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Background: The present systematic review and meta-analysis critically assessed the impact of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) in comparison to ACT in breast cancer patients in terms of oncological and functional outcomes. Methods: Randomized controlled trials comparing NACT with ACT in breast cancer patients were identified through Medline and Cochrane Register of Controlled Trials on January 21, 2016. Cochrane risk of bias assessment tool was used to assess the risk of bias. Meta-analysis was performed using fixed-effects or random-effects method depending on heterogeneity (I2). Grading of the evidences was also done. Subgroup meta-analysis on the basis of total preoperative chemotherapy or sandwich chemotherapy was also performed. Results: The present meta-analysis shows increased breast-conserving surgery (BCS) rate (n = 9, risk ratio [95% confidence interval (CI)] = 1.19 [1.03-1.37]) with NACT. Further, NACT was found equally effective regarding overall survival (n = 15, hazard ratio [HR] [95% CI] = 0.98 [0.89-1.08]), disease-free survival (DFS) (n = 14, HR [95% CI] = 1.01 [0.86-1.18]), and distant metastasis (n = 13, HR [95% CI] = 0.97 [0.82-1.16]). Although locoregional recurrence (LRR) rate was noted to be significantly higher in NACT group (n = 15, HR [95% CI] = 1.23 [1.06-1.43]), its significance disappeared (n = 13, HR [95% CI] = 1.17 [0.98-1.40]) by excluding the trials where surgery was not provided for patients with complete tumor response. After excluding such trials, preoperative NACT was associated with increased BCS with similar LRR in ACT group. Discussion: NACT has no major impact on breast cancer survival. However, it is associated with increased BCS rates. NACT downgrades tumor size facilitating more BCSs without increasing LRR. The evidences were graded for all outcomes as high except DFS and BCS as moderate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tumor cells were immunopositive for chromogranin (diffuse), focally for synaptophysin, and showed faint immunoreactivity for cytokeratin while negative for epithelial membrane antigen (EMA), glial fibrillary acidic protein, and neurofilament. 9 Although PTPR is a rare tumor, it is being recognized more commonly nowadays due to the awareness of neuropathologists and should be considered in the differential diagnoses of tumors of the pineal region. Histopathologically, PTPR is characterized by an epithelial-like growth pattern in which the vessels are covered with multiple layers of tumor cells forming perivascular pseudorosettes, similar to our case. [Extracted from the article]

A 6-year-old child presented to us with on and off headache and vomiting for 4 months. On examination, there was bilateral papilledema with mild intracranial hypertension but with no neurological deficits. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed third ventricular mass with obstructive hydrocephalus with possibility of glioma. The patient underwent gross tumor excision and histopathology confirmed anaplastic neurocytoma. The postoperative MRI showed residual disease. The patient treated with adjuvant radiotherapy and temozolamide chemotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]