Benefits of Early Integrated and Vocational Rehabilitation in Breast Cancer on Work Ability, Sick Leave Duration, and Disability Rates.

Objectives: Vocational rehabilitation plays a vital role in helping breast cancer survivors overcome physical, psychological, and occupational challenges, enabling a smoother return to work and improving quality of life. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of vocational rehabilitation as part of early integrated rehabilitation compared to conventional rehabilitation on sick leave duration, work ability, and disability rates.

Methods: The study was designed as a prospective, interventional study.

Impact of early integrated rehabilitation on fatigue in 600 patients with breast cancer - a prospective study.

Background: Fatigue after breast cancer treatment is a common burden that is challenging to treat. The aim of this study was to explore if such integrated rehabilitation program reduces the prevalence of chronic fatigue compared to simple, non-integrated rehabilitation.

Patients And Methods: The subjects of our prospective study were 600 female breast cancer patients (29-65 [mean 52 years] of age), who participated in the pilot study on the individualized integrated rehabilitation of breast cancer patients in 2019-2021 and were monitored for one year.

Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression Among Slovenian Breast Cancer Survivors Post-Treatment During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Although anxiety and depression are important determinants of mental health, the literature in this area is sparse as most studies focus on the period during treatment. Mental health problems can affect cancer recovery as well as quality of life and survival. In this cross-sectional study, we investigated the prevalence of anxiety and depression in Slovenian cancer survivors after treatment and assessed the associated correlates during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Evaluation of an Early Individualized Integrated Rehabilitation Program versus Standard Rehabilitation Program for Smoking Cessation in 115 Smokers Among 467 Female Breast Cancer Patients 2019-2021 in Slovenia.

BACKGROUND Cigarette smoking affects cancer risk and cardiovascular risk. Smoking cessation is very beneficial for health. This study aimed to evaluate an early individualized integrated rehabilitation program and standard rehabilitation program for smoking cessation in breast cancer patients.

Treatment and outcome of patients with Graves' disease and metastatic differentiated thyroid cancer.

Background: The aim of the study was to report on the experience in a single tertiary cancer center about the treatment and outcome of patients with Graves' disease (GD) and metastatic thyroid cancer as compared with patients without GD in our country.

Patients And Methods: Altogether, 28 patients (8 males, 20 females; 49-85 years of age; median 74 years) were treated because of differentiated thyroid cancer and distant metastasis at the time of diagnosis during a 10-year period (from 2010 to 2019) in the Republic of Slovenia. The subject of our retrospective study were four patients (three men, one female; 64-76 years of age, median 73 years) who had Graves' disease and metastatic thyroid cancer.

Association of , , and genetic variability with acute pain, chronic pain and adverse effects after postoperative tramadol and paracetamol treatment in breast cancer.

Background: Tramadol is an opioid analgesic often used for pain management after breast cancer surgery. Its analgesic activity is due to the activation of the μ-opioid receptor, encoded by the gene. This study investigated the association of genetic variability in and its regulatory miRNA genes with outcomes of tramadol/paracetamol treatment after breast cancer surgery with axillary lymphadenectomy.

Factors associated with a high level of unmet needs and their prevalence in the breast cancer survivors 1-5 years after post local treatment and (neo)adjuvant chemotherapy during the COVID-19: A cross-sectional study.

Objective: To assess the prevalence of unmet needs in post-treatment breast cancer survivors and identify sociodemographic, clinical, and psychosocial variables associated with reported unmet needs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Materials And Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 430 post-treatment breast cancer survivors, ranging between 1 and 5 years after the procedure, completed the Cancer Survivors' Unmet Needs (CaSUN) questionnaire from September 2021 and January 2022. The multivariate logistic analysis identified factors associated with at least one reported unmet need in the total CaSUN scale and specific domains.

Outcome of Patients with Locally Advanced Metastatic Medullary Thyroid Cancer and Induction Therapy with Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors in Slovenia.

Background: The aim of our retrospective study was to evaluate the outcome of patients with metastatic medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) treated with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) and/or chemotherapy with the emphasis on analysis on the cohort treated by induction TKI because of locally advanced metastatic MTC.

Methods: We analyzed the outcome of 30 patients (21 males, 9 females; median age 63.8 years) with metastatic MTC treated between 2000-2020.

