A pragmatic non-invasive assessment of liver fibrosis in patients with psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis or Crohn's disease receiving methotrexate therapy.

Background And Aims: The reported hepatotoxicity of methotrexate underlines the need for a repeated non-invasive and reliable evaluation of liver fibrosis. We estimated, using a non-invasive strategy, the prevalence of significant liver fibrosis in patients treated by methotrexate and the predictors of significant fibrosis (fibrosis≥F2).

Methods: Fibrosis was prospectively evaluated using 9 non-invasive tests in consecutive patients with psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, or Crohn's disease.

Common peroneal nerve palsy following TNF-based isolated limb perfusion for irresectable extremity desmoid tumor.

Hyperthermic isolated limb perfusion (ILP) (2 mg, TNF-alpha and 100mg, melphalan) was performed for an irresectable right thigh desmoid tumor with calf extension in a 49-year-old man. The patient had a history of four resections since the age of 19 years. Local ILP toxicity appeared with extensive edema and common peroneal neurologic impairment including paresis that remained severe 10 months later.

Sarcomas and malignant phyllodes tumours of the breast--a retrospective study.

Background: Although most breast cancers are adenocarcinomas of the mammary gland, primary breast sarcomas may also arise from mammary gland mesenchymal tissue. The annual incidence of primary breast sarcoma is low and has been estimated at 45 new cases per 10 million women. These tumours are at high risk of recurrence and are known to have poor prognosis.

[Neoadjuvant chemotherapy and ovarian cancer].

Primary surgical cytoreduction followed by chemotherapy usually is the preferred management of advanced (stage III or IV) ovarian cancer. The presence of residual disease after surgery is one of the most important adverse prognostic factors for survival. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy has been proposed as an alternative approach to conventional surgery as initial management of bulky ovarian cancer, with the goal of improving surgical quality.