Objective. Determination of the diagnostic signifiance of the use of a contrast agent during ultrasound, as well as to assess the possibility of using CEUS for the dynamic observation of simple and complex kidney cysts.

Materials and methods. Between 2018 and 2020 during CEUS, we examined 28 patients with various cystic formations of the kidneys. In the majority of patients with simple cysts, CEUS was performed for another underlying cancer or to confim the presence of liver metastases. The study included cysts ranging in size from 15 to 35 mm. Larger cysts were weeded out. The accumulation of contrast in the unchanged kidney tissue and in the walls of the cysts was assessed. Particular attention was paid to the partitions in the lumen of anechoic formations, as well as complex cysts, in which blood flw appeared in the altered partitions and walls in the arterial phase.

Conclusions. CEUS can be performed as an additional method when obtaining doubtful results or as a diagnosis during dynamic monitoring for the detection of kidney cysts. CEUS allows the detection of membranes in kidney cysts that are not detected by ultrasound in the standard mode.

The technique also helps to effectively differentiate absorption between a solid formation and a normal cyst. According to the accumulation of the contrast agent in the cysts, patients can be divided into categories, according to the classifiation of M. A. Bosnian and make a decision on the need for surgical treatment or placing the patient under dynamic observation.

Introduction. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) is the standard of care for II–III stages of TN BC. Complete pathomorphological response (pCR) is associated with a signifiant increase in event-free and overall survival. In addition, in the absence of pCR, post-neoadjuvant adjuvant therapy is prescribed, while if pCR is achieved, additional treatment is not carried out. Despite a large number of studies on NACT of TN BC, different NACT regimens in various clinical trials make it diffiult to interpret their results.

Objective. To investigate the effiacy of 4ddAC followed by 12 weekly cycles of paclitaxel and carboplatin in TN BC (according to the RCB system and the frequency of pCR); determine the predictive factors for the effectiveness of this chemotherapy regimen, and the effect of dose intensity on the pCR rate.

Methods. This prospective study included 154 patients with TN breast cancer who received dose-dence neoadjuvant chemotherapy from January 2017 to March 2022.

Results. PCR rate was 53.25 % (n = 82), RCB 0–I was 66.88 % (n = 103), disease progression was observed in 3.25 % (n = 4). The frequency of germline mutations in the BRCA1/2 genes was 21.43 % (n = 33). The most common mutation was BRCA1 5382insC – 63.64 % (n = 21) of all BRCA1/2 mutations. Rare mutations detected by NGS accounted for 30.3 % (n = 10). The only factor associated with a signifiant increase in the pCR rate was age ≤50 years (p = 0.010), there was a trend towards an increase pCR rate in the subgroups T1–2 (p = 0.052) and BRCA1/2 mut (p = 0.080). There was no effect of the dose intensity on the achievement of pCR.

Conclusions. This retrospective analysis is the largest study evaluating the effiacy of 4 ddAC followed by 12 PC in NACT TN BC. The regimen allows to achieve a high frequency of pCR, despite the large proportion of patients with locally advanced breast cancer. The high frequency of rare mutations in the BRCA1/2 genes and the potential therapeutic signifiance of this marker in residual disease treatment dictates the need for NGS in all patients with TN in breast cancer.

Hypofractionated radiotherapy in the treatment of breast cancer patients has a signifiant advantage over conventional fractionation due to the shorter duration of treatment course while maintaining its antitumor effiacy. Usage of hypofractionated regimens may be restricted in patients with immediate breast reconstruction because of higher rate of complications. The aim of this study is to evaluate the incidence of complications in the reconstructed breast after hypofractionated radiotherapy. The study involved 100 patients with breast cancer after immediate implant-based breast reconstruction who underwent an adjuvant course of external beam radiation therapy with a single dose of 2.67 Gy to a total dose of 40.05 Gy. In our study the incidence of capsular contracture is 8 %, infectious complications – 2.3 %, protrusion – 4.6 %. The total incidence of complications is 15 %, which does not exceed the incidence in conventional fractionation.

Objective. To evaluate the diagnostic informativeness of determining the concentration of the MCM5 proliferation marker in the uterine aspirate for the detection of uterine body cancer (UBC) and the differential identifiation of the risk group for patients with suspected non-endometrioid endometrial cancer.

Materials and methods. 104 patients diagnosed with UBC and 32 healthy patients of the control group were examined. According to the histological type, 79 (76 %) patients had endometrial cancer, 16 (15 %) had serous and 9 (9 %) clear cell cancer. Endometrial aspiration biopsy was obtained by Pipel biopsy using a two-channel Pipelle catheter. Direct quantitative determination of the concentration of MCM5 in the uterine aspirate cell homogenate was carried out by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using specifi MCM5 ELISA test systems.

Results. It was found that when the concentration of MCM5 in the uterine aspirate exceeds 11.38 pg/ml, the detection of early-stage UBC is possible with a diagnostic sensitivity of 96.12 % and a specifiity of 78.79 %. When the concentration of MCM5 in the uterine aspirate exceeds 56.9 pg/ml, the relative risk of detecting rare forms of UBC increases (p < 0.0001) by 59.7 times.

Conclusions. Determination of the concentration of the protein of the minichromosomal protection family MCM5 in the aspirate of the uterine cavity is informative for the early detection of UBC.

