Effect of receiving a customizable brochure on breast cancer patients' knowledge about their diagnosis and treatment: A randomized clinical trial.

Background: Patients' lack of knowledge about their own disease may function as a barrier to shared decision-making and well-being. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of written educational materials on breast cancer patients.

Methods: This multicenter, parallel, unblinded, randomized trial included Latin American women aged ≥18 years with a recent breast cancer diagnosis yet to start systemic therapy.

A Network Meta-Analysis on the Surgical Management of Thoracolumbar Burst Fractures: Anterior, Posterior, and Combined.

Background: Thoracolumbar burst fractures (BFs) are traumatic lesions instigated by compression forces. Canal compression and compromise may lead to neurological deficits. Optimal surgical management is yet to be fully defined since various approaches such as anterior, posterior, or combined exist.

Prevalence and clinical characteristics of neurotrophic keratopathy in hispanic population in northeastern Mexico.

Purpose: To evaluate the prevalence and clinical characteristics of neurotrophic keratopathy (NK) in northeastern Mexico.

Methods: Retrospective cross-sectional study in which NK patients admitted to our ophthalmology clinic between 2015 and 2021 were consecutively enrolled. Data regarding demographics, clinical characteristics, and comorbidities were collected at the time diagnosis of NK was made.

Interrupting Endocrine Therapy to Attempt Pregnancy after Breast Cancer.

Background: Prospective data on the risk of recurrence among women with hormone receptor-positive early breast cancer who temporarily discontinue endocrine therapy to attempt pregnancy are lacking.

Methods: We conducted a single-group trial in which we evaluated the temporary interruption of adjuvant endocrine therapy to attempt pregnancy in young women with previous breast cancer. Eligible women were 42 years of age or younger; had had stage I, II, or III disease; had received adjuvant endocrine therapy for 18 to 30 months; and desired pregnancy.

Gastroparesis: an evidence-based review for the bariatric and foregut surgeon.

Gastroparesis is a gastric motility disorder characterized by delayed gastric emptying. It is a rare disease and difficult to treat effectively; management is a dilemma for gastroenterologists and surgeons alike. We conducted a systematic review of the literature to evaluate current diagnostic tools as well as treatment options.

Drilling accuracy evaluation of a mouldable surgical targeting system for minimally invasive access to anatomic targets in the temporal bone.

Purpose: Minimally invasive cochlear implant surgery using a micro-stereotactic surgical targeting system with on-site moulding of the template aims for a reliable, less experience-dependent access to the inner ear under maximal reduction of trauma to anatomic structures. We present an accuracy evaluation of our system in ex-vivo testing.

Methods: Eleven drilling experiments were performed on four cadaveric temporal bone specimens.

Risk Factors, Clinical Presentation, Therapeutic Trends, and Outcomes in Arterial Thrombosis Complicating Unvaccinated COVID-19 Patients: A Systematic Review.

Data on characteristics and outcomes of coronavirus (COVID)-19 patients complicated with arterial thrombosis (AT) are scarce. Therefore, we carried out a systematic review (PRISMA, PROSPERO statements; PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science) to identify risk factors, clinical presentation, treatment, and outcomes. We included publications from December 2019 to October 2020.

A nationwide pilot study on breast cancer screening in Peru.

Introduction: A high prevalence of advanced breast cancer (BC) is a common scenario in Latin America. In Peru, the frequency of BC at Stages III/IV is ≈50% despite implementation of a programme for breast cancer screening (BCS) along the country. We carried out a study to assess the feasibility and develop an instrument to evaluate the knowledge, barriers and perception about BCS in a nationwide pilot study in Peru among candidates for BCS.

Barriers and facilitators to provide multidisciplinary care for breast cancer patients in five Latin American countries: A descriptive-interpretative qualitative study.

Background: Multidisciplinary care (MDC) remains a cornerstone for breast cancer management as it is associated with improved quality of care and patient outcomes. However, the adoption of MDC practice is heterogeneous and has been poorly explored in Latin America. The objective was to describe barriers and possible facilitators for providing MDC to breast cancer patients in five Latin American countries.

[Unmet needs in caregivers of patients with breast cancer: dyadic perception].

Objective: To analyze the unmet needs of informal caregivers of women with breast cancer (CaMa) from a dyadic perspective.

Method: An exploratory, cross-sectional and qualitative study was carried out through in-depth interviews, completed in the Department of Breast Tumors of the National Cancer Institute of Mexico. Three dyads (informal primary caregivers and patients, respectively) were included.

Targeting the mitochondrial Ca uniporter complex in cardiovascular disease.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), the leading cause of death worldwide, share in common mitochondrial dysfunction, in specific a dysregulation of Ca uptake dynamics through the mitochondrial Ca uniporter (MCU) complex. In particular, Ca uptake regulates the mitochondrial ATP production, mitochondrial dynamics, oxidative stress, and cell death. Therefore, modulating the activity of the MCU complex to regulate Ca uptake, has been suggested as a potential therapeutic approach for the treatment of CVDs.

Current Scenario of Clinical Cancer Research in Latin America and the Caribbean.

In Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), progress has been made in some national and regional cancer control initiatives, which have proved useful in reducing diagnostic and treatment initiation delays. However, there are still significant gaps, including a lack of oncology clinical trials. In this article, we will introduce the current status of the region's clinical research in cancer, with a special focus on academic cancer research groups and investigator-initiated research (IIR) initiatives.

Timely Surgery in Intermittent Exotropia.

