Tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) are a prognosis biomarker in Colombian patients with triple negative breast cancer.

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is highly immunogenic and high levels of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) have been associated with a better prognosis and higher probability to achieve pathological complete response. Here, we explore the potential role of stromal TILs level and composition as a prognostic and predictive biomarker in TNBC. 195 Tumor biospecimens from patients diagnosed with TNBC were included.

exon 1 deletion: A recurrent germline mutation in Colombian patients with pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas.

Pheochromocytomas (PCCs) and paragangliomas (PGLs) (known as PPGL in combination) are rare neuroendocrine tumors of the adrenal medulla and extra-adrenal ganglia. About 40% of the patients with PPGL have a hereditary predisposition. Here we present a case-series of 19 unrelated Colombian patients with a clinical diagnosis of PPGL tumors that underwent germline genetic testing as part of the Hereditary Cancer Program developed at the Instituto Nacional de Cancerología, Colombia (INC-C), the largest reference cancer center in the country.

hTERT Protein Expression in Cytoplasm and Nucleus and its Association With HPV Infection in Patients With Cervical Cancer.

Background: Few studies have analyzed the association between human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) protein expression (nuclear and cytoplasmic localization), hTERT methylation status, and human papillomavirus (HPV) genotype infection in cervical cancer.

Patients And Methods: One hundred seventy-three patients with cervical cancer were analyzed. hTERT protein expression was detected by immunohistochemistry.

Primary Liver Cancers: Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma and Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

The incidence of liver cancers has continued to increase over the past few decades and mortality related to liver cancer has increased by more than 2% annually since 2007. This article reviews the essential workup and treatment options necessary for general surgeons as they treat patients with primary liver cancers.

Ancestry as a potential modifier of gene expression in breast tumors from Colombian women.

Background: Hispanic/Latino populations are a genetically admixed and heterogeneous group, with variable fractions of European, Indigenous American and African ancestries. The molecular profile of breast cancer has been widely described in non-Hispanic Whites but equivalent knowledge is lacking in Hispanic/Latinas. We have previously reported that the most prevalent breast cancer intrinsic subtype in Colombian women was Luminal B as defined by St.

Pancreaticoduodenectomy in a patient with previous left ventricular assist device: a case report with specific emphasis on peri-operative logistics.

To the best of our knowledge this is the first case of this nature described in the literature. Sharing the authors experience with this case, particularly the technical challenges and post-operative management may aid other physicians facing similar scenarios. In this report, we describe a pancreaticoduodenectomy for pancreatic adenocarcinoma in a patient with a previous left ventricular assist device (LVAD).

Association Between Type-specific HPV Infections and hTERT DNA Methylation in Patients with Invasive Cervical Cancer.

Background: There exists limited information on the role of hTERT methylation, and its association with type-specific HPV infections in cervical cancer.

Materials And Methods: Eighty-seven frozen samples were analyzed for type-specific HPV infection using a GP5/GP6 PCR-RLB assay (RLB). hTERT DNA methylation analysis was performed using a newly developed PCR-RLB-hTERT.

High prevalence of luminal B breast cancer intrinsic subtype in Colombian women.

Breast cancer is the most frequent malignancy in women worldwide. Distinct intrinsic subtypes of breast cancer have different prognoses, and their relative prevalence varies significantly among ethnic groups. Little is known about the prevalence of breast cancer intrinsic subtypes and their association with clinicopathological data and genetic ancestry in Latin Americans.

Procoagulant microparticles are increased in patients with Behçet's disease but do not define a specific subset of clinical manifestations.

Microparticles (MP) are considered a key component in the haemostatic response. Beyond their in vitro procoagulant properties, a number of pieces of evidence points to procoagulant MP as efficient effectors in the haemostatic response and as pathogenic markers of thrombotic disorders and vascular damage. The aim of the present study was to analyze the procoagulant activity of MP and its correlation with clinical manifestations focusing on vascular involvement in patients with Behçet's disease (BD).

[Quality of vaginal smear for cervical cancer screening: a concordance study].

Introduction: Cervical cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in the female population in Colombia. The low impact of Papanicolaou smears in reducing cervical cancer mortality in some countries has been attributed to their low reproducibility and high rates of false negatives.

Objective: To evaluate the quality of the Papanicolaou smears in four regions of Colombia comparing the original report given by provincial cytologists or pathologists with a second report made by a team of expert pathologists from the Instituto Nacional de Cancerología of Colombia.

Emergency department thoracotomy.

Emergency department thoracotomy (EDT) is defined as a thoracotomy performed in the emergency department for patients who are in extremis. The goals of the procedure are to treat pericardial tamponade, control hemorrhage, treat systemic air embolism, perform open cardiac massage and temporarily occlude the thoracic aorta. The lack of clarity in the medical literature, the need for rapid intervention in those patients deemed appropriate for the procedure, the life and death nature of the decision, and the low but finite functional survival rates following EDT for trauma, have made the conduct of this procedure a subject of great controversy among trauma experts.

Morbidity and mortality in systemic lupus erythematosus during a 10-year period: a comparison of early and late manifestations in a cohort of 1,000 patients.

In the present study, we assessed the frequency and characteristics of the main causes of morbidity and mortality in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) during a 10-year period and compared the frequency of early manifestations with those that appeared later in the evolution of the disease. In 1990, we started a multicenter study of 1,000 patients from 7 European countries. All had medical histories documented and underwent medical interview and routine general physical examination when entered in the study, and all were followed prospectively by the same physicians during the ensuing 10 years (1990-2000).