The first year after diagnosis: psychological impact on people with multiple sclerosis

The impact of multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis on newly diagnosed individuals remains so far little explored. Our aim is to outline affective, personality and quality of life (QoL) correlates of MS patients shortly after MS diagnosis. Thirty-eight (22 F and 16 M) newly-diagnosed MS patients (mean interval from diagnosis communication 4.7 ± 3.8 months, range 1-12 months) underwent the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale and a comprehensive psychological evaluation: Beck Depression Inventory-II, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Psychophysiological Questionnaire-Revised, Fear Survey Schedule, Maudsley Obsessional-Compulsive Questionnaire, Impact of Event Scale-Revised, Personal Meaning Questionnaire, Problem Solving Inventory and Multiple Sclerosis Quality of Life-54. The Expanded Disability Status Scale was assessed during the neurological examination. Depressive symptomatology, only partially related to disability, was observed in approximately 40% of patients. The prevalent approach to MS diagnosis was one of avoidance in 65.8% of cases. QoL reductions in self-perception and psychological well-being emerged, together with a peculiar perception of change in health that was not related to neurological disability. With regard to personality assessment, depressive personal meaning organization correlates inversely with important QoL measures. Newly-diagnosed patients go through a complex network of psychological changes still in the initial phases immediately after diagnosis. A thorough understanding of these adjusting aspects by the neurologist could be crucial in improving patients' QoL, participation in relevant disease decisions and adherence to pharmacological therapy.

Ovarian tumors in children and adolescents: a series of 41 cases

OBJECTIVE

Pictorial review with a detailed semiological analysis of ovarian tumors in children and adolescents to provide a relevant diagnostic approach.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Retrospective study (2001-2011) of 41 patients under the age of 15 who underwent surgery for an ovarian mass with a definite pathological diagnosis.

RESULTS

Sixty-two percent of the lesions were benign, 33% were malignant and 5% were borderline. Germ cell tumors were most frequent (77.5%), followed by sex cord stromal tumors (12.5%) and epithelial tumors (7.5%). Malignant tumors were more frequent in children between 0 and 2 years old. On imaging, calcifications and fat were specific for germ cell tumors; the presence of a mural nodule was predictive of a mature teratoma (P<0.001). Predictive factors for malignancy were clinical, including abdominal distension (P<0.01) or a palpable mass (P=0.05), biological, including increased hCG and/or AFP levels (P<0.001) and radiological, including tumors larger than 12 cm (P<0.05), tumoral hypervascularity (P<0.01) and voluminous ascites (P<0.01).

CONCLUSION

This semiological analysis confirms the role of imaging in diagnosing the etiology of ovarian lesions in children and adolescents and emphasizes the importance identifying tumoral hypervascularity, which, in addition to classic criteria, is highly predictive of malignancy.

Breast elastography: the technical process and its applications

Breast elastography is being increasingly used to better characterize breast lesions. Published studies have shown that it improved specificity of B mode ultrasound. Two elastography modes are available: free-hand elastography and shear wave elastography. Free-hand elastography is obtained by a mechanic wave induced by the ultrasound probe, deforming the target, either by small movements induced by breathe. An elastogram is obtained and displayed either as a colour map or a size ratio or elasticity ratio measurement. The second mode is shear wave elastography; two methods are available: Shear Wave Elastography (SWE) and ARFI mode (Acoustic Radiation Force Impulse). Shear wave elastography is less operator-dependent than free-hand elastography mode and provides a quantitative approach. A value of over 80kPa (SWE) or velocity results of over 2m/s (ARFI) are considered as suspicious. False negatives may occur in soft breast cancers (mucinous carcinoma, carcinoma with an inflammatory stroma, etc.) and false positives may be seen with poorly deformable benign lesions such as old fibrous adenomas. In practical use, elastography is a useful complementary tool for undetermined breast lesions categorized as BI-RADS 4a or BI-RADS 3, or for cystic lesions but cannot avoid fine needle aspiration or core biopsy if ultrasound features are clearly suspicious.

Breast elasticity: principles, technique, results: an update and overview of commercially available software

Breast ultrasound elasticity evaluation has become a routine tool in addition to diagnostic ultrasound during the last five years. Two elasticity evaluation modes are currently available: free-hand elastography and shear-wave elastography (SWE). Most of the commercially available elastography scanners have specific procedures which must be understood by the users. Free-hand elastography usually displays qualitative imaging such as an elastogram, but most of the companies now use it to quantify the relative stiffness between a lesion and the surrounding breast tissue. SWE is a new mode theoretically independent of the sonographer which displays more quantitative information, and can be useful for characterizing breast lesions. Recent studies on elastography suggest that elasticity imaging can increase B-mode accuracy and specificity in differentiating benign and malignant breast lesions. This functional imaging mode could help reduce the number of biopsies performed for benign breast lesions. This review gives a detailed description of the main commercially available systems and the results of current applications in the evaluation of breast elasticity.

