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N Fleshner

Publications and source records attributed to N Fleshner.

22 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Prostate cancer.

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Humans↗

Kaposi's sarcoma and AIDS: a variable spectrum.

A cohort of 61 patients with Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) and AIDS was seen in the Oncology Unit of the Toronto General Hospital between 1982 and 1986. In an attempt to identify prognostic variables, laboratory and clinical parameters were examined using Kaplan-Meier estimates and the Cox Regression Model. All patients were male, median age 36 years (range 23-52). In 49 patients KS was diagnosed before any AIDS-associated opportunistic infection (OI). Three patients had concurrent KS and OI, and nine patients developed KS one or more months after an OI. Only 11 patients had stage I or II disease, 34 stage III, and 15 stage IV. Only 18 patients (30%) were asymptomatic. Twenty-six percent had fever, night sweats, or weight loss, 11% had minor opportunistic infections, and 33% had both symptom complexes. The median overall survival was 10.5 months. The survival of patients who received chemotherapy for their KS was not significantly different from the survival of non-treated patients (p = 0.7). Although significant differences in survival could not be seen between stages, patients with both systemic symptoms and minor opportunistic infections had significantly shorter survival (p = 0.03). Survival from the onset of KS was significantly shorter for patients who had experienced a previous OI, but their overall survival from the date of diagnosis of AIDS was not significantly different from those patients presenting with KS alone. When analyzed separately the laboratory parameters of hemoglobin (p less than 0.0001), absolute lymphocyte count (p = 0.03), platelet count (p = 0.04), and T4 level (p = 0.05) demonstrated a significant relationship with survival.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

Permanent flank bulge is a consequence of flank incision for radical nephrectomy in one half of patients.

The objective of the study was to determine the incidence and predictors of post operative pain and flank bulging in patients undergoing nephrectomy for a renal tumor through a flank or thoracoabdominal incision. Only one previous retrospective study (1974) has directly addressed this issue in urologic patients. This reported a 3% incidence of flank bulging. This was at variance with our own experience. To determine the incidence of pain and post-operative flank bulge after flank or thoraco-abdominal incision, a cross sectional survey among in 70 patients, who had a nephrectomy for a renal tumor between 1996 and 2000, was assessed by telephone interview. Four surgeons contributed patients to the study. Thirty-four of seventy (49%) patients complained of a flank bulge persisting more than 1 yr after surgery. Durable flank pain was experienced by 24%. This was severe in 3% of patients. Median pain magnitude was 5/10. There was no difference in bulge incidence between surgeons (P = 0.49). Flank bulging occurred more frequently in left sided nephrectomy (P = 0.054) than right. Other parameters including gender, age, and tumor size had no correlation with the rate of either complication. In all patients who described a flank bulge, the deformity was durable; there were no cases of spontaneous resolution. Patients described a significant impact on QOL, particularly in those under 60 yrs. The overall rate of postoperative flank bulging is considerably higher than has been previously reported. This deformity affects quality of life. The observation that almost 50% of patients experience a flank bulge following a flank incision supports the shift towards laparoscopic nephrectomy, and should be incorporated into decision making regarding the optimal surgical approach. This may be particularly relevant in the choice between open partial nephrectomy and laparoscopic radical nephrectomy in a patient with a normal contralateral kidney.

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