1/48. A case of colon cancer recurrence with p-glycoprotein treated by methotrexate, fluorouracil, and leucovorin.A 68 year-old female underwent right hemicolectomy for an advanced cecum cancer and had been well without any evidence of recurrence for a year after surgery. Despite post-operative treatment with oral tegafur (400 mg/m2/day), CEA level increased gradually beginning 15 months after surgery. Sequential chemotherapy with methotrexate (MTX) and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), followed by leucovorin rescue (MFL) was started on an outpatient basis, and has been continued every 4 weeks since then. It consisted of MTX (100 mg/m2) and 5-FU (600 mg/m2) started 24 hours after MTX, followed by oral leucovorin (15 mg/body) started 30 hours after MTX 6 times at intervals of 6 hours. CEA level declined initially, but increased slowly for 3 years on MFL, although no evidence of recurrence was detected by imaging studies with computed tomography, ultrasound, and scintigram. Four years after surgery, a tumor recurrence developed in the abdominal wall. The patient underwent resection of the tumor, resulting in a decline of the CEA level. She has been alive and well for 5 years on MFL after the primary surgery. Both the original tumor and recurrent tumor showed immunoreactivity for p-glycoprotein. The present case demonstrates the feasibility of using MFL on an outpatient basis, and its potential to suppress the colon cancer growth with p-glycoprotein expression.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = hour (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/48. Sedation for intractable distress of a dying patient: acute palliative care and the principle of double effect.Shortly before his death in 1995, Kenneth B. Schwartz, a cancer patient at massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), founded the Kenneth B. Schwartz Center at MGH. The Schwartz Center is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting and advancing compassionate health care delivery, which provides hope to the patient, support to caregivers, and encourages the healing process. The Center sponsors the Schwartz Center Rounds, a monthly multidisciplinary forum where caregivers reflect on important psychosocial issues faced by patients, their families, and their caregivers, and gain insight and support from fellow staff members. The case presented is of a young man dying of recurrent epithelioid hemangioendothelioma, distressed with stridor and severe pain, whose poorly controlled symptoms were successfully treated with an infusion of propofol, titrated to provide effective comfort in the last few hours of the patient's life. The tenet of double effect, which allows aggressive treatment of suffering in spite of foreseeable but unintended consequences, is reviewed. The patient's parents were invited and contributed to the Rounds, providing compelling testimony to the power of the presence of clinicians at the time of death and the importance of open communication about difficult ethical issues.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.33333333333333keywords = hour (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/48. Continuous intra-arterial 5-FU chemotherapy in a patient with a repeated recurrence of rectal cancer: report of a case.PURPOSE: We report a patient with a recurrent pelvic tumor after abdominoperineal resection of a rectal carcinoma who was treated sufficiently by repeated intra-arterial infusions of 5-fluorouracil. methods: A continuous, 24-hour 5-fluorouracil administration was made through the bilateral internal iliac artery at a dosage of 250 mg/m2/day by the subcutaneous reservoir located at both upper legs using a Baxter infusor. RESULTS: In this patient pain in the hip and pelvis was relieved. A complete regression in the infused field of pelvic tumor was observed not only with computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging but also confirmed by operative findings at the seventh month after the intra-arterial infusion. The abnormal serum level of carcinoembryonic antigen and carbohydrate antigen 19-9 was decreased to within the normal range at the 19th and 3rd week respectively. When the repeated recurrence was suspected in follow-up, normalization of the re-elevated carcinoembryonic antigen and carbohydrate antigen 19-9 levels was also obtained by repeating the same treatment. The side effects and complications were tolerable, consisting of local skin erosion on the hips and lower extremity neuropathy caused by the 5-fluorouracil. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical local regression of a pelvic recurrence was observed in a patient with rectal recurrent tumor who received continuous intra-arterial chemotherapy. Local recurrence of rectal cancer may be controlled effectively and safely by repeating long-term, continuous, intra-arterial 5-fluorouracil infusion.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.33333333333333keywords = hour (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/48. protein c deficiency in microvascular head and neck reconstruction.OBJECTIVE: To determine the incidence of perioperative protein c deficiency in patients undergoing free flap reconstruction of cancer-related defects in the head and neck. