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Biomedical subjects

D L Morris

Publications and source records attributed to D L Morris.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMed1998

Lipiodol avidity of neuroendocrine liver metastases.

AIMS: Lipiodol has been shown to concentrate in most hepatocellular carcinomas as well as in some liver metastases, including those of neuroendocrine origin. Our aim was to determine the proportion of neuroendocrine liver metastases that take up lipiodol and to identify tumour characteristics that predict avidity. METHODS: Avidity was assessed in 12 patients with neuroendocrine liver metastases by performing an abdominal CT scan immediately after selective hepatic arterial injection of 5 ml of unlabelled lipiodol and this was correlated with number and size of lesions as well as angiographic and plain CT scan features. RESULTS: In seven patients the tumours displayed lipiodol avidity (four solitary, three multiple); five patients had non-avid lesions (all multiple). A large dominant liver tumour was the only predictor of avidity (mean diameter of largest lesion 9 cm vs. 3 cm for patients with non-avid tumours: P=0.01). Avidity was not related to vascularity or CT density of lesions. CONCLUSIONS: Although this is a small study, it would appear that approximately 50% of neuroendocrine liver metastases selectively concentrate lipiodol, which could have implications for targeted cancer therapy.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Hepatic resection with cryotherapy to involved or inadequate resection margin (edge freeze) for metastases from colorectal cancer.

BACKGROUND: In patients undergoing liver resection for colorectal liver metastases, a resection edge either involved by tumour or with the tumour extending to within 1 cm is associated with a high risk of liver recurrence and survival is reduced markedly. METHODS: Twenty-six patients underwent cryotherapy of the resection edge following liver resection for metastases from colorectal carcinoma with an involved or inadequate (less than 1 cm) resection margin. RESULTS: At a median follow-up of 23 (range 1-47) months four patients were alive and disease free, and 21 had developed recurrence, of whom 13 had died. One patient died following surgery. Sixteen patients developed recurrences involving the liver, only five of which were at the resection margin. CONCLUSION: Cryotherapy to involved or inadequate resection margins improves local disease control considerably. The use of resection edge cryotherapy might allow a greater proportion of patients with liver metastases to be usefully treated and help to avoid high-risk resections.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Histamine in human breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: Histamine inhibits lymphocyte function in vitro at concentrations of greater than 10(-6) mol/l. The aim of this study was to determine whether histamine concentrations in breast cancers were sufficient to produce an immunological effect. METHODS: Tumour and adjacent normal breast content of histamine was measured using a radioenzymatic assay in 29 patients having surgery for breast cancer. RESULTS: The median content of histamine in breast cancer tissue was 5.4 (range 0.9-27.3) microg/g (median concentration 4.5 x 10(-5) mol/l), and was significantly greater than that in adjacent breast tissue (P = 0.007). CONCLUSION: The concentration of histamine in breast cancer was sufficient to inhibit lymphocyte function and could be locally immunosuppressive.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Prognostic factors after cryotherapy for hepatic metastases from colorectal cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To establish the prognostic importance of different patient and tumor characteristics in cryotherapy for liver metastases from colorectal cancer. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: Hepatic cryotherapy has been used as a treatment of nonresectable liver metastases from colorectal cancer in almost 1000 patients worldwide, and its safety and efficacy are well established. However, tumor eventually recurs in most patients and they die of their disease. The knowledge of prognostic factors would allow the selection of patients who are more likely to benefit from this treatment and patients who may need additional treatment. METHODS: Between April 1990 and May 1997, 195 patients were treated with hepatic cryotherapy. Out of this group, the authors identified 116 patients with colorectal cancer who received cryotherapy for ablation of liver metastases. Survival was estimated with the Kaplan-Meier method, using the log-rank test for univariate analysis for significance of possible prognostic factors. For multivariate analysis, a Cox regression was used. RESULTS: One patient (0.9%) died of postoperative myocardial infarction. The total perioperative morbidity rate was 27.6%. Median survival and the 5-year survival rate were 26 months and 13.4%. The following factors were identified as independently associated with a favorable outcome: low presurgical serum level of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), small (< or =3 cm) diameter of cryoablated metastases, absence of untreated extrahepatic disease at laparotomy, absence of nodal involvement at primary resection, complete cryotreatment, synchronous development of liver metastases, and good or moderate differentiation of the primary tumor. Although univariate analysis suggested a favorable prognosis in patients who did not receive blood transfusion during surgery and patients younger than 51 years, this was not confirmed in multivariate analysis. In addition, normalization of the serum CEA level after treatment was an important prognostic marker in the subgroup of patients with elevated serum CEA levels before surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Hepatic cryotherapy is a safe and effective treatment option for patients with nonresectable liver metastases from colorectal cancer, with promising results regarding survival. The prognostic factors established in this series may allow better patient selection to improve the outcome in suitable patients.

