Europaparlamentariker som avgår före mandatperiodens slut : En undersökning av två valperioder 1994 - 2004

Only abstract. Paper copies of master’s theses are listed in the Helka database (http://www.helsinki.fi/helka). Electronic copies of master’s theses are either available as open access or only on thesis terminals in the Helsinki University Library.Vain tiivistelmä. Sidottujen gradujen saatavuuden voit tarkistaa Helka-tietokannasta (http://www.helsinki.fi/helka). Digitaaliset gradut voivat olla luettavissa avoimesti verkossa tai rajoitetusti kirjaston opinnäytekioskeilla.Endast sammandrag. Inbundna avhandlingar kan sökas i Helka-databasen (http://www.helsinki.fi/helka). Elektroniska kopior av avhandlingar finns antingen öppet på nätet eller endast tillgängliga i bibliotekets avhandlingsterminaler.Europaparlamentet lider av en låg kontinuitet, d.v.s. en för hög rotation bland dess medlemmar. En hög rotation leder till instabila strukturer, brist på erfarenhet och kunnande och dessutom är det dåligt för folkets demokratiska kontroll i fall ledamöterna inte vill sitta kvar. Den höga rotationen i Europaparlamentet beror både på ett lågt omval bland de sittande ledamöterna och på att många parlamentariker avgår mitt i en valperiod före deras mandat gått ut. Mitt syfte är att undersöka vad det höga avbrytandet beror på och vad som karaktäriserar de europaparlamentariker som avbryter mitt i perioden. Analysen sträcker sig över de två senaste valperioderna 1994 – 1999 och 1999 – 2004. Min undersökning är en förklarande, kvantitativ och delvis teoriutvecklande analys. Jag börjar med att kartlägga omval och avbrytande i Europaparlamentet för tiden 1979 – 2004, alltså sedan Europaparlamentet valts genom öppna val. Därefter koncentrerar jag mig på avbrytandet. Jag försöker med hjälp av ett antal hypoteser hitta skillnader mellan de som avbryter och inte avbryter. Mina hypoteser baserar sig på följande variabler; nationalitet, kön, ålder, utbildning, parti, nationell politisk bakgrund, aktivitet i Europaparlamentet och om man tidigare har suttit med i Europaparlamentet. Dessutom undersöker jag om valsystemen (om länderna använder slutna eller öppna listor) och lönenivån, som är nationellt bunden, har någon påverkan. Under den första valperioden 1979 – 1984 var antalet som avbröt över 25 %, vilket är mycket högt. Därefter har antalet sjunkit och ligger nu på lite under 15 %. Den starkaste hypotesen visade sig vara nationaliteten. Skillnaderna mellan medlemsländerna är stora både gällande omval och gällande avbrytande. De länder som har flest avbrytare är Luxemburg, Frankrike, Portugal och Spanien. Det visade sig att mest benägna att avbryta är parlamentariker i åldern 30 – 50 år som tidigare haft en hög position inom den nationella politiken. Det här kom tydligast fram hos länder med många parlamentariker som avbryter. Majoriteten av dem som avbröt gjorde det för att inta en post i den nationella politiken, oftast som parlamentariker eller minister. Påståendet att många använder Europaparlamentet som en springbräda till den nationella politiken stämmer alltså

High expression of CCL2 in tumor cells and abundant infiltration with CD14 positive macrophages predict early relapse in breast cancer

