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Biomedical subjects

D M Dent

Publications and source records attributed to D M Dent.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1996

Mastectomy with axillary clearance versus mastectomy without it. Late results of a trial in which patients had no adjuvant chemo-, radio- or endocrine therapy.

OBJECTIVE: Long-term outcome of comparison of mastectomy with axillary clearance to mastectomy without it. DESIGN: Second analysis of a terminated prospective randomised trial. SETTING: The Breast Clinic, Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town. PATIENTS: Ninety-five women aged under 76 years with stages 1 and 2 (T1-2 NO-1 MO) breast cancer. INTERVENTIONS: Radical mastectomy (mastectomy and formal axillary dissection with pectoral muscle excision) or simple mastectomy (mastectomy without axillary dissection if nodes were not clinically palpable, or local excision of the nodes if they were). OUTCOME MEASURES: Loco-regional recurrence and survival. RESULTS: Whereas initial analysis at 40 months had showed more axillary recurrences (P = 0.056) in the simple mastectomy group (leading to the termination of the trial), this difference has disappeared at 10 years (P = 0.113). There was no difference in rate of recurrence at all other sites, time to recurrence, or survival rates at 40 months or at 10 or 25 years. CONCLUSIONS: Full axillary clearance offered no better long-term loco-regional control or survival. Early analysis and marginally significant differences in axillary recurrence prompted premature termination of this trial.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Non-operative management of breast masses diagnosed as fibroadenoma.

A 7-9-year study was undertaken in 99 female patients (median age 20 years), 56 of whom had single and 43 multiple fibroadenomas (total 279). Thirty-four women with 58 masses (21 per cent) were lost to follow-up. Twenty-eight women with 73 masses (26 per cent) subsequently underwent excision at a median of 10 (range 3-59) months for single and 38 (1-110) months for multiple fibroadenomas (P = 0.03), with histological confirmation in 71 and other benign disease in two cases. There was resolution of 107 masses (38 per cent of those entered into the study, 72 per cent of those not lost or excised), leaving 41 persisting masses (15 per cent of those entered into the study, 28 per cent of those not lost or excised). The actuarial probability of disappearance was 0.46 at 5 years and 0.69 at 9 years (Kaplan-Meier analysis). There was no difference in the rate of resolution when 56 single lesions were compared with 223 multiple lesions, or when 192 lesions measuring 2 cm or less in diameter were compared with 87 greater than 2 cm. Resolution was significantly more frequent in women aged 20 years or less than in those who were older (P < 0.01). Non-operative management remains a safe approach in selected women and should be followed by resolution of half of fibroadenomas at 5 years.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Combined assessment (aspiration cytology and mammography) of clinically suspicious breast masses.

We examined the safety and utility of the combined assessment of aspiration cytology and mammography in 705 women who had clinically suspicious or malignant palpable breast masses. Histological assessment confirmed 176 benign and 529 malignant lesions. There were no incorrect (false positive) diagnoses made in the 176 benign masses when combined assessment was used (specificity 1.0; predictive value 0.86); in isolation, however, there was a false positive cytological diagnosis ('papillary carcinoma') and 3 false positive mammographic diagnoses. Benign disease (false negative) was incorrectly diagnosed by combined assessment in 4 of the 529 malignant masses (sensitivity 0.99; predictive value 0.98): cytological diagnoses were of fat necrosis (2) and benign cells on cytospin (1) and aspiration biopsy (1); mammographic diagnoses were of benign disease (2) and normality (2). Indeterminate ('atypical', 'suspicious') diagnoses were problematic and frequent (overall 223 (31.6%), malignant masses 137 (25.9%), benign masses 86 (48.9%); cytology 117 (16.6%), mammography 141 (20%). Thus, with the combined assessment of mammography and cytology in clinically suspicious breast masses, a decisive diagnosis was made in about two-thirds of cases allowing the safe commencement of therapy; the balance of patients required core or excision biopsy.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Conn's syndrome due to adrenocortical adenoma--a rare but rewarding cause of curable hypertension.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the characteristics of an aldosterone-producing adenoma (APA) as a cause of hypertension, its mode of presentation and investigation, as well as the outcome of surgical removal. DESIGN: Retrospective survey with follow-up. SETTING: Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town. PATIENTS: 18 patients who had an APA removed between 1975 and 1993. OUTCOME MEASURES: Clinical and biochemical features, morbidity and mortality rates associated with adrenalectomy, and the degree of amelioration of hypertension. RESULTS: Eighteen of 41 patients with primary hyperaldosteronism had an APA. Features of symptomatic hypokalaemia (muscular weakness 9, fatigue 7) were present for a mean of 60 (9 - 240) months. The mean systolic arterial pressure was 153 (117 - 200) mmHg. The mean potassium level was 2,2 mmol/l and the mean aldosterone level 1 639 (147 - 5 153) pmol/l, which, paradoxically, fell on ambulation in 12 patients. All renin levels were suppressed in the supine (mean 0,1 +/- 0,1 (0 - 0,6) ng/ml/h) and ambulatory positions (mean 0,4 +/- 0,5 (0 -1,8) ng/ml/h). Each of 17 tomographic and 6 iodocholesterol scans correctly identified the lesion. There was no surgical mortality, and all patients became normokalaemic. At 1 month or at the time of discharge, 12 (66%) patients were normotensive, 7 without medication. Age, length of history, severity of hypertension and evidence of target organ damage did not predict response to surgery. CONCLUSIONS: An APA is a rare cause of hypertension and hypokalaemia, but it is important to identify as surgery may be beneficial in most cases.

