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At least 667 records · Page 37Linked to original sources
PubMed2000

Breast cancer mortality after diagnostic radiography: findings from the U.S. Scoliosis Cohort Study.

STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective cohort study was conducted in 5573 female patients with scoliosis who were referred for treatment at 14 orthopedic medical centers in the United States. Patients were less than 20 years of age at diagnosis which occurred between 1912 and 1965. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate patterns in breast cancer mortality among women with scoliosis, with special emphasis on risk associated with diagnostic radiograph exposures. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: A pilot study of 1030 women with scoliosis revealed a nearly twofold statistically significant increased risk for incident breast cancer. Although based on only 11 cases, findings were consistent with radiation as a causative factor. METHODS: Medical records were reviewed for information on personal characteristics and scoliosis history. Diagnostic radiograph exposures were tabulated based on review of radiographs, radiology reports in the medical records, radiograph jackets, and radiology log books. Radiation doses were estimated for individual examinations. The mortality rate of the cohort through January 1, 1997, was determined by using state and national vital statistics records and was compared with that of women in the general U. S. population. RESULTS: Nearly 138,000 radiographic examinations were recorded. The average number of examinations per patient was 24.7 (range, 0-618); mean estimated cumulative radiation dose to the breast was 10.8 cGy (range, 0-170). After excluding patients with missing information, 5466 patients were included in breast cancer mortality analyses. Their mean age at diagnosis was 10.6 years and average length of follow-up was 40.1 years. There were 77 breast cancer deaths observed compared with the 45.6 deaths expected on the basis of U.S. mortality rates (standardized mortality ratio [SMR] = 1.69; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.3-2.1). Risk increased significantly with increasing number of radiograph exposures and with cumulative radiation dose. The unadjusted excess relative risk per Gy was 5.4 (95% CI = 1.2-14.1); when analyses were restricted to patients who had undergone at least one radiographic examination, the risk estimate was 2.7 (95% CI = -0. 2-9.3). CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that exposure to multiple diagnostic radiographic examinations during childhood and adolescence may increase the risk of breast cancer among women with scoliosis; however, potential confounding between radiation dose and severity of disease and thus with reproductive history may explain some of the increased risk observed.

Age Factors↗
PubMed2001

Role of 5-aminolevulinic acid in the diagnosis and treatment of superficial bladder cancer: improvement in diagnostic sensitivity.

OBJECTIVES: To use 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) in diagnostic cystoscopy and during transurethral resection of the bladder (TURB) to treat transitional cell carcinoma. The efficacy of this new technique was compared with standard cystoscopy. METHODS: The 5-ALA, instilled in the bladder 2 hours before cystoscopy, makes the pathologic tissue fluorescent when illuminated with blue light (375 to 400 nm). This allows a better recognition of the neoplastic forms for both diagnostic and therapeutic purposes during TURB. This method has been used since May 1997 on 49 patients in whom bladder tumor was diagnosed either immediately or during postchemotherapy follow-up. RESULTS: One hundred seventy-nine biopsies were taken of fluorescent and nonfluorescent areas (3.5 per patient) to check the effectiveness of the new method compared with standard cystoscopy. A good correlation was found between 5-ALA cystoscopy and the histopathologic diagnosis, with a good sensitivity (87%). The 5-ALA cystoscopy allowed the diagnosis of a tumor in 24 patients with negative standard cystoscopic findings. Furthermore, 5-ALA cystoscopy detected 7 cases of carcinoma in situ. Neither local nor systemic (because of endovesical instillation) side effects were noted. CONCLUSIONS: We believe that 5-ALA could be routinely used in the diagnosis of superficial bladder tumors, as it was shown to improve the diagnostic sensitivity for carcinoma in situ and to reduce the risk of recurrence related to missed cancerous lesions or incomplete TURB.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Nervous system infections in patients with cancer.

