Publications by authors named "Maass N"

Ovarian cancer remains the most lethal gynecological malignancy. Despite the approval of promising targeted therapy such as bevacizumab and PARP inhibitors, 5-year survival has not improved significantly. Thus, there is an urgent need for new therapeutics.

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Article Synopsis
  • Ovarian cancer often leads to muscle loss, malnutrition, and fatigue, adversely affecting patients' quality of life, especially during first-line chemotherapy.
  • A new study aims to assess an app-based exercise and nutrition program's effectiveness over six months compared to standard care, with physical performance measured by the 6-Minute Walk Test as the main focus.
  • The study will involve a multicenter trial with a minimum of 182 participants, all diagnosed with advanced ovarian cancer, and assess various health and nutrition indicators alongside physical performance improvements.
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Acquired or de novo resistance to poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors (PARPi) is a major challenge to ovarian cancer treatment. Therefore, strategies to overcome PARPi resistance are critical to improve prognosis. The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether inhibition of ADAM17 sensitizes ovarian cancer to treatment with olaparib, a PARPi, thereby bypassing resistance mechanisms and improving treatment response.

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In vitro, spheroid models have become well established in cancer research because they can better mimic certain characteristics of in vivo tumours. However, interaction with the tumour microenvironment, such as cancer-associated fibroblasts, plays a key role in tumour progression. We initially focused on the interaction of tumour cells with fibroblasts.

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Purpose: CDK4/6 inhibitors (CDK4/6i) represent the first-line therapy approach of choice for patients with hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer (HR + /HER-ABC). Approximately 50% of HR + /HER2-ABC displays low HER2 expression (HER2 low). Recent data emerging from the DESTINY-Breast04 trial demonstrated practice-changing efficacy of the antibody-drug conjugate trastuzumab deruxtecan (T-DXd) in patients with low HER2 expression.

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Background: Inguinofemoral lymphoceles are a common postoperative complication after inguinofemoral lymphadenectomy (LNE) and a challenge for patients as well as physicians. We report here our preliminary experience in the surgical management of a recurrent lymphocele using indocyanine green (ICG) detection, followed by robotic-assisted closure of the lymphatic leaks.

Objectives: The aim of this article is to illustrate the surgical steps of ICG-assisted detection of inguinal lymphatic leaks and their surgical treatment by means of robot-assisted suturing.

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Introduction: Cervical cancer represents one of the main causes of female, cancer-related mortality worldwide. The majority of cancers are caused by human papillomaviruses such as HPV16 and HPV18. As chemotherapeutic resistance to first-line platinum treatment is still a predominant clinical challenge in advanced cervical cancer, novel treatment options including combinatorial therapies are urgently required to overcome chemotherapeutic resistance.

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Background: The monarchE and NATALEE trials demonstrated the benefit of CDK4/6 inhibitor (CDK4/6i) therapy in adjuvant breast cancer (BC) treatment. Patient selection, based on clinical characteristics, delineated those at high (monarchE) and high/intermediate recurrence risk (NATALEE). This study employed a historical patient cohort to describe the proportion and prognosis of patients eligible for adjuvant CDK4/6i trials.

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Examinations of ovarian cancer cells require the ability to identify tumor cells. Array-based comparative genome hybridization (aCGH) on 30 ovarian carcinomas (OC) identified three genomic loci (8q24.23; 17p12; 18q22.

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The Breast Committee of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Gynäkologische Onkologie (German Gynecological Oncology Group, AGO) presents the 2024 update of the evidence-based recommendations for the diagnosis and treatment of patients with locally advanced and metastatic breast cancer.

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Introduction: Each year the interdisciplinary AGO (Arbeitsgemeinschaft Gynäkologische Onkologie, German Gynecological Oncology Group) Breast Committee on Diagnosis and Treatment of Breast Cancer provides updated state-of-the-art recommendations for early and metastatic breast cancer.

Methods: The updated evidence-based treatment recommendations for early and metastatic breast cancer have been released in March 2024.

Results And Conclusion: This paper concisely captures the updated recommendations for early breast cancer chapter by chapter.

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Objective: To investigate changes in surgical procedures and patient outcomes of patients diagnosed with endometrial cancer (EC) at a German university hospital between 1998 and 2014.

Methods: A monocentric, retrospective review was conducted to identify patients diagnosed and treated with EC during the aforementioned period at the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics at the University Hospital Kiel, Germany.

