The Journal of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery
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J. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg. · Dec 2010
Complex thoracic aortic disease: single-stage procedure with the frozen elephant trunk technique.
Extensive thoracic aortic aneurysms represent a challenging pathology in cardiac surgery. The frozen elephant trunk procedure, combining conventional surgery with endovascular techniques, allows single-stage treatment for such pathology. Here we present our surgical technique and results with the single-stage frozen elephant trunk procedure. ⋯ In contrast to the conventional elephant trunk technique, the frozen elephant trunk technique offers a potentially curative single-stage procedure for patients with extensive thoracic aortic disease, with encouraging short-term and midterm results.
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J. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg. · Dec 2010
Thoracic metastasectomy for adoptive immunotherapy of melanoma: a single-institution experience.
Although refractory to chemotherapy, metastatic melanoma may respond to adoptive immunotherapy. As novel treatments evolve, surgeons may be asked to perform metastasectomy not only for palliation or potential cure but also for isolation of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes. This study was undertaken to examine outcomes of patients with melanoma undergoing thoracic metastasectomy in preparation for investigational immunotherapy. ⋯ Relatively few patients currently having thoracic metastasectomy undergo adoptive cell transfer. Continued refinement of tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte expansion protocols and improved patient selection might increase the number of patients with melanoma benefiting from these interventions.