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective case series. INTERVENTION: Ten patients underwent microvascular reconstruction after surgical therapy of carcinomas of the oral cavity or oropharynx. Coagulation studies were determined in all patients 72 hours after surgery. SETTING: Academic tertiary care medical center RESULTS: protein c deficiency was detected in 70% of patients. One free flap failure was attributed to protein c deficiency. CONCLUSIONS: vitamin k-dependent clotting factors are frequently deficient during the postoperative period after major head and neck surgery, which may result in a state of hypercoagulability. protein c deficiency should be considered as a possible cause of free flap thrombosis in patients who undergo microvascular head and neck reconstruction.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.33333333333333keywords = hour (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/48. The free musculocutaneous tensor fascia lata flap as a backup procedure in tumor surgery.The musculocutaneous tensor fascia lata (TFL) flap provides a small muscle belly and a strong fascial layer in combination with abundant skin coverage (15 x 40 cm), which makes the flap an attractive unit for composite free tissue transfer. The free TFL flap was used in nine cases of recurrent cancer of the chest wall (N = 7) and the abdominal wall (N = 2). The mean size of the full-thickness defects after tumor excision measured 12 x 25 cm. The operating time ranged from 4 to 8 hours (mean operating time, 5.5 hours). The operation was performed with two teams, and no repositioning of the patient was necessary during the operation. By raising the TFL flap, no additional area of the trunk was involved. The authors did not experience a prolonged ventilation time in their group of multimorbid patients. The donor site was closed directly (4 of 9 patients) or split skin grafted (5 of 9 patients). There was no functional deficit. In one patient the venous anastomosis had to be revised. There were no further complications, and no flaps were lost. The hospital stay was short (21 days on average), the outcome successful, and primary healing was obtained. The free TFL flap proved to be a reliable flap that is easy technically to harvest. Thus the free TFL flap is a valuable backup procedure in tumor surgery.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.66666666666667keywords = hour (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/48. Post-partum retreatment with iridium-192 wire brachytherapy for meningioma recurring in pregnancy.We report the case history of a female patient who had received radical radiotherapy for a malignant meningioma at the age of 11 years. Thirteen years later, during her first pregnancy, she presented with a recurrence. The tumour was surgically debulked, but complications related to postoperative sepsis, the location of the tumour, and the extent of her previous treatment made the delivery of adjuvant radiotherapy problematic. The tumour bed was treated using an interstitial implant of 192Ir wires to a dose of 60 Gy in 100 hours. The patient remains well with no evidence of tumour recurrence or brain necrosis 2 years later. We discuss the role of female sex hormones in meningioma and the difficulties of radical retreatment of tumours in the central nervous system. The various techniques of brachytherapy in the brain are highlighted. The specific advantages of 192Ir in this patient are discussed.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.33333333333333keywords = hour (Clic here for more details about this article) |
7/48. Primary peritoneal clear cell carcinoma: excellent results from paclitaxel and carboplatin combination chemotherapy.While papillary serous adenocarcinomas are histocytologically common in primary peritoneal carcinomas, clear cell carcinomas are rare. We report a new regimen for the treatment of recurrent clear cell carcinomas of the peritoneum. A 45-year-old woman was referred to our hospital and underwent optimal debulking surgery. Thirty-two months after the operation, lymph node swelling and elevation of serum CA19-9 were detected and recurrence was diagnosed. paclitaxel (175 mg/m(2)) in a 3-hour and carboplatin (300 mg/m(2)) in a 1-hour infusion were repeated at three-week intervals. After completion of four courses, abdominal CT and serum CA19-9 were undertaken and results compared. lymph node swelling was significantly decreased and the serum CA19-9 level was decreased to within a normal range. paclitaxel and carboplatin combination chemotherapy may be effective in preventing the recurrence of peritoneal carcinomas.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.66666666666667keywords = hour (Clic here for more details about this article) |
