Background: The role of adjuvant chemotherapy in stage T2-T3N0 colon cancer (CC) is controversial and there are currently no reliable factors allowing for individual selection of patients with high risk of relapse. We searched for microRNA-based signature with prognostic significance in this group.

Background and aims: Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in women in the world (23%) and is the most common cause of death (14%). The most common symptoms of breast cancer are: lumps (36%), pain (3–5%) as well as nipple discharge (5–10%). Pathological nipple discharge (PND) may be an early symptom of non-invasive form of breast cancer. Although the problems and reasons for PND have been known for many years, new diagnostic methods are still searched for. Galactoscopy and HD scan characterized by low sensitivity are replaced with FDS. The aim of the project was to assess role of regional anesthesia (RA) and quality of life of the patients during fiberoductoscopy (FDS).

Objectives: High-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) is the most common, aggressive histologic type of this neoplasm. Most patients require platinum-based chemotherapy after primary surgical treatment. This study aimed to assess the prognostic value of involuntary weight changes between surgery and first cycle of chemotherapy. Methods: Of 73 patients surgically treated for HGSOC, 64 received adjuvant chemotherapy. Prognostic value of several clinicopathologic features was assessed, including change of body weight and body mass index between the day of primary debulking surgery and first cycle of chemotherapy. Survival analyses included the Kaplan-Meier method, log-rank test, and Cox proportional hazards model. Results: The median follow-up was 45.89 months (range, 17–79 months). Median change of body weight in the group of 64 patients who received chemotherapy was –3.5 kg (range, –33 kg to +5 kg). Higher weight loss values (median, –5 kg; range, –1 to –33 kg) were observed in platinum-resistant patients (n = 21) compared with platinum-sensitive patients (n = 43) (median, –3.0 kg; range, –14 to +5 kg) (P = .03). Weight loss between primary surgery and first cycle of chemotherapy was found to be an independent prognostic factor for decreased overall survival (HR 3.8, CI 95% 1.15–12.53, P = .029) and progression-free survival (HR 3.35, CI 95% 1.40–8.02, P = .0123). Conclusions: Prevention of weight loss and nutritional wasting in HGSOC patients who are to receive adjuvant chemotherapy might improve treatment results. Further prospective trials are needed on the nutrition of this group of patients.

Background and aims: At present fiberductoscopy is characterized by the greatest sensitivity and specificity among all the known methods used for imaging the mammary ducts. It is an examination used for a direct visualization of intraductal lesions contrary to other indirect diagnostic methods such as ultrasonography, galactography or Magnetic Resonanse Imagimg.

Background: Pathological nipple discharge (PND) are unilateral, spontaneous discharges as well as discharges from a single mammary duct. The aim of the project was to set FDS method in PND.

The aim of this study is to compare demographic and clinical data as well as applied treatment methods in patients with rare benign and malignant tumours of the oesophagus.

PURPOSE:The 70-gene prognosis-signature is a prognostic tool for early breast cancer analysis. In addition to scientific evidence, implementation of the signature in clinical trials and daily practice requires logistical feasibility. The aim of our study was to test logistics for gene expression profiling on fresh frozen tumour tissue in the preparation for the prospective, multinational Microarray In Node-negative Disease may Avoid ChemoTherapy (MINDACT) trial. METHODS:Sixty-four patients were included in six European hospitals. Fresh frozen tumour samples were shipped on dry ice to Agendia B.V., where RNA was isolated and subsequently hybridised on the 70-gene prognosis-signature (MammaPrint). RESULTS:Tumour samples were obtained in 60 of 64 patients. Among the 60 samples, 11 contained insufficient tumour cells (<50%) and three contained insufficient RNA quality. All 46 samples eligible for genomic profiling were successfully hybridised, and the results were reported on average within 4-5d. CONCLUSION:Gene expression profiling on fresh frozen tissue is feasible in daily clinical practice.

