Potential impact of nonavalent HPV vaccine in the prevention of high-grade cervical lesions and cervical cancer in Portugal.

Objective: To estimate the potential impact of the nonavalent HPV vaccine for high-grade cervical lesions and invasive cervical cancer (ICC) in Portugal.

Methods: The present secondary analysis used data collected in the CLEOPATRE II study on the prevalence of HPV 6/11/16/18/31/33/45/52/58 among female patients aged 20-88 years. The prevalence of HPV types in patients with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) grades 2/3 and ICC was examined.

Once-daily dolutegravir versus darunavir plus ritonavir for treatment-naive adults with HIV-1 infection (FLAMINGO): 96 week results from a randomised, open-label, phase 3b study.

Background: The primary analysis of the FLAMINGO study at 48 weeks showed that patients taking dolutegravir once daily had a significantly higher virological response rate than did those taking ritonavir-boosted darunavir once daily, with similar tolerability. We present secondary efficacy and safety results analysed at 96 weeks.

Methods: FLAMINGO was a multicentre, open-label, phase 3b, non-inferiority study of HIV-1-infected treatment-naive adults.

Hematogenic Dissemination of Triple-negative Versus Hormonal Receptor-positive Breast Cancer Cells.

The aim of this study was to characterize the hematogeneous spread, in vivo, of breast cancer (BC) cell lines that express hormonal receptors (HR) comparing with triple-negative (TN) BC, particularly considering the lung and liver. Female Balb/c nu nu mice (n=30) were injected with two breast cancer cell lines (MCF7 and HCC1806). Nuclear medicine imaging with Technetium ((99m)Tc)-hydroxymethylene diphosphonate ((99m)Tc-HMDP) and (99m)Tc-Hexakis 2-methoxy-2-methylpropylisonitrile (MIBI) were performed between the 7th and 8th weeks after injection.

Once-daily dolutegravir is superior to once-daily darunavir/ritonavir in treatment-naïve HIV-1-positive individuals: 96 week results from FLAMINGO.

Introduction: Dolutegravir (DTG) 50 mg once daily was superior to darunavir/ritonavir (DRV/r) 800 mg/100 mg once daily through Week 48, with 90% vs. 83% of participants achieving HIV RNA 50 c/mL (p=0.025) [1].

Human papillomavirus type distribution in cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2/3 and cervical cancer in Portugal: a CLEOPATRE II Study.

Objective: Cervical cancer is the third most frequent cancer in women, worldwide and etiologically associated with infection by human papillomavirus (HPV). Following the results of the first epidemiologic population-based CLEOPATRE study in Portugal, it was important to understand the HPV type-specific distribution in women with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) grades 2 and 3 and invasive cervical cancer (ICC).

Methods: This was an observational, multicenter, cross-sectional study with retrospective data collection.

Risk factors for human papillomavirus infection among women in Portugal: the CLEOPATRE Portugal Study.

Objective: To investigate demographic, socioeconomic, lifestyle, and medical factors that might predispose women to cervical human papillomavirus (HPV) infection.

Method: A cross-sectional population-based study was performed. Women aged 18-64 years who attended selected obstetrics and gynecology or sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinics in mainland Portugal between February 2008 and March 2009 were recruited, according to an age-stratified sampling strategy.

Microdialysis: improving local chemotherapy in cancer using a mathematical model.

Although intratumoral chemotherapy administration has been evaluated in the past, its results have not been frequently comparable to those from systemic administration. We recently described microdialysis as a method for local chemotherapy administration with increasing effectiveness while reducing systemic toxicity. We present a mathematical model which supports the successful application of this procedure in optimizing the administered drug in different cases, using informatics tools and considering several parameters.

Prevalence of human papillomavirus infection in women in Portugal: the CLEOPATRE Portugal study.

Objective: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is responsible for a range of diseases, including cervical cancer. The primary objectives of the CLEOPATRE Portugal study were to estimate the overall and age-stratified prevalence of cervical HPV infection and to assess HPV prevalence and type-specific distribution by cytological results among women aged 18 to 64 years, who reside in mainland Portugal.

Materials And Methods: This cross-sectional population-based study recruited women aged 18 to 64 years, according to an age-stratified sampling strategy, who attended gynecology/obstetrics or sexually transmitted disease clinics across the 5 regional health administrations in mainland Portugal between 2008 and 2009.

Influence of normal mammary epithelium on breast cancer progression: the protective role of early pregnancy.

Aims And Background: The microenvironment has a well recognized role in breast cancer progression. Despite different theories, the mechanism of early pregnancy protection in mammary carcinogenesis is unknown. Since pregnancy is responsible for mammary gland differentiation, we tested the hypothesis that differentiated mammary epithelial cells may inhibit breast cancer progression.

Epoetin alfa improves anemia and anemia-related, patient-reported outcomes in patients with breast cancer receiving myelotoxic chemotherapy: results of a European, multicenter, randomized, controlled trial.

