Annals of surgical oncology
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Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) is currently recommended for patients with intermediate-thickness melanomas (T2-T3). Historically, T4 melanoma patients have not been considered good candidates for SLNB because of the high risk of distant progression. However, some authors suggest that T4 melanoma patients could be considered as a heterogeneous group that could benefit from SLNB. ⋯ We confirmed that thick-melanoma patients are a heterogeneous group with different prognosis. In our experience, SLNB allowed for an appropriate stratification of patients in different survival groups. On the basis of our results, we strongly recommend the routine execution of SLNB in cases of primary melanoma thicker than 4 mm.
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Surgical oncologists (SO) and hepatobiliary (HPB) surgeons frequently care for patients with advanced diseases near the end of life, yet little is known about their training, comfort, and readiness in the provision of palliative care. This study sought to assess the quality, adequacy, and extent of palliative care training and the readiness of SO and HPB fellows in delivering palliative care. ⋯ The fellows rated the quality of their palliative care education as poor compared with other aspects of their fellowship training, implying the lack and need of palliative care teaching. Surgical oncology and HPB fellows and ultimately patients may benefit from increased clinical and didactic palliative care training.
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The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of using matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9)-cleavable ratiometric activatable cell-penetrating peptides (RACPPs) conjugated to Cy5 and Cy7 fluorophores to accurately label pancreatic cancer for fluorescence-guided surgery (FGS) in an orthotopic mouse model. ⋯ RACPPs can accurately and effectively label pancreatic cancer for effective FGS, resulting in better postresection outcomes than for WLR surgery.
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
The American Society of Peritoneal Surface Malignancies (ASPSM) Multiinstitution Evaluation of the Peritoneal Surface Disease Severity Score (PSDSS) in 1,013 Patients with Colorectal Cancer with Peritoneal Carcinomatosis.
Extensive clinical experience suggests that hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) may play an important role in the management of colorectal cancer patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis (CRCPC). However, there remains no established nonsurgical process to rationally select patients for this management, either for inclusion/stratification in clinical trials or as a component of standard of care. The Peritoneal Surface Disease Severity Score (PSDSS) was introduced as a basis to improve patient selection. ⋯ These data support that the PSDSS, undertaken before surgery, is capable of defining CRCPC populations who have a statistically defined high or considerably lower likelihood of long-term survival after CRS/HIPEC. The PSDSS can be quite useful in the decision to enter CRCPC patients into, and their stratification within, clinical trials.
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It has been suggested that markers associated with cancer stem cells (CSC) may play a role in esophageal cancer. Our aim was to investigate the expression pattern of proposed CSC markers ALDH1, Axin2, BMI1, CD44, and SOX2 in esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) and to relate their expression to survival. ⋯ Loss of CD44 expression and loss of SOX2 expression are prognostic factors of poor survival in EAC patients. This suggests a role of these proteins in EAC that requires further investigation.