Transmembrane receptor tyrosine kinases have been shown to play an important role in the modulation of growth factor signaling and regulation of key cellular processes. The erbB receptor family is part of the receptor tyrosine kinase superfamily and consists of four members, erbB-1, erbB-2, erbB-3, and erbB-4. A majority of solid tumors express one or more members of this receptor family, and coexpression of multiple erbB receptors leads to an enhanced transforming potential and worsened prognosis. The erbB receptor family has been shown to play an important role in both the development of the normal breast and in the pathogenesis and progression of breast cancer. Receptor overexpression has also been shown to be a negative prognostic indicator and to correlate with both tumor invasiveness and a lack of responsiveness to standard treatment. Clinically, blockade of the erbB-2 receptor has recently been shown to provide benefit in a subset of chemotherapy-resistant breast cancer patients. CI-1033 is an orally available pan-erbB receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor that, unlike the majority of receptor inhibitors, effectively blocks signal transduction through all four members of the erbB family. In addition, it blocks the highly tumorigenic, constitutively activated variant of erbB-1, EGFRvIII, and inhibits downstream signaling through both the Ras/MAP kinase, and PI-3 kinase/AKT pathways. CI-1033 is also unique in that it is an irreversible inhibitor, thereby providing prolonged suppression of erbB receptor-mediated signaling. Preclinical data have shown CI-1033 to be efficacious against a variety of human tumors in mouse xenograft models, including breast carcinomas. In a phase I study, CI-1033 has been shown to have an acceptable side effect profile at potentially therapeutic dose levels and demonstrates evidence of target biomarker modulation. Antitumor activity has also been observed in this study, including one partial clinical response and stable disease in over 30% of patients, including one patient with heavily pretreated breast cancer. By virtue of its pan-erbB receptor inhibition and potent interruption of downstream mitogenic signaling pathways, CI-1033 may have clinical activity for solid tumors that overexpress one erbB family member, coexpress multiple members of the erbB family, or express a constitutively activated, mutated form of these receptors. Given the important role of the erbB receptor family in the pathogenesis and progression of breast cancer, an irreversible pan-erbB inhibitor like CI-1033 could have an important role to play in the future treatment of breast cancer. Semin Oncol 29 (suppl 11):11-21. Copyright 2002, Elsevier Science (USA). All rights reserved.

Due to increasing indications for postmastectomy radiotherapy and a growing demand for breast reconstruction or augmentation, increasing numbers of patients are currently being exposed to both these treatments. In view of the wide range of available techniques for breast reconstruction, either prosthetic or autologous, and their various sequencing in relation to radiotherapy, physicians can be faced with numerous clinical situations requiring comprehensive knowledge of the topic. This review discusses physical, radiobiological and clinical aspects of combining breast reconstruction and radiotherapy. The available data indicate the feasibility of such combinations, although at the expense of increased risk of complications and less satisfactory cosmesis. Of the two methods of breast reconstruction: using autologous tissue or prosthesis, the former seems to provide better cosmesis and a lower risk of complications in conjunction with radiotherapy. To minimize the risk of unfavourable outcome, the techniques and timing of both breast reconstruction and radiotherapy should be given meticulous attention.

The main aim of this study was to verify the suitability of the hydrogel sonographic model of the left ventricle (LV) in the computed tomography (CT) environment and echocardiography and compare the radial strain calculations obtained by two different techniques: the speckle tracking ultrasonography and the multislices computed tomography (MSCT). The measurement setup consists of the LV model immersed in a cylindrical tank filled with water, hydraulic pump, the ultrasound scanner, hydraulic pump controller, pressure measurement system of water inside the LV model, and iMac workstation. The phantom was scanned using a 3.5 MHz Artida Toshiba ultrasound scanner unit at two angle positions: 0° and 25°. In this work a new method of assessment of RF speckles’ tracking. LV phantom was also examined using the CT 750 HD 64-slice MSCT machine (GE Healthcare). The results showed that the radial strain (RS) was independent on the insonifying angle or the pump rate. The results showed a very good agreement, at the level of 0.9%, in the radial strain assessment between the ultrasound M-mode technique and multislice CT examination. The study indicates the usefulness of the ultrasonographic LV model in the CT technique. The presented ultrasonographic LV phantom may be used to analyze left ventricle wall strains in physiological as well as pathological conditions. CT, ultrasound M-mode techniques, and author's speckle tracking algorithm, can be used as reference methods in conducting comparative studies using ultrasound scanners of various manufacturers.