Impact of diagnosis and surgical treatment of early stage borderline ovarian tumours on distress, anxiety, and psychosexual health.

Women diagnosed with gynecological cancer are likely to face additional consequences beyond those common to all cancer patients leading to significant physical and psychological morbidity. Longitudinal studies addressing the prevalence of psychological distress, anxiety, or psychosexual health during follow-up in patients diagnosed with borderline ovarian tumors are lacking. This study explores this prevalence compared with controls who underwent comparable surgical treatment for benign ovarian tumors.

Reproductive outcomes in women opting for fertility preservation after fertility-sparing surgery for borderline ovarian tumors.

Purpose: What are the reproductive outcomes of women who had fertility preservation (FP) using either oocyte or embryo vitrification after fertility-sparing surgery (FSS) for a borderline ovarian tumor (BOT)?

Methods: A retrospective, single-center cohort study was conducted between January 2013 and December 2021. Patients with BOT who resorted to FP by vitrifying oocytes or embryos were included. Both clinical and reproductive parameters were reviewed.

Development and validation of an UPLC-MS/MS method for the determination of irinotecan (CPT-11), SN-38 and SN-38 glucuronide in human plasma and peritoneal tumor tissue from patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis.

Irinotecan (CPT-11), an antineoplastic drug, is used for the treatment of colorectal and pancreatic cancer due to its topoisomerase I inhibitory activity. CPT-11 is a prodrug which is converted to its active metabolite SN-38 by carboxylesterases. SN-38 is further metabolized to its inactive metabolite SN-38 glucuronide.

Long-term clinical significance of benign endometrial cells identified on routine cervical cytology in women aged more or equal to 45 years.

Introduction: Within the Bethesda System, the recommendation of describing benign-appearing endometrial cells (BECs) has changed over recent years. Since the 2014 revision, their presence in cervical cytology reports has been deemed essential, beginning with age 45. Recent studies have suggested rising the reporting age to 50 years.

Determining a minimum data set for reporting clinical and radiologic data for pseudomyxoma peritonei.

Objectives: Pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP) is a rare cancer currently affecting over 11,736 patients across Europe. Since PMP is so uncommon, collaboration between scientific centers is key to discovering the mechanisms behind the disease, efficient treatments, and targets pointing to a cure. To date, no consensus has been reached on the minimum data that should be collected during PMP research studies.

External multicentre validation of pseudomyxoma peritonei PSOGI-Ki67 classification.

Background: Pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP) is a rare malignant disease. Adding of the Ki67 proliferation index to the PSOGI PMP classification provided two different subcategories of the extensive HG-PMP group (HG-PMP ≤15% and HG-PMP >15%) with different survival in a previous unicentric study. This study aims to carry out an external and multicentre validation of this new proposed classification.

Ultrasonographic appearance of the endometrium after saline infusion in women presenting with PRM-associated endometrial changes, due to the use of ulipristal acetate.

Ulipristal acetate (UPA), used for the treatment in women with symptomatic fibroids, is associated with endometrial changes visualised on ultrasound as thickening up to more than 16 mm in approximately 10% of the patients. Is saline infusion sonography (SIS) a good alternative for more invasive techniques, to evaluate the presence of intrauterine pathology? Ten patients, presenting with UPA associated endometrial changes at their follow up ultra-sonographic evaluation, were included. Our study demonstrated that SIS is feasible and painless in patients presenting with UPA associated endometrial changes.

The tumor immune microenvironment in peritoneal carcinomatosis.

One in four patients with colorectal cancer, 40% of gastric cancer patients, and 60% of ovarian cancer patients will develop peritoneal metastases (PM) in the course of their disease. The outcome of patients with widespread PM remains poor with currently available treatments. Despite the relatively common occurrence of PM, little is known on the pathophysiology that drives the peritoneal metastatic cascade.

Phase I study of intraperitoneal aerosolized nanoparticle albumin based paclitaxel (NAB-PTX) for unresectable peritoneal metastases.

