Publications by authors named "Nirmala Rai"

Background: Ovarian cancer (OC) is a diagnostic challenge, with the majority diagnosed at late stages. Existing systematic reviews of diagnostic models either use inappropriate meta-analytic methods or do not conduct statistical comparisons of models or stratify test performance by menopausal status. Methods: We searched CENTRAL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, CDSR, DARE, Health Technology Assessment Database and SCI Science Citation Index, trials registers, conference proceedings from 1991 to June 2019.

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Background: Ovarian cancer (OC) has the highest case fatality rate of all gynaecological cancers. Diagnostic delays are caused by non-specific symptoms. Existing systematic reviews have not comprehensively covered tests in current practice, not estimated accuracy separately in pre- and postmenopausal women, or used inappropriate meta-analytic methods.

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Introduction: Ovarian cancer (OC) is associated with non-specific symptoms such as bloating, making accurate diagnosis challenging: only 1 in 3 women with OC presents through primary care referral. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines recommends sequential testing with CA125 and routine ultrasound in primary care. However, these diagnostic tests have limited sensitivity or specificity.

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Article Synopsis
  • The UK started a special testing system for suspected ovarian cancer (OC) in 2011 to help find it faster and better.
  • A study looked at data from hospitals to see if this new system helped detect more cases of OC before and after the new guidelines were in place.
  • Results showed that after the new system, more women were diagnosed quickly, but there was no improvement in the disease's stage at diagnosis, which means it didn't really help with how serious the cancer was.
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Article Synopsis
  • * This study analyzed HPV presence in 59 women with histologically confirmed VIN, finding a high infection rate of 79.6%, primarily featuring HPV types 16, 33, 6, and 42.
  • * Notably, 63% of cases were associated with HPV types 16/18, which are covered by existing HPV vaccines, and HPV-positive women tended to be younger than their HPV-negative counterparts.
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