Signs, symptoms, early detection, staging and follow-up.
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Aged↗
Biomedical subjects
J G Geraghty
Publications and source records attributed to J G Geraghty.
Oesophageal cancer treatment: studies, strategies and facts.
Esophageal cancer is among the ten most frequent cancers in the world. Once diagnosis is established prognosis is poor with five-year survival rates below 10%. Over the last few years, the evidence--base for treatment of oesophageal cancer has changed with the publication of several important articles in this field. This article reviews these and other relevant publications with focus on current evidence which holds potential for an improvement in survival in oesophageal cancer patients. Prevention and early detection represent the mainstay in the ongoing struggle to improve prognosis, which is most stringently linked to tumor stage. Other efforts have been dedicated to optimise surgical treatment, radiotherapy and chemotherapy and to discover the most efficient combinations of these treatment modalities. Strong but not unanimous evidence in favour of a multimodality approach with chemoradiotherapy followed by surgery has accumulated in recent years, and confirmatory trials are presently ongoing. A pathological complete response to chemoradiotherapy has been identified to significantly enhance survival. Among the strategies to achieve higher response rates, variations in the administration of the most commonly used drugs rather than higher drug and radiation dosages seem promising. Occult lymphatic spread has been recognized as a major source of recurrence and has been successfully targeted by three field surgical dissection and extended field radiotherapy. In search of the optimal treatment for patients with oesophageal cancer, a variety of different tracks are being pursued. This review outlines and analyses current treatment approaches and investigates how recent advances may impact on patient management.
Clinical Trials as Topic↗
Sentinel-node biopsy to avoid axillary dissection in breast cancer with clinically negative lymph-nodes.
BACKGROUND: Axillary lymph-node dissection is an important staging procedure in the surgical treatment of breast cancer. However, early diagnosis has led to increasing numbers of dissections in which axillary nodes are free of disease. This raises questions about the need for the procedure. We carried out a study to assess, first, whether a single axillary lymph node (sentinel node) initially receives malignant cells from a breast carcinoma and, second, whether a clear sentinel node reliably forecasts a disease-free axilla. METHODS: In a consecutive series of 163 women with operable breast carcinoma, we injected microcolloidal particles of human serum albumin labelled with technetium-99m. This tracer was injected subdermally, close to the tumour site, on the day before surgery, and scintigraphic images of the axilla and breast were taken 10 min, 30 min, and 3 h later. A mark was placed on the skin over the site of the radioactive node (sentinel node). During breast surgery, a hand-held gamma-ray detector probe was used to locate the sentinel node, and make possible its separate removal via a small axillary incision. Complete axillary lymphadenectomy was then done. The sentinel node was tagged separately from other nodes. Permanent sections of all removed nodes were prepared for pathological examination. FINDINGS: From the sentinel node, we could accurately predict axillary lymph-node status in 156 (97.5%) of the 160 patients in whom a sentinel node was identified, and in all cases (45 patients) with tumours less than 1.5 cm in diameter. In 32 (38%) of the 85 cases with metastatic axillary nodes, the only positive node was the sentinel node. INTERPRETATION: In the large majority of patients with breast cancer, lymphoscintigraphy and gamma-probe-guided surgery can be used to locate the sentinel node in the axilla, and thereby provide important information about the status of axillary nodes. Patients without clinical involvement of the axilla should undergo sentinel-node biopsy routinely, and may be spared complete axillary dissection when the sentinel node is disease-free.
Adult↗
Personalized surgery for rectal tumours: the patient's opinion counts.
In recent times there have been many important changes in the surgical management of rectal cancer. The general thrust of these changes has been towards a less invasive approach with preservation of intestinal continuity and avoidance of the psychological sequelae of a stoma. It is also becoming increasingly apparent that profound sexual and autonomic dysfunction can be associated with abdominoperineal resection. This paper highlights these issues and the conflict between performing an adequate oncological procedure and reducing the incidence of postoperative psychological morbidity. It outlines the great changes there have been in surgical technique and their relevance to psychological problems after surgery for rectal cancer. The need for auditing psychological morbidity when assessing the outcome of surgical series is emphasised, as is the importance of involving the patient in the medical decision making.