Aged↗
PubMed1998

Radiologically placed hepatic artery catheter allows selection of patients with high-volume liver metastases for regional chemotherapy.

Regional chemotherapy has achieved high response rates in hepatic metastases from colorectal cancer and has been shown to improve survival significantly. The present paper reports the use of pre-operative regional therapy to establish marker response as a means of selection of patients for surgery. Fourteen patients underwent radiologically placed hepatic artery catheter (HAC) for chemotherapy. In the 11 patients with carcino-embryonic antigen (CEA) fall the patient proceeded to open surgical placement of HAC. The predictive effect of CEA fall following radiological HAC was good. Non-responding patients are clearly spared the discomfort and inconvenience and costs of an unnecessary operation.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Liver metastases from transitional cell carcinoma are lipiodol avid.

A case of transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder with symptomatic liver metastases is presented. When conventional chemotherapy failed, a lipiodol CT scan demonstrated avid uptake by the tumours, which has implications for targeted cancer therapy.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols↗
PubMed1998

Patterns of serum CEA fall after hepatic arterial chemotherapy as sole therapy and combined with cryotherapy for colorectal metastases.

BACKGROUND: Hepatic artery chemotherapy (HAC) and cryoablation are treatments for unresectable liver metastases from colorectal carcinomas. Our centre has previously published data that describe survival statistics of patients after each of these treatments. It has also been established that serial serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) concentrations may be used to monitor disease progress, and that the magnitude of fall is prognostic for both treatments. The pattern of fall of CEA following cryotherapy and regional chemotherapy has not previously been compared. METHODS: In this study, we examined 26 HAC patients and 24 cryotherapy patients. RESULTS: The mean percentage of the pre-treatment CEA concentration for the HAC group was 60.5% at 50 days and 29.4% at 150 days, and for the cryotherapy group 24.9% at 50 days and 24.3% at 150 days. Calculating the difference between means revealed a significantly different mean fall in the cryotherapy group at 50 days (P < 0.001) and a difference in mean fall at 150 days (P > 0.1) which was not significant. In patients who responded to hepatic artery chemotherapy, the eventual CEA fall was very similar in magnitude. CONCLUSIONS: The pattern of fall of CEA differs in these two treatments.

Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic↗
PubMed1998

Cryotherapy of the resection edge after liver resection for colorectal cancer metastases.

