The purpose of the study was an attempt to create universal criteria for the diagnostic imaging of bone metastases allowing biopsy to be avoided.

Material and methods. Scans from 90 patients with verified primary malignant tumors and focal bone lesions in the (n=278) were analyzed. The minimal size of the focal bone lesion was 1 cm. All patients underwent multiparameter magnetic resonance imaging with a modified scanning protocol and single-photon emission computed tomography combined with computed tomography. Diagnostic evaluation was performed before starting treatment, 1 month after starting therapy, then every 3 months for 1 year.

Results. The original «principle of 8 diagnostic elements» had been created, allowing the assessment of the main pathological conditions and processes occurring in bone structures. Based on the analysis and statistic processing of 236 foci of metastatic lesion, the diagnostic informative value of each of the imaging modalities and the algorithm as a whole were assessed, and the reference values were determined. This approach allowed the accuracy of early diagnosis to be improved due to a more reliable evaluation of bone metastases at an early stage, thus reducing or completely avoiding additional biopsies.

We studied capabilities of the Bruker Microflex MALDI-TOF device for species identification of anaerobic gramnegative cocci isolated from clinical specimens of cancer patients. Seventy clinical isolates of Veillonella spp. and one Acidaminococcus spp were analyzed. All isolates were identified to the species level with a scores greater than 1.9. The most common species were V. parvula (37 strains), followed by V. dispar (16), V. atypical (16) and V. denticariosi (1). Susceptibilities of the isolates were determined by the E-test methodology. All Veillonella isolates were susceptible to imipenem, whereas high resistance rates were observed for penicillin G, amoxicillin/clavulanate and metronidazole. The proportion of resistant isolates of V. parvula, V. dispar and V. atypica to penicillin was 86 %, 85 % and 100 %, respectively. The resistance to amoxicillin/clavulanate was observed in 28.6 % of V. parvula isolates, 23.1 % of V. dispar isolates and in 6.7 % of V. atypica isolates. Resistance to metronidazole (MIC ≥ 8 µg/ml) of V. parvula, V. dispar and V. atypica was 88.6 %, 53.8 % and 40 %, respectively.

The use of bimetallic nanoparticles of biocompatible metals with magnetic properties is a new approach to combating cancer cells. Nanoparticles of immiscible Fe/Cu metals, with separated phases at the level of one particle, were synthesized by electric explosion of iron and copper wires in an argon atmosphere. To characterize Cu/Fe nanoparticles, X-ray phase analysis, transmission electron microscopy, thermal desorption of nitrogen, and energy-dispersive analysis were used. Our research has shown that synthesized nanoparticles have antitumor activity against Neuro 2A and J 774 cell lines. Such particles may be promising for the development of drugs for magnetic target delivery.

Introduction. The transcription factor Brn-3α (product of the POU4F1) plays a significant role in carcinogenesis. The purpose of the study was to investigate Brn-3α, AR, ERα expressions in tissues of benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostate cancer as well as to determine their association with AKT/mTOR signaling pathway activation.

Material and methods. The study included 30 patients with locally advanced prostate cancer and 15 patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia. The expression levels of Brn-3α, AR, ERα and the components of AKT/m-TOR signaling pathway were determined using RT-PCR assay.

Results. Overexpression of Brn-3α in prostate cancer tissues was found to be associated with high level of ERα mRNA. High expression of AR was revealed in tissues of benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostate cancer. High expression levels of AKT, m-TOR and PTEN were observed in prostate cancer tissues. However, no significant changes in PTEN mRNA level were found in tissues of prostatic hyperplasia. Conclusion. Brn-3α transcription factor was associated with prostate cancer and accompanied with high expression levels of ERα, AKT and m-TOR.

Background. The change in the spectrum of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) is known to be one of the links of carcinogenesis.

The aim of study was to assess the correlation between the levels of cell proliferation, apoptosis, cell cycle kinetics and the spectrum of short-chain fatty acids in cervical dysplasia and cancer cells.

Methods. To analyze the association between the variables, the Spearman’s rank correlation was used.

