The British journal of surgery
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Multicenter Study Observational Study
Quality of life after mastectomy with or without immediate breast reconstruction.
Mastectomy with immediate breast reconstruction (IBR) is a surgical strategy in breast cancer when breast-conserving surgery is not an option. There is a lack of evidence showing an advantage of mastectomy plus IBR over mastectomy alone on health-related quality of life (QoL). ⋯ The QoL benefit provided by IBR depends on patients' life status at inclusion; young active women with an in situ tumour are more likely to preserve their QoL after IBR.
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Multicenter Study
Validation of a nomogram for selecting patients for chemotherapy after D2 gastrectomy for cancer.
According to some guidelines for the management of gastric cancer, adjuvant chemotherapy is recommended for patients with pT3-4 or node-positive disease. The aim of this study was to define low- and high-risk groups in terms of survival, and to predict the benefit of adjuvant fluoropyrimidine plus oxaliplatin (F-OX) chemotherapy. ⋯ A nomogram can aid in individualized decision-making regarding the administration of F-OX after gastrectomy for cancer.
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Recruitment into surgical RCTs can be threatened if new interventions available outside the trial compete with those being evaluated. Adapting the trial to include the new intervention may overcome this issue, yet this is not often done in surgery. This paper describes the challenges, rationale and methods for adapting an RCT to include a new intervention. ⋯ Adaptation of a two-group surgical RCT can allow evaluation of a third procedure and maintain relevance of the RCT to practice. It also optimizes the use of existing trial infrastructure to answer an additional important research question. Registration number: ISRCTN00786323 (http://www.isrctn.com/).
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Despite an extensive literature suggesting that high microsatellite instability (MSI-H) enhances survival and protects against recurrence after colorectal cancer resection, such effects remain controversial as many studies show only a weak bivariate association or no multivariable association with outcome. This study examined the relationship between MSI status and colorectal cancer outcomes with adjustment for death from other causes as a competing risk. ⋯ Microsatellite instability status was not an independent prognostic variable in these patients.
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Observational Study
Accuracy of circulating histones in predicting persistent organ failure and mortality in patients with acute pancreatitis.
Early prediction of acute pancreatitis severity remains a challenge. Circulating levels of histones are raised early in mouse models and correlate with disease severity. It was hypothesized that circulating histones predict persistent organ failure in patients with acute pancreatitis. ⋯ Quantitative assessment of circulating histones in plasma within 48 h of abdominal pain onset can predict persistent organ failure and mortality in patients with acute pancreatitis. Early death of immune cells may contribute to raised circulating histone levels in acute pancreatitis.