The diagnostic approach to the patient with cancer with suspected CNS infection depends on an analysis of the patient's immune defect, the time course of development of manifestations of infection, and the type of clinical syndrome with supportive evidence for a specific diagnosis coming from laboratory and neuroradiographic data. Most patients with CNS infections can be grouped into those with signs of meningitis or meningoencephalitis and those with focal mass lesions. A smaller group presents with stroke-like onset. Except for the group with strokes, those with focal deficits usually present in a more indolent fashion, whereas those with meningitis and encephalitis present more acutely [63]. Patients with B-lymphocyte dysfunction are susceptible to encapsulated bacterial pathogens. Patients with T-lymphocyte impairment develop CNS infections that are caused by intracellular pathogens, particularly viruses (HSV, JC, CMV, HHV-6), Nocardia, Aspergillus, and Toxoplasma. Many noninfectious entities, such as drug treatment complications, radiation effects, recurrent tumor, and paraneoplastic syndromes, can mimic CNS infections. Although cryptococcosis, bacterial meningitis, and some viral infections are easily diagnosed from Gram's stain, culture, or PCR, patients with mass lesions may require tissue biopsy to confirm diagnosis. Patients with cancer differ from normal hosts in the distribution of pathogens, and there is a wider range of differential diagnostic issues, both infectious and noninfectious, for the relatively few clinical syndromes that present as potential CNS infections.

Brain↗
PubMed1995

A prognostic value of CA 19-9 but not of CEA in patients with gastric cancer.

The diagnostic and prognostic value of tumour markers CEA and CA 19-9 was studied in patients with gastric cancer. Pre-operative serum concentrations of CEA and CA 19-9 were determined in 100 gastric cancer patients and in 77 patients with relevant benign diseases. The sensitivity of both CEA (cut-off level 3 ng/ml) and CA 19-9 (cut-off level 37 U/ml) for gastric cancer was 30%. The specificities were 73% and 87%, respectively. There was a significant difference in prognosis, for both CEA (cut-off level 3 ng/ml, P < 0.05) and CA 19-9 (cut-off level 37 U/ml, P < 0.01), between patients with high vs low pre-operative serum levels. The overall 5-year survival was 26% and that of patients with low marker levels was 30% (CEA) and 35% (CA 19-9) compared with 15% (CEA) and 0% (CA 19-9) for patients with high marker levels. To evaluate whether the high vs low serum marker level was an independent prognostic factor, the patients were compared within the same stage of disease. There was still a significant difference in 5-year survival in stages II, III and IV between patients with high vs low pre-operative serum levels for CA 19-9 (P < 0.05), but not for CEA. In stage I, no differences in survival could be found for either marker. In conclusion, high pre-operative serum levels of CEA seem to predict higher stage of disease, whereas CA 19-9 might have an independent prognostic value in patients within the stage of II, III or IV gastric cancer. The diagnostic value of both CEA and CA 19-9 is limited.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Diagnostic procedures in head and neck cancer.

Accurate, methodical diagnostic work up and staging are of the most importance in the treatment of Head and Neck tumours. It allows an initial multidisciplinary decision making, giving the patient the best chance of curation, with the least morbidity. In this paper the authors try to give a generally accepted work-up and try to get in to some of the newer techniques.

Diagnostic Imaging↗
PubMed1990

[Cancer of the endometrium: epidemiology, histology, diagnostic methods].

Endometrial cancer has become one of the most frequent female cancers, second only to breast cancer. It must be looked for in women presenting several high risk factors for endometrial cancer, the common denominator of which is absolute or relative hyperoestrogenism. Hysteroscopy and guided biopsy are the most reliable techniques for the diagnosis of endometrial cancer and its precursors. These techniques must be used in symptomatic patients and in asymptomatic but high risk women whose selection remains controverted as regards the mass detection method.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed2006

Diagnostic strategy in cancer patients with acute respiratory failure.

OBJECTIVE: Nearly 15% of cancer patients experience acute respiratory failure (ARF) requiring admission to the intensive care unit, where their mortality is about 50%. This review focuses on ARF in cancer patients. The most recent literature is reviewed, and emphasis is placed on current controversies, most notably the risk/benefit ratio of fiberoptic bronchoscopy and BAL in patients with severe hypoxemia. BACKGROUND: Fiberoptic bronchoscopy with bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) is the cornerstone of the causal diagnosis. However, the low diagnostic yield of about 50%, related to the widespread use of broad-spectrum antimicrobial therapy in cancer patients, has generated interest in high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) and primary surgical lung biopsy. In patients with hypoxemia, bronchoscopy and BAL may trigger a need for invasive mechanical ventilation, thus considerably decreasing the chances of survival. DISCUSSION: The place for recently developed, effective, noninvasive diagnostic tools (tests on sputum, blood, urine, and nasopharyngeal aspirates) needs to be determined. The prognosis is not markedly influenced by cancer characteristics; it is determined chiefly by the cause of ARF, need for mechanical ventilation, and presence of other organ failures. Although noninvasive ventilation reduces the need for endotracheal intubation and diminishes mortality rate, its prolonged use in patients with severe disease may preclude optimal diagnostic and therapeutic management. The appropriateness of switching to endotracheal mechanical ventilation in patients who fail noninvasive ventilation warrants evaluation. CONCLUSION: This review discusses risks and benefits from invasive and non invasive diagnostic and therapeutic strategies in critically ill cancer patients with acute respiratory failure. Avenues for research are also suggested in order to improve survival in these very high risk patients.