[Grading of adults primitive glial neoplasms using arterial spin-labeled perfusion MR imaging]

PURPOSE

We investigated the relationship between tumor blood-flow measurement based on perfusion-imaging by arterial spin-labeling (ASL) and histopathologic findings in adults' primitive glial tumours.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Thus, 40 primitive brain tumors (8 low-grade and 32 high-grade gliomas according to the Sainte-Anne classification) were imaged using pulsed (n=19) or continuous (n=21) ASL. Relative cerebral blood flow (rCBF=tumoral blood flow/normal cerebral blood flow) between high- and low-grade gliomas were compared.

RESULTS

Using pulsed ASL, differences in mean rCBF were observed in high- and low-grade gliomas although no significant (respectively 1.95 and 1.5). Using continuous ASL, mean rCBF were significantly higher for high-grade than for low-grade gliomas (P<0.05). High-grade gliomas could be discriminated using a CBF threshold of 1.18, with a sensitivity of 88%, specificity of 60%, predictive positive value of 88%, and predictive negative value of 60%.

CONCLUSION

ASL-based perfusion provides a quantitative, non-invasive alternative to dynamic susceptibility contrast perfusion MR methods for evaluating CBF. ASL is a suitable method for gliomas initial staging and could be useful to identify intermediate tumoral evolution.

Abstract P6-01-05: Long-Term Diagnostic Accuracy of Fine-Needle Aspiration Cytology Performed in a One Stop Clinic for the Diagnosis of Suspect Nodular Breast Lesions

Background: Fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) has been used extensively in the diagnosis of breast lesions, but false-negative rates are a matter of concern. Immediate onsite evaluation of breast lesions, combining FNAC results with clinical and radiological data allows improving its diagnostic accuracy. The objective of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of a large series of FNAC of breast lesions during the first 3-year period of a dedicated one-stop clinic, by comparing the FNAC results with the corresponding definitive histological examination outcome or the results of the radiological follow-up at 18 months.

Method: Data of all consecutive patients (pts) whose lesions were prospectively characterized by ultrasonography (US) and diagnosed by FNAC in the one stop clinic of the Institute Gustave Roussy between May 2004 and March 2007. Histological verification by core-needle biopsy or surgery was systematically performed for lesions classified malignant or suspicious by cytopathology, and for benign lesions, when no perfect concordance between clinico-radiologic features and FNAC results (such as benign FNAC but BI-RAD 5) was found. For non-operated patients, follow-up consisted on biannual US and/or mammography; the results at 18 months were considered. Pts characteristics, radiological findings, cytopathological and histological results were extracted from the hospital computerized prospectively registered medical records. Complete sensitivity (number of carcinomas that were malignant or suspicious by cytopathology) and full specificity (benign lesions at cytology of the total number of benign lesions) were calculated by comparing the cytopathological results to the histological or the long-term follow-up status.

Results: A total of 1822 nodular breast lesions (mean size: 20 mm, BI-RAD ACR 1/2/3/4/5/unknown: 10/96/471/459/777/9) in 1739 pts (mean age: 56 years) were studied. FNAC was US-guided in 1115 lesions (61 %). Lesions were classified by FNAC as malignant in 842 (46%), benign in 771 (42%), suspicious in 154 (9%), and unsatisfactory in 55 (3%) cases. Complete sensitivity (number of carcinomas that were malignant or suspicious by cytopathology) was estimated at 98.5%, whereas full specificity (benign lesions at cytology of the total number of benign lesions) was equal to 94.4%. There were 4 false-positive lesions and 32 false-negative lesions, but all these lesions except one were operated as radiological results were suspicious of malignity.

Conclusions: Breast FNAC performed in a dedicated one-stop clinic with immediate on-site diagnosis presented a low rate of unsatisfactory specimens and a very efficient tool for triaging patients candidates for histological evaluation conversely for follow-up by imaging.

Citation Information: Cancer Res 2010;70(24 Suppl):Abstract nr P6-01-05.

Metachromatic leukodystrophy - mutation analysis provides further evidence of genotype-phenotype correlation

Metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD) is a rare lysosomal storage disorder resulting from the inherited deficiency of the arylsulfatase A (ARSA) enzyme. Currently, no valid therapeutic options are available for affected patients. A thorough knowledge of disease progression in its diverse clinical variants, together with the identification of reliable prognostic factors, could be instrumental in accurate patient selection for new upcoming therapeutic opportunities, such as enzyme replacement and gene therapy. The described correlation between genotype and clinical presentation proved helpful in predicting patient's prognosis, only in the minority of MLD patients harboring common mutations. Molecular characterization of a cohort of 26 MLD patients allowed us to identify 18 mutations, excluding the common 0 and R alleles, 10 of which are rare and 8 are novel. By categorizing the rare mutations, we were able to confirm a correlation between ARSA gene mutations, age at onset and patterns of disease progression, not only in those patients bearing common mutations, but also in those carrying rare mutant alleles. Moreover, in the case of absent or delayed molecular diagnosis, or of newly identified mutations, the involvement of peripheral nervous system from disease onset proved to be a sensitive prognostic marker predicting a severe progression.

