Publications by authors named "Touria Hajri"

Article Synopsis
  • * Researchers aimed to determine the role of antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) in avelumab's effectiveness and whether variations in the FcγR3A receptor can predict patient responses.
  • * Findings confirmed the presence of FcγR3A+ natural killer (NK) cells in PD-L1-expressing GTN, and that avelumab enhances NK cell activity, further suggesting higher affinity FcγR3A variants may
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: Low grade serous ovarian carcinoma (LGSOC) accounts for 2.5% of all ovarian carcinoma more affects younger women than high grade serous ovarian carcinoma. Hysterectomy is performed routinely for LGSOC treatment, but fertility sparring surgery (FSS) is feasible for some early stages.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates outcomes and risks for women experiencing a multiple pregnancy where one fetus has a complete hydatidiform mole (a type of abnormal pregnancy) alongside a normal fetus, acknowledging the potential for serious complications and cancer transformation following birth.* -
  • From a review of 11,411 pregnancies between 2001 and 2022, only 141 represented this dual-condition, with 23% opting to terminate, while a significant portion faced complications, miscarriages, or premature delivery, indicating high risks associated with such pregnancies.* -
  • Notably, the study found that lower levels of a specific hormone (free beta human chorionic gonadotropin) in pregnant women correlated with better chances of reaching 24 weeks gestation and
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Hydatidiform moles (HMs) are divided into two types: partial hydatidiform mole (PHM) which is most often diandric monogynic triploid and complete hydatidiform mole (CHM) which is most often diploid androgenetic. Morphological features and p57 immunostaining are routinely used to distinguish both entities. Genetic analyses are required in challenging cases to determine the parental origin of the genome and ploidy.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Liver metastases of gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (GTN) are rare, but associated with poor prognosis. The additional concomitant presence of brain or intra-abdominal metastases, with liver metastases has been described as worsening factors, but the literature on this topic is reduced.

Objective: To estimate the overall mortality, specific hepatic morbidity, and mortality, and to identify prognostic factors for patients with GTN and liver metastases.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Gestational trophoblastic diseases derived from the chorionic-type intermediate trophoblast include benign placental site nodule (PSN) and malignant epithelioid trophoblastic tumor (ETT). Among PSNs, the World Health Organization classification introduced a new entity named atypical placental site nodule (APSN), corresponding to an ETT precursor, for which diagnostic criteria remain unclear, leading to a risk of overdiagnosis and difficulties in patient management. We retrospectively studied 8 PSNs, 7 APSNs, and 8 ETTs to better characterize this new entity and performed immunohistochemical analysis (p63, human placental lactogen, Cyclin E, and Ki67), transcriptional analysis using the NanoString method to quantify the expression of 760 genes involved in the main tumorigenesis pathways, and RNA sequencing to identify fusion transcripts.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The TROPHIMMUN trial aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of avelumab for women suffering from gestational trophoblastic tumors (GTT) that resisted chemotherapy, specifically focusing on a group (cohort B) who had already undergone polychemotherapy.
  • Avelumab was administered to 7 patients every two weeks, with an emphasis on normalizing a hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), but only one patient showed significant improvement, leading to treatment discontinuation.
  • The study ended early due to limited efficacy in cohort B, indicating a need for new, innovative immunotherapy approaches, as most patients still faced poor outcomes after polychemotherapy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The human placenta exhibits some characteristics similar to tumors, such as rapid growth and immune evasion, but the transition from benign to malignant conditions is not well understood.
  • A study using a 730-gene panel discovered 33 genes that differed between hydatidiform moles and postmolar choriocarcinoma, highlighting the dysregulation of the TGF-β pathway.
  • The findings suggest that the TGF-β pathway plays a significant role in placental cancer progression, and further research could explore its potential as a biomarker and treatment target.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The risk of malignant transformation of molar pregnancies after human chorionic gonadotropin levels return to normal is low, roughly 0.4%, but may justify an adaptation of monitoring strategies for certain patients.

Objective: This study aimed to determine the risk of gestational trophoblastic neoplasia after human chorionic gonadotropin normalization in women with molar pregnancy and identify risk factors for this type of malignant transformation to optimize follow-up protocols after human chorionic gonadotropin normalization.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Placental mesenchymal dysplasia (PMD) and complete hydatidiform mole (CHM) with a coexisting fetus are 2 rare placental abnormalities characterized by lacunar placenta and presence of an embryo on ultrasound examination. We report the case of a 34-yr-old woman referred at 32.6 weeks of gestation because of a multicystic placenta.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: Women with gestational trophoblastic tumors (GTT) resistant to single-agent chemotherapy receive alternative chemotherapy regimens, which, although effective, cause considerable toxicity. All GTT subtypes express programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1), and natural killer (NK) cells are involved in trophoblast immunosurveillance. Avelumab (anti-PD-L1) induces NK cell-mediated cytotoxicity.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Molar pregnancies are benign trophoblastic diseases associated with a risk of malignant transformation. If aetiology remains mostly unknown, the risk of recurrent molar pregnancy is around 1.5% after one molar pregnancy and around 25% after 2 molar pregnancies.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: Using a transcriptional approach on tissue samples, we sought to identify predictive biomarkers of post molar malignant transformation, and of choriocarcinoma chemosensitivity to mono- (methotrexate or actinomycin D) or polychemotherapy [EMA(Etoposide, Methotrexate, Actinomycin D)-CO(Cyclophosphamide, Vincristine) and EMA-EP(Etoposide, Cisplatine)] regimens.

