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Biomedical subjects

B Cady

Publications and source records attributed to B Cady.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

Clinical problems in follow-up of patients after conservative surgery and radiotherapy.

Patients treated with conservative surgery and radiotherapy for early-stage breast carcinoma are at risk of developing an ipsilateral breast recurrence for a long period. Fortunately, few such patients present with an inoperable recurrence or simultaneous distant metastases. Salvage rates are high and may be improved by early detection. Although usually unambiguous, physical examination of the treated breast may reveal changes attributable to surgery and radiotherapy that can mimic a recurrent cancer. There also is substantial overlap in radiologic appearance between benign and malignant lesions. It may be necessary to perform a biopsy when there is a question of recurrence. Careful life-long follow-up of patients thus is a critical part of their care.

Breast Neoplasms↗

Conservative surgery and radiation therapy for early breast cancer. Long-term cosmetic results.

To evaluate the cosmetic outcome of conservative surgery (CS) and radiation therapy (RT) for early-stage breast cancer and its stability over time, we reviewed the records of 593 patients treated from 1968 to 1981. The breast appearance was scored as "excellent," "good," "fair," or "poor". Median follow-up was 76 months (range, 37 to 186 months). Cosmetic results were generally excellent or good. The percents of excellent, good, fair, and poor results at three years were 65%, 25%, 7%, and 3%, respectively. Patients not receiving adjuvant chemotherapy were more likely than those receiving chemotherapy to have excellent scores at five years (71% vs 40%). Tumor size also influenced cosmetic outcome: 73% of patients with T1 tumors vs 55% with T2 tumors had excellent scores at five years. Our results were stable over time: of 36 patients assessable at seven years whose cosmetic scores were good or excellent at three years, 34 (94%) continued to have good or excellent scores, and only two (5%) deteriorated to fair. We conclude that the cosmetic results achieved with CS and RT are good to excellent in approximately 90% of patients and that these results remain stable for at least seven years.

Adult↗

Gastric adenocarcinoma. A disease in transition.

Two hundred eleven gastric adenocarcinomas diagnosed from 1967 to 1982 were analyzed. Thirty-four percent had a proximal location, a proportionate increase from previous decades that suggested a distinctive epidemiology. Diffuse histology occurred in 49% of cases overall and in 55% of unresectable cases, which were also increases from previous decades. No deaths followed curative resections, two (4%) of 50 patients with palliative resections died, and three (6%) of 54 patients who underwent exploration without resection died, indicating improved operative management. Superficial gastric cancer constituted 6% of cases; 91% were cured. Seventeen percent of cases were linitis plastica and required total gastrectomy in 77% of resections; only 13% of patients had curative operations; none were cured. Seventy-nine percent of cases were polypoid or ulcerated focal cancers. Of operable focal cancers, 72% were resected; 27 (47%) of 57 patients who underwent resection for cure survived five years, a distinct improvement from previous reports, as was the overall survival of 21%.

Adenocarcinoma↗

Primary cancer of the liver. Evaluation, treatment, and prognosis.

Between 1970 and 1985, a diagnosis of primary hepatocellular carcinoma was established in 98 patients. Sixty-one cases developed in the presence of chronic liver disease, and only six of these were considered resectable. Of these, the median survival was 19 months. There was one perioperative death. Of the 98 tumors, 37 arose in normal livers. Of the 16 patients with tumors in normal livers that were resected, all survived operation. The long-term median survival was 32 months. Two subsets of the fibrolamellar and clear-cell variants appeared to carry a more favorable prognosis.

Adult↗

Late cosmetic outcome after conservative surgery and radiotherapy: analysis of causes of cosmetic failure.

Although the majority of patients with early breast cancer treated with conservative surgery and radiotherapy have acceptable cosmetic outcomes, the specific causes of a less-than-acceptable result are not well known. To assess the technical factors associated with late cosmetic failure, we reviewed the records of 593 patients treated with conservative surgery and radiotherapy at the Joint Center for Radiation Therapy, Boston, between 1968 and 1981. Median follow-up was 76 months with a range of 37-186 months. Using a 4-point scoring system (excellent, good, fair, poor) patients were noted to have cosmetic "failure" if scored as either fair or poor. Cosmetic results were similar at 3, 5, and 7 years with excellent or good scores seen in 88%, 90%, and 78% of patients, respectively. Three technical factors were associated with a significant worsening of the cosmetic results. The resection of 70 cm3 or more of breast tissue was more common among the failed patients than among matched patients with good or excellent results (p = 0.03). Eighty-nine percent of patients treated with a tangent pair technique had excellent results at 5 years compared to 69% of patients treated with a three-field technique (p = 0.004). The use of a larger volume implant was associated with a greater risk of a fair or poor cosmetic result compared to the use of a smaller volume implant. We conclude that overall cosmesis has been acceptable in this series, but there are technical (surgery and radiotherapy) factors which can be modified to optimize the cosmetic result without compromising local tumor control.

Breast Neoplasms↗

Experience with colorectal carcinoma metastatic to the liver.

