The use of bisphosphonates seems to be associated with the development of ONJ. Length of exposure seems to be the most important risk factor for this complication. The type of bisphosphonate may play a role and previous dental procedures may be a precipitating factor.

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Landmark studies have established trastuzumab in the treatment of HER2-positive breast cancer. The present systematic review and meta-analysis aims to synthesize all available data, so as to evaluate the safety of trastuzumab during pregnancy. This study was performed in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines. All studies that examined the safety of trastuzumab administered during pregnancy, regardless of sample size, were considered eligible. Overall, 17 studies (18 pregnancies; 19 newborns) were included. In 55.6 % of cases, trastuzumab was administered in the metastatic setting. The mean duration of trastuzumab administration was 14.8 weeks. Occurrence of oligohydramnios/anhydramnios (O/A) was the most common (61.1 %) adverse event. 73.3 % of pregnancies exposed to trastuzumab during the second/third trimester were complicated with O/A; the respective rate of pregnancies exposed to trastuzumab exclusively during the first trimester was 0 % (P = 0.043). The mean GA at delivery was 33.8 weeks, and the mean weight of babies at delivery was 2,261 gr. In 52.6 % of cases, a healthy neonate was born. At the long-term evaluation, all children without problems at birth were healthy with a median follow-up of 9 months, while four out of nine children facing troubles at birth were dead within an interval ranging between birth and 5.25 months. All children exposed to trastuzumab in utero exclusively in the first trimester were completely healthy at birth. Trastuzumab should not be administered during pregnancy. However, for women who become accidentally pregnant during trastuzumab administration and wish to continue pregnancy, trastuzumab should be stopped and pregnancy could be allowed to continue.

Objective: We conducted a phase II trial to evaluate the activity of oral letrozole in women with relapsed or recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer. Methods: Twenty-seven patients were treated with letrozole at a dose of 2.5 mg once a day. Patients with measurable or evaluable disease (n = 21) and those with only increasing CA 125 serum levels (n = 6) were eligible. Paraffin-fixed histological sections from tumor specimens resected at the initial laparotomy were assessed for the presence of estrogen, and progesterone receptors. Results: Among the 21 patients with measurable or evaluable disease who were evaluated for response by WHO criteria, we observed one complete and two partial responses for an objective response rate of 15%. Using criteria for CA 125 response we obtained a marker response in 4 of 27 patients (15%), and the marker remained stable in 5 additional patients (18%). Letrozole treatment was generally well tolerated. No correlation was observed between tumor marker response or stabilization and either estrogen or progesterone receptor expression. Conclusion: The results of our study suggest that the aromatase inhibitor letrozole is an agent with some activity and limited toxicity for relapsed ovarian cancer. As we could not find any association between response and hormonal receptor expression, the underlying mechanisms of letrozole action have to be elucidated.

MVAC is more effective than DC in advanced urothelial cancer. G-CSF-supported MVAC is well tolerated and could be used instead of classic MVAC as first-line treatment in advanced urothelial carcinoma.

Granulosa cell tumors of the ovary are rare neoplasms that originate from sex-cord stromal cells. The long natural history of granulosa cell tumors and their tendency to recur years after the initial diagnosis are the most prominent of their characteristics. The secretion of estradiol is the reason for signs at presentation such as vaginal bleeding and precocious puberty. Abdominal pain and hemoperitoneum, which occasionally can occur, are attributable to tumor rupture. The most common finding in pelvic examination is a tumor mass, which is subsequently confirmed with imaging techniques. Surgery is the mainstay of initial management for histological diagnosis, appropriate staging, and debulking. A more conservative unilateral salpingo-oophorectomy is indicated in patients with stage I disease and patients of reproductive age. Total abdominal hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy is the appropriate surgical treatment for postmenopausal women and those with more advanced disease. The stage of disease is the most important prognostic factor associated with the risk of relapse. There are no clear conclusions regarding the role of postoperative chemotherapy or radiotherapy in stage I disease and in those with completely resected tumor. The use of adjuvant chemotherapy or radiotherapy has sometimes been associated with prolonged disease-free survival and possibly overall survival. Chemotherapy is the treatment of choice for patients with advanced, recurrent, or metastatic disease, and BEP (bleomycin, etoposide, and cisplatin) is the preferred regimen. Although the overall rate of response to treatment is high, the impact of treatment on disease-free or overall survival is unknown. Prolonged surveillance is mandatory because tumors tend to recur years after the initial diagnosis.

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