Oncologic Results of Breast Conserving Surgery under Procedural Sedation in Elderly Patients

PURPOSE: Although surgery is the most frequently implemented treatment modality for breast cancer, many older patients with breast cancer are under- or untreated because of their high incidence of postoperative complications. We assessed the efficacy and safety of breast surgery under procedural sedation in older patients (aged >70 years) by comparing selected clinical and oncologic factors after surgery for breast cancer under general anesthesia versus procedural sedation. METHODS: Of 79 older patients with breast cancer, 49 underwent breast-conserving surgery, 30 under general anesthesia and 19 under procedural sedation, and relevant clinical and oncologic variables were compared and analyzed between groups. RESULTS: The mean age was younger in the general anesthesia group and the mean operation time, hospital stay, and fasting time shorter in the procedural sedation group. There were no statistically significant differences in oncologic results between the two groups during follow-up. CONCLUSION: Breast surgery under procedural sedation is a safe and effective means of reducing tumor burden in older patients with breast cancer when their American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status indicates a high risk of life-threatening perioperative complications associated with general anesthesia. And we also found that the oncologic results may be not inferior to same procedure under general anesthesia.

Clinical Features of Patients Who Undergo Thyroidectomy with and without Hashimoto's Thyroiditis / 대한내분비외과학회지

PURPOSE: The study investigated clinical features of patients who underwent thyroid surgery, with and without Hashimoto's thyroiditis. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 150 patients who underwent thyroid surgery at the Department of Surgery, Wallace Memorial Baptist Hospital, between January 2007 and December 2008. Patients were divided into two groups according to occurrence or non-occurrence of Hashimoto's thyroiditis, and analyzed them for age, sex, day of hospitalization, duration of drain keeping, operation time, and post-operative complications, including recurrent laryngeal nerve injuries, hypoparathyroidism, hypocalcemia, and adjacent structure injury. There were 24 lobectomies and 126 total thyroidectomies. RESULTS: Operation time was longer for patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis. There was little difference between the two groups with respect to day of hospitalization, duration of draining, or post-operative complications. Of the total thyroidectomy cases without Hashimoto's thyroiditis, 36 patients (37.5%) had transient hypocalcemia and four (4.2%) had permanent hypocalcemia. Of the cases with Hashimoto's thyroiditis, 13 patients (38.2%) had transient hypocalcemia and three (8.8%) had permanent hypocalcemia. Patients undergoing thyroid surgery with Hashimoto's thyroiditis had longer operation times due to increased angiogenesis and fibrosis. No difference was shown for other clinical features or post-operative complications. CONCLUSION: The data strongly indicate that meticulous hemostasis and careful surgical technique, along with an understanding of anatomic variation and surgical experience, leads to a low late of complications following thyroid surgery, even for patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis.

Management of Right Colon Diverticulitis

PURPOSE: There are still many controversial aspects in the management of right colon diverticulitis. The aim of this study is to find an appropriate treatment for right colon diverticulitis. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 88 patients who were admitted with right colon diverticulitis to Wallace Memorial Baptist Hospital from January 2001 to December 2007. RESULTS: The patients enrolled in this study included 52 men and 36 women. The mean age was 39.6 yr, ranging from 13 to 84 yr. Fifty-four of 88 patients underwent conservative treatment for right colon diverticulitis, and 34 of 88 patients underwent operative treatment. There were 5 cases of recurrence in the conservative treatment group, but there were no cases of recurrence in the operative treatment group. We experienced 43 cases with right colon diverticulitis at the operational fields, including 9 cases that underwent conservative treatment after an appendectomy: eleven cases that underwent conservative treatment after an appendectomy or an appendectomy with diverticulectomy, 19 cases that underwent an ileocecectomy, and 13 cases that underwent a right hemicolectomy. There were no statistically significant difference in complications among 3 groups (P=0.148). However, there were statistical differences among the 3 groups in the length of hospital stay (P=0.016), and the use of intravenous antibiotics (P<0.001), and the use of oral antibiotics (P=0.019). CONCLUSION: When the preoperative diagnosis is exact, uncomplicated right colon diverticulitis can be managed by conservative treatment. On the other hand, an ileocecectomy or a right hemicolectomy is the proper treatment for complicated right colon diverticulitis. However, if uncomplicated right colon diverticulitis is diagnosed intraoperatively, conservative treatment or a diverticulectomy should be considered.