Macrophages are important for the function of the innate immune system, and in solid tumors, they represent a significant proportion of the tumor mass. Tumor-associated macrophages (TAM) have a M2 phenotype and show a multitude of pro-tumoral functions, promoting tumor cell survival, proliferation, and dissemination. CCL2, synthesized by tumor and stromal cells, initiates a chemokine cascade inducing these processes. We studied by immunohistochemistry (IHC) the frequency of TAMs and CCL2 expressing cells in three groups of primary tumor (PT)-recurrence (R) pairs, where relapse was recorded within 2years (group 1), between 5 and 10years (group 2), and after 10years (group 3). In our study all established breast cancers were heavily infiltrated by CD68 positive cells. Both in PTs and in R lesions the infiltration was more abundant in the peritumoral than in the intratumoral stroma. The mean frequency of M2 marker and CD14 positive cells in the intratumoral stroma and CCL2 expressing tumor cells was higher in the Rs as compared to the corresponding PTs. In PTs, a high frequency of CD14 positive cells and a high expression of CCL2 by tumor cells was associated with an early recurrence. The findings support the current understanding of immune cell orchestrated development, progression and metastatic spread of breast cancer. Our study showed that a high frequency of CCL2 positive tumor cells and CD14 positive TAMs are significant risk factors for rapid tumor recurrence. Potential targets for intervention are discussed.Peer reviewe

Kainalon tyhjennysleikkausta tarvitaan yhä harvemmin rintasyövän hoidossa

Vertaisarvioitu.Kainalon evakuaatio eli tyhjentäminen rasvasta ja imusolmukkeista oli aiemmin olennainen osa rintasyövän leikkaushoitoa, mutta sen rooli on vähentynyt merkittävästi. Vartijaimusolmukebiopsia on korvannut tyhjennysleikkauksen kainaloetäpesäkkeiden diagnosoinnissa. Kainalon kaikukuvaus ja sen yhteydessä otettava neulanäyte ovat nykyään osa rintasyövän diagnosointia. Kaikukuvauksen tarkoituksena on tunnistaa potilaat, joiden kainalossa on rintasyövän etäpesäkkeitä ja joille voidaan tehdä suoraan kainalon tyhjennysleikkaus ilman edeltävää vartijaimusolmukebiopsiaa. Kainalon tyhjennysleikkaus ei ole enää niidenkään potilaiden rutiinihoito, joiden vartijaimusolmukkeessa todetaan rintasyövän etäpesäke, vaan useimmiten hoidoksi riittää kainalon sädehoito ja joissakin tapauksissa pelkästään seuranta. Rintasyövän kainalokirurgian painopiste on siirtynyt yhä enemmän etäpesäkkeiden poistosta niiden diagnostiikkaan.Peer reviewe

Delay in the initiation of adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with breast cancer with mastectomy with or without immediate breast reconstruction

Background Patients with breast cancer undergoing mastectomy should be offered the option of immediate breast reconstruction (IBR). The aim of this retrospective study was to assess whether there is a delay in the initiation of adjuvant chemotherapy in patients undergoing mastectomy with or without IBR. Method The study included patients aged 70 years or younger with clinically node-negative breast cancer who underwent unilateral mastectomy with IBR (IBR group) or mastectomy alone (no-IBR group) followed by adjuvant chemotherapy at the Helsinki University Hospital between January 2012 to July 2018. Results A total of 645 patients were included; 186 in the IBR group and 459 in the no-IBR group. Sixty-six (35.5 per cent) patients in the IBR group and 102 (22.2 per cent) patients in the no-IBR group received their first chemotherapy cycle later than 6 weeks after surgery (P < 0.001). The respective numbers for later than 8 weeks were 17 (9.1 per cent) and 14 (3.1 per cent) (P = 0.001). Among all 645 patients, postoperative complications were a significant risk factor for a delay in the initiation of chemotherapy. Sixty-seven (39.9 per cent) patients with and 101 (21.2 per cent) patients without complications had a delay in chemotherapy (P < 0.001). The delay in chemotherapy was due to complications in 39 (59.1 per cent) in the IBR group and in 28 (27.5 per cent) in the no-IBR group (P < 0.001). Conclusion Patients undergoing mastectomy alone were more likely to receive adjuvant chemotherapy within 6 weeks after surgery compared with the IBR patients. IBR significantly increased the risk of postoperative complications in comparison with mastectomy alone. The complications, in turn, were a significant risk factor for delay in adjuvant chemotherapy. The aim of this retrospective study was to see whether immediate breast reconstruction (IBR) is linked to a delay in initiation of adjuvant chemotherapy. The study shows that patients undergoing mastectomy alone were more likely to receive adjuvant chemotherapy within the recommended 6 weeks after surgery when compared with IBR patients. IBR significantly increased the risk of postoperative complications and the complications, in turn, were a significant risk factor for delay in adjuvant chemotherapy.Peer reviewe