Results. The SCFA is likely to have anti-proliferative, pro-apoptotic, and modulatory effects on the cell cycle phase.

Conclusion. Correlations between the level of SCFA and parameters of apoptosis, necrosis, and cell cycle phases indicates their pathogenetic participation in the cervical carcinogenesis.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of nutrient restriction in combination with chemotherapy with methotrexate on the development of Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) in mice.

Material and methods. LLC cells were inoculated into the thigh of adult C57BL/6j mice. Mice fasted twice, for 2 days each, with a day interval. Methotrexate (MTX) was used alone and in combination with nutrient restriction. The drug was administered intraperitoneally at the maximally tolerated dose. Treatment efficacy was evaluated by the tumor growth inhibition (TGI), the level of inhibition of lung metastases (IM) and the kinetic tumor growth index (GI).

Results. TGI was 34 %, 27 % and 46 % in mice with nutrient restriction alone, MTX alone and with combination of nutrient restriction and MTX, respectively. IM index was 90% and 70% in mice treated with MTX alone and in combination with nutrient restriction, respectively. There was no difference in IM index between mice subjected to restricted feeding and mice in the control group. GI was 0.7 in mice with nutrient restriction and combination of nutrient restriction and MTX. GI was 0.81 in mice treated with MTX monotherapy. The toxic effect of MTX was manifested by weight loss in mice. Weigh loss by 13% and 17% was observed in mice subjected to nutrient restriction alone and in combination with MTX, respectively.

Conclusion. MTX inhibited cancer cell growth, however, the therapeutic effect of MTX was leveled by toxic effect on mice. Prolonged caloric restriction inhibited primary tumor growth. However, after returning to a normal diet, tumor growth resumed quickly. The use of MTX in combination with caloric restriction increased its anti-tumor effect on the primary tumor, decreased its toxic effect, but reduced its anti-metastatic activity by 20 %.

The article presents a retrospective analysis of anesthesia and postoperative period of five patients to whom was used autotransplantation of the kidney as a component of an operation of removing of the retroperitoneal sarcoma. To all patients were used anesthesia according to modern concepts of multimodal anesthesia based on low-flow anesthesia with Sevoflurane, thoracic epidural analgesia with Narupin and intravenous administration of Fentanyl. The following indicators were analyzed: doses of anesthetics, hemodynamic parameters, the volume of intraoperative infusion therapy, the volume of diuresis during the operation and in the postoperative period, the duration of postoperative administration of anticoagulants, the use of antibacterial drugs, the days of patients in the intensive care unit and the number of bed days spent in Hospital. It has been shown once again that the combination of low flow anesthesia with Sevoflurane, thoracic epidural analgesia with Narupin and intravenous administration of Fentanyl is a priority in the anesthetic support of such operations. Number of bed-days spent in intensive care and inpatient. Decreases with the improvement of both surgical techniques, both intra- and postoperative management of patients.

Background: The current legislation on the provision of medical assistance fixes the patient’s right to health care and medical assistance (Article 41 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation). Hence it follows that the patient has the opportunity to receive advice on the use of different treatment methods not only from his/her attending physician, but also from other doctors, to use available reference information, and to consider options for using methods of alternative medicine. Patients have the right to refuse treatment if they consider that the treatment options offered by the attending physician are inappropriate for them. Physicians have no right to treat patients without a patient’s informed consent. It is necessary to determine the actual legal model of the relationship between the attending physician and the patient, who may have different options for further treatment. The purpose of the study was to analyze the legislation on the protection of public health, which allows the attending physician to refuse further treatment of a patient, informing the chief physician about the reasons for the refusal.

Results. In cases when cancer hospitals and centers refuse to treat patients who decline conventional cancer treatment and require alternative medicine instead, a signed mutual refusal of medical care is documented: the patient’s refusal of the treatment and the cancer institution’s refusal of the treatment options offered by the patient.

