A 78-year-old woman presented with an abdominal mass diagnosed by ultrasound and computed tomography. The patient underwent a laparotomy, during which a retroperitoneal tumor adherent to the cecum wall was identified. Microscopically, it showed spindle-cell proliferation in whorls, with low mitotic count (2 per 50 high-power fields) and was strongly positive for S-100 protein and vimentin. The final diagnosis was benign schwannoma of the cecum and no further treatment was required. Large intestine schwannomas are extremely rare tumors and only a few cases of schwannoma of the cecum have been reported to date.
Background
Approximately 70% of cancer‐related deaths occur in low‐ and middle‐income countries. In addition to social and racial inequalities, treatment options in these countries are usually limited because of the lack of trained staff and equipment, limited patient access to health services, and a small number of clinical guidelines.
Objectives
The Brazilian Society of Surgical Oncology developed this guideline to address these barriers and guide physicians treating patients with endometrial cancer (EC) in regions with limited resources and few specialized centers.
Methods
The guideline was prepared from 10 January to 25 October 20192019 by a multidisciplinary team of 56 experts to discuss the main obstacles faced by EC patients in Brazil. Thirteen questions considered critical to the surgical treatment of these patients were defined. The questions were assigned to groups that reviewed the literature and drafted preliminary recommendations. Following a review by the coordinators and a second review by all participants, the groups made final adjustments for presentations in meetings, classified the level of evidence, and voted on the recommendations.
Results
For all questions including staging, fertility spearing treatment, genetic testing, sentinel lymph node use, surgical treatment, and other clinical relevant questions, major agreement was achieved by the participants, always using accessible alternatives.
Conclusions
It is possible to provide adequate treatment for most EC patients in resource‐limited areas, but the first option should be referral to specialized centers with more resources.
ObjectivesCervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women worldwide. Epidemiological and quality of life (QoL) data in patients with cervical cancer from low- and middle-income countries are scarce. We aimed to describe sociodemographic and clinicopathological characteristics and quality of life of patients with cervical cancer at diagnosis in Brazil.MethodsEVITA is a prospective cohort study of newly diagnosed patients with cervical cancer from May 2016 to December 2017, stages I–IVB, from 16 Brazilian sites representing the five Brazilian regions. At baseline, medical evaluation was performed and European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) QLQ-CX24/C30 questionnaires were administered.ResultsA total of 631 patients were included. Mean±SD age was 49.3±13.9 years; skin color was non-white in 65.3%, and 68.0% had ≤8 years of formal education. In total, 85.1% of patients had a Pap smear. The main reasons reported by patients for not having a Pap smear were: lack of interest (46.9%), shame or embarrassment (19.7%), lack of knowledge (19.7%), and difficulty with access (9.1%). Most patients were diagnosed with locally advanced or metastatic disease (FIGO clinical stage II–IV in 81.8%– stage II in 35.2%, stage III in 36.1%, and stage IV in 10.5%). Patients with clinical stage III–IV had worse physical functioning and role functioning.ConclusionsCervical cancer in Brazil is usually diagnosed at an advanced stage. Most patients have low formal education and are unemployed. Lack of interest was identified as a main reason for not having a screening test, and limited access was reported as a reason by <10% of the patients. Awareness campaigns must be a governmental priority, specially focused on the needy population, along with wide access to treatment.
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