MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective study of testicular cancer patients treated between January 2001 and February 2011. Their epidemiological data, clinical presentation, pathologic diagnosis, stage of disease and treatment were gathered and the overall survival rate of this cohort was analyzed.
RESULTS: Thirty-one patients were included in this study. The majority of them were of Malay ethnicity. The average age at presentation was 33.7 years. The commonest testicular cancer was non-seminomatous germ cell tumour, followed by seminoma, lymphoma and rhabdomyosarcoma. More than half of all testicular germ cell tumour (GCT) patients had some form of metastasis at diagnosis. All the patients were treated with radical orchidectomy. Adjuvant chemotherapy was given to those with metastatic disease. Four seminoma patients received radiotherapy to the para-aortic lymph nodes. The 5-year survival rate for all testicular cancers in this cohort was 83.9%. The survival rate was 88.9% in 5 years when GCT were analyzed separately.
CONCLUSION: GCT affects patients in their third and fourth decades of life while lymphoma patients are generally older. Most of the patients treated for GCT are of Malay ethnicity. The majority have late presentation for treatment. The survival rate of GCT patients treated here is comparable to other published series in other parts of the world.
METHODS: We analysed the expression of AR in 97 TNBC cases from Penang General Hospital for a period of 3 years (2014 to 2017). Androgen receptor immunoreactivity was considered positive if ≥ 1% of tumour cells nuclei were stained irrespective of staining intensity.
RESULTS: The prevalence of AR expression in TNBC was 31% (30/97), with the proportion of AR-positive tumour cells ranged from 1% to 90%. These include 23 invasive carcinomas, no special type (NST) and 7 other invasive carcinoma subtypes (papillary, lobular, clear cell and medullary carcinomas). Sixty-seven cases (69%) that showed AR immunonegativity were invasive carcinomas, NST (n=60), clear cell carcinoma (n=1) and metaplastic carcinoma (n=6). Androgen receptor immunoexpression was inversely correlated with tumour grade (p=0.016), but not the tumour stage, tumour size and nodal status.
CONCLUSION: AR is expressed in about one-third of TNBC and loss of AR immunoexpression does not predict adverse clinical outcomes. Larger cohorts for better characterisation of the role of AR immunoexpression in TNBC are warranted.
METHODS: All 4930 women diagnosed with breast cancer in University Malaya Medical Center, Malaysia from 1993 to 2011 were included. Factors associated with very early presentation (stage I) at diagnosis were identified. Tumour characteristics, management patterns, and survival of very early breast cancer were described, and where appropriate, compared with other settings.
RESULTS: Proportion of women presenting with stage I breast cancer significantly increased from 15.2% to 25.2% over two decades. Factors associated with very early presentation were Chinese ethnicity, positive family history of breast cancer, and recent period of diagnosis. Within stage I breast cancers, median tumour size at presentation was 1.5 cm. A majority of stage I breast cancer patients received mastectomy, which was associated with older age, Chinese ethnicity, postmenopausal status, and larger tumours. Chemotherapy was administered in 36% of patients. Five-year age-adjusted relative survival for women with stage I breast cancer was 99.1% (95% CI: 97.6-99.6%).
CONCLUSIONS: The proportion of women presenting with very early breast cancer in this setting without organised screening is increasing. These women seem to survive just as well as their counterparts from affluent settings.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Medical records and relevant radiographs for each patient were analysed and collected from the time of presentation till the point of latest follow-up. During each clinic visit, all physical exam findings as well as all complications were recorded. The American Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) Hindfoot score was also tabulated for each patient at the point of latest review.
RESULTS: Closed reduction was unsuccessful in all three patients, and all required open reduction. One patient had an uncomplicated recovery whilst the remaining two suffered significant soft tissue complications. One patient suffered severe soft tissue swelling preventing primary closure at the time of surgery, whilst another suffered post-operative wound dehiscence and infection. Eventually all fractures healed, and all three patients obtained satisfactory AOFAS scores.
CONCLUSION: The diagnosis of Bosworth fracture dislocations of the ankle is often delayed or missed, due to its rare occurrence. Closed reduction is often unsuccessful, and early open reduction is required to avoid poor clinical outcomes due to severe soft tissue damage or even compartment syndrome.