Psoriasis: is the impairment to a patient’s life cumulative?

Psoriasis is associated with significant physical and psychological burden affecting all facets of a patient’s life – relationships, social activities, work and emotional wellbeing. The cumulative effect of this disability may be self‐perpetuating social disconnection and failure to achieve a ‘full life potential’ in some patients. Health‐related quality of life studies have quantified the burden of psoriasis providing predominantly cross‐sectional data and point‐in‐time images of patients’ lives rather than assessing the possible cumulative disability over a patient’s lifetime. However, social and economic outcomes indicate there are likely negative impacts that accumulate over time. To capture the cumulative effect of psoriasis and its associated co‐morbidities and stigma over a patient’s life course, we propose the concept of ‘Cumulative Life Course Impairment’ (CLCI). CLCI results from an interaction between (A) the burden of stigmatization, and physical and psychological co‐morbidities and (B) coping strategies and external factors. Several key aspects of the CLCI concept are supported by data similar to that used in health‐related quality of life assessments. Future research should focus on (i) establishing key components of CLCI and determining the mechanisms of impairment through longitudinal or retrospective case–control studies, and (ii) assessing factors that put patients at increased risk of developing CLCI. In the future, this concept may lead to a better understanding of the overall impact of psoriasis, help identify more vulnerable patients, and facilitate more appropriate treatment decisions or earlier referrals. To our knowledge, this is a first attempt to apply and develop concepts from ‘Life Course Epidemiology’ to psoriasis research.     

Musculoskeletal neoplasms after intraarterial chemotherapy: correlation of MR images with pathologic specimens

The most accurate prognostic indicator in patients with musculoskeletal sarcomas is the percentage of tumor necrosis after intraarterial chemotherapy. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging was evaluated to determine its ability to indicate the percentage of necrosis in musculoskeletal neoplasms after treatment. Fourteen patients with musculoskeletal neoplasms underwent treatment protocols including intraarterial chemotherapy (n = 14), radiation therapy (n = 6), and systemic chemotherapy (n = 14). All patients underwent MR imaging before and after treatment, and all underwent either limb salvage surgery (n = 8) or amputation (n = 6) within 1 week of the last MR examination. Standard unehanced spin-echo T1-, spin-density-, and T2-weighted MR sequences were used. The MR images were compared with the pathologic specimens. On T2-weighted images, the signal intensities of viable tumor, tumor necrosis, edema, hemorrhage, and necrosis overlapped. With the unenhanced spin-echo technique, MR imaging cannot be used to predict the percentage of tumor necrosis in musculoskeletal neoplasms after intraarterial chemotherapy.     

Percutaneous drainage of chest abscesses in children

Seven patients ranging in age from 3 to 18 years underwent percutaneous drainage of eight intrathoracic abscesses. Five of the abscesses were mediastinal or paramediastinal and resulted from esophageal perforation or esophageal anastomotic leakage. The abscesses resolved in each case, with a mean catheter drainage time of 28 days and no need for surgical intervention. Three of the abscesses were intrapulmonary, and each lay adjacent to a pleural surface. All three lung abscesses resolved within 19-24 days, without thoracotomy or wedge resection.     

Yolk sac carcinoma of the testis in children

We reviewed the records of 11 patients with yolk sac carcinoma of the testis seen at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia from 1971 through 1983. Each child was less than 2 years old at diagnosis, and each had stage I disease (localized to the testicle). Initial management consisted of radical inguinal orchiectomy in all 11 patients. Four patients then underwent retroperitoneal node dissection and none had pathological evidence of retroperitoneal tumor spread. After primary surgical management 5 patients received no further initial treatment. Of these 5 patients 3 are alive with no evidence of disease at 1.5, 2.7 and 4.5 years after diagnosis. The tumor recurred in 2 patients, 1 of whom was salvaged with pulmonary radiation therapy and chemotherapy. The other 6 patients received chemotherapy postoperatively and only 1 has suffered relapse. Over-all, of 3 patients in whom pulmonary metastases developed 1 died of tumor and 1 died of treatment-related pneumonopathy. Our experience and that of others have led us to conclude that patients with localized disease and normal postoperative serum alpha-fetoprotein levels do not benefit from retroperitoneal node dissection, postoperative abdominal irradiation or chemotherapy. Patients with retroperitoneal nodal involvement, widely metastatic disease or recurrent disease can be treated successfully with chemotherapy and in some cases with radiation therapy.     