Comparison of vacuum-assisted excision (VAE) and breast lesion excision system (BLES) in the treatment of intraductal papillomas

Purpose: This study aims to compare the feasibility of VAE and BLES in the treatment of intraductal papillomas. Material and methods: Patients with a suspected intraductal papilloma who underwent a BLES or a VAE procedure were included in this retrospective study. The BLES procedures were performed between November 2011 and June 2016 and the VAE procedures between May 2018 and September 2020 at the Department of Radiology of Helsinki University Hospital (HUH). The procedures were performed with an intent of complete removal of the lesions. Results: In total, 72 patients underwent 78 BLES procedures and 95 patients underwent 99 VAE procedures. Altogether 52 (60%) papillomas with or without atypia were completely removed with VAE, whereas 24 (46%) were completely removed with BLES, p = 0.115. The median radiological size of the high-risk lesions completely removed with BLES was 6 mm (4-12 mm), whereas with VAE it was 8 mm (3-22 mm), p = 0.016. Surgery was omitted in 90 (94.7%) non-malignant breast lesions treated with VAE and in 66 (90.4%) treated with BLES, p = 0.368. Conclusion: Both VAE and BLES were feasible in the treatment of intraductal papillomas. In most non-malignant lesions surgery was avoided, but VAE was feasible in larger lesions than BLES. However, follow-up ultrasound was needed more often after VAE. The histopathologic assessment is more reliable after BLES, as the lesion is removed as a single sample. (C) 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.Peer reviewe

Breast Lesion Excision System in the diagnosis and treatment of intraductal papillomas - A feasibility study

Objectives: This study aims to evaluate the feasibility of Breast Lesion Excision System (BLES) in the treatment of intraductal papillomas. Material and methods: All patients with a needle biopsy-based suspicion of an intraductal papilloma who consequently underwent a BLES procedure at Helsinki University Hospital between 2011 and 2016 were included in this retrospective study. The purpose of the BLES procedure was either to excise the entire lesion or in few cases to achieve better sampling. Results: In total, 74 patients underwent 80 BLES procedures. Pathological diagnosis after the BLES biopsy confirmed an intraductal papilloma without atypia in 43 lesions, whereas 10 lesions were upgraded to high-risk lesions (HRL) with either atypical ductal hyperplasia or lobular carcinoma in situ. Five cases were upgraded to malignancy, two were invasive ductal carcinomas and three were ductal carcinoma in situ. Additionally, 18 lesions were diagnosed as other benign lesions. Four procedures failed. Complete excision with BLES was achieved in 19 out of 43 intraductal papillomas, 6 out of 10 HRL and two out of five malignant lesions. No major complications occurred. The BLES procedure was adequate in the management of the 71 breast lesions. Conclusion: The BLES procedure is an acceptable method for the management of small benign and high-risk breast lesions such as intraductal papillomas in selected patients. Thus, a great amount of diagnostic surgical biopsies can be avoided. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd, BASO similar to The Association for Cancer Surgery, and the European Society of Surgical Oncology. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe

Prognostic value of isolated tumour cells in sentinel lymph nodes in early-stage breast cancer : a prospective study

BACKGROUND: The prognostic significance of isolated tumour cells (ITCs) in the sentinel nodes (SNs) is controversial in early breast cancer, and some centres have abandoned immunohistochemistry to detect ITCs. METHODS: Patients with unilateral pT1N0 breast cancer, operated between February 2001 and August 2005 at a university hospital were included in this prospective, population-based cohort study. Survival of 936 patients with or without isolated tumour cells (ITC) in their SNs were compared with the log-rank test and Cox regression analysis. RESULTS: Eight hundred sixty one (92.0%) patients were ITC-negative (pN0i-) and 75 (8.0%) ITC-positive (pN0i+). Patients with ITC-positive cancer received more frequently adjuvant systemic therapies than those with ITC-negative cancer. The median follow-up time was 9.5 years. Ten-year distant disease-free survival was 95.3% in the pN0i-group and 88.8% in the pN0i+ group (P = 0.013). ITCs were an independent prognostic factor in a Cox regression model (HR = 2.34, 95% CI 1.09-5.04; P = 0.029), together with tumour Ki-67 proliferation index and diameter. ITCs were associated with unfavourable overall survival (P = 0.005) and breast cancer-specific survival (P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that presence of ITCs in the SNs is an adverse prognostic factor in early small node-negative breast cancer, and may be considered in the decision-making for adjuvant therapy.Peer reviewe

