Preoperative neck ultrasound (US) for central and lateral neck compartments is recommended for all patients undergoing a thyroidectomy for malignant or suspicious for malignancy cytologic or molecular findings. Our aim was to find out how frequent regional recurrence was in patients with follicular or Hürthle cell neoplasm and if preoperative neck US should be performed in patients with follicular or Hürthle cell neoplasm. Altogether 737 patients were surgically treated because of follicular (N=428) or Hürthle cell (N=309) neoplasms from 1995 to 2014 at our cancer comprehensive center. Altogether 207 patients (163 females, 44 males; mean age 52 years, range 12-84 years) had thyroid carcinoma in a dominant nodule. Data about recurrence in regional lymph nodes was collected. Carcinoma was diagnosed in follicular and Hürthle cell neoplasm in 143/428 and 64/309 of cases, respectively. Regional recurrence occurred in 12/207 patients (6%) during a median follow-up of 55 months (range 6-180 months). Regional recurrence was diagnosed in 1/90 patients with a follicular variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma, 8/50 cases of Hürthle cell carcinoma, 2/39 cases of follicular carcinoma and 1/21 patients with classical type of papillary carcinoma. Among patients with carcinoma a recurrence was diagnosed in follicular and Hürthle cell neoplasms in 2% and 14%, respectively (p=0.002). Recurrence in regional lymph nodes was diagnosed in 3/428 (0.7%) of all patients with follicular neoplasm and 9/309 (3%) of all patients with Hürthle cell neoplasm. Regional recurrence is extremely rare in patients with follicular neoplasm, while patients with Hürthle cell neoplasm have regional recurrence in 3% of cases.
F.22 Improvement to existing health/diagnostic methods/procedures
COBISS.SI-ID: 2128763Guidelines for the treatment of patients with ovarian cancer, fallopian tube, and primary peritoneal serous cancer, were updated for the first time after 2002. Slovenian guidelines do not just summarize foreign guidelines, but include also our experience in the treatment of these diseases. Hopefully, the guidelines will be useful not only for gynecologists, but also for everyone else involved in the diagnosis and treatment of ovarian cancer, fallopian tube cancer, and primary peritoneal serous cancer.
F.12 Improvements to an existing service
COBISS.SI-ID: 281942272Serial quantification of BCR–ABL1 mRNA is an important therapeutic indicator in chronic myeloid leukaemia, but there is a substantial variation in results reported by different laboratories. To improve comparability, an internationally accepted plasmid certified reference material (CRM) was developed according to ISO Guide 34:2009. Fragments of BCR–ABL1 (e14a2 mRNA fusion), BCR and GUSB transcripts were amplified and cloned into pUC18 to yield plasmid pIRMM0099. Six different linearised plasmid solutions were produced with the following copy number concentrations, assigned by digital PCR, and expanded uncertainties: 1.08±0.13 × 106, 1.08±0.11 × 105, 1.03±0.10 × 104, 1.02±0.09 × 103, 1.04±0.10 × 102 and 10.0±1.5 copies/μl. Two suitability studies performed by 63 BCR–ABL1 testing laboratories demonstrated that this set of 6 plasmid CRMs can help to standardise a number of measured transcripts of e14a2 BCR–ABL1 and three control genes (ABL1, BCR and GUSB). The set of six plasmid CRMs is distributed worldwide by the Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements (Belgium) and its authorised distributors (https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/reference-materials/catalogue/; CRM code ERM-AD623a-f).
F.09 Development of a new technological process or technology
COBISS.SI-ID: 31742169PET-CT is becoming more and more important in various aspects of oncology. Until recently it was used mainly as part of diagnostic procedures and for evaluation of treatment results. With development of personalized radiotherapy, volumetric and radiobiological characteristics of individual tumour have become integrated in the multistep radiotherapy (RT) planning process. Standard anatomical imaging used to select and delineate RT target volumes can be enriched by the information on tumour biology gained by PET-CT. In this review we explore the current and possible future role of PET-CT in radiotherapy treatment planning. We assessed its role in radiotherapy of those solid tumours for which PET-CT is being used most. In the nearby future PET-CT will be an integral part of the most radiotherapy treatment planning procedures in an every-day clinical practice. Apart from a clear role in radiation planning of lung cancer, with forthcoming clinical trials, we will get more evidence of the optimal use of PET-CT in radiotherapy planning of other solid tumours.
F.10 Improvements to an existing technological process or technology
COBISS.SI-ID: 1643643Application of electric pulses (electroporation/electropermeabilization) is an effective method for gene transfer (i.e. gene electrotransfer (GET)) in vitro and in vivo. Currently, the mechanisms by which the DNA enters the cell are not yet fully understood. Experimental evidence is building up that endocytosis is the main mechanism by which the DNA, which is later expressed, enters the cell. Therefore the aim of our study was to elucidate whether inhibitors of endocytosis, methyl-β-cyclodextrin (MβCD), Concanavalin A (ConA) and Dynasore, can impair the transfection efficacy of GET in vitro in B16F1 murine melanoma and in vivo in m. tibialis cranialis in mice. We show that MβCD--general inhibitor of endocytosis--can almost prevent GET of EGFP-N1 plasmid in vitro, that ConA--inhibitor of clathrin mediated endocytosis--also abrogates GET but to a lesser extent, and when using Dynasore--reversible inhibitor of dynamin--there is no effect on GET efficacy, if endocytosis is blocked for only 5 min after GET. Moreover, MβCD also reduced GET efficacy in vivo in m. tibialis cranialis and this effect was long lasting. The results of this study show that endocytosis is probably the main mechanism of entrance of DNA after GET in vitro and also in vivo.
F.02 Acquisition of new scientific knowledge
COBISS.SI-ID: 1852795