8/48. Non-surgical treatment for afferent loop syndrome in recurrent gastric cancer complicated by peritoneal carcinomatosis: percutaneous transhepatic duodenal drainage followed by 24-hour infusion of high-dose fluorouracil and leucovorin.afferent loop syndrome (ALS) is a debilitating complication of recurrent gastric cancer. Surgical intervention is usually not feasible in the face of poor general performance, presence of advanced peritoneal carcinomatosis and limited survival of the patients. Non-surgical approaches include internal drainage by stenting at the stenotic or anastomotic site and external drainage via the percutaneous routes. Percutaneous transhepatic duodenal drainage (PTDD) has been shown to provide effective palliation for ALS, but long-term catheterization is usually inevitable. We hereby present two cases of recurrent gastric cancer whose ALS was successfully treated with PTDD followed by weekly 24-h infusion of high-dose 5-fluorouracil and leucovorin (HDFL). PTDD rapidly ameliorated the incapacitating symptoms of ALS, and the effective, low-toxicity chemotherapy subsequently led to tumor regression, restoration of bowel patency and removal of the drainage tube. At present, both patients have remained ALS-free and drainage-free for 16 and 17 months, respectively. Our results indicate that this non-surgical approach with PTDD followed by weekly HDFL could serve as a safe and effective treatment for ALS in recurrent gastric cancer complicated by peritoneal carcinomatosis.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1.3333333333333keywords = hour (Clic here for more details about this article) |
9/48. Variable hemodynamic fluctuations during resection of multicentric extraadrenal pheochromocytomas.PURPOSE: To report the perioperative management and the serious hemodynamic fluctuations during manipulation of an organ of Zuckerkandl tumour in a patient undergoing resection of multicentric extraadrenal pheochromocytomas. CLINICAL FINDINGS: A 28-yr-old man who had undergone at age 12 a laparotomy for excision of an extraadrenal pheochromocytoma complained of paroxysmal headache, occasional sweating and palpitations. The arterial blood pressure (BP) was 200/100 mmHg. A 24-hr-urine collection showed catecholamines 5076 microg x 24 hr(-1) (normal < 25 microg x 24 hr(-1)). Computed tomography of the abdomen revealed two retroperitoneal masses, one adjacent to the lower pole of the right kidney and a second larger mass located at the aortic bifurcation in the region of the organ of Zuckerkandl. The patient was scheduled for excision of multiple extraadrenal pheochromocytomas. He was prepared preoperatively for two weeks with prazosin 1 mg po q six hours and propranolol 10 mg tid. Manipulation of the infrarenal tumour was uneventful but manipulation of the Zuckerkandl tumour resulted in severe hypertensive episodes with BP ranging from 200/100 to 320/120 mmHg. Surgery was interrupted temporarily; the hypertensive crisis was controlled by the infusion of sodium nitroprusside and by iv phentolamine and esmolol. CONCLUSION: In a patient undergoing resection of recurrent multicentric extraadrenal pheochromoctyomas, severe hypertensive episodes occurred during manipulation of one tumour but not during manipulation of the other. This may be attributed to inadequate preparation of the patient, difficult surgical dissection of the large Zuckerkandl pheochromocytoma, and/or secondary to an excessive and different pattern of release of catecholamines during manipulation of the Zuckerkandl tumour.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.33333333333333keywords = hour (Clic here for more details about this article) |
10/48. Laparoscopic hand assisted radical cystectomy with ileal conduit urinary diversion.PURPOSE: hand assisted laparoscopy was originally described in the early 1990s. Since then many studies have shown that hand assisted techniques have the same advantages of laparoscopy including decreased need for postoperative narcotics and rapid return to routine activities. Laparoscopic techniques are advancing rapidly and intracorporeal laparoscopic cystectomy is reported. To our knowledge we report the first case of hand assisted, laparoscopic radical cystectomy with ileal conduit urinary diversion. MATERIALS AND methods: A 68-year-old male with rapidly recurring grade III transitional cell carcinoma elected to undergo hand assisted radical cystectomy. We performed a radical cystectomy with bilateral pelvic lymph node dissection removing the specimen through the hand port site. The ileal loop urinary diversion was constructed by pulling the small bowel through the hand port incision. We made another separate hole for the stoma and a drain was placed through a port site. The incisions were closed in the standard fashion.RESULTS: operative time was 7 hours with 750 cc of blood loss and no complications. All surgical margins were negative. The patient did well and was discharged from the hospital on postoperative day 7 with return to normal activity without limitations at 4 weeks. CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge this is the first reported case of hand assisted laparoscopic radical cystectomy with ileal loop diversion. hand assistance facilitated this technically demanding surgery resulting in a good outcome without significant added operative time.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.33333333333333keywords = hour (Clic here for more details about this article) |
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