BACKGROUND: An involved or inadequate (< 1 cm) resection margin is associated with a high rate of local tumour recurrence and reduced survival rates after liver resection for colorectal metastases. This paper assesses whether or not hepatic cryotherapy of the resection edge is suitable to improve local disease control. METHODS: From April 1990 to May 1997, we performed cryotherapy of the resection edge in 44 patients after liver resection for colo rectal liver metastases with an involved or inadequate resection margin. The reasons for performing edge cryotherapy instead of extension of resection were: proximity of hepatic veins or portal sheath (n = 12); avoidance of extended left or right hemihepatectomy (n = 15); inadequate liver tissue reserve after resection (n = 16); and patient unfit to undergo further major resection (n = 1). Histological examination showed the resection margin to be involved in 24 patients and close (< 1 cm) in 20 patients. RESULTS: Two patients died after surgery. Morbidity consisted of intra-abdominal collections (n = 6), postoperative bleeding (n = 1), wound infection (n = 1) and transient liver failure (n = 1). At a median follow-up of 19 months, 16 patients are alive and disease-free, 26 patients developed recurrence and 15 of them died. Nineteen patients developed recurrence which involved the liver but only five of these were at the resection edge. Median overall and liver disease-free survival was 33 and 23 months, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Cryotherapy of the resection edge after resection of colorectal liver metastases with involved or inadequate resection margins considerably improves local disease control and may allow a greater proportion of patients with liver metastases to undergo potentially curative treatment.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Rapid response to stroke symptoms: the Delay in Accessing Stroke Healthcare (DASH) study.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the determinants of prehospital delay for patients with presumed acute cerebral ischemia (ACI) in order to provide the background necessary to develop interventions to shorten such delays. METHODS: A prospective registry of patients presenting to the ED with signs and symptoms of stroke was established at a university hospital from July 1995 to March 1996. Trained nurses performed a structured ED interview, which assessed prehospital delay and potential confounders. RESULTS: The median delay (interquartile range) from symptom onset to ED arrival for all patients seeking care for stroke-like symptoms (n = 152) was 3.0 hours (1.5-7.8 hr). The median delay from symptom onset to ED arrival was less in cases where a witness first recognized that there was a serious problem than it was when the patient first identified the problem. A heightened sense of urgency by the patient about his or her symptoms, and use of 911/emergency medical services (EMS) transport were also associated with rapid arrival in the ED within 3 hours of symptom onset. After adjusting for all predictor variables in a multivariable logistic regression model, only recognition of symptoms by a witness and calling 911/EMS transport remained statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that future efforts to intervene on prolonged prehospital delay for patients with ACI should include strategies for the community as a whole as well as persons at risk for stroke and should reinforce the use of 911 and EMS transport.

Aged↗
PubMed1998

Leakage via aberrant bile duct due to cholangiocarcinoma.

The case of a male who had an open cholecystectomy complicated by persistent bile leak from an aberrant bile duct is presented. The persistence and volume of bile leak resulted in subsequent investigation of the biliary tree which demonstrated a cholangiocarcinoma of the right hepatic duct. This case is presented as an unusual presentation of cholangiocarcinoma and to highlight the value of modern techniques in imaging the biliary tree.

Aged↗
PubMed1998

Bayer Immuno 1 PSA Assay: an automated, ultrasensitive method to quantitate total PSA in serum.

The Bayer Immuno 1 PSA Assay measures total PSA in human serum and demonstrates excellent performance with an interassay CV < or = 3.4% and a biological detection limit of 0.03 microgram/L. No significant interference from common hormonal and chemotherapeutic drugs, kallikrein, prostatic acid phosphatase, and trypsin, or elevated levels of total bilirubin, hemoglobin, triglycerides, and IgG was observed. The 95th percentile values for healthy individuals increased with age from 3.0 micrograms/L for males 50-59 years and 3.3 micrograms/L for males 60-69 years, to 4.6 micrograms/L for males > or = 70 years. Clinical studies with retrospective samples demonstrated correspondence between serial measurements of PSA and clinical outcome for 98% of 159 prostate cancer patients. Clinical sensitivity for patients with clinical evidence of disease, untreated at the time of specimen draw, increased with increasing stage from 77.5-100%. Specificity of 60-70% for BPH and other benign urogenital diseases was consistent with previous findings. Bayer Immuno 1 PSA Assay values for 2131 specimens from healthy subjects and patients with prostate cancer, BPH, and other malignant and nonmalignant diseases correlated well with the Abbott IMx PSA Assay over the range 0.0-6,238 micrograms/L (Y = 1.10 x + 0.02). The Bayer Immuno 1 PSA Assay provides automated ultrasensitive, precise, and equimolar measurement of total PSA in human serum.

Aged↗
PubMed1998

Intradermal testing and sublingual desensitization for nickel.

