Search Results

Abstract

PURPOSE: This study evaluated the proportion of corneas discarded by the Eye Bank of Londrina, Paraná, due to positive serology over a 5-year period and its impact on transplant availability.
METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted, analyzing 1,968 corneas from 1,056 donors collected between January 2014 and December 2018 at the Eye Bank of Londrina. Serological tests for hepatitis B (HBsAg and anti-HBc), hepatitis C (anti-HCV), and HIV (anti-HIV 1 and 2) were performed using chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassays. Data were analyzed descriptively and presented in tables and graphs.
RESULTS: Of the 1,968 corneas processed, 897 (45.57%) were discarded. Among these, 333 (37.12%) tested positive for serological markers. Hepatitis B accounted for 34.67% of positive cases (15% of total donations), hepatitis C for 1.11% (0.50% of total), and HIV for 0.89% (0.4% of total). Hepatitis cases remained stable between 2014 and 2016, with a marked decline in 2017 and 2018. Most discarded corneas were positive for anti-HBc (31.88%) and negative for HBsAg; however, the anti-HBs test was not performed to confirm immunity to the hepatitis B virus.
CONCLUSION: The findings highlight the importance of serological testing to identify and eliminate contaminated corneas, thereby preventing the transmission of infectious diseases to recipients. Positive serology for hepatitis, particularly hepatitis B, was the leading cause of corneal disposal.

Keywords: Cornea; Corneal transplantation; Corneal donation; Eye banks; Hepatitis B virus; Hepatitis C virus; HIV infections; Seropositivity; Serologic tests

Abstract

PURPOSE: To analyze the results of the 15-gene expression profile/preferentially expressed antigen in melanoma (15-GEPP) prognostic classifier and associated survival outcomes in a series of Brazilian patients with posterior uveal melanoma.
METHODS: Patients born and raised in Brazil who were diagnosed with posterior uveal melanoma and underwent fine-needle aspiration biopsy for 15-GEPP prognostic testing using the DecisionDx-Uveal melanoma and DecisionDx-PRAME assays between September 2020 and 2023 were included. All patients were diagnosed and treated by the senior author.
RESULTS: Of 236 patients diagnosed with posterior uveal melanoma during the study period, 11 (4.6%) met the inclusion criteria, including six males and five females. Based on 15-GEPP results, seven patients (63.6%) were classified as Class 1 and 4 (36.4%) as Class 2. Preferentially expressed antigen in melanoma (PRAME) expression was negative in six patients (54.6%) and positive in five patients (45.4%). During a mean follow-up of 36.4 ± 17.6 months, five patients developed metastasis: two with Class 2/PRAME-positive tumors, one with Class 2/PRAME-negative tumors, one with Class 1/PRAME-positive tumors, and one with Class 1/PRAME-negative tumors. Three of these patients died. The mean survival after the diagnosis of metastasis was 21.2 months (median: 17.0 months).
CONCLUSIONS: The proportions of Class 1 versus Class 2 tumors and PRAME-negative versus PRAME-positive tumors as well as the prognostic performance of these biomarkers appear similar in Brazilian patients with posterior uveal melanoma compared with large published cohorts from North America. Further studies with larger Brazilian cohorts are needed to validate these findings.

Keywords: Uveal melanoma; Fine-needle biopsy; Prognosis; Biomarkers; Neoplasms; Transcriptome; Survival; Brazil