Annals of surgical oncology
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The rate of contralateral prophylactic mastectomy (CPM) has recently increased. The aim of this study is to assess perceptions of contralateral breast cancer (CBC) risk among breast cancer patients and to evaluate tumor and patient factors associated with risk perception. ⋯ At time of surgical evaluation, women with unilateral breast cancer substantially overestimated their risk of CBC; however, this elevated risk perception was not associated with choosing CPM. Early physician counseling is needed to provide women with accurate information regarding their true CBC risk.
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Determining how many sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) should be removed for melanoma is important. The purpose of this study is to determine the frequency at which nodes that are less radioactive than the "hottest" node (which is negative) are positive for melanoma, how low of a radioactivity should warrant harvest, and if isosulfan blue is necessary. ⋯ To decrease the miss rate, all SLNs with ≥10% of the ex vivo radioactivity of the "hottest" SLN should be removed and blue dye is not essential.
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(18)F-fludeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) is a sensitive and specific method for detecting active residual disease after chemoradiotherapy or radiotherapy, but few studies have accurately evaluated its diagnostic accuracy with histopathologic correlation. We therefore investigated the clinical utility of (18)F-FDG PET/computed tomography (CT) in patients undergoing salvage surgery for residual head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) after primary nonsurgical treatments. ⋯ (18)F-FDG PET/CT is superior to CT/MRI in detecting residual nodal disease in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma patients undergoing salvage surgery. Accurate preoperative diagnosis using (18)F-FDG PET/CT may help to determine the extent of salvage surgery.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Long-term follow-up and individual item analysis of quality of life assessments related to laparoscopic-assisted colectomy in the COST trial 93-46-53 (INT 0146).
Postoperative outcomes of patients undergoing laparoscopic-assisted colectomy (LAC) have shown modest improvements in recovery but only minimal differences in quality of life (QOL) compared with open colectomy. We therefore sought to assess the effect of LAC on QOL in the short and long term, using individual item analysis of multi-item QOL assessments. ⋯ Eighteen months after surgery, any differences in quality of life between patients randomized to LAC or open colectomy favored LAC. However, the magnitude of the benefits was small. Patients with poor preoperative QOL appear to be at higher risk for difficult postoperative courses, and may be candidates for enhanced ancillary services to address their particular needs.
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Comparative Study
Young-onset rectal cancer: presentation, pattern of care and long-term oncologic outcomes compared to a matched older-onset cohort.
Recent population-based studies have highlighted a disproportionate increase in the incidence of rectal cancer among adults younger than aged 50 years. To determine whether different intervention and surveillance strategies might be needed for younger patients, the patterns of care and oncologic outcomes among adults younger than aged 50 years with rectal cancer were investigated. ⋯ Young patients present at a later stage and a greater proportion develop distant disease recurrence over time. However, their stage-specific oncologic outcomes appear similar to those in older-onset patients. To have the greatest impact on long-term oncologic outcomes in patients with young-onset rectal cancer, future interventions should target strategies to diagnosis rectal cancer earlier, and once diagnosed, closer surveillance for recurrence may be warranted.