Annals of surgical oncology
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Historical Article
Acute toxicity of high-dose-rate intracavitary brachytherapy with the MammoSite applicator in patients with early-stage breast cancer.
Intracavitary brachytherapy with the MammoSite applicator as the sole radiation treatment in breast-conserving therapy is an option for women with early-stage breast cancer; we evaluated the acute toxicities associated with this treatment method. ⋯ Most acute skin toxicities were mild. Our infection rate was higher than in prior studies that used interstitial brachytherapy. Cosmesis was good to excellent in most patients. Breast brachytherapy with the MammoSite catheter was well tolerated; further investigations of breast brachytherapy with this system are warranted.
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Gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) is a neoplasm of the gastrointestinal tract, mesentery, or omentum that expresses the protein-tyrosine kinase KIT (CD117) and is the most common mesenchymal tumor arising at these sites. Surgical resection is the first-line intervention for operable GISTs, particularly localized primary tumors, and it was historically the only effective treatment. However, more than half of all GIST patients present with locally advanced, recurrent, or metastatic disease. ⋯ Imatinib is a potent, specific inhibitor of KIT that has demonstrated significant activity and tolerability in the treatment of malignant unresectable or metastatic GIST, inducing tumor shrinkage of 50% or more or stabilizing disease in most patients. A key strategy for prolonging the survival of patients with GIST is to improve the outcome of surgery. It is possible that the adjuvant and neoadjuvant use of imatinib (e.g., rendering initially inoperable tumors resectable) in the overall management approach to advanced GIST may contribute to surgeons' success in attaining this objective.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Recurrences after peritoneal carcinomatosis of colorectal origin treated by cytoreduction and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy: location, treatment, and outcome.
After treatment of peritoneal carcinomatosis of colorectal cancer origin by cytoreduction and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC), recurrences develop in approximately 80% of patients. This study evaluates the outcome of such recurrences after initial treatment by cytoreduction and HIPEC. ⋯ Treatment of recurrence after cytoreduction and HIPEC is often feasible and seems worthwhile in selected patients. Selection should be based mainly on the completeness of initial cytoreduction and the interval between HIPEC and recurrence.
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A successful sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) in melanoma patients requires an accurate map of the pattern of lymphatic drainage from the primary site. Lymphoscintigraphy (LS) can provide such a map. LS needs an understanding of lymphatic physiology, an appropriate small-particle radiocolloid, high-resolution collimators, and imaging protocols that detect all sentinel nodes (SNs). ⋯ Lymphatic drainage may involve SNs in multiple nodal fields, and drainage across the midline of the body is quite common. Because micrometastatic disease can be present in any SN regardless of its location, all true SNs must be biopsied. LS is an important first step to ensure this goal is achieved.