Clinical Analysis of Macrocalcifications Accompanying a Thyroid Nodule: A Comparative Study with Microcalcifications / 대한내분비외과학회지

PURPOSE: The clinical value of macrocalcifications as an indicator that predicts malignancy of thyroid nodules is controversial. The purpose of this study was to investigate additional ultrasonographic findings accompanying macrocalcifications for predicting malignancies in thyroid nodules. METHODS: Between January 2005 and April 2008, 315 patients who had thyroid nodules with FNAB resulting in suspicious malignancies underwent thyroidectomy at the Wallace Memorial Baptist Hospital. Three hundred fifteen nodules, which were confirmed to be papillary thyroid carcinoma, and 192 nodules, which were confirmed to be benign, were reviewed retrospectively. We analyzed the malignancy rates according to calcification patterns and US findings of the associated solid nodules. RESULTS: Among the 165 papillary thyroid carcinomas with microcalcifications, 161 accompanied solid nodules, and 4 were found with microcalcifications, but without solid nodules. Of the 161 papillary thyroid carcinomas with microcalcifications and solid nodules, 85.7% showed signs suggestive of malignancy. The remaining 14.3%, where only microcalcifications were present, showed indications of predicting malignancy. When solid nodules were found with macrocalcifications, there were indicators of predicting malignancy (100%). Also, for situations in which benign nodules were accompanied by solid nodules, 29% had signs of predicting malignancy. For situations in which benign nodules did not accompany solid nodules, 21% showed suspicious signs of predicting malignancy, but were all confirmed as benign. CONCLUSION: CFor nodules that accompany microcalcifications, there can be indicators that predict malignant conditions separate from other opinions that accompany microcalcifications. However, for macrocalcifications, it would be more effective to set up future treatment plans based on ultrasonographic features of solid nodules accompanying calcifications rather than the calcification itself.

The Experiences of Performing Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsies with the Use of Methylene Blue Dye in Patients with Invasive Breast Carcinoma / 한국유방암학회지

PURPOSE: Isosulfan blue has been traditionally used as a tracer to map the lymphatic system during identification of the sentinel lymph node (SLN). However, this vital dye is difficult to obtain in Korea. Radioisotopes such as technetiumlabeled sulfur colloid or albumin colloid are also expensive and complex to use. The purpose of this study is to evaluate usefulness of a sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) using methylene blue dye in breast cancer patients. METHODS: We evaluated the sentinel node mapping experience using methylene blue dye from July 2003 to January 2007. Fifty-eight patients with clinical T1-T2 breast cancer without palpable axillary lymph nodes were enrolled. All SLNs were submitted for intraoperative frozen section and hematoxyline and eosin (H & E) stain analysis. For the negative SLNs, serial sections of each SLN specimen were examined by permanent H & E staining and by immunohistochemical techniques (IHC) using cytokeratin. Regardless of the results of a frozen section for the SLNs, a backup level II or III axillary lymph node dissections (ALND) was performed. RESULTS: Of the 58 patients that underwent a SLNB using methylene blue dye, an SLN was identified in 56 patients (96.6%), and metastatic SLNs were detected in 14 cases. Axillary lymph node metastasis found in 18 out of 58 patients. Thus, the false negative rate for a SLNB was 22.2% (4/18). Two patients had a micrometastasis (pN1mi) and two patients had clusters of isolated tumor cells (pN0[i+]) that were identified in the SLNs by IHC with the additional use of cytoketatin. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of the SLNBs were 77.8%, 100%, and 92.9%, respectively. The false negative rate improved with the accumulation of experience for performing a SLNB (12.5% vs 30.0%). The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and accuracy of preoperative ultrasonography (USG) for an axillary lymph node metastsis were 50.0%, 95.5%, 81.8% and 81.0% respectively. CONCLUSION: Based on our initial experience, methylene blue dye is safe, inexpensive, and a readily available tracer for the SLN mapping, and it could be an effective alternative to the use of isosulfan blue dye for accurately identifying SLNs in early breast caner patients. We expected that the findings of preoperative USG could serve as useful adjuncts to a SLNB.

