Cancer
-
A retrospective review was undertaken of 129 patients with isolated local-regional recurrence of breast cancer following radical or modified radical mastectomy. The overall survival and disease-free survival for these patients five years from the time of local-regional recurrence was 36 and 13%, respectively. The clinical stage at initial diagnosis, the number of histologically positive nodes at mastectomy, menopausal status, and the location of the recurrence (chest wall vs. nodal) were all found to have no significant effect on survival or disease-free survival. ⋯ Eighty-one percent of the patients ultimately developed distant metastases; the incidence of distant metastases was the same for patients with factors predicting a good prognosis as it was for those with factors predicting a bad prognosis. The time to appearance of distant metastases, however, was significantly longer in the former group of patients than in the latter. The information from this analysis should be useful in designing future clinical trials involving patients with isolated local-regional recurrence of breast cancer.
-
A 2-year-old male with acute lymphocytic leukemia died with histiocytic reticulosis 19 weeks later. A comparison with previously reported cases is made, and the relationship of ALL and HMR is discussed.
-
Twenty-two children with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) who had relapsed while on therapy and for whom remissions were successfully reinduced were maintained with a combination of methotrexate, daunomycin, 6-mercaptopurine, prednisone, and vincristine (Djerassi-methotrexate with BOMB). The median duration of remission was 35 weeks (range, five to 364+ weeks). Of 8 children (36%) did not relapse while receiving this therapy, 4 are off all therapy (durations of remissions, 40+, 97+, 132+, and 216+ weeks). ⋯ Intrathecal chemotherapy seemed to greatly prolong the duration of remission for 16 children when compared to those children who did not receive IT therapy (45.5 vs. 24 weeks). No central nervous system relapses occurred. This maintenance regimen for children with previously relapsed ALL appears to be effective and worth additional clinical trials.
-
Although thermography has not proven to be of significant value in detecting early breast cancer as used in the National Breast Cancer Detection Program, it can represent a high risk indicator and can be useful in combination with other factors in reducing the number of women who should receive routine mammograms for screening purposes. In breast cancer patients, thermography has been shown to have prognostic value. "Cold" breast cancers have an increased survival as compared to those with increased infrared emission in some series. ⋯ Recent improvements in technology with the use of multiple transducers, higher frequencies, through-transmission techniques, and computerization have resulted in finding lesions greater than one centimeter in diameter. Lesions below this size and small calcifications have not so far been generally demonstrated successfully because of the limitation of ultrasound resolution.
-
During a retrospective analysis of 877 cases of lung cancer, we explored the relationships between cell type, site, cavitation, varying degrees of hemoptysis, and radiation therapy. Massive terminal hemoptysis (29 cases) was found to be significantly associated with cavitated (P less than 0.0001 squamous cell carcinoma (P = 0.0002), ARISING IN EITHER THE RIGHT OR LEFT MAIN BRONCHI (P less than 0.0001). ⋯ An interesting case, which provoked the above study, is described: a patient with bronchogenic squamous cell carcinoma and terminal hemoptysis due to a tumor fistula between the primary lesion and the left atrial chamber. The forms of cardiac involvement in lung cancer are discussed.