Critical Care↗
PubMed1991

Diagnostic imaging in cancer care. The role of cost/benefit analysis.

As the cost of medical care rises, there is increasing need to analyze the costs and benefits of diagnostic imaging. A review of previous research shows reasonable success at defining costs and the ability to identify safety and risk, but limited data on defining benefits in economic terms. The technology to analyze costs and benefits is improving, and satisfactory research protocols and methods have recently become generally accepted. While research studies to determine costs and benefits or efficacy are themselves costly, time consuming, and difficult to perform in clinical practice, the wise allocation of medical resources in the US requires physicians in all specialties to evaluate the technology when we are responsible for its use.

Cost-Benefit Analysis↗
PubMed1996

Evaluation of routine sonography for early detection of pancreatic cancer.

The diagnostic accuracy of routine abdominal sonography for the detection of pancreatic cancer was examined. During the one-year period of 1994, sonographic examination of the upper abdominal region was performed 12,761 times on a total of 9410 patients for the screening of abdominal disorders. In 655 cases (7%) part of the pancreas could not be observed. Based on the "Diagnostic criteria for pancreatic cancer" published by the Japanese Society of Ultrasound in Medicine, sonographic finding was evaluated to be positive for pancreatic tumor in a total of 411 cases. At the end of 1995, 51 patients were proven to have pancreatic cancer, and 45 of these cases were ductal adenocarcinoma. In 26 cases the tumor was surgically resected. Fifty cases were true sonographic positives and one was a false negative. The sensitivity, specificity, overall accuracy, and positive and negative predictive values of sonography for pancreatic cancer were 98.0%, 95.9%, 95.9%, 12.2% and 100.0%, respectively. Among the 50 true positive cases, the tumor diameter was less than 1 cm in four (8%). In conclusion, the diagnostic accuracy of sonography for the detection of pancreatic cancer is sufficiently high. Therefore, a detailed study aimed at mass screening for pancreatic cancer using sonography as the main modality seems warranted as a countermeasure for the rapid increase of pancreatic cancer in Japan.

Abdomen↗
PubMed1995

Unusual retention of introns in CD44 gene transcripts in bladder cancer provides new diagnostic and clinical oncological opportunities.

Increased and disorganised expression of CD44 variant exons has been demonstrated in biopsy samples of several types of human malignancy by many groups. This abnormality can be used to detect exfoliated tumour cells in the urine of bladder cancer patients. The present report demonstrates that the deranged activity of this gene in neoplasia also results in the accumulation of immature mRNA transcripts containing non-coding sequences (introns) from this gene in cancer tissues and cells. There is simultaneous overexpression of a newly identified 437 bp exon (coding sequence) located in the variably active region of the gene and of many abnormal variant exon combinations. This is the first report describing the specific retention of introns in gene transcripts in clinical diagnostic samples of tumour tissues and cells. The phenomenon was seen repeatedly in samples from cancer patients and in a cancer cell line, and thus could form the basis for a unique new and specific method of cancer diagnosis.

Aged↗
PubMed1988

[Analysis of diagnostic errors in cancer of the esophagus].

Analysis of the results of investigation of 610 esophageal cancer patients treated in the Samarkand regional cancer center has shown that the rate of erroneous diagnosis based on anamnestic data and the results of clinical noninstrumental investigation is 70.5%. The rate of diagnostic errors of x-ray examination varies within 32.1-74.4%. Repeated x-ray examination in the negative group of patients revealed esophageal cancer in 17.8%. These cases can be regarded as potentialities of correct radiodiagnosis. Correct diagnosis in endoscopy was established in 89.6%. Esophagoscopy permitted not only correct diagnosis but also provided material for a morphological study.

Diagnosis, Differential↗