A novel model to estimate lymph node metastasis in endometrial cancer patients

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the postoperative pathological characteristics of hysterectomy specimens, preoperative cancer antigen (CA)-125 levels and imaging modalities in patients with endometrial cancer and to build a risk matrix model to identify and recruit patients for retroperitoneal lymphadenectomy. METHODS: A total of 405 patients undergoing surgical treatment for endometrial cancer were retrospectively reviewed and analyzed. Clinical (age and body mass index), laboratory (CA-125), radiological (lymph node evaluation), and pathological (tumour size, grade, lymphovascular space invasion, lymph node metastasis, and myometrial invasion) parameters were used to test the ability to predict lymph node metastasis. Four parameters were selected by logistic regression to create a risk matrix for nodal metastasis. RESULTS: Of the 405 patients, 236 (58.3%) underwent complete pelvic and para-aortic lymphadenectomy, 96 (23.7%) underwent nodal sampling, and 73 (18%) had no surgical lymph node assessment. The parameters predicting nodal involvement obtained through logistic regression were myometrial infiltration >50%, lymphovascular space involvement, pelvic lymph node involvement by imaging, and a CA-125 value >21.5 U/mL. According to our risk matrix, the absence of these four parameters implied a risk of lymph node metastasis of 2.7%, whereas in the presence of all four parameters the risk was 82.3%. CONCLUSION: Patients without deep myometrial invasion and lymphovascular space involvement on the final pathological examination and with normal CA-125 values and lymph node radiological examinations have a relatively low risk of lymph node involvement. This risk assessment matrix may be able to refer patients with high-risk parameters necessitating lymphadenectomy and to decide the risks and benefits of lymphadenectomy.

Outcome of neck dissections in a rural tertiary University Hospital in Malaysia

To determine the outcome of neck dissection among our head and neck cancer patients in the setting of a rural Universitiy Sains Malaysia Hospital. Neck dissection procedures were reviewed from 2004 to 2008. The medical folders of each patient were traced and the data collected includes diagnosis, type of operative procedure and outcome on follow-up. A total of fourteen patients had undergone neck dissection as a combined procedure with the'primary tumor surgical removal. There were five radical neck and one modified type two radical neck dissections. The rest were eight selective neck dissections [three anterior and five supraomohyoid]. Twelve patients underwent unilateral neck dissections and two patients underwent bilateral neck dissections. The average duration of hospital stay was seventeen days, the longest stay was two months and the shortest stay was four days. One patient died secondary to complication of the primary tumor and one had to undergo exploration due to chylous leak post operation. Neck dissection is a surgical procedure to control neck lymph nodes metastasis from primary carcinoma of the head and neck. The extent of the cervical nodes involvement determines the type of neck dissections and their outcomes

Radioterapia lumboaórtica en pacientes con cáncer de cuello uterino: experiencia del Instituto Nacional del Cáncer / Paraortic radiotherapy in patients with uterine cervical carcinoma: Instituto Nacional del Cáncer experience

Antecedentes: El cáncer de cérvicouterino continúa siendo una enfermedad prevalente en Chile. Es frecuente recibir pacientes en etapas IIB y IIIB donde el riesgo de compromiso ganglionar pelviano y lumbo-aórtico es elevado y el tratamiento es radioquimioterapia. Objetivo: Análisis retrospectivo de pacientes con cáncer cérvicouterino que recibieron radioterapia que incluía los territorios lumboaórticos. Método: Revisión de pacientes con cáncer cérvicouterino tratadas entre 1995 y 2007 en el Instituto Nacional del Cáncer, Santiago, Chile. En 39 pacientes el tratamiento incluyó las cadenas lumboaórticas. Se analizó toxicidad y evolución. Se utilizaron dos técnicas de radioterapia: la primera durante la década del 90, donde se empleaban dos campos paralelos y opuestos (anterior y posterior) y una segunda actual, donde se irradian en conjunto la pelvis y los lumboaórticos a través de 4 campos (laterales y AP-PA). Resultados: El análisis dosimétrico de las dos técnicas confirma un mayor volumen irradiado de tejidos normales con la técnica de dos campos, fundamentalmente intestino delgado. La toxicidad fue significativamente diferente, siendo la que utilizamos hoy menos tóxica y con bajas complicaciones gastrointestinales, a pesar de recibir un tratamiento de radio-quimioterapia concomitante (55 por ciento vs 0 por ciento). Conclusión: La radioterapia lumboaórtica es un tratamiento con una tolerancia aceptable incluso con quimioterapia concomitante. Esta revisión nos obliga a elaborar un nuevo trabajo para evaluar si la radioterapia lumboaórtica reduce el riesgo de recidiva y aumenta la sobrevida.