Clinical significance of age for premenopausal women with primary breast cancer / 한국유방암학회지

PURPOSE: Breast carcinoma in young patients has been reported to present with more aggressive biologic characteristics and to behave poorer compared with the disease in older patients. However, the association between the age and the prognosis in premenopausal patients has rarely been reported on. This study aimed to reveal the clinicopathologic characteristics and prognostic significance of young age (age35 years (the younger premenopausal group) and 853 patients were aged >35 years (the older premenopausal group). The clinicopathologic characteristics and treatment outcomes were compared between the younger and older groups. RESULTS: Compared to the older premenopausal group, the younger group showed earlier menarche (15.2+/-19 years old versus 16.0+/-1.7 years old, respectively, p<0.001), larger tumor (3.7+/-2.1cm versus 3.2+/-2.0cm, respectively, p=0.002), more metastatic axillary lymph nodes (3.8+/-7.0 versus 2.4+/-5.7, respectively, p=0.001), more advanced TNM stage (p=0.015), a lower PR positive rate (47.7% versus 59.9%, respectively, p=0.011), and a higher P53 positive rate (71.7% versus 54.9%, respectively, p=0.034). The recurrence rate for the younger group was 26% as compared with 14.4% for the older group. The overall 5-year and 10-year survival rates of younger group were 79.3% and 68.5%, respectively and these of older group were 91.1% and 84.3%, respectively. CONCLUSION: In premenopausal women with breast cancer, patients with an age< or =35 years have a greater chance of having an endocrine non-responsive tumor, and they are more likely present with larger tumor, more metastatic axillary lymph nodes and a more advanced TMN stage. These results show that younger premenopausal patients have a worse prognosis than older premenopausal patients.

Phase I and Pharmacokinetic Study of Intraoperative Intraperitoneal Heptaplatin in Patients with Surgically Resected Advanced Gastric Cancer / Journal of the Korean Cancer Association, 대한암학회지

PURPOSE: Heptaplatin, a new platinum analog, has favorable toxicity profiles and antitumor activity, comparable to those of cisplatin, in the treatment of gastric cancer. This study was designed to define the maximum tolerated dose (MTD), dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) and pharmacokinetics of heptaplatin administered by an intraperitoneal route in patients with resected advanced gastric cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Seventeen patients with resected advanced gastric cancer were entered onto the study. After completion of a curative resection and an astomosis, heptaplatin was administered intraperiton eally in one liter of 5% dextrose solution. The starting heptaplatin dose was 400 mg/m2 of the body surface area, and was escalated in 200 mg/m2 increments, to cohorts of three patients. A pharmacokinetic analysis was carried out to determine the total and ultrafiltratable platinum concentrations in the plasma, peritoneal fluid, and urine. RESULTS: Patients were unable to tolerate a 1, 000 mg/m2 dose level, and at 800 mg/m2, reVersible Grade III toxic ities, including elevated creatinine, proteinuria, hypon- atremia, abdominal pain, and intraabdominal bleeding were noted. No significant toxicity was noted up to a 600 mg/m2 dose level. The ratio of the peak peritoneal to peak plasma drug concentrations were 19.4, 16.6 and 22.8 at doses of 400 mg/m2, 600 mg/m2 and 800 mg/m2, respectively. The pharmacological advantage, expressed as the peritoneal to plasma AUC ratio ranged from 4.3 to 7.0. CONCLUSION: Heptaplatin can be delivered by an intra peritoneal route, with both an acceptable toxicity profile and a major pharmacokinetic advantage for cavity exposure. The MTD of intraperitoneal heptaplatin was 800 mg/m2. The major DLTs were nephrotoxicity and intraabdominal bleeding. The recommended starting dose for a subsequent study would be 600 mg/m2.

Concomitant Splenectomy during Hepatectomy in Patients with Liver Cirrhosis and Thrombocytopenia / 한국간담췌외과학회지

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Resection of hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with liver cirrhosis and thrombocytopenia is risky. The benefit of concomitant splenectomy in cirrhotic patients is controversial. METHODS: To evaluate the efficacy of concomitant splenectomy in patients with liver cirrhosis and thrombocytopenia, 13 cirrhotic patients with thrombocytopenia (platelet count< or =80,000/mm3) were divided by two groups (Group I: the patients without concomitant splenectomy during hepatectomy, Group II: the patients with concomitant splenectomy). Intraoperative and postoperative parameters were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: Group II patients needed less amount of postoperative blood transfusion (Group I: 178.3+/-150 ml PRC in 3 patients, Group II: 107.1+/-100 ml in 2 patients, p=0.012, p= 0.041) and the platelet count was elevated to above 250,000/mm3 (p=0.003) and showed lower serum bilirubin level (p=0.037) within 1 week of operation in group II patients. CONCLUSION: The concomitant splenectomy during in patients of liver cirrhosis with thrombocytopenia may improve liver function and elevate platelet count.