Acta clinica Croatica
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Acta clinica Croatica · Jun 2020
Defining health-related quality of life in localized and advanced stages of breast cancer - the first step towards hereditary cancer genetic counseling.
The important goal in breast cancer treatment is to improve patient quality of life. Due to the huge economic burden, it is necessary to estimate the health state utility values for different breast cancer stages accurately. A group of 114 women filled out the EuroQol-5D-3L questionnaire at two time points. ⋯ The EuroQol visual-analog score was mostly correlated with the anxiety/depression and pain/discomfort quality of life dimensions. Health state utility values for different breast cancer stages are a necessary tool to perform economic analyses in breast cancer management decision making, due to its huge economic burden. Special attention should be paid to assessment of the psychosocial aspects of the disease, as well as pain management.
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Acta clinica Croatica · Jun 2020
Quantitative Analysis of Galectin-3 Expression in Benign and Malignant Thyroid Nodules.
In this study, galectin-3 was analyzed as a potential marker for preoperative detection of malignant thyroid lesions. Galectin-3 expression was analyzed by quantitative real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in preoperative thyroid fine-needle aspirates from 245 patients with thyroid nodules. ⋯ Galectin-3 showed specificity of 49.5%, sensitivity of 88.1%, positive predictive value of 27.2%, and negative predictive value of 95.1% as a marker for detection of malignant thyroid nodules. Owing to the relatively low positive predictive value due to the relatively high false positive rate, the clinical value of galectin-3 analyzed by quantitative real-time RT-PCR as a marker for preoperative detection of malignant thyroid lesions is limited.
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Acta clinica Croatica · Jun 2020
Case ReportsEffect of Methimazole Therapy on Thyroid Pathohistology That May Mimic Thyroid Malignancy.
Diffuse toxic goiter, as the most common cause of hyperthyroidism, is usually initially treated with thyrostatic drugs such as methimazole, followed by radioiodine therapy or surgery which may be indicated as definitive treatment. Radioactive iodine therapy has a known association with various histopathologic features including cytologic atypia, but herein we present a rare example of morphological thyrocyte changes induced by long-term pharmacological treatment with methimazole that mimicked thyroid malignancy in a pathohistological sample.
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Acta clinica Croatica · Jun 2020
Case ReportsTreatment Approach to Follicular Thyroid Carcinoma Tumor Thrombus in the Internal Jugular Vein and Brachiocephalic Vein.
Thyroid gland carcinoma causing tumor thrombus in the great veins of the neck and mediastinum is a rare condition with poor prognosis. Invasion of the internal jugular vein by thyroid gland carcinoma has been occasionally reported, but tumor thrombi extending to the great veins of the mediastinum are reported extremely rarely. We present a treatment approach in a case of follicular thyroid carcinoma intravascular tumor thrombus in the left internal jugular and left brachiocephalic vein.
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Acta clinica Croatica · Jun 2020
The role of regulatory T lymphocytes in immune control of MC-2 fibrosarcoma.
The role of T regulatory lymphocytes (Treg) particularly in cancer is well known. The goal of the present study was to determine the contribution of these lymphocytes in the regulation of anti-tumor immunity of CBA/HZgr mice against MC-2 fibrosarcoma (4th generation of methylcholanthrene induced tumor). The levels of T lymphocytes (CD4+, CD8+ and CD4+CD25+) were determined 8 and 20 days after tumor transplantation. ⋯ Further, upon i.v. injecting specific monoclonal anti-Treg antibody tumor immediately prior to tumor cell intracutaneous transplantation, the tumor was rejected after initial growth. In treated mice, the incidence of Treg cells was very low initially, reaching normal values two weeks later. These animals were shown to be resistant to tumor transplantation four months later.