surgery is the main aim in the treatment of NETs, which becomes impossible in the case of large tumours or infiltration into other tissues and/or important blood vessels. Neoadjuvant therapy might be helpful in decreasing NET size also, leading us to the point where a tumour, previously considered inoperable, becomes operable. The aim of the study was to assess the usage of peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) as a neoadjuvant treatment, enabling surgical intervention in primary inoperable NET.MethodsAmong 47 patients treated with PRRT, 6 patients were chosen with large, inoperable tumours, for whom enabling of complete surgical excision of the lesions might offer the prospect for a cure. Response to the therapy was assessed according to Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors (RECIST).ResultsThe mean tumour size decreased from 6.9 (min. 3.1 cm, max. 9.6 cm) before therapy to 5.4 cm (min. 3.1 cm, max. 9.5 cm) after the treatment. According to RECIST, stabilization of the disease was observed in four and partial responses in two patients. In two patients, reduction of the tumour size enabled surgical intervention.Conclusion(1) PRRT might be considered a neoadjuvant therapy in primary inoperable NETs. (2) According to RECIST, stabilization of the disease was observed in the majority of patients. (3) We suggest that not only tumour diameter changes, but also tumour volume and contrast enhancement changes in computed tomography should be taken into consideration in assessment of the response to the therapy. (4) Somatostatin receptor scintigraphy is an important tool for qualification of the radioisotope therapy and also for the assessment of the response to PRRT.

We have performed a detailed morphometric analysis of the length and anatomic routes of the greater palatine canal (GPC) and a systematic review of the literature on the anatomy of the GPC with the aim of informing dentists, maxillofacial surgeons, otorhinolaryngologists and other specialists performing procedures in the area of the GPC. In total, we analysed 1,500 archived adult head computed tomography scans to determine the length of the GPC and of the routes on both sides, as well as the dimensions and opening directions of the greater palatine foramen. The systematic review of the literature was performed according to PRISMA guidelines. The study group comprised 783 females (52.2 %) and 717 males with a mean (± standard deviation) age of 42.1 ± 16.9 years; there was significant difference in age between sexes (p = 0.33). The average length of the GPC was 31.1 ± 2.9 (range 15–44) mm. The GPC travelled three different paths in the sagittal plane and four different paths in the coronal plane. Most often it descended from the pterygopalatine fossa inferiorly before changing to an anterior-inferior direction (68.4 %; sagittal plane) and inferior-laterally before changing to an inferior-medial direction (40.7 %; (coronal plane). In total, the GPF had four different opening directions: inferior-anterior-medial (82.1 %), inferior-anterior-lateral (4.0 %), anterior (7.6 %), and vertical (5.3 %). Twenty-five studies were included in the systematic review. In conclusion, the information presented here provides clinicians with the anatomical knowledge necessary to minimize the risk of complications when performing procedures involving infiltration of the GPC.

Introduction Sarcopenia is highly prevalent in patients with gastrointestinal malignancies, including gastric cancer, but there is a lack of adequate data from Western populations. Methods Computed tomography scans of 138 Caucasian patients subject to stomach resections due to gastric adenocarcinoma between 2012 and 2015 were reviewed to evaluate the impact of sarcopenia. The definition of sarcopenia was based on the lumbar skeletal muscle index (SMI) using cut‐off values formulated by the international consensus definitions of sarcopenia (SMI <52.4 cm2/m2 for men and <38.5 cm2/m2 for women). Results Sixty (43%) of 138 patients were sarcopenic. Sarcopenia was associated with postoperative morbidity (43% vs 23%; P = .011), major postoperative complications (Clavien‐Dindo ≥3a; 36% vs 21%; P = .035), and reoperations (23% vs 9%; P = .020). Patients with sarcopenia also had prolonged postoperative hospital stay (8.0 vs 6.5 days; P = .010). The overall median survival of patients with sarcopenia was significantly lower than those with normal skeletal muscles (11.0 vs 36.7 months; P = .005) and sarcopenia remained an independent prognostic factor with an odds ratio of 1.94 (95% confidence interval, 1.08 to 3.48; P = .026). Conclusion Sarcopenia, defined by SMI, is associated with an increased risk of postoperative morbidity and impaired long‐term survival.