ASO Author Reflections: Psychosocial Outcomes After Breast Cancer Treatment

Annals of Surgical Oncology -     

Relationship Between Breast and Axillary Pathologic Complete Response in Women Receiving Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy for Breast Cancer

Annals of Surgical Oncology - We aim to delineate the relationship between breast and axillary pathologic complete response (pCR) in patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer....     

Surgical Treatment and Proposed Modified Classification for Harrington Class III Periacetabular Metastases

ObjectivesThis study aims to: (i) evaluate the outcome of patients with Harrington class III lesions who were treated according to Harrington classification; (ii) propose a modified surgical classification for Harrington class III lesions; and (iii) assess the efficiency of the proposed modified classification.MethodsThis study composes two phases. During phase 1 (2006 to 2011), the clinical data of 16 patients with Harrington class III lesions who were treated by intralesional excision followed by reconstruction of antegrade/retrograde Steinmann pins/screws with cemented total hip arthroplasty (Harrington/modified Harrington procedure) were retrospectively reviewed and further analyzed synthetically to design a modified surgical classification system. In phase 2 (2013 to 2019), 62 patients with Harrington class III lesions were classified and surgically treated according to our modified classification. Functional outcome was assessed using the Musculoskeletal Tumor Society (MSTS) 93 scoring system. The outcome of local control was described using 2‐year recurrence‐free survival (RFS). Owing to the limited sample size, we considered P < 0.1 as significant.ResultsIn phase 1, the mean surgical time was 273.1 (180 to 390) min and the mean intraoperative hemorrhage was 2425.0 (400.0 to 8000.0) mL, respectively. The mean follow‐up time was 18.5 (2 to 54) months. Recurrence was found in 4 patients and the 2‐year RFS rate was 62.4% (95% confidence interval [CI] 31.6% to 93.2%). The mean postoperative MSTS93 score was 56.5% (20% to 90%). Based on the periacetabular bone destruction, we categorized the lesions into two subgroups: with the bone destruction distal to or around the inferior border of the sacroiliac joint (IIIa) and the bone destruction extended proximal to inferior border of the sacroiliac joint (IIIb). Six patients with IIIb lesions had significant prolonged surgical time (313.3 vs 249.0 min, P = 0.022), massive intraoperative hemorrhage (3533.3 vs 1760.0 mL, P = 0.093), poor functional outcome (46.7% vs 62.3%, P = 0.093), and unfavorable local control (31.3% vs 80.0%, P = 0.037) compared to the 10 patients with IIIa lesions. We then modified the surgical strategy for two subgroup of class III lesions: Harrington/modified Harrington procedure for IIIa lesions and en bloc resection followed by modular hemipelvic endoprosthesis replacement for IIIb lesions. Using the proposed modified surgical classification, 62 patients in the phase 2 study demonstrated improved surgical time (245.3 min, P = 0.086), intraoperative hemorrhage (1466.0 mL, P = 0.092), postoperative MSTS 93 scores (65.3%, P = 0.067), and 2‐year RFS rate (91.3%, P = 0.002) during a mean follow‐up time of 19.9 (1 to 60) months compared to those in the phase 1 study.ConclusionThe Harrington surgical classification is insufficient for class III lesions. We proposed modification of the classification for Harrington class III lesions by adding two subgroups and corresponding surgical strategies according to the involvement of bone destruction. Our proposed modified classification showed significant improvement in functional outcome and local control, along with acceptable surgical complexity in surgical management for Harrington class III lesions.     

Burden of caregiving in mild to moderate dementia: an Asian experience

This survey sought to determine (a) the prevalence of carer stress in patients with mild to moderate dementia, (b) whether caregiver burden was already associated with plans to institutionalize patients, and (c) which patient-related and caregiver-related variables best predicted caregiver burden. The principal caregivers of 93 Asian patients with mild to moderate dementia attending an outpatient cognitive assessment clinic were interviewed via a structured questionnaire that focused upon (a) patient-related variables such as their behavioral and functional abnormalities; and (b) caregiver-related variables such as whether they were having problems looking after the patients, the duration of their caregiving, their associated feelings of anger and/or depression, and their financial status as well as intentions to institutionalize patients. Forty-nine percent of caregivers reported problems in looking after the patients, and their perception of difficulties was significantly associated with institutionalization plans for the patients. Logistic regression analysis using a forward variable selection procedure showed two of the patients' behavioral abnormalities (repetition, agitation) and one of their functional impairments (urinary incontinence) as well as the carers' depressed feelings to be predictive of the carers' problematic status, explaining 40% of the variance. It is important that even in the early stages of dementia, the medical assessment also evaluate behavioral, functional, and social dimensions of the illness, so that appropriate interventions can be implemented to reduce caregiving burden and delay institutionalization.     

