The British journal of surgery
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Treatment guidelines for stage II and III rectal cancer include neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy, surgery and postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy. Although data support this recommendation in younger patients, it is unclear whether this benefit can be extrapolated to elderly patients (aged 75 years or older). ⋯ A multimodal approach in elderly patients with stage III rectal cancer improved oncological outcomes.
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Breast cancer screening, improved imaging and neoadjuvant systemic therapy (NST) have led to increased numbers of non-palpable tumours suitable for breast-conserving surgery (BCS). Accurate tumour localization is essential to achieve a complete resection in these patients. This study evaluated the role of radioactive seed localization (RSL) in improving breast- and axilla-conserving surgery in patients with breast cancer with or without NST. ⋯ In the present study of more than 1200 patients and 7 years of experience, RSL was shown to facilitate breast- and axilla-conserving surgery in a diverse patient population. There was a significant reduction in resection volume while maintaining low positive resection margin rates after BCS.
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Observational Study
Impact of number of [(18) F]fluorodeoxyglucose-PET-positive lymph nodes on survival of patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy and surgery for oesophageal cancer.
[(18) F]fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-PET has been used to evaluate the response of primary tumours to neoadjuvant therapy for oesophageal cancer. The clinical significance of the number of PET-positive nodes before and after therapy has not been investigated previously. ⋯ The number of PET-positive nodes after treatment correlated with survival in patients with oesophageal cancer who underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy.
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Observational Study
Pelvic exenteration for advanced malignancy in elderly patients.
Pelvic exenteration is an aggressive surgical procedure reserved for highly selected patients. Surgery in the elderly is often associated with increased morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study was to review outcomes following exenteration for advanced pelvic malignancy in this subgroup of patients. ⋯ Given the possibility of long-term survival, pelvic exenteration should not be withheld on the grounds of advanced age alone.