[Cancer and infertility].

Patients with cancer are at risk of loss of gonadal function due to the cancer treatment. Chemo- and radiation therapy are known to induce gonadal failure in both men and women and especially treatment with alkylating agents and/or abdominal or testicular radiation therapy poses a high risk. Methods exist to preserve fertility and these should be discussed with and offered to the patient if necessary and possible.

Incidences of overall and site specific cancers in TNFα inhibitor treated patients with rheumatoid arthritis and other arthritides - a follow-up study from the DANBIO Registry.

Objectives: To investigate the incidence of cancer in arthritis patients treated with or without TNFα inhibitors (TNF-I).

Methods: Arthritis patients from the DANBIO database were followed-up for cancer in the Danish Cancer Registry during 2000-2008.

Results: Hazard ratio for cancer overall was 1.

Clinical response, drug survival and predictors thereof in 432 ankylosing spondylitis patients after switching tumour necrosis factor α inhibitor therapy: results from the Danish nationwide DANBIO registry.

Objective: To investigate frequencies and reasons for switching, treatment responses and drug survival in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) switching tumour-necrosis-factor-α inhibitor (TNFi) treatment in routine clinical care.

Methods: AS patients were identified in the Danish nationwide DANBIO registry. Disease activity, treatment responses (50% or 20 mm reduction in Bath AS Disease Activity Index (BASDAI)), duration and rates of drug survival and predictors thereof were studied in patients receiving ≥2 different biological drugs.

Positron emission tomography/computed tomography predictors of overall survival in stage IIIC/IV ovarian cancer.

Objective: To evaluate the role of 2-deoxy-2-(F)fluoro-D-glucose (FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) for selecting patients with extensive ovarian cancer (OC) for neoadjuvant chemotherapy by evaluating predictors of overall survival in patients with stage IIIC/IV OC.

Materials And Methods: From September 1, 2004, to November 20, 2011, 514 consecutive patients with a pelvic tumor underwent preoperative PET/CT; 179 patients had stage IIIC/IV OC. Patients' characteristics were collected from 153 patients with stage IIIC/IV OC who underwent primary surgery.

A randomized controlled dose-response pilot study of addition of hCG to recombinant FSH during controlled ovarian stimulation for in vitro fertilization.

Study Question: Is it possible to define an optimal dose of hCG in combination with rFSH from the first day of stimulation in the GnRH agonist protocol applied to IVF?

Summary Answer: Supplementation with hCG from the first day of stimulation may increase the number of top-quality embryos per patient. Daily doses of hCG up to 150 IU are compatible with good live birth rates. A ceiling level of estradiol (E(2)) was reached with hCG doses above 100 IU/day.

Clinical PET of neuroendocrine tumors using 64Cu-DOTATATE: first-in-humans study.

Unlabelled: The use of positron emitter-labeled compounds for somatostatin receptor imaging (SRI) has become attractive because of the prospect of improved spatial resolution, accelerated imaging procedures, and the ability to quantify tissue radioactivity concentrations. This paper provides results from first-in-humans use of (64)Cu-DOTATATE, an avidly binding somatostatin receptor ligand linked to a radioisotope with intermediate half-life and favorable positron energy (half-life, 12.7 h; maximum positron energy, 0.

Genome-wide profiling of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ in primary epididymal, inguinal, and brown adipocytes reveals depot-selective binding correlated with gene expression.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) is a master regulator of adipocyte differentiation and function. We and others have previously mapped PPARγ binding at a genome-wide level in murine and human adipocyte cell lines and in primary human adipocytes. However, little is known about how binding patterns of PPARγ differ between brown and white adipocytes and among different types of white adipocytes.

A prospective comparison of 18F-FDG PET/CT and CT as diagnostic tools to identify the primary tumor site in patients with extracervical carcinoma of unknown primary site.

Background: The aim of the present study was to evaluate prospectively the diagnostic value of (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography ((18)F-FDG PET/CT) and conventional CT regarding the ability to detect the primary tumor site in patients with extracervical metastases from carcinoma of unknown primary (CUP) site.

Patients And Methods: From January 2006 to December 2010, 136 newly diagnosed CUP patients with extracervical metastases underwent (18)F-FDG PET/CT. A standard of reference (SR) was established by a multidisciplinary team to ensure that the same set of criteria were used for classification of patients, that is, either as CUP patients or patients with a suggested primary tumor site.

