Teaching undergraduate students gynecological and obstetrical examination skills: the patient's opinion

Introduction

Our study assesses the patients’ opinion about gynecological examination performed by undergraduate students (UgSts). This assessment will be used in improving our undergraduate training program. A positive opinion would mean a lower chance of a patient refusing to be examined by a tutor or student, taking into account vaginal examination (VE).

Materials and methods

We performed a prospective cross-sectional survey on 1194 patients, consisting of outpatient and inpatient at the departments of obstetrics and gynecology from November 2015 to May 2016. The questionnaire consisted of 46 questions. Besides demographic data, we assessed the mindset of patients regarding the involvement of undergraduate student (UgSt) in gynecological and obstetrical examinations. We used SPSS version 23 for the statistical analysis. For reporting the data, we followed the STROBE statement of reporting observational studies.

Results

The median age was 38 years having a median of one child. 34% presented due to obstetrical problems, 38% due to gynecological complaints, and 19% due to known gynecological malignancies. Generally, we retrieved a positive opinion of patients towards the involvement of students in gynecological and obstetrical examination under supervision in 2/3 of the cases.

Conclusions

There is no reason to exclude medical UgSts from gynecological and obstetrical examinations after obtaining a written or oral consent.

Pilot study: placental biomarker predictive capability (sFlt-1, PlGF and their ratio) of postpartum maternal outcome

BACKGROUND

Prenatal measurement of placental biomarkers was able to improve screening and diagnosis of preeclampsia. Little is known about the clinical role of placental biomarkers in the postpartum period.

METHODS

This study is a prospective monocentric trial that included a total of 30 women with preeclamptic pregnancies. Serum placental biomarkers including soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 (sFlt-1) and placental growth factor (PlGF) were measured before and 2 h after delivery by Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) using commercially available kits according to manufacturer's instructions and correlated with the postpartum outcome.

RESULTS

Postpartum higher serum PlGF level was associated with postpartum elevation of the systolic blood pressure. Yet, the placental biomarkers were not able to predict general worsening of postpartum preeclampsia or other individual clinical or laboratory parameters.

CONCLUSION

Serum concentrations of sFlt-1 and PlGF or their ratio in our study cohort did not completely predict the occurrence of postpartum preeclampsia. Yet, postpartum higher serum PlGF level was associated with postpartum elevation of the systolic blood pressure.

Erratum: Sarcoma of the Uterus. Guideline of the DGGG (S2k-Level, AWMF Registry No. 015/074, August 2015)

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1055/s-0035-1558120.].

Sarcoma of the Uterus. Guideline of the DGGG (S2k-Level, AWMF Registry No. 015/074, August 2015)

Purpose: Official guideline published and coordinated by the German Society of Gynecology and Obstetrics (DGGG). Due to their rarity and their heterogeneous histopathology uterine sarcomas remain challenging tumors to manage and need a multidisciplinary approach. To our knowledge so far there is no evidence-based guideline on the appropiate management of these heterogeneous tumors. Methods: This S2k-guideline is the work of an representative committee of experts from a variety of different professions who were commissioned by the DGGG to carry out a systematic literature review of uterine sarcoma. Members of the participating scientific societies developed a structured consensus in a formal procedure. Recommendations: 1. The incidence and histopathologic classification of uterine sarcoma. 2. The clinical manifestations, diagnosis and staging of uterine sarcoma. 3. The management of leiomyosarcoma. 4. The management of endometrial stromal sarcoma and undifferentiated uterine sarcoma. 5. The management of adenosarcoma as well as carcinosarcomas. 6. The management of morcellated uterine sarcoma.

Standardised Registration of Surgical Complications in Laparoscopic-Gynaecological Therapeutic Procedures Using the Clavien-Dindo Classification

Introduction: The registration of complications represents an important component in the evaluation of surgical therapeutic procedures. The aim of the present study was to examine the frequency of occurrence as well as the severity of surgical complications after laparoscopic-gynaecological operations in a standardised manner using the Clavien-Dindo system. Material and Methods: Altogether 7438 treatment courses after laparoscopic-gynaecological interventions by 9 working groups were evaluated. Covariates recorded were the technical complexity of the operation, type of study cohort, study size, data acquisition as well as study centre. Target variables recorded were the surgical morbidity rate, subdivided into mild (Clavien-Dindo grade I-II) and severe complications (Clavien-Dindo grade III-V). In addition, a binary logistic regression analysis for the mentioned covariates and the occurrence of surgical complication was carried out. Results: 946 complications were recorded (overall complication rate: 13 %). These included 664 mild complications (8.9 %) and 305 severe complications (4.1 %). A correlation was found between the covariates technical complexity (relative risk [rR] 1.37; p < 0.01), study size (rR: 0.35; p < 0.01) and study centre (rR 0.19; p < 0.01) and the occurrence of surgical complications. Conclusion: By means of a standardised registration of complications using the Clavien-Dindo classification it appears to be possible to limit the methodologically caused underestimation of surgical morbidity in the retrospective evaluation of gynaecological-endoscopic therapeutic procedures. Factors decisively influencing the surgical morbidity of gynaecological-laparoscopic therapeutic procedures are the respective operative experience of the treating facility as well as the technical complexity of the intervention.

