Findings support that there are differential trajectories to PTSD symptoms and PTG with respect to different valence of habitual attentional style and cancer-related rumination. They may serve as potential therapeutic leverages in the alleviation of PTSD symptoms and facilitation of PTG following cancer diagnosis and treatments.

Retinal treatments may not only improve vision but also result in a concomitant improvement in fixation stability. Current clinical behavioral measures (e.g., acuity and perimetry) are largely dependent on fixation stability and therefore cannot separate improvements of visual function from fixation improvements. fMRI, which provides an objective and sensitive measure of visual function independent of fixation, reveals a significant increase in visual cortical responses in patients with wet AMD after treatment with antiangiogenic injections. Despite recent evidence that visual cortex degenerates subsequent to retinal lesions, our results indicate that it can remain responsive as its inputs are restored.

Background: Patients with cancer may develop metastases to the orbit causing distressing symptoms.External beam radiation therapy (RT) is an effective palliative treatment for patients with orbital and ocular metastases. The aim of treatment is to preserve vision and to reduce pain. Delivery of 30 to 40 Gy in 2 Fr fractions is a practice in many oncology centres. The aim of this study is to evaluate the outcome of shortcourse palliative radiotherapy in the management of orbital and ocular metastases.Methods: A retrospective study to review all patients with orbital metastases treated in 2016 to 2018 were performed. The primary outcomes were a change in visual acuity and tumor response. Secondary outcomes included toxicities of radiotherapy, symptomatic response and survival.Results: Fifteen patients with 19 eyes were included. The most common presenting symptoms were decreased vision, periorbital swelling, and pain. The median follow-up period was 8 months. Visual acuity improved in 11 out of 13 (84.6%) of patients and remained stable in the remaining 2 patients. Partial and complete response (CR) of tumor was observed in 14 out of 15 (93.3%) of patients while one (6.6%) patient had stable disease. The overall response rate (ORR) was 100%. Two (13.3%) patients had grade 2 conjunctivitis. There were no grade 3-4 toxicities and no long-term toxicities observed. The median survival was 9.1 months from diagnosis of choroidal metastases.Conclusions: Short course palliative RT is effective and well tolerated in patients with orbital and ocular metastases. The current review showed that it effectively preserves vision and improves orbital symptoms with minimal radiation-induced toxicity. Short course radiotherapy will help to minimize the traveling time to the hospital and relieve the burden of a long treatment course in this palliative patient population.

Introduction:The management of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer has changed dramatically with the introduction and widespread use of HER2-targeted therapies. There is, however, relatively limited real-world information about the effectiveness and safety of trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) in Hong Kong Chinese patients. We assessed the efficacy and toxicity profiles among local patients with HER2-positive advanced breast cancer who had received T-DM1 therapy in the second-line setting and beyond. Methods: This retrospective study involved five local centres that provide service for over 80% of the breast cancer population in Hong Kong. The study period was from December 2013 to December 2015. Patients were included if they had recurrent or metastatic histologically confirmed HER2+ breast cancer who had progressed after at least one line of anti-HER2 therapy including trastuzumab. Patients were excluded if they received T-DM1 as firstline treatment for recurrent or metastatic HER2+ breast cancer. Patient charts including biochemical and haematological profiles were reviewed for background information, T-DM1 response, and toxicity data. Adverse events were documented during chemotherapy and 28 days after the last dose of medication. Results: Among 37 patients being included in this study, 28 (75.7%) had two or more lines of anti-HER2 agents and 26 (70.3%) had received two or more lines of palliative chemotherapy. Response assessment revealed that three (8.1%) patients had a complete response, eight (21.6%) a partial response, 11 (29.7%) a stable disease, and 12 (32.4%) a progressive disease; three patients could not be assessed. The median duration of response was 17.3 (95% confidence interval, 8.4-24.8) months. The clinical benefit rate (complete response + partial response + stable disease, ≥12 weeks) was 37.8% (95% confidence interval, 22.2%-53.5%). The median progressionfree survival was 6.0 (95% confidence interval, 3.3-9.8) months and the median overall survival had Efficacy and tolerability of trastuzumab emtansine in advanced human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive breast cancer New knowledge added by this study • This study confirms that the efficacy and toxicity profiles of trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) among Chinese patients are similar to the published data that have been based mainly on western populations. Implications for clinical practice or policy • T-DM1 is effective in HER2-positive advanced breast cancer in the second-line setting and beyond. It has tolerable toxicity. Further research is warranted to enable identification of the appropriate patient population to enhance cost-effectiveness.

There are two important pathological features associated with carotid-cavernous fistula (CCF): the retrograde cortical venous drainage that can cause intracranial haemorrhage and non haemorrhagic neurological deficit and the retrograde ophthalmic venous drainage that causes orbital venous congestion and visual impairment. We propose a sequential embolisation strategy by the selective occlusion of these two pathological features as the initial steps followed by occlusion of the rest of the cavernous sinus. Eight patients with spontaneous CCF were treated by transvenous embolisation using our embolisation strategy. The clinical features, angiographic findings, embolisation procedures, and clinical and angiographic outcomes were analyzed. The follow-up period ranged from one to 21 months. Clinical cure was achieved in six patients at one to two month follow-ups. One patient with bilateral CCFs had clinical cure of the right eye and clinical improvement of the left eye at three-month follow-up. Another patient had clinical cure at one-month follow-up except residual VI nerve palsy. Two patients had complete angiographic obliteration of the fistula immediately after the embolisation procedure. Another three patients underwent follow-up angiography at one to 16 months and all showed angiographic cure. There were no immediate or late complications. Our embolisation strategy offers a safe and effective option in the embolisation of spontaneous CCF as demonstrated by the clinical results of our eight patients.