Introduction. Melanoma is a malignant tumor that develops from melanocytes, has a high malignant potential and is characterized by early and aggressive metastasis. Just like with many other malignant neoplasms, melanoma can be clinically manifested by metastases in the absence of a primary focus. In the world and in Russia, there has been a steady increase in the incidence of melanoma over the past thirty years. Identifiation of the primary focus with an established diagnosis of metastases of a malignant tumor during life occurs no more than 25 % of cases. Even at autopsy, the primary focus is found on average in 15–20 % of patients, subject to a complete examination of the patient during his lifetime. The prognostic value of identifying the primary focus in melanoma remains unclear.

Objective. To improve the diagnosis and treatment of patients with melanoma metastases without an identifid primary focus by assessing the signifiance of various factors, including the fact that the primary tumor was detected.

Materials and methods. Since 2005 to 2019 at the National Medical Research Centre of Oncology n. a. N. N. Blokhin (Moscow, Russia) 196 patients with metastases of melanoma in the lymph nodes were observed and treated. Patient medical history were analyzed retrospectively and prospectively. All patients were followed up on an ambulatory after treatment. The inflence of the main clinical and morphological characteristics on the survival rates of patients was assessed. Patients with a morphologically confimed diagnosis of melanoma metastases in

Objective. To identify electroencephalographic predictors of symptomatic seizure in children and adolescent with lymphoid tumors during chemotherapy.

Material and methods. EEG results of a study in 20 children aged 7 to 15 years with lymphoid tumors during chemotherapy under the В-NHLBFM-90/95 и ALL IC-BFM 2002 program are presented. Depending on the presence of clinical manifestations, patients were divided into groups: 1st group (n = 10 without epileptiform signs), 2nd group (n = 10 with epileptiform signs).

Results. In patients of group 1, who did not have clinical manifestations (seizures), the EEG recorded a signifiantly better, compared with patients of group 2, spectral dencity in band alpha rhythm and sensorimotor rhythm (p < 0.001) and signifiantly less delta activity and beta frequencies (p < 0.001). It was found that, despite the absence of epileptiform signs in the EEG, these patients had fewer EEG correlates of the ‘spike-wave’ complexes, and signifiantly less power levels of delta and beta-2 frequency bands (p < 0.001).

Conclusions. The use of comparative EEG mapping made it possible to identify predictors of epileptiform activity in children and adolescents with lymphoid tumors during chemotherapy.

Relevance. Somatostatin analogues (SSA) are a group of drugs that suppress the secretion of growth hormone, both pathologically increased and caused by arginine, exercise and insulin hypoglycemia. In addition, the drug can suppress the secretion of insulin, glucagon, gastrin, serotonin, thyrotropin. Currently, there is limited evidence that the use of SSA affects fertility. In this regard, the doctor may be faced with the issue of the patient’s reproductive function against the background of systemic use of SSA.
Target. The solution to this issue involves a thorough study of the effect of this group of drugs on the health of the mother and fetus. It is also extremely important to understand whether there is the safest ‘therapeutic window’ for the introduction of SSA. The article systematizes information on the use of ASS in pregnant women and against the background of lactation.
Materials and methods. The article analyzes the works of N. S. Baksheeva, L. K. Kuritsyna, E. G. Ivashkin, studies on the evaluation of reproductive function in animals, as well as clinical observations of patients are presented.
Results. The article concludes that an increase in serotonin during pregnancy, which may be associated with a break in therapy with somatostatin analogues, may lead to an increased risk of developing «carcinoid heart», and may also cause a decrease in anxiety reactions in offspring. Based on clinical observations of patients diagnosed with a neuroendocrine tumor of the stomach, it is suggested that the introduction of somatostatin analogues at an early stage of pregnancy can provoke spontaneous abortion.
Conclusions. The question of the use of SSA during pregnancy remains open and requires further observation, but based on the studies already known to us, it can be assumed that there is enough data (on a limited number of patients) indicating the absence of undesirable effects of SSA on the course of pregnancy or the health of the fetus /newborn.

Relevance. SARS-CoV-2 and the disease it caused, COVID-19, became the reason of pandemic that changed the entire life of mankind once and for all. In the fist months, due to the lack of reliable data on this virus, experts could not even imagine how this situation would affect cancer patients. With the accumulation of experience in working with these patients in the conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic, articles summarizing information about the incidence of new coronavirus infection (NCI) and its course in cancer patients began to appear in medical publications. Up-to-date information on this topic is presented in this review.
Target. The study of the prevalence and features of the course of COVID-19 based on the analysis of current scientifi publications on this topic.
Results. The course of COVID-19 depends on many factors, including age, gender, comorbidity, ECOG status, recent cytotoxic chemotherapy, and the type of solid tumor.
Conclusions. Due to the absence of a register of the incidence of COVID-19 in Russia, cancer patients do not have a complete understanding of how the tumor process proceeds after recovery from NCI. This requires further research and in-depth analysis.

PARP inhibitors have been successfully used in the treatment of BRCA-associated metastatic breast cancer in recent years. Adjuvant therapy for gBRCAm carriers with HER 2-negative high-risk early-stage breast cancer has become a new indication for the use of olaparib.

This publication highlights the results of an updated analysis of the OlympiA trial that has changed clinical practice. Adjuvant treatment with olaparib for 1 year signifiantly increased survival rates. Four-year IDFS for the olaparib group was 82.7 % vs 75.4 % for placebo group.

Four-year OS was 89.8 % in the olaparib group and 86.4 % in the placebo group. The treatment has a favorable safety profie and does not reduce quality of life. Despite impressive results the OlympiA study raises many questions about the possibilities of integrating PARP inhibitors into modern standards for the treatment of early breast cancer. The main points of contention and possible ways to resolve them are discussed in this review.