Post Operative Infection and Increased Survival in Osteosarcoma Patients: Are They Associated?

Background Despite neo-adjuvant chemotherapy osteosarcomas having significant mortality, recent studies have shown survival advantages following infections for some tumour types. This study investigates the effect of post-operative infection in patients treated for osteosarcoma using endoprosthetic replacement and neo-adjuvant chemotherapy. Material and Methods A consecutive series of 547 patients underwent surgery between 1981 and 2001 for osteosarcoma. Patients were excluded from the study if over 60 years old at diagnosis (n = 14) as they would not routinely receive chemotherapy. Studies showed that 70% of deep infections occur within one year from reconstruction. Therefore landmark analysis was performed; all patients infected after 12 months of reconstruction were excluded (15 patients, 2.7%) and those who died within 12 months from diagnosis due to metastases were excluded (105 patients, 19.2%), leaving 412 patients. Any survival advantage of early infection was analysed by Kaplan-Meier survival analysis from this landmark point. Results Overall population survival was 65% at 10 years after landmarking. There were 41 patients (10%) who developed an infection within one year of implantation. These patients had significantly better survival (p = 0.017). The 10-year survival for patients with osteosarcoma with infection was 84.5% compared to 62.3% in the non-infected group after landmarking. There was no significant difference in the percentage post-chemotherapy specimen necrosis between the two groups (p = 0.36). Infection was an independent prognostic factor on cox regression analysis. Conclusions There was evidence for increased survival after deep post-operative infection in osteosarcoma patients, in keeping with other research. The authors feel this warrants further investigation. Previous Presentations: British Orthopaedic Association, September 2006; Connective Tissue Oncology Society, November 2006; Accepted for American Association Orthopaedic Surgeons (February 2007)     

Which Risk Factors Are Associated with Pain and Patient-reported Function in Patients with a Rotator Cuff Tear?

BackgroundPatient-reported measures guide physicians in clinical decision making and therefore it is critical to determine what clinical factors are associated with these scores. Psychological and physical factors are commonly studied separately in patients with rotator cuff tears to determine their influence on outcomes. It is well established that psychological distress and scapular motion change in the presence of a symptomatic rotator cuff tear. However, these factors have not been studied simultaneously in a clinical setting to determine their association with shoulder outcome scores.Question/purposeAfter controlling for relevant confounding variables, what physical and psychological factors are associated with better (1) American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) scores for function, (2) ASES pain scores, and (3) total ASES scores?MethodsFifty-nine patients with a potential symptomatic rotator cuff tear were recruited and agreed to participate in this cross-sectional study. Of those, 85% (50 of 59) met eligibility criteria for a primary diagnosis of an MRI-confirmed symptomatic partial-thickness or full-thickness rotator cuff tear without a history of shoulder surgery. Demographics, rotator cuff tear size, arm flexion, and clinical scapular motion during active arm flexion were evaluated by experienced examiners using standardized procedures. Patients completed the ASES questionnaire and the Optimal Screening for Prediction of Referral and Outcomes-Yellow Flag assessment form, which measures 11 different pain-related psychological distress symptoms. Three separate stepwise multiple linear regression analyses were performed for ASES pain, function, and total scores, with significance set at p < 0.05.ResultsThis model found that ASES function scores were associated with four factors: older age, increased arm flexion, increased percentage of scapular external rotation during arm flexion, and increased scores for acceptance of chronic pain (adjusted r² = 0.67; p = 0.01). Those four factors appear to explain 67% of the observed variance in ASES function scores in patients with rotator cuff tears. Furthermore, increased percentage of scapular external rotation during arm flexion and decreased fear-avoidance beliefs related to physical activity scores (adjusted r² = 0.36; p < 0.01) were associated with better ASES pain scores. And finally, better ASES total scores were associated with four factors: increased arm flexion, increased percentage of scapular upward rotation, increased scapular external rotation during arm flexion, and decreased fear-avoidance beliefs related to physical activity scores (adjusted r² = 0.65; p < 0.001).ConclusionOur results favor adopting a comprehensive biopsychological clinical assessment for patients with rotator cuff tears that specifically includes humeral and scapular motion, fear-avoidance behaviors, and pain coping behaviors along with demographics. These particular physical and psychological variables were found to be associated with the ASES and, therefore, should be clinically examined simultaneously and targeted as part of a tailored treatment plan.Level of EvidenceLevel II, prognostic study.     

Actual Survival in Patients with Resected Pancreatic Cancer: How Do Real-World Data Compare with Clinical Trial Evidence?

Annals of Surgical Oncology -     

Does Pringle Maneuver Affect Survival in Patients with Colorectal Liver Metastases?

Background  

The purpose of this original article was to evaluate the impact of the Pringle maneuver on the survival of patients with colorectal liver metastases.     

Resection of Pulmonary Metastases in Osteosarcoma. Is it Justified?

Osteosarcoma shows a high propensity to metastasize to the lung. Pulmonary metastases occur in approximately 40% of patients with osteosarcoma during the course of their disease, and the lung is the only site of metastatic disease in the majority of these cases. Chemotherapy continues to be the standard treatment for metastatic sarcoma, but when it is the only treatment modality, it still results in poor survival rates. In order to improve the outcome, a combination of chemotherapy followed by surgical resection of the metastases has been advocated for selected cases. Substantial evidence documents the potential benefit of pulmonary metastasectomy in osteosarcoma, resulting, in various series, in a 5-year overall survival of 30-40%. Aggressive surgery in combination with chemotherapy appears to be justified for metastatic osteosarcoma in selected patients, and it is associated with acceptable morbidity. Synchronous metastases, a short interval from diagnosis to presentation of pulmonary metastasis, a higher number (>4) of metastases, bilateral and central location, pleural infiltration, poor response to preoperative chemotherapy and concurrent (resectable) extra-pulmonary disease have all been associated with a less favorable outcome. Complete surgical resection is essential for giving a chance of long-term survival. Lateral thoracotomy with salvage of as much lung parenchyma as possible is the procedure of choice. Repeat surgery for re-recurrences is feasible and beneficial, resulting in prolonged survival in a number of cases.     