The diagnostic and prognostic value of ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT in the initial assessment of high-grade bone and soft tissue sarcoma. A retrospective study of 89 patients.

Purpose: To evaluate the feasibility of (18)F-FDG PET/CT for initial assessment in high-grade bone sarcomas (BS) and soft tissue sarcomas (STS).

Methods: During the years 2001-2010, 89 patients (30 BS, 59 STS) referred for further evaluation and surgical treatment of a high-grade BS or STS also had a PET/CT scan performed for staging preoperatively (n = 68) or within 1 month of surgery (n = 21). Metastatic lesions suggested on the PET/CT scan were confirmed or rejected by histological evaluation, by additional imaging or by follow-up.

First trimester prenatal screening among women pregnant after IVF/ICSI.

Background: Prenatal screening and diagnosis of chromosomal abnormalities especially Down's syndrome in IVF pregnancies are complicated by higher maternal age, a high multiple pregnancy rate, a high risk of a vanishing twin and an increased risk of chromosomal abnormalities, particularly in pregnancies after ICSI. The aim of the present systematic review was to evaluate the findings of first trimester screening for chromosomal abnormalities in IVF/ICSI singleton and twin pregnancies.

Methods: A systematic MESH-term search in MEDLINE using PubMed and the Cochrane Library was performed until May 2011, with no earlier date limit.

Preoperative PET/CT in early-stage breast cancer.

Background: The aim of this study was to assess the diagnostic and therapeutic impact of preoperative positron emission tomography and computed tomography (PET/CT) in the initial staging of patients with early-stage breast cancer.

Patients And Methods: A total of 103 consecutive patients with newly diagnosed operable breast cancer with tumors ≥2 cm were independently examined preoperatively with conventional assessment (mammography, breast/axillary ultrasound, chest X-ray and blood samples) and PET/CT with no prior knowledge of the other.

Results: PET/CT identified a primary tumor in all but three patients (97%).

Reduction of direct and indirect costs in patients with AS receiving etanercept: results from an open-label 36-week extension of the ASCEND study in four European countries.

Objective: To characterize the impact of etanercept (ETN) in AS on cost, work productivity and quality of life (QoL).

Methods: A Phase 4, open-label, multi-centre (UK, Scandinavia) extension study in AS. Eligible subjects (n = 84) were treated for 36-52 weeks with ETN 50 mg s.

Positron emission tomography/computed tomography surveillance in patients with Hodgkin lymphoma in first remission has a low positive predictive value and high costs.

Background: The value of performing post-therapy routine surveillance imaging in patients with Hodgkin lymphoma is controversial. This study evaluates the utility of positron emission tomography/computed tomography using 2-[18F]fluoro-2-deoxyglucose for this purpose and in situations with suspected lymphoma relapse.

Design And Methods: We conducted a multicenter retrospective study.

Effect of the TNF-α inhibitor adalimumab in patients with recalcitrant sarcoidosis: a prospective observational study using FDG-PET.

Background: Tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) plays a crucial role in sarcoidosis. In severe disease, treatment with TNF-α inhibitors may be effective.

Objectives: Changes in sarcoid disease activity were assessed by fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) in patients with recalcitrant sarcoidosis treated with adalimumab.

Radiographic progression is associated with resolution of systemic inflammation in patients with axial spondylarthritis treated with tumor necrosis factor α inhibitors: a study of radiographic progression, inflammation on magnetic resonance imaging, and circulating biomarkers of inflammation, angiogenesis, and cartilage and bone turnover.

Objective: To investigate the relationship of circulating biomarkers of inflammation (C-reactive protein [CRP], interleukin-6 [IL-6], and YKL-40), angiogenesis (vascular endothelial growth factor), cartilage turnover (C-terminal crosslinking telopeptide of type II collagen [CTX-II], total aggrecan, matrix metalloproteinase 3 [MMP-3], and cartilage oligomeric matrix protein [COMP]), and bone turnover (CTX-I and osteocalcin) to inflammation on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and radiographic progression in patients with axial spondylarthritis (SpA) beginning tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) inhibitor therapy.

Methods: MRIs were evaluated according to the Berlin sacroiliac (SI) joint and spine inflammation scoring method at baseline, week 22, and week 46. Radiographs were evaluated using the modified Stoke Ankylosing Spondylitis Spine Score at baseline and week 46.

FDG-PET/CT for detection of the unknown primary head and neck tumor.

