bims-netuvo Biomed News
on Nerves in tumours of visceral organs
Issue of 2023–12–31
six papers selected by
Maksym V. Kopanitsa, The Francis Crick Institute
  1. Ultrasound appearance and targeted therapy of symptomatic neural lesions in the breast and chest wall after breast cancer surgery.
  2. Neurocognitive Dysfunction and predictors in non-CNS cancer patients: Rationale and methods for the neuro-oncology research at a South African academic hospital.
  3. Pulmonary Metastasis at the First Site After Curative Surgery for Colon Cancer: Incidence and Risk Factors According to TNM Stage.
  4. Clinical Significance and Immune Infiltration Analyses of a Novel Nerve-Related lncRNA Signature in Gastric Cancer.
  5. MPNST of Uterine Round Ligament: A Report of a Surgically Challenging Aggressive Rare Case and Literature Review.
  6. The guiding value of the cinematic volume rendering technique in the preoperative diagnosis of brachial plexus schwannoma.
  1. Med Ultrason. 2023 Dec 27. 25(4): 384-389
    Ultrasound appearance and targeted therapy of symptomatic neural lesions in the breast and chest wall after breast cancer surgery.
    Petra Steyerova, Martina Zimovjanova, Lukas Lambert, Andrea Burgetova.
       AIM: To evaluate the feasibility of ultrasound (US) in identification of nerve lesions after breast cancer surgery in patients with neuropathic pain and assess the effect of a targeted US-guided therapy.
    MATERIAL AND METHODS: Patients with neuropathic pain after breast cancer surgery underwent US examination. Nerve lesions identified by US were treated by a US-guided application of a mixture of local anesthetics and corticoids. The patients reported pain relief on a 100-point scale (0% = no effect, 100% = complete relief) and its duration in the next 18 months.
    RESULTS: We performed 17 interventions in 11 women. A neuroma was observed in 2 patients, edema of the nerve in 5 patients, and scarring across the nerve in 4 patients. The affected nerves were the intercostobrachial nerve (5 patients), the long thoracic nerve (4), cutaneous branch of the pectoral nerve (1), and both the intercostobrachial and the long thoracic nerve (1). After 15 (88%) interventions, the patients reported relief (55±32%) with a median duration of 3 months (0.5-18 months).
    CONCLUSION: In patients after breast cancer surgery, ultrasound can reliably identify small painful neural lesions which can be efficiently treated by ultrasound-guided intervention.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.11152/mu-4314
  2. Heliyon. 2024 Jan 15. 10(1): e23007
    Neurocognitive Dysfunction and predictors in non-CNS cancer patients: Rationale and methods for the neuro-oncology research at a South African academic hospital.
    Antonio G Lentoor, Tiro Bright Motsamai.
       Background: The focus on central nervous system (CNS) malignancies has overshadowed scant but substantial research that suggests non-central nervous cancer patients experience cancer-related cognitive impairment (CRCI), which affects higher-order brain function and influences their quality of life. Despite such evidence of the occurrence of CRCI among non-CNS cancer patients, the factors associated with the CRCIs remain a highly debated issue with discrepancies noted. Whether non-CNS cancer itself can affect the brain independent of cancer treatment is an important question to unpack. This necessitates further research, particularly in the sub-Saharan region where the evidence is limited.
    Methods: This study aims to assess the effect of chemotherapy-associated cognitive and affective changes in non-CNS cancer patients. A non-experimental, time-series, correlational design will be used, in which a battery of computerized neuropsychological tests will be administered, including the e-MoCA, the CNS Vital Signs, the Patient Health Questionnaire-4, the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale, the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Fatigue, and the Semi-structured Interview Schedule. Descriptive and inferential statistical analysis will be conducted, as well as NVivo thematic analysis of the qualitative data. The scope of the neurocognitive issues and risk factors that may be present in cancer patients and survivors in a developing environment could be determined by this study.
    Implications: The study is expected to extend research on the extent at which cancer and cancer treatments are associated with neurocognitive changes among non-CNS cancer patients and their impact on their quality of life in the local context. The results are expected to inform treatment providers to develop treatment guidelines tailored for individuals diagnosed with cancer and who have received cancer treatment, as well as individualized psychosocial interventions aimed at addressing psychological challenges associated with quality of life among cancer survivors.
    Keywords:  Cancer; Chemotherapy; Cognitive impairment; Neuropsychology; Non-CNS; South Africa
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e23007
  3. Dis Colon Rectum. 2023 Dec 26.
    Pulmonary Metastasis at the First Site After Curative Surgery for Colon Cancer: Incidence and Risk Factors According to TNM Stage.
    Seijong Kim, Jung Wook Huh, Woo Yong Lee, Seong Hyeon Yun, Hee Cheol Kim, Yong Beom Cho, Yoon Ah Park, Jung Kyong Shin.
       BACKGROUND: The lungs are one of the most common sites for colon cancer metastasis. A few studies reported that approximately 2-10% of colon cancer patients developed pulmonary metastasis. However, among these studies, patient characteristics were heterogeneous and information on pulmonary metastasis incidence by TNM stage was scarce.
    OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated the incidence of pulmonary metastasis in colon cancer without synchronous metastasis treated with radical surgery and identified risk factors for pulmonary metastasis according to TNM stage.
    DESIGN AND SETTINGS: This retrospective study included all patients with colon cancer without metastasis who underwent radical surgery for primary tumor at Samsung Medical Center between January 2007 and December 2016.
    PATIENTS: A total of 4,889 patients who underwent radical surgery for stage I-III colon cancer was included.
    MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The main outcome measures were incidence of pulmonary metastasis and overall survival.