Graves disease and metastatic hormonal-active Hürthle cell thyroid cancer: A case report.

Rationale: A hormone-active metastatic Hürthle cell thyroid carcinoma (HCTC) and Graves disease (GD) present a therapeutic challenge and is rarely reported.

Patient Concerns: We present a 64-year-old male patient, who had dyspnea and left hip pain lasting 4 months. He had clinical signs of hyperthyroidism and a tumor measuring 9 cm in diameter of the left thyroid lobe, metastatic neck lymph node and metastases in the lungs, mediastinum, and bones.

Machine learning algorithm improved automated droplet classification of ddPCR for detection of BRAF V600E in paraffin-embedded samples.

Somatic mutations in cancer driver genes can help diagnosis, prognosis and treatment decisions. Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) specimen is the main source of DNA for somatic mutation detection. To overcome constraints of DNA isolated from FFPE, we compared pyrosequencing and ddPCR analysis for absolute quantification of BRAF V600E mutation in the DNA extracted from FFPE specimens and compared the results to the qualitative detection information obtained by Sanger Sequencing.

Preoperative serum CA-125 level as a predictor for the extent of cytoreduction in patients with advanced stage epithelial ovarian cancer.

Background: Ovarian cancer is the seventh most common cancer in women worldwide and the eighth most common cause of cancer death. Due to the lack of effective early detection strategies and the unspecific onset of symptoms, it is diagnosed at an advanced stage in 75% of cases. The cancer antigen (CA) 125 is used as a prognostic marker and its level is elevated in more than 85% of women with advanced stages of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC).

Acute pain and side effects after tramadol in breast cancer patients: results of a prospective double-blind randomized study.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the severity of acute pain and side effects in breast cancer patients postoperatively treated with two regimens of tramadol with paracetamol in a prospective double-blind study. Altogether 117 breast cancer patients who had axillary lymphadenectomy were randomized into two analgesic study groups and the analgesic treatment lasted 4 weeks. Stronger analgesia group received every 8 h 75/650 mg of tramadol with paracetamol, while weaker analgesia group received every 8 h 37.

Bilateral Disease Common Among Slovenian CHEK2-Positive Breast Cancer Patients.

Background: Currently, data on pathogenic variants in the CHEK2 gene and their impact on cancer risk are lacking. This study aimed to explore the characteristics of breast cancer (BC) patients from families with CHEK2 pathogenic variants in Slovenia.

Methods: In the years 2014 to 2019, CHEK2 pathogenic variants/likely pathogenic variants (PV/LPVs) were found in probands from 50 different families who underwent genetic counseling and testing using a multigene panel at the authors' institution.

Chronic adverse effects after an axillary lymphadenectomy in breast cancer patients after administering weaker and stronger postoperative analgesia: results of a prospective double-blind randomized study.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to compare the rate of chronic adverse effects after a weaker and stronger postoperative analgesia.

Methods: A prospective double-blind randomized study included 117 breast cancer patients receiving tramadol for pain relief for 4 weeks after an axillary lymphadenectomy from 2015 to 2018. Patients with a larger dose received 75/650 mg of tramadol with paracetamol every 8 h and a group with a lower dose received 37.

Dietary iodine intake, therapy with radioiodine, and anaplastic thyroid carcinoma.

Background Anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) is one of the most aggressive tumors. The aim of the study was to determine the correlation between a higher dietary intake of iodine, frequency of ATC and the characteristics of ATC, and to find out how often patients with ATC had a history of radioiodine (RAI) therapy. Patients and methods This retrospective study included 220 patients (152 females, 68 males; mean age 68 years) with ATC who were treated in our country from 1972 to 2017.

Long term survival in 200 patients with advanced stage of colorectal carcinoma and diabetes mellitus - a single institution experience.

Background Diabetes mellitus (DM) and DM related comorbidities may initiate difficulties during cancer specific treatment and may have an impact on cancer management and outcome. The aim of our study was to find out if DM in patients with advanced colorectal carcinoma (CRC) is associated with cancer-specific or overall survival. Patients and methods This study included 200 consecutive patients (131 males, 69 females, mean age 63 years) with elective CRC surgery at the Institute of Oncology Ljubljana and DM was found in 39 (19.

