effects of posterior instrumented fusion on pulmonary function testing in patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis

A prospective cohort of 30 patients diagnosed with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis to study the effect of posterior instrumented fusion on pulmonary function testing. Vital Capacity VC/litre], Forced Vital capacity [FVC/litre] and Forced Expiratory Volume in one second [FEVl/litre] measurements were used to evaluate pulmonary volume and flow. A mean of 80.5% frontal plane correction was achieved. A significant decrease in pulmonary function testing at 3 months postoperative was observed. At 12 months postoperative there was a significant increase in pulmonary function testing

Bone density changes in postmenopausal women with breast cancer treated with long term adjuvant tamoxifen

T amoxifen, a synthetic antiestrogen increases disease-free and overall survival when used as adjuvant therapy for primary breast cancer. In postmenopausal women who are at great risk for developing osteoporosis, it is important to evaluate its effect on bony skeleton. The study included 40 postmenopausal patients with negative node breast cancer, were treated with 20 mg tamoxifen per day for two years compared with 40 postmenopausal healthy women taken as a control. Using the optical bone densitometry, the bone mineral density was measured for all patients at base line, one and two years. there was a significant increase in lumbar vertebrae bone density by 4.2% and 0.5% at one and two years compared with normal controls which decreased by 0.4% at each year. The radial bone density was noticed to decrease in both tamoxifen and control groups nearly with the same extent. Serum osteocalcin and alkaline phosphatase were also decreased significantly in tamoxifen group compared with the normal control. In postmenopausal women the treatment with tamoxifen is associated with preservation of the bone density of the lumbar spine

Role of dibromdulictol as a radlosensltlzer using two radiotherapy schedules for the management of brain secondaries

The present study analyzed 70 patients with brain secondaries from solid tumours referred to Radiotherapy and Oncology Unit, Faculty of Medicine, University of Alexandria between 1988 and 1990. Whole brain irradiation was the standard method of treatment using Co-60 teletherapy. Four treatment schedules were evaluated including SO GY/2 weeks without and with Dibromdulictol [DBD] [group I and II respectively], 30 GY/3 weeks without and [group III and IV respectively]. Good to fair tolerance was observed in 16/20 [80%], 22/15 [80%] 15/20 [75%] and 13/15 [80%] in the four treatment groups respectively, P>0.05. Performance status was not significantly improved following treatment in radiotherapy + DBD groups compared to radiotherapy alone, P>0.05. Furthermore the addition of DBD to radiotherapy was accompanied, with increased, incidence of toxicities especially haematological one9 yet the latter were tolerable and reversible. Intracranlal relapses were lower. In radiotherapy and DBD than those of radiotherapy alone, P> 0.05. On the other hand, no significant survival difference was observed among different treatment groups

Role of radiation therapy in management of corpus uteri carcinoma 5 and 10 years

130 patients with different stages of endometrial adenocarcinoma were analyzed retrospectively between 1974 and 1984 divided into two groups according to the primary line of treatment whether surgical or radiotherapeutic. Group [A] 54 patients treated by surgery followed by postoperative external irradiation and/or brachytherapy. Group [B] 76 patients primarily treated by radiotherapy due to medical contraindication to surgery, refusal of surgery OF inoperability. Upper vaginal recurrences were significantly reduced by the addition of intracavitary irradiation in both groups. Five year direct survival was 40.0% while at ten years it was 25.3%. Survival was found be influenced by treatment modality, stage, and grade