Purpose: To evaluate the effects of epoetin alfa on patient-reported outcomes (PROs) in patients with breast cancer receiving myelotoxic chemotherapy.

Materials And Methods: Women with hemoglobin concentrations ≤ 12.0 g/dl and an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (ECOG PS) score of 0-3 were randomized 1:1 to receive epoetin alfa (10,000 IU 3 times weekly) or best standard care (BSC) during chemotherapy.

Sequential adjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy in endometrial cancer--results from two randomised studies.

Introduction: Endometrial cancer patients with high grade tumours, deep myometrial invasion or advanced stage disease have a poor prognosis. Randomised studies have demonstrated the prevention of loco-regional relapses with radiotherapy (RT) with no effect on overall survival (OS). The possible additive effect of chemotherapy (CT) remains unclear.

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy in advanced vulvar cancer.

Introduction: Locally advanced tumors of the vulva represent approximately one third of all vulvar cancers. Therapeutic options include chemoradiation, radiotherapy, and neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT).

Materials And Methods: Analysis of 3 NACT schemes, bleomicine, paclitaxel, and 5-fluorouracil/cisplatin, used in patients with locally advanced vulvar tumors in a 12-year period.

[Bibliometry of cancer in Portugal: 1997 to 2006].

Introduction: the scientific production of Portuguese institutions in the specific field Oncology during a 10 year period (1997-2006) was evaluated. The contribution of national authors to the international scientific production was verified. This enabled to assess and quantify the importance of authors, departments, institutions and scientific investigations.

Endometrial polyps in postmenopausal women.

The malignancy risk of endometrial polyps in postmenopausal women was correlated with the presence or absence of abnormal uterine bleeding. Of 481 postmenopausal women who presented with endometrial polyps at diagnostic hysteroscopy between 2004 and 2007, 48.9% were asymptomatic and 51.

[Breast pathology: evaluation of the Portuguese scientific activity based on bibliometric indicators].

Introduction And Objectives: The bibliometric analysis of the Portuguese scientific production in the field of breast pathology since 1995 to date (July 2005) provides an overview on the developed scientific activity on this subject and allows the characterisation of some relevant features as well as its evolution along the studied period.

Material And Methods: Documents collected, reflecting the national scientific production in the field of breast pathology between 1995 and July 2005 in 3 databases, Medline (with search interface PubMed), Science Citation Index and Index of the Portuguese medical journals were studied. We applied quantitative and qualitative bibliometric indicators to the found number of articles and the journals where they were published.

Molecular detection of EGFRvIII-positive cells in the peripheral blood of breast cancer patients.

The aim of this study is to evaluate epidermal growth factor receptor variant III, EGFRvIII, a cancer specific mutant, as a possible marker for the diagnosis of breast cancer occult systemic disease. EGFRvIII mRNA was identified by an RT-nested PCR with a high sensitivity. In 102 women studied, the mutant was detected in the peripheral blood of 30% of 33 low risk, early stage patients, in 56% of 18 patients selected for neoadjuvant chemotherapy, in 63.

[Drawbacks of ovarian ablation with goserelin in women with breast cancer].

In the last few years, ovarian ablation with GnRH agonists has been used as first-line adjuvant therapy in pre and perimenopausal breast cancer. These drugs suppress ovarian function in the hypothalamic-pituitary axis and they have adverse effects in other end-organs. A retrospective study was conducted on 35 premenopausal women, with breast cancer, and treated with goserelin, in order to investigate the effects of iatrogenic estrogen suppression.

Analysis of the protease sequences of HIV-1 infected individuals after Indinavir monotherapy.

Background: Protease inhibitors (PI) are an important HIV-1 treatment tool. The HIV-1 genetic diversity as a result of antiretroviral exposure is a potential barrier to successful antiretroviral therapy.

Objectives: To describe the impact of the selective pressure of the PI Indinavir in the protease region of the pol gene of HIV-1.

Use of the sensitive/less-sensitive (detuned) EIA strategy for targeting genetic analysis of HIV-1 to recently infected blood donors.

Objective: To corroborate the validity of the recently developed sensitive/less sensitive (S/LS) dual enzyme immunoassay (EIA) strategy for the detection of recently infected individuals and to genetically analyze recently transmitted strains of HIV-1 in a US blood donor population.

Design: The S/LS EIA strategy was used to identify 33 recently infected subjects among 281 enrolled HIV-1 seropositive blood donors (from a total of 410 HIV-1 infected subjects identified from 5 230 463 blood donations screened by participating US blood centers in 1995-1996).

Methods: We analysed three host response and viral characteristics were associated with recent HIV-1 infection: rapidly increasing EIA optical density (OD) values, genetically homogeneous env gene quasispecies, and putative non-syncytium inducing env V3 loop sequences.