Multifocality as independent prognostic factor in papillary thyroid cancer - A multivariate analysis.

Purpose: The incidence of multifocality of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) ranges from 18 to 87.5% The mechanisms of multifocal spreading, correlation with tumor size, histology variants of PTC, lymph node metastases, and prognostic impact remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to clarify the prognostic significance of multifocality on relapse and survival rates of patients with PTC by analyzing the correlation of multifocality with patient age, gender, tumor size, histological variants of PTC, presence of lymph node metastases and extent of surgery.

Locoregional disease control after external beam radiotherapy in 91 patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma and pT4 tumor stage - a single institution experience.

Background Locoregional recurrence is common in patients with locally advanced differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC). Our aim was to find out the rate of locoregional control of the disease after external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) of the neck and mediastinum in patients with DTC and pT4 tumor. Patients and methods Altogether 91 patients (47 males, 44 females, median age 61 years) with DTC had EBRT of the neck and mediastinum as part of the multimodal treatment of pT4 tumor (63 cases pT4a, 28 cases pT4b) from the year 1973 to 2015.

Pre-operative and intra-operative detection of axillary lymph node metastases in 108 patients with invasive lobular breast cancer undergoing mastectomy.

Background: Despite the recent changes in the treatment of the axilla in selected breast cancer patient, positive sentinel lymph node (SLN) in patients undergoing mastectomy still necessitates axillary lymph node dissection (ALND). In invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC), pre-operative detection of the lymph node metastasis may be demanding due to its unique morphology. The aim of this study was to examine the benefit of preoperative axillary ultrasound (AUS), ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy (US-FNAB), and intra-operative imprint cytology (IIC), in order to avoid two-stage axillary surgery in patients with ILC undergoing mastectomy.

Lymph node metastases in clinically N0 patients with papillary thyroid microcarcinomas - a single institution experience.

Purpose: To register the frequency of central and lateral lymph node metastases (LNMs) from papillary thyroid microcarcinomas (PTMCs), and to assess whether sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy of the lateral compartment is an accurate technique to select patients with true positive but clinically negative lymph nodes for one-time selective lateral neck dissection (sLND). The correlation between tumor characteristics (size, multifocality, bilaterality, capsular invasion) and LNMs was analyzed.

Methods: During a 10-year-period (2004-2013), 111 clinically N0 patients with PTMCs had total thyroidectomy, central neck dissection and SLN biopsy of the lateral neck compartment in our institution.

Functional polymorphisms in antioxidant genes in Hurthle cell thyroid neoplasm - an association of GPX1 polymorphism and recurrent Hurthle cell thyroid carcinoma.

Background: Hurthle cells of the thyroid gland are very rich in mitochondria and oxidative enzymes. As a high level oxidative metabolism may lead to higher level of oxidative stress and can be associated with an increased risk for cancer, we investigated whether common functional polymorphisms in antioxidant genes (SOD2, CAT, GPX, GSTP1, GSTM1 and GSTT1) are associated with the development or clinical course of Hurthle cell thyroid carcinoma (HCTC).

Methods: A retrospective study was performed in 139 patients treated by thyroid surgery for a Hurthle cell neoplasm.

Recurrence rate in regional lymph nodes in 737 patients with follicular or Hürthle cell neoplasms.

Background: Preoperative ultrasound (US) evaluation of central and lateral neck compartments is recommended for all patients undergoing a thyroidectomy for malignant or suspicious for malignancy cytologic or molecular findings. Our aim was to find out how frequent was recurrence in regional lymph nodes in patients with follicular or Hürthle cell neoplasm and usefulness of preoperative neck US investigation in patients with neoplasm.

Patients And Methods: Altogether 737 patients were surgically treated because of follicular or Hürthle cell neoplasms from 1995 to 2014 at our cancer comprehensive center, among them 207 patients (163 females, 44 males; mean age 52 years) had thyroid carcinoma.

Expression of miRNA and Occurrence of Distant Metastases in Patients with Hürthle Cell Carcinoma.

Background. Hürthle cell thyroid carcinoma (HCTC) is a rare type of thyroid carcinoma. In the present study, we investigated whether the expression of miRNAs of interest is associated with the occurrence of metastases in patients with HCTC.