Development of sentinel node localization and ROLL in breast cancer in Europe

The concept of a precise region in which to find the lymph nodes that drain the lymph directly from the primary tumor site can be traced back to a century ago to the observations of Jamieson and Dobson who described how cancer cells spread from cancer of the stomach in a single lymph node, which they called the â\u80\u9cprimary glandâ\u80\u9d. However, Cabanas was the first in 1977 to realize the importance of this concept in clinical studies following lymphography performed in patients with penile cancer. Thanks to Mortonâ\u80\u99s studies on melanoma in 1992, we began to understand the potential impact of the sentinel lymph node (SN) on the surgical treatment of this type of cancer. The use of a vital dye (blue dye) administered subdermally in the region surrounding the melanoma lesion led to the identification of the sentinel node, and the vital dye technique was subsequently applied to other types of solid tumors, e.g. breast, vulva. However, difficulties in using this technique in anatomical regions with deep lymphatic vessels, e.g. axilla, led to the development of lymphoscintigraphy, started by Alex and Krag in 1993 on melanoma and breast cancer and optimized by our group at European Institute of Oncology (IEO) in Milan in 1996. Today, lymphoscintigraphy is still considered as the most reliable method for the detection of the SN. In 1996, a new method for the localization of non-palpable breast lesion called radioguided occult lesion localization (ROLL) was also developed at IEO. Retrospective and prospective studies have since shown that the ROLL procedure permits the easy and accurate surgical removal of non-palpable breast lesions, overcoming the limitations of previous techniques such as the wire-guided localization. The purpose of this paper is to describe the evolution of SN biopsy and radioguided surgery in the management of breast cancer. We also include a review of the literature on the clinical scenarios in which SN biopsy in breast cancer is currently used, with particular reference to controversies and future prospects

Hyvänlaatuiset ja rintasyöpäriskiä lisäävät rintarauhasen kudosmuutokset

English summar

Resection margins and local recurrences in breast cancer : Comparison between conventional and oncoplastic breast conserving surgery

Background: This retrospective cohort study aims to compare surgical margins, reoperations and local recurrences after conventional or oncoplastic breast conservation surgery (BCS). Furthermore, we aim to investigate differences between various oncoplastic techniques. Material and methods: We reviewed 1800 consecutive patients with primary invasive breast cancer (N =1707) or ductal carcinoma in situ (N = 93) who underwent BCS at Helsinki University Hospital between 2010 and 2012. Results: Conventional BCS was performed in 1189 (66.1%) patients, oncoplastic BCS in 611 (33.9%). Various oncoplastic techniques were used. Patients with oncoplastic BCS had more often multifocal (p There was no difference, however, in surgical margins (p = 0.578) or reoperation rates (p = 0.430) between the groups. A total of 152 (8.4%) patients were reoperated because of insufficient margins, 96 (8.1%) in the conventional, 56 (9.2%) in the oncoplastic BCS group. The median follow-up time was 75 (2-94) months. There was no difference in local recurrence-free survival between the conventional and oncoplastic BCS groups (log-rank test, p = 0.172). Conclusions: Oncoplastic BCS was used for larger, multifocal and more aggressive tumours. Nevertheless, no difference in reoperation rate or local recurrences were found. Oncoplastic BCS is as safe as conventional BCS enabling breast conserving for patients who otherwise were candidates for mastectomy. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd, BASO - The Association for Cancer Surgery, and the European Society of Surgical Oncology. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe