Use of indocyanine green for sentinel lymph node biopsy in melanoma.

Sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy for cutaneous melanoma is a critical part of designing therapy for the skin malignancy. A retrospective review of 54 patients with cutaneous melanoma who underwent SLN biopsy guided by both radiotracer injection and indocyanine green (ICG) fluorescent dye compared the accuracy of identifying the SLN using each method. Patients were injected preoperatively with radiotracer at the site of the primary melanoma and intraoperatively with 2.5 mg of ICG. The detection of the SLN was compared between the two methods. Patients were followed to determine local recurrence and survival from 5 months to 4 years. ICG and radiotracer identified the SLN in 52 of 54 patients. In those patients who mapped, 52 of 52 showed mapping to the same node or nodes. The rate of cancer involvement in the identified node was 19.2% for both techniques. There was no difference in recurrence or survival between the two methods of SLN identification in short follow-up. In conclusion, ICG injection and mapping to identify SLN in cutaneous melanoma is confirmatory for radiotracer mapping and in the future may be an accurate and less costly method for SLN biopsy in cutaneous melanoma.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of surgery delays and survival in breast, lung and colon cancers: Implication for surgical triage during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: Thousands of cancer surgeries were delayed during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study examines if surgical delays impact survival for breast, lung and colon cancers. METHODS: PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library and Web of Science were searched. Articles evaluating the relationship between delays in surgery and overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS) or cancer-specific survival (CSS) were included. RESULTS: Of the 14,422 articles screened, 25 were included in the review and 18 (totaling 2,533,355 patients) were pooled for meta-analyses. Delaying surgery for 12 weeks may decrease OS in breast (HR 1.46, 95%CI 1.28-1.65), lung (HR 1.04, 95%CI 1.02-1.06) and colon (HR 1.24, 95%CI 1.12-1.38) cancers. When breast cancers were analyzed by stage, OS was decreased in stages I (HR 1.27, 95%CI 1.16-1.40) and II (HR 1.13, 95%CI 1.02-1.24) but not in stage III (HR 1.20, 95%CI 0.94-1.53). CONCLUSION: Delaying breast, lung and colon cancer surgeries during the COVID-19 pandemic may decrease survival.

Factors contributing to unintentional parathyroidectomy during thyroid surgery.

Unintentional parathyroidectomy during thyroid surgery has an incidence ranging between 1% and 31% across institutions. Many studies have identified malignancy and central neck dissection as risk factors for losing parathyroid glands, but few studies have evaluated the impact of other factors such as lymphocytic thyroiditis, hyperthyroidism, or concomitant primary hyperparathyroidism. The purpose of this study was to investigate which factors contribute to parathyroid loss during thyroid surgery. Charts of 269 patients undergoing thyroid surgery at a tertiary care medical center from 2010 to 2013 were retrospectively reviewed. Sixty-six patients (24.5%) experienced unintentional parathyroidectomy. Bivariate analysis showed no significant differences in patient characteristics. Patients with unintentional parathyroid removal had a significantly smaller largest thyroid nodule size (P = 0.002), higher rate of central neck dissection (30.3% vs 7.9%, P < 0.0001), and higher rate of malignancy (50% vs 36.0%, P = 0.04). Multivariable analysis showed that the strongest risk factor for unintentional parathyroidectomy was central neck dissection (P = 0.0008; odds ratio 4.72, confidence interval 1.91-11.71). In conclusion, central neck dissection for thyroid malignancy is the strongest risk factor for unintentional thyroidectomy. The presence of concomitant primary hyperparathyroidism, lymphocytic thyroiditis, or hyperthyroidism did not appear to increase the risk of unintentional parathyroidectomy.

The effect of multidisciplinary teams for rectal cancer on delivery of care and patient outcome: has the use of multidisciplinary teams for rectal cancer affected the utilization of available resources, proportion of patients meeting the standard of care, and does this translate into changes in patient outcome?