Abdomen↗
Pretargeting strategies for radio-immunoguided tumour localisation and therapy.
The selective recognition of tumour cells by monoclonal antibodies, labelled with radioactive isotopes, for use in diagnosis and treatment, forms the basis of immunoscintigraphy, radio-immunoguided surgery and radio-immunotherapy. Research into the application of these systems has encountered multiple difficulties, most notably a low tumour to non-tumour ratio of radioactivity. The development of pretargeting systems, separating the individual steps of tumour cell targeting and the introduction of the radioactive label, have led to significant increments in tumour to non-tumour ratios and an improvement in diagnostic accuracy. Before pretargeting strategies are applied clinically, a thorough understanding of these systems is required and forms the backbone of this report. Clinical examples of early trials have already confirmed many of the theoretical advantages of pretargeting systems and new protocols are already being investigated.
Antibodies, Monoclonal↗
The impact of acute rejection on the development of intimal hyperplasia associated with chronic rejection.
The rat aortic model of chronic rejection was used to study the effect of acute rejection on the development of intimal hyperplasia (IH). Two model systems were studied. In the first, continuous monotherapy with mycophenolate mofetil (MM) (40 mg/dx14 d followed by 30 mg/kg/d) was initiated 2 or 4 weeks posttransplant. Digital computer image analysis was used to quantify IH. While the development of IH was delayed, it was not prevented. In allografts where MM treatment was delayed for 2 wk, a 35.5% reduction in the amount of IH was observed. Delaying drug treatment for 4 wk resulted in a 42.2% reduction of IH. In contrast, continuous therapy from the time of transplant resulted in a 76.3% reduction in the amount of IH in comparison with untreated allograft controls. To further define the role of acute rejection in the development of IH, aortic allografts, ACI or (ACIxLewis)F1 (F1), were orthotopically transplanted to Lewis recipients and then retransplanted to donor strain secondary recipients after 2 or 4 wk. Grafts were harvested at 12 weeks posttransplant. When the retransplant was performed at 2 wk, intimal hyperplasia was decreased by 55.9% in ACI and by 66.7% in F1 allografts in comparison to conventional (ACI-->Lewis) allograft controls. When retransplantation was delayed until 4 wk, IH was not decreased in ACI allografts (105.9%) and was only marginally decreased in F1 allografts (26.2%). Syngeneic control F1 grafts (F1-->F1-->F1) did not develop significant IH at 12 or 20 wk when retransplanted at 2 wk (10% and 12%, respectively) or when retransplanted at 4 wk and harvested at 12 wk (18.6%). A common feature of IH is the development of medial acellularity. Unlike conventional allograft recipients (ACI-->Lewis; no retransplantation), F1 retransplanted grafts did not develop significant medial myocyte dropout. In contrast, delayed MM immunosuppressive therapy or retransplantation of ACI allografts at 4 weeks to ACI secondary recipients resulted in significant loss of medial myocytes. Our results show that acute rejection, which occurs during the first 4 wk posttransplant, is sufficient to mediate the development of IH associated with CR. However the lack of a continued allogenic environment slows the process.
Acute Disease↗
Vascular smooth muscle cells and neointimal hyperplasia in chronic transplant rejection.
Intimal hyperplasia is the characteristic pathological hallmark in the arterial tree of chronically rejecting solid organ grafts. Mechanisms underlying the development of this lesion are poorly understood. One strongly held hypothesis is that vascular smooth muscle cells (vs.mcs) migrate from the medial layer of arteries contained within the graft into the intima forming the "neointima" characteristic of intimal hyperplasia. This study investigated this theory in a rat aortic allograft model of intimal hyperplasia. It also examined the possibility, using a combination of immunocytochemistry and electron microscopy, that aortic vs.mcs may undergo a phenotypic change during this process. Intimal area in syngeneic grafts was 3509 +/- 4325 pixels (n = 5) compared with 240,896 +/- 87,042 in allogenic grafts (n = 9, P < 0.001) 12 weeks after transplantation. At that time medial nuclear density was markedly reduced in the same allografts compared with corresponding syngeneic grafts (0.83 +/- 0.14 versus 2.64 +/- 0.60, P < 0.001, respectively). The most striking finding was that there was strongly positive staining for alpha-actin cells in the neointima in association with an almost acellular medial layer. Immunocytochemical staining also demonstrated the presence of beta-actin cells in the neointima of allografts while electron microscopy showed these cells to be secretory in phenotype. These results support the hypothesis that vs.mcs form an important component of the lesion of intimal hyperplasia and also propose that a phenotypic change may occur in these cells once they are present in the neointima.