The predilection of colorectal cancer metastases for the liver is probably the result of several factors, including the blood supply, the "homing" characteristics of the tumor cells, and the state of the liver. Five-year survival rates after hepatic resection for colorectal cancer metastases range from 20 to 40 per cent, and some other patients obtain palliative benefit. The authors discuss the three presentations of liver metastases, operative techniques, and prognostic factors.

Colorectal Neoplasms↗

Intraoperative radiation therapy for biliary tract carcinoma: results of a 5-year experience.

The results of a 5-year experience with use of intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT) in the management of locally advanced bile duct carcinoma are presented. Fifteen patients received IORT doses between 5 and 20 Gy for localized disease, which was either primary and resected with microscopic residual (2 patients), primary and unresected (10 patients), or recurrent (3 patients). Thirteen patients also received postoperative radiation therapy. The median survival of the 12 patients with primary disease was 14 months, with disease controlled in the porta hepatis in 5 of 10 evaluable patients. The three patients with recurrent disease survived 2, 9, and 11 months. There were two operative deaths, for an operative mortality of 13%. Acute and chronic complications are reviewed. Cholangitis is the most frequent in both categories. This aggressive approach in the therapy for advanced disease has an acceptable level of morbidity and may warrant the use of IORT as part of the management of biliary tract cancer.

Acute Disease↗

Surgical treatment of biliary cystadenoma. A report of 15 cases.

Mucinous biliary cystadenomas are rare intrahepatic or, less commonly, extrahepatic neoplasms that may produce massive enlargement, hemorrhage, rupture, secondary infection, jaundice, or vena caval obstruction. Radiologic criteria differentiate biliary cystadenomas from more common parasitic or simple cysts. Treatment has included sclerosis, marsupialization, internal drainage, or resection, but without resection the patient is at risk for enlargement, infection, or progression of an unrecognized malignant neoplasm. We report the course of 15 patients who underwent resection for biliary cystadenoma to elucidate the clinical presentation, preoperative evaluation, and surgical treatment. Nine patients had had previous radiologic or surgical intervention other than excision, and complications of sepsis and tumor recurrence had developed. Following complete resection, however, only five postoperative complications were encountered, and no patient experienced recurrence of tumor. Thus, we recommend complete surgical resection as the preferred therapy.

Adult↗

Surgically incurable well-differentiated thyroid carcinoma. Prognostic factors and results of therapy.

A series of 97 consecutive patients with well-differentiated thyroid carcinoma treated between 1941 and 1970 presented with distant metastatic disease or extensive nonresectable local neck disease or had residual carcinoma after thyroid resection. Men 40 years of age or younger and women 50 years of age or younger were considered at low risk for dying of disease; older patients were considered at high risk for dying of disease. Of 17 patients with distant metastatic carcinoma, 40% of younger patients in the low-risk group and 92% of older patients in the high-risk group died. Of 80 patients with unresectable or residual local neck cancer, only 13% of younger patients but 71% of older patients died. Survival related better to risk group classification as defined by age and sex than to any details of disease presentation or management. Treatment was far more successful in patients in the low-risk group.

Adenocarcinoma↗

An expanded view of risk-group definition in differentiated thyroid carcinoma.

There continues to be controversy about every aspect of management of differentiated thyroid carcinoma. In an age-based risk group previously described, low-risk patients made up 62% of cases and had a death rate of only 1%. Recent reports from the Mayo Clinic have expanded the concept of the low-risk group to include 86% of all cases with a 2% death rate by utilizing several anatomic and pathologic criteria of risk. We offer here another multifactorial system for the identification of low-risk patients who made up 89.4% of all patient seen between 1961 and 1980 and who have a death rate of only 1.8%. The resultant high-risk group constitutes 11% of cases but carries a 46% mortality rate. The risk-group definition is completely clinical and is based on age, presence of distant metastases, and the size and extent of primary cancer. It can be used confidently at the operating table to select conservative surgical procedures in patients with negligible risk of death. Through the succeeding decades analyzed, from 1941 to 1980, the effectiveness of this clinical categorization has increased substantially in separating patients at high and low risk, so that a mortality rate ratio of 26:1 now exists between high- and low-risk groups, respectively.

Adult↗

Primary radiation therapy for locally advanced breast cancer.

The optimal local-regional treatment for patients with Stage III breast cancer has not been determined. To evaluate the effectiveness of radiation therapy as local treatment for such patients, the results of 192 patients (five with bilateral disease) treated with radiation therapy without mastectomy between July 1, 1968 and December 31, 1981 were reviewed. Excisional biopsy (gross tumor removal) was performed in only 54 of the 197 breasts. Patients typically received 4500 to 5000 cGy in 5 weeks to the breast and draining lymph nodes; a local boost to areas of gross disease was delivered to 157 patients. Multi-agent chemotherapy was given to 53 patients. The median follow-up was 65 months. The actuarial probability of survival for the entire group was 41% at 5 years and 23% at 10 years. The probability of relapse-free survival (RFS) was 30% at 5 years and 19% at 10 years. The addition of multi-agent chemotherapy was associated with a significantly improved 5-year RFS (40% versus 26%, P = 0.02). The 5-year survival rate was 51% for patients who received adjuvant multi-agent chemotherapy and 38% for patients who did not (P = 0.16). The actuarial rate of local-regional tumor control (not censored for distant failure) for all patients was 73% at 5 years and 68% at ten years, and the crude incidence of local-regional control was 78%. Local-regional tumor control was principally influenced by radiation dose. Patients who received 6000 cGy or greater to the primary site had a better 5-year rate of control in the breast than did patients who received less than 6000 cGy (83% versus 70%, P = 0.06). Significant complications were seen in 15 patients (8%); these included moderate or severe arm edema in six patients and brachial plexopathy in four patients. Cosmetic results at last evaluation were excellent or good in 56% of evaluable patients, fair in 25%, and poor in 19%. It is concluded that high-dose radiation therapy without mastectomy is an effective means of controlling local-regional tumor in patients with locally advanced breast cancer.