Background: Pressurized intraperitoneal aerosolized chemotherapy (PIPAC) is a novel method to treat patients with peritoneal metastases (PM). We aimed to study the tolerability, safety, pharmacokinetics, and tumour response of nanoparticle albumin bound paclitaxel (NAB-PTX) during PIPAC in a Phase I study.

Methods: Eligible patients with biopsy-proven PM from ovarian, breast, gastric, hepatobiliary, or pancreatic origin underwent three PIPAC treatments using NAB-PTX with a four-week interval.

Optimization of intraperitoneal aerosolized drug delivery using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling.

Intraperitoneal (IP) aerosolized anticancer drug delivery was recently introduced in the treatment of patients with peritoneal metastases. However, little is known on the effect of treatment parameters on the spatial distribution of the aerosol droplets in the peritoneal cavity. Here, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling was used in conjunction with experimental validation in order to investigate the effect of droplet size, liquid flow rate and viscosity, and the addition of an electrostatic field on the homogeneity of IP aerosol.

Exploring high pressure nebulization of Pluronic F127 hydrogels for intraperitoneal drug delivery.

Peritoneal metastasis is an advanced cancer type which can be treated with pressurized intraperitoneal aerosol chemotherapy (PIPAC). Here, chemotherapeutics are nebulized under high pressure in the intraperitoneal (IP) cavity to obtain a better biodistribution and tumor penetration. To prevent the fast leakage of chemotherapeutics from the IP cavity, however, nebulization of controlled release formulations is of interest.

Gigantic parasitic leiomyoma of 19 kg in a postmenopausal woman: A case report and review of the literature.

Parasitic leiomyomas are a rare subtype of subserosal uterine leiomyomas and are mostly found incidentally. Diagnosis is challenging and treatment consists out of complete surgical resection. Cases are few in women without history of uterine surgery.

A rare cause of postmenopausal hyperandrogenism.

We present an unusual case of mucinous cystadenoma presenting with severe virilisation in a postmenopausal woman. A 71-year-old woman was referred to our outpatient endocrinology clinic because of rapidly progressive androgenic alopecia, clitoromegaly and male pattern pubic hair growth for 1 year. Her medical history was unremarkable.

Intraperitoneal aerosolized drug delivery: Technology, recent developments, and future outlook.

Current therapies for patients with peritoneal metastases (PM) are only moderately effective. Recently, a novel locoregional treatment method for PM was introduced, consisting of a combination of laparoscopy with intraperitoneal (IP) delivery of anticancer agents as an aerosol. This 'pressurized intraperitoneal aerosol chemotherapy' (PIPAC) may enhance tissue drug penetration by the elevated IP pressure during CO capnoperitoneum.

Electrostatic Intraperitoneal Aerosol Delivery of Nanoparticles: Proof of Concept and Preclinical Validation.

There is an increasing interest in intraperitoneal delivery of chemotherapy as an aerosol in patients with peritoneal metastasis. The currently used technology is hampered by inhomogenous drug delivery throughout the peritoneal cavity because of gravity, drag, and inertial impaction. Addition of an electrical force to aerosol particles, exerted by an electrostatic field, can improve spatial aerosol homogeneity and enhance tissue penetration.

Albumin-based cancer therapeutics for intraperitoneal drug delivery: a review.

Albumin is a remarkable carrier protein with multiple cellular receptor and ligand binding sites, which are able to bind and transport numerous endogenous and exogenous compounds. The development of albumin-bound drugs is gaining increased importance in the targeted delivery of cancer therapy. Intraperitoneal (IP) drug delivery represents an attractive strategy for the local treatment of peritoneal metastasis (PM).

The rationale of opportunistic bilateral salpingectomies (OBS) during benign gynaecological and obstetric surgery: a consensus text of the Flemish Society of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (VVOG).