Introduction: Surgical treatment of intermittent exotropia is indicated when periods of monocular deviation become longer or control over deviation deteriorates. However, there is no consensus on the ideal age to perform surgery in patients with intermittent exotropia.

Purpose: To evaluate ocular alignment and sensory results at 12 months of follow-up, in patients who received surgical treatment for intermittent exotropia at ≤4 years or >4 years.

Characterization of triple negative breast cancer gene expression profiles in Mexican patients.

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive type of cancer that accounts for ~23% of breast tumors in Mexico. In an attempt to understand in an improved way the behavior of TNBC, throughout the years, gene expression in these tumors has been studied. Lehman identified 6 subtypes of gene expression in TNBC with distinct characteristics.

and () Downregulation by Neoadjuvant Therapy is Associated with Better Therapeutic Outcomes and Survival in Breast Cancer.

Purpose: To evaluate whether changes in genomic expression that occur beginning with breast cancer (BC) diagnosis and through to tumor resection after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NCT) reveal biomarkers that can help predict therapeutic response and survival.

Materials And Methods: We determined gene expression profiles based on microarrays in tumor samples from 39 BC patients who showed pathologic complete response (pCR) or therapeutic failure (non-pCR) after NCT (cyclophosphamide-doxorubicin/epirubicin). Based on unsupervised clustering of gene expression, together with functional enrichment analyses of differentially expressed genes, we selected , , , and .

A practical access for fluoroscopically-guided percutaneous sacroplasty: Case report.

Background: Sacral metastases represent the lowest percentage of invasion to the spine, however, as chemotherapy treatments progress, the cancer survival rate has become higher, and the percentage of sacral metastases has increased. Treatment options for sacrum metastases are surgery, radiotherapy, and minimally invasive techniques such as sacroplasty and radiofrequency ablation. Knowing the repercussions that advancing the needle anteriorly (viscera) or medially (sacral roots) can have during the sacroplasty we are describing a technique to perform c-arm sacroplasty in coaxial vision, to identify the anterior sacral cortical bone that is in the limits of the pelvic viscera as well as the sacral foraminal line.

Status of breast cancer in Latin American: Results of the breast cancer revealed initiative.

The Breast Cancer Revealed initiative was designed and conducted to know the status of breast cancer at each point of breast cancer care, through i) prevention, ii) detection, iii) diagnosis, iv) treatment, and iv) the capacity of our health systems. The expert panel from 11 Latin American countries identified several strategies and proposed high impact priorities, including implementation of prevention policies, improve primary healthcare capacity for breast cancer screening, have adequate infrastructure to make effective and timely diagnoses, have a multidisciplinary team in the treatment process, access to a variety of treatments for all types of patients, have a coordinated and articulated system from primary care to specialized hospital. In a region with limited resources, prioritization in high-impact strategies for breast cancer control could lead to improved clinical outcomes and quality of life for our patients.

Activities Performed by ASCO-Sponsored Oncology Student Interest Groups in Latin America: Assessing Members' Preferences and Leaders' Challenges.

Purpose: In response to the worldwide shortage of oncologists, ASCO established Oncology Student Interest Groups (OSIGs) to increase oncology exposure at medical schools. However, there is limited guidance on the activities they should undergo. The main purposes of this study were (1) to assess the preferences and perceptions of OSIG members about their group events and (2) to describe the difficulties faced by leaders to carry out OSIGs' tasks.

Estrogen signaling as a bridge between the nucleus and mitochondria in cardiovascular diseases.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Epidemiological studies indicate that pre-menopausal women are more protected against the development of CVDs compared to men of the same age. This effect is attributed to the action/effects of sex steroid hormones on the cardiovascular system.

Polypoidal Choroidal Vasculopathy Based on Non-ICGA Criteria in White Patients With Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration.

Purpose: To determine prevalence of probable polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) among White patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) using non-indocyanine green angiography (ICGA) criteria DESIGN: Multicenter, multinational, retrospective, cross-sectional study.

Methods: A total of 208 treatment-naive eyes from Hispanic and non-Hispanic White individuals diagnosed with nAMD were included. All underwent color fundus photography (CFP), optical coherence tomography (OCT), and fluorescein angiography (FFA).

Concordance between Ki-67 index in invasive breast cancer and molecular signatures: EndoPredict and MammaPrint.

Identifying patients with hormone receptor-positive (HR+) early invasive breast cancer (EIBC) who benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy has improved with molecular signature tests. However, due to high cost and limited availability, alternative tests are used. The present study sought to evaluate the performance of the proliferation marker Ki-67 to identify these patients and explore its association with molecular signatures and risk stratification markers.

Ocular findings in children with acute leukemia at a tertiary care center in South America.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate ophthalmological findings in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in a Latin American population.

Materials And Methods: This was a single-center, retrospective study. The observational analysis was conducted in AML and ALL patients seen as a routine examination at the department of ophthalmology of tertiary care center in Argentina between March 1, 2017, and February 28, 2018.

ESO-ESMO fifth international consensus guidelines for breast cancer in young women (BCY5).

We dedicate this manuscript in memory of a dear friend and colleague Bella Kaufman. The fifth International Consensus Symposium for Breast Cancer in Young Women (BCY5) took place virtually in October 2020, organized by the European School of Oncology (ESO) and the European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO). Consensus recommendations for the management of breast cancer in young women were updated from BCY4 with incorporation of new evidence to inform the guidelines.