Therapy for Primary Vulvar Carcinoma

The rather rare vulvar cancer is almost always a squamous cell carcinoma that mostly develops from an underlying VIN or HPV infection. In addition, lichen sclerosus et atrophicans, immune deficiency, nicotine abuse or anogenital intraepithelial neoplasias may play a role in the pathogenesis. Surgical therapy aims at an R0 resection in the sense of a complete vulvectomy or a radical local excision with, if necessary, plastic reconstruction. Also, the vulvar field resection with consideration of the compartment model has been discussed. Besides the classic inguinofemoral lymphadenectomy, in selected cases of vulvar cancer sentinel biopsies are performed by experienced surgeons in the larger centres. In contrast, systemic therapy plays only a subordinate role; in isolated cases down-staging by means of neoadjuvant chemotherapy may be useful. However, there is at present no indication for adjuvant chemotherapy. Neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy is also not to be recommended on account of its unfavourable ratio of efficacy to side effects. On the other hand adjuvant radiotherapy is indicated in cases of positive inguinal lymph nodes. According to the current data the indication should be made generously in such cases.

RANK, RANKL and OPG Expression in Breast Cancer - Influence on Osseous Metastasis

In women, malignant breast tumours are among the most common malignant diseases in Europe. In advanced breast cancer, the risk of bone metastasis increases to 65-75 %. The discovery of the physiological bone metabolism parameters RANK (receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB), RANKL (receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand) and OPG (osteoprotegerin) as well as their pathophysiological involvement in bone-related diseases is the subject of new therapeutic strategies. The formation of osteolytic bone metastasis requires increased osteoclast activity. Activation of osteoclasts by excessive direct RANKL or reduced OPG expression of osseous metastatic tumour cells remains to be elucidated. More than 50 % of primary breast cancer cells express OPG and RANK, while RANKL could be detected only in 14-60 %. Increased OPG concentrations in the serum of patients with bone metastases have been shown in several studies, whereas the RANKL results are described in an opposite manner. The use of OPG as a biomarker for the detection of osteolytic bone metastases is not consistent and needs to be proved in further studies. Increased RANKL activity was found in diseases characterised by excessive bone loss and formed the basis of new therapeutic options. In several studies, a human monoclonal antibody to RANKL (denosumab) was investigated for the treatment of bone diseases. Denosumab is a promising therapeutic option due to its bone-protective effects.

P2-12-11: Clinical Relevance of a IL-8/B-Cell Gene Signature Identified from Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) in Intrinsic Breast Cancer Subtypes

Background: As presented recently (SABCS 2010, #S5-5) a ratio of high B-cell and low IL-8 metagenes using gene expression analysis identified 32 % of triple negative breast cancers with good prognosis and was the only significant predictor in multivariate analysis including routine clinicopathological variables.

However, the clinical relevance of this signature within the intrinsic breast cancer subtypes still remains unclear and is analyzed here.

Methods: Affymetrix gene expression data from n=2417 breast cancer patients have been assembled. We performed an unsupervised analysis to define metagenes that distinguish molecular subsets within TNBC (SABCS 2010, #S5-5). A high expression of B- cell metagenes was associated with good and high expression of IL-8-related metagenes were associated with poor prognosis.

To identify intrinsic subtypes we used the method previously described by Hu et al. (2006) and the prognostic value within those subtypes was assessed by analyzing the event free survival of patients as function of high and low B-cell/IL-8 metagene ratio.

Results: Comparing ER positive with ER negative patients the B-ceh7LL-8 ratio showed only in ER negative breast cancer a significant prognostic value (log rank p-value &lt;.0001).

Within the entire cohort 37.8 % of patients could be assigend to luminal A, 35.2 % to luminal B, 7,4 % to erbB2 and 19.6 % to basal-like subtypes. Event free survival of patients with good or poor B-cell/IL-8 ratio showed only in basal-like breast cancer patients a statistical significant difference (p&lt;.0001). However, we could not observe any difference in prognosis in luminal A and B, as well as erbB2 tumors. No difference in the expression of the proliferation metagene was observed when samples of the intrinsic subtypes were stratified according to the prognostic predictor based on high expression of the B-Cell metagene and low expression of the IL-8 metagene.

Conclusion: The B-cell/IL-8 ratio is highly prognostic in basal-like/TNBC and shows no association with proliferation status.

Citation Information: Cancer Res 2011;71(24 Suppl):Abstract nr P2-12-11.

Adiponectin differentially affects gene expression in human mammary epithelial and breast cancer cells

Serum levels of adiponectin are inversely associated with breast cancer risk. In this study, its effect on growth and gene expression of MCF-7 breast cancer cells and MCF-10A human mammary epithelial cells was compared. The antiproliferative effect of adiponectin on MCF-10A cells was more pronounced and was accompanied by elevated transcript levels of caspase 1, ERbeta2, ERbeta5, TR2 and USP2. Our data suggest that upregulation of genes with known growth inhibitory or apoptotic functions in mammary epithelial cells might contribute to the protective action of this adipocytokine.

Increased prevalence of autoimmune disorders and autoantibodies in parents of children with opsoclonus-myoclonus syndrome (OMS)

Opsoclonus-myoclonus syndrome (OMS) is a rare neurological disease in childhood which can be associated with neuroblastoma. Since autoantibodies have been detected in some patients with OMS, an autoimmune etiology is suspected. We compared the prevalence of autoimmune disorders and autoantibodies in parents of children with OMS and in a group of controls of same age and sex. Autoimmune diseases were found in 15.8% of the parents of OMS children, but only in 2.0% of the controls (p<0.001) There was also an increased prevalence of autoantibodies in the OMS parents (42.8% vs. 8.0%, p<0.001). Thyroid diseases were the most frequent autoimmune diseases found, followed by inflammatory rheumatic diseases. Interestingly, the OMS parents also had significantly more autoantibodies against CNS structures than the controls (p<0.01). These findings support the autoimmune hypothesis of childhood OMS and may also hint to a genetic susceptibility for OMS.