Adrenal Cortex Neoplasms↗
PubMed1993

Thyroid frozen section: flawed but helpful.

The role of frozen section (FS) thyroid histology is controversial, some finding it helpful and others finding it inaccurate and of little assistance. The FS and subsequent permanent histology diagnosis were analysed retrospectively in 241 patients, 23 of whom were subsequently shown to have carcinoma. FS correctly identified five (22%) of these, deferred the diagnosis in three (13%) and made an incorrect benign diagnosis in 15 (65%). This impaired accuracy was attributed to the high proportion (13/23) of follicular neoplasms, which are difficult to categorize on FS. No false positive diagnoses were made in the 218 patients with benign disease. The possibility of a benign FS diagnosis being converted to malignant was 6.2%. The result of the FS affected management in that all five patients with the diagnosis of cancer underwent immediate contralateral surgery, but only seven of 18 in the negative FS group had further surgery when permanent histology demonstrated carcinoma, despite equivalent risk factors for poor prognosis in each group. This study suggests that the interpretation of FS and risk factors, in particular the tendency to interpret most follicular neoplasms as benign rather than defer decision, may be improved if pathologists and surgeons interested in thyroid disease are involved in the management of patients with thyroid nodules. Although FS remains flawed it is helpful in a small proportion of cases where it allows immediate contralateral surgery.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Abnormal peri-operative haemorrhage in asymptomatic patients is not predicted by laboratory testing.

The pre-operative identification of individuals at high risk of bleeding during major elective surgery is obviously important. Extensive haemostatic screening is, however, expensive and may be inappropriate in low-risk groups. Accordingly, we undertook two studies to determine whether it could be justified in patients without a history of abnormal bleeding. In the first of these, 45 of 159 patients were excluded because of aspirin ingestion and a further 3 because of positive bleeding history so that prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time, bleeding time and platelet count were measured in 111 asymptomatic patients about to undergo major surgery. A single patient had mild thrombocytopenia, and 8 had a prolonged partial thromboplastin time; none showed abnormal peri-operative haemorrhage. In the second study, over a 4-month period, 49 patients out of 1,872 required larger peri-operative blood transfusions than anticipated; on investigation, none of these patients was shown to have disturbances in haemostatic mechanism, the transfusion having been indicated for technical reasons. Patients undergoing elective surgery should be asked about medication and previous bleeding and if they have no history thereof and a physical examination is negative, pre-operative screening for coagulation defects would appear to be unnecessary.

Aspirin↗
PubMed1993

Medicine in Malawi.

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Delivery of Health Care↗
PubMed1992

Splenectomy in the chronic myeloproliferative syndromes. A retrospective risk-versus-benefit analysis.

The effect of splenectomy on the course of the chronic myeloproliferative syndromes was retrospectively analysed and compared in 96 patients who underwent this procedure and 195 who did not. The operation had a 4% mortality and a 47% morbidity rate, mainly attributable to haemorrhage, infection and respiratory complications. While splenectomy conferred benefit in certain selected cases with hypersplenism, there was no significant overall improvement in the postoperative haematological values and no influence on the rate of blastic transformation. Splenectomy did not improve survival in the group as a whole, or in any subset (P greater than 0.5). In the non-splenectomy group, only a minority of patients experienced massive progressive splenomegaly and in most individuals the spleen size varied little from the time of presentation to death. Splenectomy in patients with the chronic myeloproliferative syndrome carries a significant mortality and has a high morbidity, does not reduce the rate of blastic transformation and has no influence on survival. The majority of patients on conventional therapy do not experience the discomfort of massive splenomegaly during the course of their disease and the routine use of this operation is inappropriate.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Assessing malnutrition in gastric carcinoma: bioelectrical impedance or clinical impression?