Ineffectiveness of levamisole in prolonging remission or survival of women treated with cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, and 5-fluorouracil for good-risk metastatic breast carcinoma: a Southeastern Cancer Study Group Trial

A total of 97 women with good-risk metastatic breast cancer received therapy with cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, and 5-FU; half of these patients were randomly allocated to receive levamisole, 2.5 mg/kg, 2 days of each week in addition to chemotherapy, while the other half received an identical placebo. Good-risk patients consisted of those with bone-only metastasis, or local chest wall recurrence with or without bone metastasis. No significant difference in response rate, duration of disease control, or survival was observed between the groups. No major toxicity was associated with levamisole.     

Inadvertent ligation of the left pulmonary artery

In five patients, aged 4 days to 20 months, the left pulmonary artery was inadvertently ligated at the time of attempted closure of the patent ductus arteriosus. The complication was recognized in these patients between 1 day and 5 years later from findings of chest radiography, two-dimensional echocardiography with spectral analysis of Doppler shifted echoes, and angiography. In three patients, the presence of asymmetric pulmonary blood flow on chest radiographs obtained after surgery initially suggested the diagnosis. In the other two patients with bronchopulmonary dysplasia, the diagnosis was made by means of two-dimensional echocardiography and Doppler spectra in one and angiography in the other. On angiograms, the left pulmonary artery distal to the ligation was visualized by delayed opacification from aortic collaterals in three patients and by means of pulmonary venous wedge injection in one. Radiographic and echocardiographic examination with Doppler spectra may permit prompt diagnosis and early correction of this complication.     

Head and neck lesions: MR-guided aspiration biopsy

Aspiration biopsy guided with computed tomography (CT) has long been a valuable tool in the evaluation of head and neck disease. The ability to obtain diagnoses without the need for surgery has had a significant effect on patient treatment. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is now rapidly replacing CT as the primary imaging study for many head and neck diseases. The standard stainless steel needles used for CT-guided biopsy are unsuitable for MR-guided biopsy because significant ferromagnetic artifacts obscure the underlying anatomy. A new needle has recently been designed specifically for use with MR imaging. This needle has far less magnetic susceptibility and therefore does not cause significant image distortion. The authors describe the use of this needle in MR-guided aspiration biopsy of a variety of lesions in the head and neck.     

Soft tissue sarcoma of the perineal region in childhood. A report from the Intergroup Rhabdomyosarcoma Studies I and II, 1972 through 1984

Thirty-six previously untreated patients younger than 21 years of age with sarcoma arising in the perineal region were entered on the Intergroup Rhabdomyosarcoma Studies (IRS) I and II from 1972 through 1984. The tumor histologic subtype was alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) in 20 patients (56%), embryonal RMS in 11 patients (30%), and other types of sarcoma in 5 patients (14%). Fifteen children had grossly complete surgical excision (Clinical Groups I and II), and 15 had localized gross residual tumor (Group III) after initial operative management. Six patients had distant metastases (Group IV) at diagnosis. Twelve patients without distant metastases underwent regional lymph node biopsy; tumor involvement was found in six. Subsequent treatment consisted of chemotherapy with vincristine (VCR) and dactinomycin (AMD) for all patients; patients in Groups III and IV also received cyclophosphamide (CYC) with or without Adriamycin (ADR) (doxorubicin; Adria Laboratories, Columbus, OH). Radiation therapy (RT) was administered to patients in Clinical Groups II, III, and IV. Overall, 28 (78%) patients achieved a complete clinical response. The 3-year disease-free survival rate for these patients was 42%, compared with 52% for all other patients in the combined IRS I and IRS II series (P = 0.44). The overall 3-year survival rate was 59%, compared with 64% for all other patients in IRS I and IRS II (P = 0.48). Aggressive treatment is needed in children with perineal sarcoma to improve their prognosis.