ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Ductal intraepitelial neoplasia (DIN) represents a spectrum of disease that may progress from usual hyperplasia to ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) grade 3. The aim of the study was to asses the correlation between the DIN classification and the surgical treatment including sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB). PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this retrospective study, 229 patients with DIN had undergone conservative or radical surgical treatment and SLNB in cases of DIN1C-DIN3. RESULTS: Breast conservative surgery was the definitive treatment in 80% of the cases. The H&E evaluation of excised sentinel nodes was negative for metastatic disease; nevertheless the immunohistochemical (IHC) evaluation revealed the presence of metastatic cells in 6 patients (3.7%). CONCLUSION: In cases of DIN lesions SLNB is not indicated. The only reason SLNB should be considered is when there is an evidence of invasive foci at definitive histology or when radical mastectomy is proposed.
Subject(s)
Breast Neoplasms/classification , Carcinoma, Intraductal, Noninfiltrating/classification , Adult , Breast Neoplasms/pathology , Breast Neoplasms/surgery , Carcinoma, Intraductal, Noninfiltrating/pathology , Carcinoma, Intraductal, Noninfiltrating/surgery , Female , Humans , Immunohistochemistry , Middle Aged , Patient Care Planning , Sentinel Lymph Node BiopsyABSTRACT
Colorectal cancer (CRC) caused nearly 204,000 deaths in Europe in 2004. Despite recent advances in the treatment of advanced disease, which include the incorporation of two new cytotoxic agents irinotecan and oxaliplatin into first-line regimens, the concept of planned sequential therapy involving three active agents during the course of a patient's treatment and the integrated use of targeted monoclonal antibodies, the 5-year survival rates for patients with advanced CRC remain unacceptably low. For patients with colorectal liver metastases, liver resection offers the only potential for cure. This review, based on the outcomes of a meeting of European experts (surgeons and medical oncologists), considers the current treatment strategies available to patients with CRC liver metastases, the criteria for the selection of those patients most likely to benefit and suggests where future progress may occur.
Subject(s)
Colorectal Neoplasms/pathology , Hepatectomy , Liver Neoplasms/secondary , Liver Neoplasms/surgery , Antineoplastic Agents/therapeutic use , Clinical Trials as Topic , Colorectal Neoplasms/mortality , Combined Modality Therapy , Humans , Neoadjuvant Therapy , Practice Guidelines as TopicABSTRACT
Myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) is the most frequently inherited neuromuscular disease in adults. It is a multisystemic disorder with major cardiac involvement most commonly represented by first-degree atrioventricular heart block (AVB), followed by different degrees of bundle-branch and intraventricular blocks In search for candidate genes, modifiers of the AVB phenotype in DM1, the expression of the small-conductance calcium activated potassium channel (SK3) gene was analysed in muscle biopsies from DM1 patients. The association between SK3 polymorphisms and the AVB phenotype was then studied analyzing 40 DM1 patients with AVB and 40 age-matched DM1 affected individuals with no ECG abnormalities. [CTG]n repeat length and cardiac clinical picture were also assessed for correlation. QRT-PCR experiments showed an over-expression of the SK3 transcript in DM1 muscle biopsies compared to healthy controls. However, no statistical association between the AVB phenotype and either the [CTG]n expansion length or the presence of specific SNPs in the SK3 gene were detected. These findings suggest that modifier genes, other than SK3, should be identified in order to explain the cardiac phenotypic variability among DM1 patients.
Subject(s)
Atrioventricular Block/genetics , Myotonic Dystrophy/genetics , Phenotype , Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide/genetics , Small-Conductance Calcium-Activated Potassium Channels/genetics , Adult , Atrioventricular Block/epidemiology , Biopsy , Case-Control Studies , Cohort Studies , Female , Gene Frequency/genetics , Genetic Predisposition to Disease/genetics , Genotype , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Muscle, Skeletal/pathology , Myotonic Dystrophy/metabolism , Myotonic Dystrophy/pathology , RNA, Messenger/metabolism , Risk Factors , Small-Conductance Calcium-Activated Potassium Channels/metabolismABSTRACT
The aim of the present study was to correlate PSA response with subjective response (bone pain and performance status), in patients treated for hormone refractory carcinoma of the prostate. Twenty-four patients were introduced into the study. Median PSA was 198 ng/ml. Symptom score, performance status and PSA were monitored monthly for 3 months and then 3-monthly. Sixteen patients (66%) showed a PSA response (median value 10 ng/ml). In 8 patients (33%) PSA was <4 ng/ml. Eight patients (33%) only had a subjective response. However, 75% of the patients with a PSA value <4 ng/ml had a subjective improvement. On the other hand, subjective response was 25% only in patients in whom PSA value decreased to <50% of the initial value but >4 ng/ml. In conclusion, PSA response is not always related to subjective improvement and does not always implicate a beneficial effect of the therapy for the patient.