Actins↗
Methods of renal blood flow measurement.
Variations in regional renal blood flow have been implicated in a variety of disease states. Many techniques have been developed in an attempt to accurately assess these changes. The microsphere technique is the most widely used method at the present time. This technique allows focal measurements to be performed, but there is a conflict between the resolution of the method and the number of microspheres necessary in each sample. New imaging techniques such as tomography and autoradiography enable visual assessment of renal blood flow. Though there is no ideal method, these techniques have opened up new possibilities in the quantification of regional renal blood flow.
Autoradiography↗
Clinical relevance of serological markers in the detection and follow-up of pancreatic adenocarcinoma.
Pancreatic adenocarcinoma is a relatively common malignancy and its incidence is increasing. Prognosis in these patients is poor, and surgery, the only effective treatment, saves only a minority of patients. The number in this small group of patients might be increased by early detection of pancreatic tumours. This review examines the current status of pancreatic tumour associated proteins in the detection of pancreatic cancer. As well as existing markers, the review also reports on newer markers that may offer advantages over existing ones in the detection of pancreatic adenocarcinoma. This is particularly important because recent studies have identified high-risk groups susceptible to pancreatic cancer. Future research in pancreatic cancer should be directed at earlier detection, and tumour markers may play an important role in this process.
Adenocarcinoma↗
Satellite-delivered continuing medical education in Europe.
There is increasing recognition of the need for continuing medical education in the medical profession. There are now many ways of delivering medical education including conferences, books, journals amongst others. This paper describes a novel method of delivering medical education using satellite transmission. This medium allows live medical education programmes to be broadcast to over 150 receiver sites in Europe. It also enables two-way live satellite links to be made between countries during the broadcast. EuroTransMed has an editorial board, in much the same way as a journal, which is representative of the differing medical societies in Europe. As the barriers between the various countries fall, EuroTransMed is an ideal medium to promote high quality, easily accessible, continuing medical education at a pan-European level.
Education, Medical, Continuing↗
A direct relationship between thyroid enlargement and breast cancer.
Despite extensive study, evidence to support a direct relationship between diseases of the thyroid and breast has not been established. In this study thyroid volume was assessed by ultrasound in 200 patients with breast cancer and 354 with benign breast disease. Results were compared to appropriate female control groups. Both mean thyroid volume (21.1 +/- 1.4 mL) and the percentage of individual patients with enlarged (> 18.0 mL) thyroid glands (41.5%) were significantly greater in the breast cancer group than equivalent values (13.2 +/- 0.5 mL and 10.5%, respectively) in age-matched controls (P < 0.01 in both cases). The mean thyroid volume of 14.5 +/- 0.34 mL in patients with benign breast disease was also significantly greater than that of 12.5 +/- 0.38 mL in younger controls (P < 0.01). The results support a direct association between breast cancer and increased thyroid volume as mean thyroid volumes and the percentage of individual patients with enlarged thyroid glands were similar in those studied both before (20.8 +/- 1.3 mL and 43.0%) and after (21.4 +/- 1.6 mL and 40.0%) therapies for breast cancer. Although there is no evidence that thyroid enlargement represents a risk factor for breast cancer, the results emphasize the importance of raising the consciousness of the coincidence of both disorders.
Adult↗
Large bowel herniation after laparoscopic cholecystectomy.
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Adult↗
Simple new technique for laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair.
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Hernia, Inguinal↗
Reasons underlying negative mammography in patients with palpable breast cancer.