Ovarian cancer (OC), is a disease difficult to diagnose in an early stage implicating a poor prognosis. The 5-year overall survival in Belgium has not changed in the last 18 years and remains 44 %. There is no effective screening method (secondary prevention) to detect ovarian cancer at an early stage.

Effect on surgical decisions: Ulipristal acetate as key player in Belgian phase IV registration trial.

Objective: To observe alterations in surgical planning that were due to the use of ulipristal acetate (UPA) 5 mg daily for symptomatic uterine fibroids.

Methods: A prospective cohort trial involving women with symptomatic fibroids was undertaken in 23 clinical practice sites within Belgium between October 1, 2014, and March 31, 2016, to compare initial surgical planning to performed surgical procedures following the use of UPA 5 mg daily for 3 months. Secondary outcomes were surgical complications, reduction in fibroids, bleeding control, and adverse effects.

Muscle oxygenation induced by cycling exercise does not accelerate recovery kinetics following exercise-induced muscle damage in humans: A randomized cross-over study.

The aim of this study was to analyze the effects of inducing muscle oxygenation using an intermittent cycling exercise on recovery kinetics after exercise-induced muscle damage. Ten soccer players performed single-leg knee flexors exercise: 75 eccentric contractions. The day after, subjects performed an intermittent cycling exercise of 12 min (15 s work - 15 s rest) or recovered passively in a balanced and randomized cross-over design.

Establishment of a rat ovarian peritoneal metastasis model to study pressurized intraperitoneal aerosol chemotherapy (PIPAC).

Background: pressurized intraperitoneal aerosol chemotherapy (PIPAC), with or without electrostatic precipitation (ePIPAC), was recently introduced in the treatment of peritoneal metastases (PM) from ovarian cancer (OC). Preliminary clinical data are promising, but several methodological issues as well the anticancer efficacy of PIPAC remain unaddressed. Here, we propose a rat ePIPAC model that allows to study these issues in a clinically relevant, reproducible, and high throughput model.

Intraperitoneal aerosolization of albumin-stabilized paclitaxel nanoparticles (Abraxane™) for peritoneal carcinomatosis - a phase I first-in-human study.

Background: Nanoparticles hold considerable promise for aerosol-based intraperitoneal delivery in patients with carcinomatosis. Recently, results from preclinical and early clinical trials suggested that albumin-bound paclitaxel (ABP, Abraxane™) may result in superior efficacy in the treatment of peritoneal metastases (PM) compared to the standard solvent-based paclitaxel formulation (Taxol™). Here, we propose a phase I study of pressurized intraperitoneal aerosol chemotherapy (PIPAC) using ABP in patients with upper Gastrointestinal, breast, or ovarian cancer.

Biology-Based Surgery: The Extent of Lymphadenectomy in Cancer of the Colon.

The progression of colon cancer (CC) involves hematogenous and lymphatic spread to locoregional lymph nodes (LN), distant LN, and metastatic sites including the liver. The biological mechanisms that govern CC progression remain elusive. The Halsted model assumes an orderly, stepwise progression from the primary tumor to nearby nodes, henceforth to anatomically more distant nodes, and ultimately to distant organs.

Perception and knowledge of early pregnancy assessment units among perinatal practitioners in Europe.

Objective: To investigate perceptions of early pregnancy assessment units (EPAUs) among perinatal practitioners working in Belgium, France, and Switzerland.

Methods: A prospective multinational survey was conducted between September 1, 2015, and May 21, 2016. Obstetricians, gynecologists, medical doctors, radiologists, and midwives were recruited during meetings, via e-mail invitations, or through the websites of regional obstetrics and gynecology scientific societies.

The impact of surgical resection of the primary tumor on the development of synchronous colorectal liver metastasis: a systematic review.

Background: In recent years different therapeutic strategies for synchronously liver metastasized colorectal cancer were described. Apart from the classical staged surgical approach, simultaneous and liver-first strategies are now commonly used. One theoretical drawback of the classical approach is, however, the stimulatory effect on liver metastases growth that may result from resection of the primary tumour.