Thirty-nine patients with nickel allergy as diagnosed by results of clinical history and intradermal testing with nickel sulfate were treated by sublingual hyposensitization. Intradermal testing was accurate and titration showed the degree of sensitivity. The immunologic principle of oral tolerance was used in treatment. Eighty-five percent of the thirty-nine patients showed subjective improvement in their dermatitis and all showed objective evidence of decreased intradermal sensitivity. None of the patients' conditions worsened. The use of oral treatment with nickel sulfate deserves broader clinical trial.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1998

Multicenter evaluation of the Bayer Immuno I CA 15-3 assay.

We conducted a multicenter evaluation of the analytical and clinical features of the automated Bayer Immuno 1 CA 15-3 assay and compared assay performance to two manual tests. Results of the 10-day imprecision study of the Bayer Immuno 1 assay pooled across four evaluation sites and three lots of reagent produced total CV < or = 4%. Lot-to-lot reproducibility for 26 different lots of reagents and calibrators manufactured over a 2-year period was demonstrated (CV, 1.1%). Results for the Bayer Immuno 1 assay correlated well with the Biomira TRUQUANT BR 27.29 and Centocor CA 15-3 RIAs (r > or = 0.94). The upper limit of the reference interval for the Bayer Immuno 1 assay was 35.9 kilounits/L (35.9 units/mL); values were similar for all methods. Longitudinal monitoring of healthy women yielded assay values with an average CV of 11% and 21% for the Bayer Immuno 1 and Biomira assays, respectively. The Bayer Immuno 1 assay demonstrated the analytical features, intermethod correlation, and long-term performance characteristics that are essential for longitudinal monitoring of breast cancer patients.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

A comparison of the evaluation and treatment of cervical dysplasia by gynecologists and nurse practitioners.

Cervical dysplasia, a precursor to cervical cancer, affects approximately 6% to 10% of women in the United States. Although cervical dysplasia traditionally is diagnosed and treated by gynecologists, nurse practitioners with special education and expertise in the evaluation and treatment of the condition have begun providing care to many women in rural and other medically underserved areas where there is limited access to specialized physicians. This study compared cervical dysplasia evaluation and treatment techniques of 11 gynecologists and 6 nurse practitioners using abstracted patient records. The MDs showed a greater variation in performance than nurse practitioner colposcopists (NPCs) when evaluated on 10 criteria. NPC practices fell within the range of MDs, and when they were statistically different, NPC practices were more consistent with generally accepted medical practice. These data suggest that NPCs were more likely to adhere to a consistent set of practices. It can be concluded that NPCs are viable alternative providers in the evaluation and treatment of cervical dysplasia.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

A collective review of the world literature on hepatic cryotherapy.

Published results of hepatic cryotherapy are now available for almost 900 patients. Its safety is well established and its clinical role in treating patients with unresectable hepatoma or liver metastases from colorectal carcinoma is well supported by tumour marker and survival data; the results in the treatment of neuroendocrine liver metastases are promising. Its role as an alternative to liver resection is not yet well supported by long-term data. Although different adjuvant treatment protocols have been used following the cryotherapy of colorectal liver metastases, the effect of adjuvant treatment on recurrence or survival has not been assessed in prospective studies. Laparoscopic hepatic cryotherapy is feasible in selected patients with suitable tumour locations. However, the proportion of patients who might be usefully treated with this technique is not yet well established. The mechanisms of tissue destruction by freezing are reviewed.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

[Diameter of metastases is decisive for local treatment outcome of cryotherapy of colorectal liver metastases].

In a retrospective analysis we aimed to assess the incidence of local recurrence at the cryosite as well as possible prognostic indicators for the disease-free interval at the cryosite following hepatic cryotherapy for non-resectable colorectal metastases. At a median follow-up of 22 months, 66 of 85 patients had developed tumor recurrence, involving local recurrence at the cryosite in 28 patients, with cryoablated metastases of > 3 cm being associated with shorter disease-free intervals at the cryosite. Improvements in probe placement and monitoring of the freezing process are required to allow successful treatment of large liver metastases.

Adult↗