[Proximal abdominal aortic aneurysms after infrarenal aortic reconstruction]

The failure of infrarenal aortic open reconstruction due to sterile sovranastomotic abdominal aortic aneurysm (SS-AAA) is a rare and complex long-term complication. Even if they undergo the same treatment, is necessary to distinguish between true aneurysmal degeneration of proximal aorta and chronic proximal aortic anastomosis sterile rupture with consequent false aneurysm formation: we call proximal para-anastomotic abdominal aortic aneurysm (PPA-AAA) the first and proximal anastomotic false abdominal aortic aneurysm (PAF-AAA) the latter. The etiology of this complication is exclusively degenerative and it occurs in the absence of infection, which has totally different features. SS-AAA have been reported in 1 to 4% patients, but the available studies differ about patient selection and diagnostic methods. According to these considerations we can suppose the real incidence greater and near to 25% in over 10 years follow-up patients. Clinical findings of PPA and PAF-AAA before rupture are poor and this consideration emphasizes the necessity of a long term ultrasound follow-up. Best diagnostic tools after echographic detection of SS-AAA are spiral TC scan and MR imaging. Due to image accuracy, the short time necessary to take the images and availability spiral TC has taken the place of standard TC and arteriography. Scar tissue field and visceral vessels involvement with consequent proximal clamping are the main problems in open repair of SS-AAA. Elective open repair mortality rate varies from 0 to 17% and increases dramatically after rupture. Endovascular repair at the present is suitable only for hardly selected cases, because of frequent visceral involvement. We report our 17 patients series (8 PPA and 9 PAF-AAA), which we have observed friom 1991 to 2003 in a total amount of 1363 abdominal aortic aneurysms treated. All the patients have been treated with elective open repair with a global perioperative mortality of 6% (1/17).

Percutaneous liver biopsy using an ultrasound-guided subcostal route

Percutaneous biopsy is considered one of the most important diagnostic tools to evaluate diffuse liver diseases. The introduction and widespread diffusion of ultrasounds in medical practice has improved percutaneous bioptic technique, while reducing postoperative complications. Although ultrasonography has become almost ubiquitous in prebiopsy investigation, only one third of biopsies are performed under ultrasound control. Moreover, the one-day procedure, reported in several studies to be safe and cost effective, accounted for only 4% of biopsies done. We report our experience of 142 percutaneous US-guided biopsies performed on 140 patients affected by chronic diffuse liver disease over a four-year period. Liver biopsies were performed under US guidance at the patient's bed using an anterior subcostal route. We evaluated postoperative pain, modifications of blood pressure and red cell count, hospital stay, morbidity and mortality rates, and adequacy of specimens for histologic examination. There was no operative mortality. As for major complications, one case of hemobilia occurred. As for minor complications, two cases of persistent postoperative pain required analgesic therapy. Patients were discharged the day following the procedure in all cases but two, who were discharged on the third and fifth postoperative days. Liver specimens were suitable for histologic diagnosis in all but one case, in which there were no portal spaces. According to our experience, we believe that hepatic biopsy guided by ultrasonography could replace blinded biopsy in the diagnosis of diffuse liver disease. The procedure is suitable to be performed safely on an outpatient basis.

Preservation of renal compensatory growth in uninephrectomized rats by low-dose cyclosporine

The growth-inhibitory effect of prednisone is a serious drawback to its use in kidney graft recipients. At high doses, cyclosporine also inhibits somatic growth in animals. Furthermore, cyclosporine, in addition to being nephrotoxic in patients, is reported to inhibit compensatory renal growth in uninephrectomized rats. It is unclear whether the latter effect is specific to the kidney. In the present study, we have tested, in the uninephrectomized rat model, the effect of a low dose cyclosporine that is immunosuppressive but does not inhibit somatic growth. Compared with sham operation, uninephrectomy resulted in a significantly greater kidney-to-body weight ratio 2 and 7 days postsurgery. In uninephrectomized rats treated daily with 10 mg/kg cyclosporine s.c., compensatory renal growth was intact. Kidney wet weight, dry weight, and kidney-to-body weight ratios were similar in vehicle and cyclosporine treated, uninephrectomized animals. Similarly, body weight, food consumption, and size of other organs were not adversely affected by the 10 mg/kg/day cyclosporine treatment. Thus, by reducing cyclosporine to levels that are not generally toxic, renal growth is preserved. Our results suggest that the present trend toward using lower doses of cyclosporine in kidney transplant recipients will not only reduce nephrotoxicity, but will also be of benefit in terms of somatic and renal growth, which are important considerations in pediatric transplant patients.