The benefit of FDG-PET in addition to standard work-up for carcinoma of unknown primary (CUP) and metastatic neck lesions has been widely described. However, most studies have been of retrospective nature with large heterogeneities in terms of workup standards and patient selection leaving several questions to be answered regarding the real value of PET in CUP. We here present an overview of the literature with focus on the current evidence of FDG-PET in detecting a primary in CUP and discuss the rationale of PET/CT in the diagnostic armamentarium of CUP.

Positron emission tomography/computed tomography in the staging and treatment of anal cancer.

Purpose: This study was intended to determine the role of PET/CT in the staging of anal cancer as a supplement to three-dimensional transanal ultrasound (TAUS) and inguinal ultrasound (US). The impact of the PET/CT on the initial stage and treatment plan proposed by TAUS/US was assessed.

Methods And Materials: Ninety-five (95) patients referred to our clinic between July 1, 2005, and December 31, 2009, were retrospectively reviewed.

Low-dose total skin electron beam therapy as a debulking agent for cutaneous T-cell lymphoma: an open-label prospective phase II study.

Background: Total skin electron beam therapy (TSEBT) is a powerful treatment for cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL). Based on the occurrence of relapses with low radiation doses, doses of 30-36Gy are commonly used but most patients still eventually relapse and repeat treatment courses are limited due to the cumulative toxicity. Complete response (CR) rates are about 60-90% for T2-4 stages with a 5-year relapse-free survival of 10-25% for stages IB-III.

Fever of unknown origin: a retrospective study of 52 cases with evaluation of the diagnostic utility of FDG-PET/CT.

Objectives: Fever of unknown origin (FUO) is dynamic in its origin and will be an ongoing challenge to the clinician because of shifting disease epidemiology. Here we present a series of patients with classical FUO admitted to an infectious diseases department during a 5-y period, with an emphasis on the diagnostic utility of ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) in present-day cases of FUO.

Methods: Patient records were reviewed retrospectively.

Anal Cancer debuting as Cancer of Unknown Primary.

Anal cancer usually presents with a visible or palpable tumour. In this case we describe a 54-year old man diagnosed with Cancer of Unknown Primary (CUP) with a single inguinal node as the only finding. Thorough examination failed to identify any primary tumour.

Prenatal diagnostics in TESA/PESA pregnancies in Denmark 1995-2007: a shift from invasive procedures to nuchal translucency examination.

Evidently, children born after intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) are at an increased risk of having sex chromosomal abnormalities. Here we evaluate the change in methods used for prenatal diagnostics in patients having ICSI with epididymal or testicular sperm from the introduction of the procedure in 1995 until December 2007. Four hundred and fifty pregnancies resulted in the birth of 553 children.

ASDAS, BASDAI and different treatment responses and their relation to biomarkers of inflammation, cartilage and bone turnover in patients with axial spondyloarthritis treated with TNFα inhibitors.

Objectives: To investigate the relation between ankylosing spondylitis disease activity score (ASDAS), Bath ankylosing spondylitis disease activity index (BASDAI) and treatment response and biomarkers of inflammation (C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), YKL-40), angiogenesis (vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)), cartilage (C-terminal crosslinking telopeptide of type II collagen (CTX-II), matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3), total aggrecan, cartilage oligomeric matrix protein) and bone (C-terminal crosslinking telopeptide of type I collagen, osteocalcin) turnover in 60 patients with axial spondyloarthritis initiating tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) inhibitor therapy.

Methods: ASDAS (CRP-based), BASDAI and biomarkers were determined before and seven times during 46 weeks of TNFα inhibitor therapy.

Results: Very high ASDAS were associated with high levels of inflammatory biomarkers, while high BASDAI were not related to any biomarkers.

Extensive chromatin remodelling and establishment of transcription factor 'hotspots' during early adipogenesis.

Adipogenesis is tightly controlled by a complex network of transcription factors acting at different stages of differentiation. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) and CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein (C/EBP) family members are key regulators of this process. We have employed DNase I hypersensitive site analysis to investigate the genome-wide changes in chromatin structure that accompany the binding of adipogenic transcription factors.

18F-FDG PET/CT as a diagnostic tool in patients with extracervical carcinoma of unknown primary site: a literature review.

Background: Carcinoma of unknown primary (CUP) represents a heterogeneous group of metastatic malignancies for which no primary tumor site can be identified after extensive diagnostic workup. Failure to identify the primary site may negatively influence patient management. The aim of this review was to evaluate (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography ((18)F-FDG PET/CT) as a diagnostic tool in patients with extracervical CUP.