BACKGROUND: We hypothesized that mandatory multidisciplinary team (MDT) participation improves process evaluation, outcomes, and technical aspects of surgery for rectal cancer in a stable practice of colorectal surgery. METHODS: A retrospective review of MDT data was conducted of all patients with colorectal cancer since 2010. Demographic, clinical stage, process evaluation, quality of surgery, and outcome data were collected. Total mesorectal excision and MDT required participation started 2013. RESULTS: One hundred thirty patients were included in this study: 47 patients in 2014; 41 patients in 2013; and 42 patients pre-MDT. Improvements were seen in 12 of the 14 preoperative process variables, 6 significantly. Improvement in the completeness of total mesorectal excision (0% to 76%) was significant. Local recurrence occurred in 10% of the pre-MDT group, and follow-up is ongoing in the MDT groups. CONCLUSIONS: MDT participation improves care of patients with rectal cancer. Preoperative clinical staging, multimodality treatment, pathologic staging, and technical aspects of surgery have improved.

Biochemical prognostic indicators for pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors and small bowel neuroendocrine tumors.

Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PNETs) and small bowel neuroendocrine tumors (SBNETs) are rare tumors that are frequently diagnosed late in the course of the disease. Several biomarkers have been proposed in the literature as prognostic factors for patients with these tumors. This article discusses a recent publication in Annals of Surgical Oncology from the University of Iowa analyzing the effect of different biomarkers on survival in patients with PNETs and SBNETs.

Sports hernia: the experience of Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas.

Groin injuries in high-performance athletes are common, occurring in 5% to 28% of athletes. Athletic pubalgia syndrome, or so-called sports hernia, is one such injury that can be debilitating and sport ending in some athletes. It is a clinical diagnosis of chronic, painful musculotendinous injury to the medial inguinal floor occurring with athletic activity. Over the past 12 years, we have operated on >100 patients with this injury at Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas. These patients have included professional athletes, collegiate athletes, competitive recreational athletes, and the occasional "weekend warrior." The repair used is an open technique using a lightweight polypropylene mesh. Patient selection is important, as is collaboration with other experienced and engaged sports health care professionals, including team trainers, physical therapists, team physicians, and sports medicine and orthopedic surgeons. Of the athletes who underwent surgery, 98% have returned to competition. After a minimum of 6 weeks for recovery and rehabilitation, they have usually returned to competition within 3 months.

Parathyroid adenoma on the ipsilateral side of thyroid hemiagenesis.

We present a case of a parathyroid adenoma on the ipsilateral side of thyroid hemiagenesis-which, to our knowledge, is the third reported case of this entity. A 41-year-old man with nephrolithiasis was found to have elevated calcium and intact parathyroid hormone levels. Both ultrasound and technetium sestamibi scintigraphy with single photon emission computed tomography confirmed left thyroid hemiagenesis and an adenoma in the left inferior thyroid bed. The patient underwent left neck exploration, which confirmed left thyroid hemiagenesis and a left inferior parathyroid adenoma. The left inferior parathyroid gland was resected. The patient was discharged home the same day of surgery and has remained normocalcemic for 14 months without evidence of hyperparathyroidism.

. . . with documenting consultations.

The three parts of documenting a consultation remain the same: request, render, report. It is also important to document the intent of the request. If there is mutual agreement that this involves the transfer of care, a consultation is not appropriate and a new patient evaluation should be reported. However, until the surgeon has evaluated the patient--that is to say, performed the consultation--it is difficult to justify accepting the transfer of care. It is helpful if a compliance plan specifies how this intent is documented, such as a consult/transfer of care request form or letter originating with the requesting physician, and retained in both charts or in a common document.

The use of intraservice work per unit of time (IWPUT) and the building block method (BBM) for the calculation of surgical work.