Methods: We studied the expression of a 760-gene panel (PanCancer Pathway) related to oncogenesis and immune tolerance in tissue samples of complete hydatidiform moles and gestational choriocarcinoma.

Results: We did not identify any differentially expressed gene between moles with post molar malignant transformation in choriocarcinoma (n = 14) and moles with remission (n = 20).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: In a low-risk gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (GTN) treated with methotrexate (MTX), the modeled hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) residual concentration (hCGres), calculated with NONMEM program® (NM) during the first 50 treatment days, is a predictor of MTX-resistance risk. This model was implemented with another algorithm on https://www.biomarker-kinetics.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

p57 immunostaining is performed on hydropic products of conception to diagnose hydatidiform moles (HMs), which can progress to gestational trophoblastic neoplasia. Partial hydatidiform mole (PHM) and hydropic abortion (HA) display positive staining in stromal and cytotrophoblastic cells, whereas complete hydatidiform mole (CHM) is characterized by loss of p57 expression in both cell types. In some cases, an aberrant pattern is observed, called discordant p57 expression, with positive cytotrophoblast staining and negative stromal staining, or vice versa.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The prenatal examination of the placenta is often an afterthought to that of the fetus in ultrasonography. Not giving the placenta its due may however result in potentially serious placental pathologies remaining undiscovered, notably in the presence of anechoic zones. These latter have earned numerous names, including "placental lakes", "placental venous lakes", "placental lacunae" or "placental caverns" among others, but they have received little attention in the literature.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

NLRP7 is a maternal-effect gene that has a primary role in the oocyte. Its biallelic mutations are a major cause for recurrent diploid biparental hydatidiform moles (HMs). Here, we describe the full characterization of four HMs from a patient with a novel homozygous protein-truncating mutation in NLRP7.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: This study aimed to assess the outcome of first-line hysterectomy in patients diagnosed as having gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (GTN) whose postoperative imaging showed lung images considered as metastases.

Methods: From 1999 to 2016, patients no longer wishing to conceive, treated by their initial physician by hysterectomy, and whose postoperative imaging workup showed lung images considered as metastasis were identified in the French Trophoblastic Disease Reference Center database. We sought to identify significant predictive factors of requiring salvage chemotherapy.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: To evaluate the survival and functional outcome of patients with brain metastasis due to gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (GTN).

Methods: A 17-year retrospective study based on case review of women with brain metastasis from GTN identified by the electronic databases held in the French Reference Centre.

Primary Outcome Measure: 5-year overall survival calculated with the Kaplan-Meier method.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Low-risk gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (GTN) patients (FIGO score ≤6) are generally treated with single agent chemotherapy (methotrexate or dactinomycin) resulting in a 5-year mortality rate of 0.3%. However, despite these encouraging survival rates, chemotherapy is associated with significant adverse events in most patients.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the characteristics and outcomes of patients treated for gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (GTN) with second-line 5-day dactinomycin after failed first-line 8-day methotrexate.

Methods: From 1999 to 2017, patients with methotrexate resistant GTN treated with second line dactinomycin were identified at the French Trophoblastic Disease Reference Center. Using univariate and multivariate analysis, we identified significant predictive factors of second line dactinomycin failure.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: Recently reported expression of programmed cell death 1 ligand 1 (PD-L1) in gestational trophoblastic diseases (GTDs) suggests that the immune tolerance of pregnancy might be hijacked during neoplastic process. We assessed PD-L1 protein expression in premalignant and malignant GTD lesions and analyzed associations with disease severity and chemotherapy outcomes.

Methods: We included 83 GTD whole-tissue sections from 76 patients in different treatment settings.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: HELLP syndrome is a combination of symptoms described as hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes and low platelets, that complicates 0.01-0.6 % of pregnancies.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Up to 20% of hydatidiform moles are followed by malignant transformation in gestational trophoblastic neoplasia and require chemotherapy. Syncytin-1 is involved in human placental morphogenesis and is also expressed in various cancers. We assessed the predictive value of the expression of Syncytin-1 and its interactants in the malignant transformation process of hydatidiform moles.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Patients with 2000 FIGO low-risk gestational trophoblastic neoplasia are commonly treated with single-agent chemotherapy. Methotrexate is widely used in this indication in Europe. Analysis of relapse after treatment and identification of factors associated with relapse would help understand their potential impacts on 2000 FIGO score evolution and chemotherapy management of gestational trophoblastic neoplasia patients.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF