Annals of surgery
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Several population-based studies have shown that the total number of surgically removed lymph nodes is independently associated with overall and disease-free survival in a variety of gastrointestinal cancers. In this retrospective study, the impact of total nodal count on overall survival in esophageal cancer was examined using a single institution surgical database. ⋯ These data support the findings from population based studies in esophageal cancer and other gastrointestinal tumors, suggesting that a higher nodal count favorably influences survival.
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Comparative Study
Abdominal trauma after terrorist bombing attacks exhibits a unique pattern of injury.
The recent growth in the volume of civilian blast trauma caused by terrorist bombings warrants special attention to the specific pattern of injury associated with such attacks. ⋯ Terrorist attacks generate more severe injuries to more body regions than other types of trauma. Abdominal injury inflicted by terrorist bombings causes a unique pattern of wounds, mainly injury to hollow organs. Shrapnel is the leading cause of abdominal injury following terrorist bombings.
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To identify predictive risk factors for intra- and postoperative complications in patients undergoing laparoscopic colorectal surgery. ⋯ This large single center study provides the first evidence of the significance of predictive risk factors for intra- and postoperative complications in laparoscopic colorectal surgery.
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To evaluate whether Surgical Apgar Scores measure the relationship between intraoperative care and surgical outcomes. ⋯ Even after accounting for fixed preoperative risk--due to patients' acute condition, comorbidities and/or operative complexity--the Surgical Apgar Score appears to detect differences in intraoperative management that reduce odds of major complications by half or increase them by nearly 3-fold.
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This is a phase II, single-center, single-arm study of patients with resectable adenocarcinoma of the pancreas who were treated with adjuvant interferon-based chemoradiation followed by gemcitabine. The primary end point was 2-year overall survival, with secondary endpoints being 2-year disease-free survival, and the frequency of grade 3 or 4 toxicity. ⋯ This phase II trial demonstrated increased patient survival compared with historical controls, and equivalent survival compared with the regimen combining interferon-alpha with 5-fluorouracil-based chemoradiation. Despite these encouraging results, significant concerns regarding dose- and treatment-limiting toxicities remain.