OBJECTIVE: We will review the contribution to the Medicare Fee Schedule (MFS) by the techniques of intensity of work per unit of time (IWPUT), the building block methodology (BBM), and the work accomplished by the American College of Surgeons General Surgery Coding & Reimbursement Committee (GSCRC) in using IWPUT/BBM to detect undervalued surgical procedures and recommend payment increases. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: The MFS has had a major impact on surgeons' income since its introduction in 1992 by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) and additionally has been adopted for use by many commercial insurers. A major component of MFS is physician work, measured as the relative value of work (RVW), which has 2 components: time and intensity. These components are incorporated by: RVW = time x intensity. METHODS: This work formula can be rearranged to give the IWPUT, which has become a powerful tool to calculate the amount of RVW performed by physicians. Most procedures are valued by the total RVW in the global surgical package, which includes pre-, intra-, and postoperative care for a time after surgery. Summing these perioperative components into RVW is called the building block methodology (BBM). RESULTS: Using these techniques, the GSCRC increased the values for 314 surgery procedures during a recent CMS 5-year review, resulting in an increase to general surgeons of roughly 76 million dollars annually. CONCLUSIONS: The use of IWPUT/BBM has been instrumental to correct payment for undervalued surgical procedures. They are powerful methods to measure RVW across specialties and to solve reimbursement, compensation, and practice management problems facing surgeons.

Patterns of drainage and recurrence following sentinel lymph node biopsy for cutaneous melanoma of the head and neck.

OBJECTIVES: To analyze lymphatic drainage patterns and recurrence patterns in patients undergoing sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) for cutaneous head and neck melanoma. DESIGN: Retrospective review of a consecutive series with a mean follow-up of 35 months. SETTING: Tertiary cancer care center. PATIENTS: Fifty-one patients with clinically node-negative cutaneous melanoma of the head and neck region staged by means of SLNB. INTERVENTIONS: Sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) were identified using preoperative lymphatic mapping along with intraoperative gamma probe evaluation and isosulfan blue dye injection. Patients with a positive SLNB finding by hematoxylin-eosin or immunohistochemical evaluation underwent completion lymphadenectomy of the affected lymphatic basin and were considered for further adjuvant treatment. Patients with a negative SLNB finding were observed clinically. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Location characteristics of SLNs, incidence of positive SLNs, same-basin recurrence, and disease-free survival. RESULTS: The mean number of SLNs per patients was 2.75. The extent of SLNB included removal of 1 node (n = 11), multiple nodes from 1 basin (n = 18), 1 node in multiple basins (n = 7), and multiple nodes in multiple basins (n = 15). Drainage to unexpected basins was found in 13 of 51 patients. Parotid region drainage was identified in 18 patients. There were no same-basin recurrences in patients with a negative SLNB finding. Thirty-six-month disease-free survival was 88.9% for patients with a negative SLN and 72.9% for patients with a positive SLN (P=.17). CONCLUSIONS: The number and location of SLNs is variable and difficult to predict for head and neck cutaneous melanoma. Preoperative lymphoscintigraphy is an important planning instrument to guide complete removal of all SLNs. Based on 3-year follow-up, this procedure can be expected to provide low same-basin recurrence rates for patients with a negative SLN.

Patterns of recurrence after sentinel lymph node biopsy for cutaneous melanoma.