More than 300 000 new cases of endometrial cancer (EC) are registered annually in the world. The prognosis for EC is determined by the stage of the disease. In Russia, stage III–IV EC is diagnosed in 16 % of patients, with the mortality rate in the first year of follow-up of 9.2 %. The management of recurrent/metastatic EC remains a challenging clinical problem. Hormone therapy and chemotherapy is effective in 30 % of patients, with median progression-free and overall survival rates of approximately 6 months and 12 months, respectively. The role of targeted therapy in the treatment of EC remains undefined. However, several studies demonstrated that combination of targeted therapy with chemotherapy resulted in significant improvement in overall survival of patients with advanced endometrial cancer. Published data on the study of checkpoint inhibitors for EC have shown promising results, however, further research is required to more completely understand how the immune system recognizes and eradicated cancer.

Treatment of intraocular retinoblastoma is challenging. It requires a multidisciplinary personalized approach that includes focal treatments, chemotherapy, surgery and radiotherapy. Today, the focus of therapy has shifted to eye preservation with the major aim to save the child’s life and to preserve the eyeball as a functioning organ of vision with minimal complications. One of the most promising therapy approaches is selective intra-arterial chemotherapy (IAC), by which a cytostatic agent is given directly into the eye. This treatment modality has been shown to provide survival benefit and improvement of quality of life, reducing toxicity and minimizing side effects.

Radiation and photodynamic therapy used in anti-cancer therapy generate only active forms of oxygen. High NO concentrations has been shown to induce apoptosis of tumor cells, suggesting that nitrogen-dependent stress can be one of the decisive factors in anti-cancer therapy. Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) is a highly reactive ionized physical state that causes various biological effects. The processes of ionization, dissociation, excitation and recombination of atoms and molecules in CAP lead to the formation of a large number of active forms of oxygen and nitrogen. This review presents the results of studies revealing the mechanism of the antitumor effect of CAP, its effect on various tumor cell lines, and the treatment outcomes in animal models. Further studies on using CAP in cancer therapy are required.

For early stages of cervical cancer, minimally invasive surgery leads to more beneficial outcomes compared to results of more extensive surgery. In this connection, the studies that focus on the assessment of the efficacy of organ-preserving and functionally-sparing approaches to surgical treatment of cervical cancer are of great significance. Sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy is the preferred method for assessing pelvic nodal basin status in patients with early stage cervical cancer. The concept of sentinel lymph nodes is especially relevant in cases where the status of lymph nodes is the most important factor in the expediency of performing organ-preserving or adjuvant treatment. The review highlights the problems of the clinical significance of SLN biopsy in detection of metastases that could not be detected using traditional techniques. The diagnostic  effectiveness of various routes of tracer injection for SLN visualization was assessed. The comparative results of the use of radiopharmaceuticals used either alone or in combination with blue dye for identification of SLNs were shown. The innovative technique for SLN detection were presented.

Nowadays, colorectal anastomotic leak is a threatening surgical complication, especially in low and ultralow rectal resections. Attempts to resolve this problem fultimately lead to the creation of permanent stoma. Preservation of rectal anastomosis is an important task, because in case of its leakage, more than 50 % of patients will have the need for permanent stoma. In this article the authors review various treatment options for anastomotic leakage. Methods of treating presacral sinuses that resulted from mesorectumectomy and techniques of their drainage, as well as the effectiveness of endoscopic methods with biologic glue were discussed. Methods that do not lead to anastomotic leak are more preferable in terms of improvement of quality of life of patients and further prognosis.

Inherited mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes more often provoke the development of metachronous tumors compared to the general population. Women who carry inherited BRCA1 mutations have an increased risk of developing not only breast and ovarian cancers, but they have also increased risks of developing other types of cancers, such as  cervical cancer, endometrial (uterine), ovarian, pancreatic, prostate, and salivary gland  cancers. Common views on the pathogenesis of hereditary cancers imply that the development of the tumor is always preceded by the loss of the remaining (normal) allele of the involved gene. Nevertheless, there is reliable information that some BRCA1-associated ovarian cancers demonstrate retention of the second BRCA1copy. We report a rare case of the development of neuroendocrine cell carcinoma- metachronous ovarian cancer and lung carcinoid tumor in the patient with the BRCA1 gene mutation. In addition, the tumor demonstrated loss of heterozygosity at the BRCA1 locus (loss of the wild-type allele).