Background: Uterine cancer is still a prevalent disease in Chile. Is common to treat patients with tumors in stages IIB and IIIB where the risk of pelvic and paraortic limph node involvement is very high. Its treatment is radio-chemotherapy. Objective: To present a retrospective analysis of patients that suffered cervix-uterine cancer who were treated with radiotherapy including the aortic-lumbar area. Methods: From the revision of patients who were treated of cervix-uterine cancer between the years 1995 and 2007, 39 were treated including aortic-lumbar chains. Evolution and toxicity were analyzed. Two radiotherapy techniques were used. The first one, during the nineties, included two parallel previous and later and opposed fields, and a second technique, currently used, where pelvis and paraortic are radiated at the same time through four lateral (AP-PA) fields. Results: The dosimeter analysis of both techniques shows that there is a higher volume of radiated normal tissue with the two fields techniques, mainly in the small bowel. On the other hand, the toxicity was significantly different being today's technique less toxic and showing low gastrointestinal side effects, despite receiving a simultaneous radio-chemotherapy (55 percent vs 0 percent). Conclusion: The paraortic radiotherapy treatment has an acceptable level of tolerance even under simultaneous radio-chemotherapy. Given the results of this study, we see the need for undergoing a new research project in order to evaluate if the aortic-lumbar radiotherapy may reduce the risk of relapse and increase in survival rate.

Esófago de Barret sin displasia: mucosectomía endoscópica / Barrett's esophagus without displasia: endoscopic mucosectomy

En general, con estas técnicas mínimamente invasivas de resección endoscópica del epitelio de Barrett o del carcinoma intramucoso, se logra una remisión local en un 90 por ciento, con baja morbilidad, sin mortalidad, dejando un esófago in situ y funcional.

O exame intra-operatório do linfonodo sentinela na realidade brasileira / The intraoperative examination of the sentinel node for the Brazilian reality

A biópsia do linfonodo sentinela (LS) é o tratamento-padrão para as pacientes com axila clinicamente negativa. O exame intra-operatório desse linfonodo é uma das mais importantes barreiras para a sua introdução nos países em desenvolvimento. Os autores realizaram uma análise crítica das diversas alternativas para a realidade brasileira, buscando viabilizar esse grande avanço no tratamento cirúrgico do câncer de mama para a maioria das pacientes

?Como Hacerlo? Vaciamiento Ganglionar Supraomohioideo / How to do it? Glanglionic supraomohyoid emptying

La diversidad de criterios con respecto a las disecciones de cuello con fines "profilacticos", en gran medida se ha atenuado en los ultimos anos, al introducir las llamadas disecciones "modificadas" o "triangulares" que sin producir grandes efectos negativos en cuanto a morbilidad, son capaces de solucionar el problema en un buen numero de pacientes con ganglios clinicamente negativos, pero con positividad histologica. En el presente articulo se comentan algunas de estas cuestiones y se hace una descripcion anatomoquirurgica, con algunos elementos tecnicos propios del proceder conocido como vaciamiento supraomohioideo, una de las mas practicadas y utiles. Para su reseccion se incluyen los niveles ganglionares I y II. Estos, desde el punto de vista porcentual, son los mas afectados en los carcinomas bucofaringeos