It is well recognized that a negative mammogram report does not exclude the presence of breast carcinoma. This study examines the accuracy of mammography in patients with palpable breast cancer. In particular, the study evaluates the reasons underlying negative mammography in breast cancer. All patients with Paget's disease, carcinoma in situ lesions or lesions infiltrating skin were excluded. A total of 291 patients presenting with palpable breast carcinoma underwent mammography prior to biopsy. False negative reports occurred in 16.5% (48). The sensitivity of mammography increased with age, from 70% (14/20) in 31-40-year-olds to 91% (113/124) in women over 60 years. Retrospective review of false negative mammograms showed that 30% of these were deemed normal while 20% were obvious oversights. The remaining 50% showed subtle radiographic abnormalities, consistent with but not diagnostic of malignancy.
Adult↗
Radiotracer measurement of ureteric blood flow.
This paper describes a novel technique using the blood flow tracer C14-iodoantipyrine to measure ureteric blood flow in anesthetized Sprague-Dawley rats. The ureters were divided into five equal segments, and the blood flow was measured using a modification of the Fick principle. There was a gradient down the ureter with a significant difference between upper (159 ml./100 gm./min.) and lower (83 ml./100 gm./min.) ureteric segmental blood flows. This technique may allow the role of ureteric ischemia to be investigated in a variety of disease states.
Animals↗
Splanchnic haemodynamics and vasoactive agents in experimental cirrhosis.
It is well known that portal hypertension is associated with a hyperdynamic systemic circulatory state. This study measures systemic and splanchnic haemodynamics in an experimental rat model of hepatic cirrhosis. It also investigates the association between haemodynamic changes in cirrhotic animals and circulating levels of the vasoactive hormones glucagon and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP). Splanchnic blood flow was significantly increased in the cirrhotic group (13.2 +/- 1.3 vs. 9.2 +/- 1.6 ml/min, P < 0.05). Circulating levels of glucagon and VIP were two and five fold increased respectively in cirrhotic animals compared to controls. There was a strong correlation between portal pressure and glucagon levels in the cirrhotic group (r = 0.85). Raised splanchnic blood flow is partly responsible for elevated portal pressure in this model and this rise may be humorally mediated.
Animals↗
The pros and cons of laparoscopic cholecystectomy and extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy in the management of gallstone disease.
The recent introduction of laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LAPC) has revolutionised the surgical treatment of gallstone disease. However, it has also raised doubts about the future role of extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) in the treatment of gallstones. In this study, we compared patients treated successfully with ESWL and dissolution therapy with patients treated by LAPC. Out of 67 patients, 50 had successful clearance with ESWL while 50 out of 54 had successful LAPC. We evaluate treatment duration, recurrence rate (ESWL) and cost of treatment in both groups. All patients had uncomplicated symptomatic gallstones. The inclusion criteria were similar in both groups with the exception of patients with non-functioning gallbladders who were excluded from ESWL. The results of the study show that although ESWL is noninvasive and associated with minimal morbidity, it is also costly and has a high failure and recurrence rate. In contrast, laparoscopic cholecystectomy, while requiring short-term hospital stay and debility, seems to be a safe and effective alternative with an advantage in terms of cost and duration of treatment.
Adult↗
Abdominal ultrasonography following laparoscopic cholecystectomy: a prospective study.
Laparoscopic cholecystectomy has gained widespread acceptance as the operation of choice for symptomatic gall-stones. We prospectively performed ultrasonography on 100 consecutive patients after laparoscopic cholecystectomy to determine the effect of this procedure on common bile duct diameter. This study also examines the incidence and clinical significance of intra-abdominal fluid collections after laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Our results show that 24% of patients had dilatation of the common duct (greater than 6 mm) when scanned 48 h post-operatively. The incidence of dilated common ducts fell to 9% when the patients were scanned 1 month later. This transient dilatation of the common duct, occurring post-operatively, has not been previously described. Intra-abdominal fluid collections were demonstrated in 10% of our patients but were clinically significant in only 1%. This study suggests that routine ultrasonography has a low yield immediately after laparoscopic cholecystectomy.
Abdomen↗