How Much Are Upper or Lower Extremity Disabilities Associated with General Health Status in the Elderly?

Background  

Musculoskeletal complaints influence general health status, but the relative contribution of concurrent upper and lower extremity disabilities on patient perceptions of general health is unclear.     

When Are Urodynamics Indicated in Patients with Stress Urinary Incontinence?

Despite technical and procedural advances in urodynamics over the past decade, the role of urodynamics in women with stress urinary incontinence (SUI) remains controversial. Many of these advancements have been the result of multicentric studies in the United States, such as the UITN and PFDN, which will be highlighted in this article. It appears to be the consensus that urodynamics may not be needed in pure stress incontinence. Urodynamics can be valuable in unmasking stress urinary incontinence in prolapse, although its impact on the ultimate management of occult incontinence remains debated. This article reviews the indications for urodynamic testing in women with SUI but will exclude more complex conditions such as mixed or recurrent incontinence which are outside the scope of this review.     

Are Antiresorptive Drugs Effective Against Fractures in Patients with Diabetes?

We studied whether the reduction in bone turnover by use of antiresorptive drugs is detrimental in patients with diabetes who already have low bone turnover due to hyperglycemia in a nationwide cohort study from Denmark. All users of antiresorptive drugs against osteoporosis between 1996 and 2006 (n = 103,562) were the exposed group, with three age- and gender-matched controls from the general population (n = 310,683). Patients on bisphosphonates and raloxifene had a higher risk of hip, spine, and forearm fractures. However, no difference was observed in the antifracture efficacy between patients with diabetes and nondiabetic controls or between patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Too few were users of strontium to allow analysis for this compound. The excess risk of fractures among patients treated with bisphosphonates or raloxifene compared to nonexposed controls was due to the higher a priori risk of fractures among patients treated for osteoporosis. Diabetes does not seem to affect the fracture-preventive potential of bisphosphonates or raloxifene. The low-turnover state of diabetes thus does not seem to be a hindrance to the effect of these drugs against osteoporosis. Therefore, patients with diabetes should receive treatment for osteoporosis in the same way as nondiabetic patients.     

What Are the Factors That Affect Survival and Relapse After Local Recurrence of Osteosarcoma?

Background

Despite improvements in treatment of primary osteosarcoma, treatment of patients who have local recurrence is not well defined.

Questions/purposes

We asked: (1) What are the 5- and 10-year overall survival rates of patients with osteosarcoma who have a local recurrence? (2) What factors are associated with better survival after a local recurrence? (3) Does chemotherapy affect overall survival after local recurrence? (4) What are the rates of rerecurrence after amputation and with limb salvage?

Methods

We reviewed 45 patients with nonmetastatic conventional high-grade osteosarcoma who had local recurrence between 1985 and 2007, during which time 461 patients were treated for the same disease. Seven patients with known local recurrence were lost to followup and not included in our study. The median age of the patients was 18 years, and minimum followup was 2 months (median, 39 months; range, 2–350 months). The primary tumor was located in the extremity in 36 patients and the pelvis in nine. The median time from initial surgery for resection or amputation of the primary tumor to local recurrence was 18 months (range, 2–149 months). Ten recurrences developed in bone and 35 in soft tissue. In 21 of the latter cases, the soft tissue recurrence was undetectable on conventional radiographs. Prognostic factors for overall patient survival after recurrence were evaluated by Kaplan-Meier survival and Cox multivariate analyses.

Results

Overall postrecurrence patient survival was 30% at 5 years and 13% at 10 years. Cox multivariate analysis revealed that concurrent metastasis (relative risk = 4, p = 0.003) and recurrent tumor size 5 cm or larger (relative risk = 13, p < 0.0001) were independent predictors of worse survival. With the numbers available, treatment with chemotherapy after local recurrence was not associated with better survival (p = 0.54). Nine patients had a second local recurrence, and the actuarial risk of rerecurrence was 34% at 5 years. There was no difference in the frequency of rerecurrence between patients treated by amputation and wide local excision (p = 0.23).

Conclusions

The long-term prognosis of patients who have local recurrence of osteosarcoma is poor. Followup beyond 5 years is essential, because the disease can have a protracted course. Most recurrences develop in soft tissue and are difficult to see on plain radiographs alone. The size of the recurrence and presence of metastasis were independent prognostic factors, suggesting that early detection may be important. Chemotherapy did not have a significant effect on survival, and surgical eradication of recurrence with wide margins may be critical to maximizing the chances for survival.     

Are Diuretics Underutilized in Dialysis Patients?

While oral diuretics are commonly used in patients with chronic kidney disease for the management of volume and blood pressure, they are often discontinued upon initiation of dialysis. We suggest that diuretics are considerably underutilized in peritoneal dialysis and haemodialysis patients despite numerous potential benefits and few side effects. Moreover, when diuretics are used, optimal doses are not always prescribed. In peritoneal dialysis, the use of diuretics can improve volume status and minimize the need for higher glucose‐containing solutions. In patients on haemodialysis, diuretics can help lessen interdialytic weight gain, resulting in decreased ultrafiltration rates and fewer episodes of intradialytic hypotension. This paper will review the mechanism of action of diuretics in patients with renal insufficiency, quantify the risk of side effects and elaborate on the potential advantages of diuretic use in peritoneal dialysis and hemodialysis patients with residual kidney function.