1.Tumour morphology after neoadjuvant chemotherapy as a predictor of survival in serous ovarian cancer: an experience from a tertiary care centre in India
Binny Khandakar ; Lalit Kumar ; Sunesh Kumar ; Siddharth Datta Gupta ; Kalaivani M ; Venkateswaran K Iyer ; Sandeep R Mathur
The Malaysian Journal of Pathology 2015;37(2):115-121
Serous ovarian cancer is the most common malignant ovarian tumour. Traditional management consists
of surgical resection with postoperative chemotherapy. Currently neoadjuvant chemotherapy is offered
to patients with advanced stage disease. The present study aims to analyse the histomorphological
alterations in serous ovarian cancer following neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Correlation of these
morphological alterations with survival is also presented here. Serous ovarian cancers from 100
advanced stage cases were included; 50 were treated with pre-surgery chemotherapy. Semi-quantitative
scoring was used to grade the alterations in tumour morphology. Survival data was correlated with
the final morphological score. Tumour morphology was significantly different in cases treated with
neoadjuvant chemotherapy (CT group) as compared to cases with upfront surgery. The CT group
cases showed more fibrosis, calcification, and infiltration by lymphocytes, plasma cells, foamy
and hemosiderin-laden macrophages. The residual tumour cells had degenerative cytoplasmic
changes with nuclear atypia. Patients with significant morphological response had a longer median
survival, although it did not attain statistical significance in the current study. With the increasing
use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in management, the pathologist needs to be aware of the altered
morphological appearance of tumour. Further studies are required to establish a grading system to
assess the tissue response which can be helpful in predicting the overall therapeutic outcome and
the prognosis of patients.
2.Use of transrectal ultrasound for high dose rate interstitial brachytherapy for patients of carcinoma of uterine cervix.
Daya Nand SHARMA ; Goura Kisor RATH ; Sanjay THULKAR ; Sunesh KUMAR ; Vellaiyan SUBRAMANI ; Parmod Kumar JULKA
Journal of Gynecologic Oncology 2010;21(1):12-17
OBJECTIVE: Transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) has been widely used for guiding prostate implants, but not much for interstitial brachytherapy (IBT) of cervix cancer. The aim of our study is to report our experience with TRUS guided high dose rate (HDR) IBT in patients with carcinoma of uterine cervix. METHODS: During the year 2005-2006, 25 patients of cervical cancer not suitable for intracavitary radiotherapy (ICRT), were enrolled in this prospective study. We used B-K Medical USG machine (Falcon 2101) equipped with a TRUS probe (8658) having a transducer of 7.5 MHz for IBT. Post procedure, a CT scan was done for verification of needle position and treatment planning. Two weekly sessions of HDR IBT of 8-10 Gy each were given after pelvic external beam radiation therapy. RESULTS: A total of 40 IBT procedures were performed in 25 patients. Average duration of implant procedure was 50 minutes. There was no uterine perforation in any of 11 patients in whom central tandem was used. CT scan did not show needle perforation of bladder/rectum in any of the patients. During perioperative period, only 1 procedure (2.5%) was associated with hematuria which stopped within 6 hours. Severe late toxicity was observed in 3 (12%) patients. Overall pelvic control rate was 64%. CONCLUSION: Our experience suggests that TRUS is a practical and effective imaging device for guiding the IBT procedure of cervical cancer patients. It helps in accurate placements of needles thus avoiding the injury to normal pelvic structures.
Brachytherapy
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Cervix Uteri
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Female
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Hematuria
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Humans
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Needles
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Perioperative Period
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Prospective Studies
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Prostate
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Transducers
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Uterine Cervical Neoplasms
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Uterine Perforation