Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to J F Barter.
Psammoma bodies were found in a cervicovaginal smear, presumably related to the patient's use of an intrauterine device. Colposcopy, endocervical and uterine curettage, and laparoscopy with pelvic washings ruled out other conditions that may be associated with psammoma bodies.
Peritoneal washings from 36 women with all pathologic stages of mixed müllerian tumors of the uterus (27 homologous stroma, nine heterologous stroma) were reviewed in a blinded retrospective fashion for the presence and type of malignant cells collected. Malignant tumor cells were demonstrated in the washings of 16 patients; 13 contained adenocarcinoma only, two contained adenocarcinoma and sarcoma, and one contained sarcoma cells only. Cox's logistic regression analysis showed that cytologic examination of peritoneal washings when combined with pathologic staging provides a statistically significant discriminant of disease-free survival. Patients with a favorable prognosis (pathologic Stage I and peritoneal washings free of malignancy) had sevenfold increased disease-free survival compared with survival of the patients with an unfavorable prognosis (pathologic Stages II, III, or IV or malignant cells present in peritoneal washings). Three of the 18 patients with pathologic Stage I disease manifested malignant tumor cells in the peritoneal washings and all three patients died of disease in less than 1 year. The presence of malignant cells in peritoneal washings in patients with mixed müllerian tumor apparently limited to the uterus suggests a clinical course that is similar to that of those with more advanced disease.
An unusual case of Stage IB moderately well-differentiated endometrial adenocarcinoma that was confined to a polyp and recurred only in the abdominal wound is presented. Eighteen months following complete excision, local electron beam therapy, and the institution of hormonal therapy, the patient is alive and without other evidence of recurrence. The mechanisms of metastasis in this case are discussed.
Thirty-four women had short-term, low-pressure, closed suction pelvic drainage after radical gynecologic surgical procedures. Mean collected fluid losses were significantly higher after radical hysterectomy (25.3 ml/kg) when compared with abdominal hysterectomy (10.7 ml/kg) and lymphadenectomy. There was no correlation between the volume of pelvic drainage and patient's age, patient's weight, duration of operation, or amount of blood loss. The fluid contents resembled serum and were rarely culture positive. Short-term (5-day) drainage was not associated with lymphocysts.
The association of cervicovaginal adenocarcinoma and in utero diethylstilbesterol exposure is well known. There is concern that offspring exposed in utero may be predisposed to develop other malignancies as well. Presented is a case of endometrial adenocarcinoma occurring in this clinical setting. To the best of the authors' knowledge this association has not been reported previously.
Several decades ago, diethylstilbestrol (DES) was considered efficacious in improving pregnancy outcome. Later data did not support this, and the exposed mothers and offspring have suffered from a variety of problems attributed to the drug. Knowledge of these problems is essential in dealing with these patients.
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A detailed clinicopathologic study of 21 patients with uterine leiomyosarcoma was undertaken. The diagnosis of leiomyosarcoma was made for those uterine smooth muscle tumors showing cellular atypia and 5-9 mitoses per 10 high-powered fields (M/10 HPF) and those with 10 or more M/10 HPF. Using these strict pathologic criteria to define leiomyosarcoma, menopausal status, margin type (pushing vs infiltrating), tumor size, grade, location, and the presence of vascular invasion and/or hemorrhage were not associated with prognosis. The 5-year survival rate was 25%. Survival rates were not improved by the use of adjuvant chemotherapy in those patients rendered free of gross disease by initial surgery.
A postmenopausal patient was referred to us because of an adnexal mass that turned out to be calcific pelvic lymph-adenopathy thought to be caused by healed pelvic tuberculosis. This entity has not been described before.
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A marfanoid patient underwent celiotomy for a pelvic mass and was found to have an anterior sacral meningocele. Nine years prior to that time she had undergone surgery because of a "sacrococcygeal cyst," which in retrospect seemed to be a posterior meningocele. The preoperative diagnosis of meningocele is important to successful treatment.
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The second-look laparotomy has become an important means of assessing therapy response in ovarian cancer patients. This procedure enables the gynecologic oncologist to diligently search for small volume persistent disease, which often escapes detection by less invasive means. Subsequent treatment, if required, may then be tailored to the initial biologic response to therapy. However, many patients with negative findings at second look will develop recurrent disease, dampening enthusiasm for the operation. Although controversial, this procedure remains the gold standard for the detection of disease status following chemotherapy for ovarian cancer.