Actuarial Analysis↗

Hepatic cryosurgery with intraoperative ultrasound monitoring for metastatic colon carcinoma.

We utilized cryosurgery with intraoperative ultrasound (IOUS) monitoring in ten patients to treat multiple unresectable hepatic metastases from colorectal carcinoma. The liver was exposed at laparotomy, and tumors were subjected to three cycles of freezing (eight minutes each) and thawing. Freezing was monitored by IOUS, which visualized frozen tumor as a hyperechoic rim with posterior acoustic shadowing. Frozen normal liver appeared hypoechoic after thawing compared with normal unfrozen liver. There were no significant complications. The follow-up ranged from four months to 17 months (median, 7.5 months). Tumor response was documented by pathologic findings (coagulative necrosis), progressive fall of carcinoembryonic antigen levels, and computed tomographic scan evidence of necrosis and shrinkage of tumor. One patient underwent repeated laparotomy five months after cryosurgery and had the frozen lesions resected; there was no residual tumor. This study establishes the technical feasibility and antitumor response of hepatic cryosurgery and the use of IOUS for precise localization and monitoring of cryoablations.

Adult↗

Management of recurrent pelvic tumors.

The management of regional tumor recurrence in the pelvis traditionally has been a difficult problem for surgeons and oncologists. The only meaningful therapy for these patients is a potentially curative re-resection. The records and operative reports of 29 patients with regional pelvic tumor recurrence treated between 1981 and 1986 were reviewed. The operative procedures performed included three bowel resections, six abdominoperineal resections, eight pelvic exenterations, eight resections of tumor recurrence, and four conservative procedures. There was one operative death in this group. Significant morbidity was noted in the group but was clustered in a small number of patients operated on early in the series. The median follow-up in this series was 13 months (range, two to 51 months). Nineteen (65%) of the patients are surviving at a median follow-up of ten months (range, two to 51 months). The median survival (following resection) in the ten patients (35%) who died was 18 months. In 15 (52%) of the patients, a complete resection was performed. In this group, the survival is 80% with a median follow-up of 11 months. Seven (37%) are surviving with no evidence of disease. Palliation of symptoms occurred in 23 (79%) of the 29 patients. Radical resection of tumor recurrence in the pelvis can be performed with acceptable mortality and complication rates. This therapy should be considered for further clinical trials combining surgical and adjuvant therapy in patients with regional pelvic tumor recurrence.

Adult↗

Resection of tumors in irradiated fields with subsequent immediate reconstruction.

With increased use of primary radiation therapy for treatment of cancer and adjuvant radiation therapy after surgical removal of a bulk tumor, recurrence in these fields has posed significant new and increasingly technical and biologic problems. We report our experience with ten such cases in which difficult wounds were reconstructed immediately after major regional resections of advanced or recurrent tumors in fields of previous irradiation. All of these patients could undergo extirpation of their recurrent tumors in irradiated fields because of improved techniques in reconstructive flap surgery allowing large amounts of well-vascularized tissue to be transferred, sometimes over a significant distance. Follow-up of these patients has ranged from three to 18 months (median, nine months). Primary healing, decreased deformity, reduced morbidity, and prolonged disease-free intervals have been achieved with the combination of extirpative and reconstructive techniques.

Abdominal Neoplasms↗

Management of the urinary tract involved by recurrent cancer.

We present our experience from 1982 to the present in treating 33 patients with recurrent cancers (colorectal, 22; gynecologic, six; breast, two; melanoma, two; and lung, one) secondarily involving the genitourinary tract. All patients had severe symptoms that required palliation. Endoscopically placed stents relieved ureteral obstruction in 18 (75%) of 24 patients with widespread metastatic disease. Two patients required percutaneous nephrostomy tubes, and five required open operations. Good to excellent palliation was achieved in 23 of 24 patients. Mean survival in the group with diffuse metastases was 13 months (range, six to 29 months). Nine patients with localized recurrences underwent surgical procedures. For localized pelvic recurrences, total exenteration (with or without intraoperative radiotherapy) provided excellent palliation with low morbidity. At the time of this report, five of six such patients had no evidence of disease, and one had a small asymptomatic pelvic recurrence, with a mean follow-up of 13 months (range, five to 19 months).

Adult↗