Results: 303 patients were identified.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to compare the sociodemographic and psychological traits of medical students interested in surgical training versus those preferring non-surgical specialties.
  • A survey conducted among 116 medical students revealed that those interested in surgery had higher self-efficacy and resilience, but reported lower stress levels.
  • Despite these psychological differences, there were no significant variations in surgical performance between the two groups during laparoscopic exercises.
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Background: The selection and allocation of surgeons with a greater potential for high surgical performance are essential aspects of improving the quality, safety, and effectiveness of surgical procedures. Objective of this trial was to determine the existence of basic skills and traits that would predict better performance in surgery, and those predictive factors that constitute a driving force in different stages of training.

Materials And Methods: The randomized crossover training trial took place from January 2021 to December 2021 and was conducted at an educational training center for minimally invasive surgery.

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Article Synopsis
  • The text discusses a necessary correction to a previously published article identified by the DOI 10.1055/a-2238-3153.
  • It highlights the importance of accuracy in scientific publications and the impact of corrections on the integrity of research.
  • This rectification ensures that readers and researchers rely on correct information when referencing the work.
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Introduction: The management of a pregnancy in a bicornuate uterus is particularly challenging. A bicornuate uterus is a rare occurrence and a twin pregnancy in a bicornuate uterus even more rare. These pregnancies call for intensive diagnostic investigation and interdisciplinary care.

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Introduction: Adjuvant treatment of patients with early-stage breast cancer (BC) should include an aromatase inhibitor (AI). Especially patients with a high recurrence risk might benefit from an upfront therapy with an AI for a minimum of five years. Nevertheless, not much is known about the patient selection for this population in clinical practice.

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: The acquisition of practical skills at medical school is an important part of the multidimensional education program of future physicians. However, medical schools throughout the world have been slow in incorporating practical skills in their curriculum. Therefore, the aims of the present prospective study were (a) to demonstrate the feasibility of such surgical training, (b) to objectify its benefit in medical education, and (c) to investigate the impact of such training on subsequent career choices.

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Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) in gynecology was introduced to achieve the same surgical objectives as traditional open surgery while minimizing trauma to surrounding tissues, reducing pain, accelerating recovery, and improving overall patient outcomes. Minimally invasive approaches, such as laparoscopic and robotic-assisted surgeries, have become the standard for many gynecological procedures. In this review, we aim to summarize the advantages and main limitations to a broader adoption of robotic-assisted surgery compared to laparoscopic surgeries in gynecology.

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Embryo implantation is one of the most remarkable phenomena in human reproduction and is not yet fully understood. Proper endometrial function as well as a dynamic interaction between the endometrium itself and the blastocyst-the so-called embryo-maternal dialog-are necessary for successful implantation. Several physiological and molecular processes are involved in the success of implantation.

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Ovarian cancer (OC) cells with homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) accumulate genomic scars (LST, TAI, and LOH) over a value of 42 in sum. PARP inhibitors can treat OC with HRD. The detection of HRD can be done directly by imaging these genomic scars, or indirectly by detecting mutations in the genes involved in HR.

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The Breast Committee of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Gynäkologische Onkologie (German Gynecological Oncology Group, AGO) presents the 2023 update of the evidence-based recommendations for the diagnosis and treatment of patients with locally advanced and metastatic breast cancer (mBC).

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Background: Each year the interdisciplinary Arbeitsgemeinschaft Gynäkologische Onkologie (AGO), German Gynecological Oncology Group Breast Committee on Diagnosis and Treatment of Breast Cancer provides updated state-of-the-art recommendations for early and metastatic breast cancer.

Summary: The updated evidence-based treatment recommendation for early and metastatic breast cancer has been released in March 2023.

Key Messages: This paper concisely captures the updated recommendations for early breast cancer chapter by chapter.

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Article Synopsis
  • Surgeons and medical students face challenges in adapting to advanced surgical techniques, prompting a need for better recruitment and training selection methods.
  • A study analyzed data from training courses and psychomotor tests, identifying key factors that correlate with surgical performance, including experience and spatial visualization skills.
  • Findings revealed that younger age and higher surgical experiences positively influence performance, suggesting that personal characteristics play a crucial role in surgical learning and proficiency.
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Ovarian cancer (OvCa) is the gynaecological disorder with the poorest prognosis due to the fast development of chemoresistance. We sought to connect chemoresistance and cancer cell-derived extracellular vesicles (EV). The mechanisms of how chemoresistance is sustained by EV remained elusive.

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