    RESULTS: A total of 156 patients (3.2%) were diagnosed with pulmonary metastasis with a 16-month median duration from the time of radical surgery for colon cancer to detection of pulmonary metastasis. The pulmonary metastasis incidence rate by TNM stage was 0.5% in stage I, 1.6% in stage II, and 6% in stage III. Risk factors for pulmonary metastasis were preoperative CEA higher than 5 ng/ml, cancer obstruction, N stage, vascular invasion, perineural invasion, and adjuvant chemotherapy for primary colon cancer in multivariable analysis.
    LIMITATION: This was a retrospective single-center study.
    CONCLUSION: Preoperative CEA higher than 5 ng/ml, cancer obstruction, pN stage, vascular invasion, perineural invasion, and receiving adjuvant chemotherapy for primary colon cancer were risk factors for pulmonary metastasis in colon cancer. Therefore, patients with risk factors for pulmonary metastasis should be recommend for intensive follow-up to detect lung metastases. See Video Abstract.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1097/DCR.0000000000003036
  4. Mol Biotechnol. 2023 Dec 25.
    Clinical Significance and Immune Infiltration Analyses of a Novel Nerve-Related lncRNA Signature in Gastric Cancer.
    Lupeng Qiu, Yaru Liu, Zizhong Yang, Xiao Zhao, Yixin Gong, Shunchang Jiao.
      Gastric cancer (GC) is a progressive disease with high morbidity and mortality. Accumulating evidence indicated that nervous system-cancer crosstalk can affect the occurrence and progression of GC. However, the role of nerve-related lncRNAs (NRLs) in GC remains largely unexplored. In this study, a total of 441 nerve-related genes were collected from the KEGG database, and two approaches, unsupervised clustering and WGCNA, were employed to identify NRLs. Lasso regression analysis was then used to construct the nerve-related lncRNA signature (NRLS). Based on the expression profiles of 5 lncRNAs, we developed a stable NRLS to predict survival in GC patients, and survival analyses showed significantly shorter overall survival (OS) in patients with high NRLS. In addition, the NRLS was found to be positively correlated with immune characteristics, including tumor-infiltrating immune cells, immune modulators, cytokines and chemokines. We then analyzed the role of NRLS in predicting chemotherapy and immunotherapy responses, and constructed the OS nomogram combining NRLS and other clinical features. In conclusion, we constructed a robust NRLS model to stratify GC patients and predict the outcomes of chemotherapy and immunotherapy. This study can provide a new perspective for future individualized treatment of GC.
    Keywords:  Gastric cancer; Immune infiltration; LncRNA; Nerve; Prognosis
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1007/s12033-023-00997-4
  5. J Obstet Gynaecol India. 2023 Dec;73(Suppl 2): 315-318
    MPNST of Uterine Round Ligament: A Report of a Surgically Challenging Aggressive Rare Case and Literature Review.
    Deepak Bose, P Rema, J Sivaranjith, S Suchetha.
      MPNSTs (malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumours) arise rarely from the female genital tract, even more rarely from the uterus. A literature review showed 18 cases affecting the uterine cervix, but only four affecting the uterus per se, making our present case the fifth to be involving the uterus, specifically round ligament. It was the first time a uterine lesion (not uterine cervix) was defined in a neurofibromatosis patient. This was a young patient who initially underwent a uterus-sparing surgery for a round ligament tumour which was finally diagnosed to be MPNST. She received adjuvant chemotherapy but recurred with pelvic vascular involvement. A challenging surgery was performed, and the tumour was resected without morbidity. She was followed up with radiotherapy; however, she quickly developed extensive peritoneal disease and succumbed to the disease. High-grade nature of MPNST along with the background of NF could have made the tumour more aggressive, highlighting the importance of suspecting MPNST in spindle cell tumours of pelvis and performing total resection in the first setting.
    Keywords:  MPNST; Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumour; Uterine; Uterus
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1007/s13224-023-01874-5
  6. Front Oncol. 2023 ;13 1278386
    The guiding value of the cinematic volume rendering technique in the preoperative diagnosis of brachial plexus schwannoma.
    Rui Chen, Yuncai Ran, Haowen Xu, Junxia Niu, Mengzhu Wang, Yanglei Wu, Yong Zhang, Jingliang Cheng.
      This study aimed to explore and compare the guiding value of Maximum Intensity Projection (MIP) and Cinematic Volume Rendering Technique (cVRT) in the preoperative diagnosis of brachial plexus schwannomas. We retrospectively analyzed the clinical and imaging data of 45 patients diagnosed with brachial plexus schwannomas at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University between January 2020 and December 2022. The enhanced three-dimensional short recovery time inversion-recovery fast spin-echo imaging (3D-STIR-SPACE) sequence served as source data for the reconstruction of MIP and cVRT. Two independent observers scored the image quality and evaluated the location of the tumor and the relationship between the tumor and the brachial plexus. The image quality scores of the two reconstruction methods were compared using the nonparametric Wilcoxon signed-rank test, and the consistency between the image and surgical results was assessed using the weighted kappa. Compared to MIP images, cVRT images had a better performance of overall image quality (p < 0.001), nerve and lump visualization (p < 0.001), spatial positional relationship conspicuity (p < 0.001), and diagnostic confidence (p < 0.001). Additionally, the consistency between the cVRT image results and surgical results (kappa =0.913, P<0.001) was higher than that of the MIP images (kappa =0.829, P<0.001). cVRT provides a high guiding value in the preoperative diagnosis of brachial plexus schwannomas and is an important basis for formulating surgical plans.
    Keywords:  brachial plexus schwannoma; cinematic volume rendering technique; diagnosis; eccentric embedding; magnetic resonance imaging; maximum intensity projection; preoperative diagnosis; surgical resection
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3389/fonc.2023.1278386
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