BACKGROUND: Previous sentinel lymph node (SLN) studies for cutaneous melanoma have shown that the SLN accurately reflects the nodal status of the corresponding nodal basin. However, there are few long-term studies that describe recurrence site patterns, predictors for recurrence, and overall survival and disease-free survival after SLN biopsy. METHODS: A retrospective review of patients over a 6-year period was performed to determine patient outcomes and the patterns of recurrence. In all cases, Tc-99 sulfur colloid along with isosulfan blue dye was injected at the primary melanoma site. After resection, the SLN was serially sectioned and evaluated by hematoxylin and eosin staining and immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: One hundred ninety-eight patients were identified who underwent SLN biopsy for cutaneous melanoma including T1 (n = 21), T2 (n = 88), T3 (n = 75), and T4 (n = 14) primary tumors. Of these patients, 38 had a positive SLN. Of the 38 patients with a positive SLN (mean follow-up 38 months), recurrent disease was identified in 10 (26.3%) at a mean interval of 14.2 months. The site of first recurrence was distant (n = 4) and local (n = 6). Regional lymphatic basin recurrence was not identified. Of the 160 patients with a negative SLN (mean follow-up 50 months), recurrent disease was identified in 16 (10.0%) at a mean interval of 31.3 months. The site of first recurrence was systemic (n = 11), local (n = 4), and nodal (n = 1). Overall survival and disease-free survival for patients with a positive SLN at 55 months was 53.3% and 47.7% respectively, while overall survival and disease-free survival for patients with a negative SLN at 53 months was 92.2% and 87.7% respectively (P <0.01). Univariate and multivariate analysis of the entire cohort (n = 198) identified primary tumor depth and positive SLN status as significant predictors of recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of nodal basin recurrence after SLN biopsy was found to be 0.6%. Primary tumor depth and pathological status of the SLN are significant predictors of local and systemic recurrence. Long-term follow-up indicates that patients with a positive SLN clearly recur sooner and have decreased overall survival than those with a negative SLN.

Comparison of quick parathyroid assay for uniglandular and multiglandular parathyroid disease.

BACKGROUND: The quick intraoperative parathyroid assay (qPTH) has been proposed as an effective tool in the surgical management of hyperparathyroidism. This assay may facilitate directed, unilateral exploration for uniglandular disease; however, its role in the management of multiglandular disease remains unclear. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the use of qPTH in parathyroid surgery, and to compare the results for uniglandular and multiglandular disease. METHODS: A prospective analysis of 63 consecutive patients explored for hyperparathyroidism using the qPTH assay was performed. Preoperative localization studies including ultrasonography and sestamibi scan were routinely obtained. Blood samples for qPTH were routinely drawn prior to the surgical incision, prior to gland excision, as well as 5 and 10 minutes after gland excision. Patients with primary or secondary hyperplasia had blood samples drawn relative to a 3-1/2 gland resection. Additional samples were drawn as needed for patients with a double adenoma. A qPTH decline of greater than or equal to 50% of the highest preincision or gland preexcision level was considered successful. Unilateral neck exploration was routinely performed unless multiglandular disease was identified. Patients were followed up postoperatively with serum calcium levels and an 8-month median follow-up was recorded. RESULTS: Forty-nine of 63 (78%) patients were found to have a solitary parathyroid adenoma. The qPTH assay was successful in 48 (97%) patients with uniglandular disease. Forty-four of these 48 patients showed an appropriate assay decline 5 minutes after adenoma excision. One patient with a single adenoma showed a delayed 50% decline in qPTH at 20 minutes. Fourteen (22%) patients were found to have multiglandular disease: 6 patients with primary hyperplasia, 4 patients with hyperplasia secondary to renal failure, and 4 patients with double adenomas. All patients with multiglandular disease demonstrated a successful decrease in qPTH levels. All patients with hyperplasia secondary to renal failure showed a successful assay decline 5 minutes after 3-1/2 gland resection. Eight of 14 (57%) patients with multiglandular disease (4 double adenomas, and 4 hyperplasia) were suspected to have solitary adenomas preoperatively. Overall, 62 of 63 (98%) patients showed an appropriate assay decline within 10 minutes after gland excision. Postoperatively, all patients were normocalcemic with a median follow-up of 8 months. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that qPTH can accurately facilitate unilateral, directed neck exploration for uniglandular parathyroid disease, as well as guide the extent of gland resection for multiglandular disease. This assay reliably eliminates the most common cause of parathyroidectomy failure, which is unrecognized multiglandular disease. The qPTH assay can reliably be used with similar accuracy for patients with multiglandular disease as has been shown for uniglandular parathyroid disease.