The value of bioelectrical impedance (BI) as an index of body composition was assessed in 32 patients with gastric carcinoma, 20 with advanced disease. Bioelectrical impedance was compared with standard nutritional parameters: weight, body mass index (BMI), albumin, transferrin and triceps skinfold thickness. There was no correlation between BI and these parameters with the exception of weight and BMI in the male patients. Clinical assessment of nutrition on the other hand correlated well with the standard parameters. Although BI may be a useful adjunct to the routine assessment of nutritional status in normal subjects, its use in clinical patients should be treated with caution, particularly in those with advanced gastrointestinal malignancy.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Presentations to the Surgical Research Society of Southern Africa--the second 10 years (1982-1991).

Over the 10-year period 1982-1991, 594 papers were read at the annual meetings of the Surgical Research Society of Southern Africa. One hundred and thirty-five (23%) reported work performed on experimental animals with a trend to an increase from this base; 152 (26%) were presentations from surgeons-in-training, also with a trend to increase over the decade. The distribution by subspecialty was: upper gastro-intestinal tract 28%; hepatobiliary 12%; vascular 16%; immunology/transplantation 9%; further subspecialties 9%; and miscellaneous 26%. Major observations are that the number of papers has doubled since the first decade, probably due to establishment of the poster session, and that presentations by surgeons-in-training remain in the minority at the Society.

General Surgery↗
PubMed1992

Does surgical experience influence mastectomy complications?

Mastectomy remains the most commonly performed surgical procedure for breast cancer, and complications such as infection or wound breakdown (which may relate to the experience of the operator) could expensively prolong hospital stay and retard the administration of additional therapy. We examined the complications, hospital stay and cost of therapy of total mastectomy and axillary node clearance in 164 women, comparing these between four grades of surgeon: registrar (67 operations), senior registrar (58), part-time consultant (21) and professor (18). Our policy, for local reasons, was to perform mastectomy whenever possible rather than select lesser surgical or non-surgical management options. There was no significant difference between operators when the percentage of seromas requiring aspiration (9, 3, 5, 6), infection (16, 7, 23, 11), or wound breakdown (7, 3, 5, 6) were compared. Neither the length of hospital stay (9.3 +/- 6.9, 8.2 +/- 4.7, 9 +/- 7.3, 9.2 +/- 11.2 days), nor cost (2005, 1939, 1966, 1927 rands) differed. Surgical experience did not significantly influence mastectomy complications.

Aged↗
PubMed1990

Combination chemotherapy for advanced diffuse large cell lymphoma. The adverse effects of bone marrow invasion, gastrointestinal tract involvement or high bulk disease.

Thirty-nine adults with clinical stage III or IV diffuse large cell lymphoma were prospectively randomised to receive etoposide with doxorubicin (Group 1: n = 17), the same schedule of etoposide with carminomycin (Group 2: n = 8), or BACOP (Group 3: n = 14). The complete remission rates were respectively 24%, 25% and 28%, and further good partial remissions were 41%, 25% and 14%. The incidence of adverse prognostic factors was examined with the first two groups combined for comparison to patients receiving BACOP. The low complete remission rates were attributable to bone marrow invasion in 64% (16/25) of patients in groups 1 and 2, and 64% (9/14) in group 3; to extensive gastrointestinal tract involvement in 24% (6/25) of patients in groups 1 and 2, and 36% (5/14) in group 3; and to high bulk disease in 24% (6/25) of patients in groups 1 and 2, and 36% (5/14) in group 3. Actuarially predicted survival has not been reached for group 1, is 12 months for group 2, and 8 months for group 3; these different trends are not statistically significant. The trial was discontinued when it became clear that there was no difference between the two- and five-drug treatment regimens and that unacceptably low remission rates were obtained in patients having a high incidence of these poor prognostic factors, particularly when compared with results being reported in regimens that contain high or intermediate doses of methotrexate.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Cape crusaders.

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Hospitals, Teaching↗