Increase in signal intensities on T1-weighted magnetic resonance images in asymptomatic manganese-exposed workers

OBJECTIVES: To clarify the clinical significance of increased signal intensities on T1 weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) we performed a large-scale epidemiological study on asymptomatic manganese (Mn)-exposed workers with its focus on MRI. METHODS: We randomly selected 121 male workers out of a total of 750 workers including Mn-exposed, non-exposed manual, and non-exposed clerical workers in the factories. We studied environmental and biological monitoring, neurological examination, and MRI. RESULTS: The proportion of workers with increased signal intensities among the exposed, the non-exposed manual workers, and the non-exposed clerical workers was 46.1%, 18.8%, and 0%, respectively. Especially, 73.5% of the welders showed increased signal intensities. In no subject, were clinical signs of manganism observed. The pallidal index correlated with blood Mn concentration. CONCLUSION: Increase in signal intensities on the T1-weighted image reflect recent exposure to Mn, but not necessarily manganism. At which increase of signal intensity, the progression of manganism from Mn exposure occurs, remains to be solved.     

Interactive risk factors for treatment adherence in a chronic psychotic disorders population

This study identified the unique and primary contributions of several concurrent risk factors for poor adherence to treatment recommendations in a clinic population of individuals with chronic psychotic disorders, i.e. 48% had DSM-IV diagnoses of schizoaffective disorder, 38% had schizophrenia, paranoid type, 12% had schizophrenia, undifferentiated type, and 2% had affective disorder with psychotic features. The target cohort consisted of 87 consecutive admissions to a continuing day treatment program. As part of a services-oriented quality assurance program, clinical staff completed rating scales for all patients. These included the BASIS-32 rating scale, which consisted of the following five subscales: psychosis; depression/anxiety; impulsive/addictive behavior; relation to self and others; and daily living and role functioning, and the Working Alliance Inventory-short form (therapist version), which consisted of the following three subscales: goal; task; and bond. These data were used to identify risk factors that weaken a patient's adherence to medication and non-medication treatment during the first 2 weeks of treatment in the clinic. Medication treatment consisted of both typical and atypical neuroleptic medications, with most patients being on multiple medications. Correlational analyses suggested that many of the risk factor variables were significantly associated with poor treatment adherence. Regression analyses suggested that the degree of psychoticism was most strongly associated with poor adherence to medication treatment and that difficulties relating to self and others were the strongest predictor of poor adherence to non-medication treatment. A large-sample services research design such as this can begin to determine patterns of associations between previous identified risk factors and poor treatment adherence in individuals with chronic psychotic disorders.     

Neonatal footshock stress alters adult behavior and hippocampal corticosteroid receptors

To determine the effects of stress early in life on adult behavior and hippocampal corticosteroid receptors, rats were exposed to footshocks (0.8 mA, 60 times/day, randomly apart) on postnatal days 14, 17 and 20. When they reached 6 months of age, neurobehavioral alterations were measured. The footshock-experienced rats learned more rapidly in the autoshaped learning test than similarly handled controls. They also stabilized more quickly after exposure to a novel environment than the handled controls, but only at the same rate as animals which had not been handled except for weighing. The density of [3H]dexamethasone binding sites increased and that of [3H]corticosterone binding sites decreased in the hippocampi of these rats. These results indicate that early life stress results in altered behavior and hippocampal corticosteroid receptors at adulthood, and suggest that the mineralocorticoid and the glucocorticoid receptors are differentially regulated by early life stress.     

Contact lens wear after photorefractive keratectomy: comparison between rigid gas permeable and soft contact lenses.

PURPOSE: To determine if rigid gas permeable (RGP) or soft contact lenses can be successfully worn after photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) to correct residual refractive errors. METHODS: Patients with residual stable ametropia after PRK were fit with RGP or soft lenses. Manifest refraction, corneal topography, and keratometry were performed, and post-PRK corneal haze was graded during the study visits. Contact lens fit characteristics and comfort were assessed. Lens centration, visual quality, and ocular surface status were graded, and visual acuity with contact lenses was charted. RESULTS: Eighteen patients were recruited for RGP lens fitting. The mean refractive error post-PRK was +0.80 D +/- 2.03 (range: -3.50 to+3.00 D). The mean contact lens power was -3.90 D +/- 2.03 (range: 0 to -7.00 D), and the mean contact lens base curve was 7.88 mm +/-0.16. A significant positive tear film at the site of the central ablation was noted, contributing to excessive minus lens power in all cases. Despite mild to moderate lens instability and de-centration, 14 patients reported excellent visual quality with the lenses, and pre-PRK best-corrected acuity was achieved in all patients. Twenty-five percent (4 of 16) of the patients were able to wear the lenses all day. Eleven patients were recruited for soft contact lens fitting-five from the RGP trial. The mean refractive error post-PRK was -0.64 D +/- 2.01 (range: -3.50 to +1.75D). The mean contact lens power was -0.60 D +/- 2.07 (range: -3.75 to +2.5 D), and the mean contact lens base curve was 8.33 mm +/- 0.42. Eight patients were corrected with lenses to their pre-PRK best-corrected acuity, and nine patients reported excellent visual quality with the lenses. All the patients had excellent lens centration. Thirty-six percent (four of 11) of patients were wearing the lenses all day. CONCLUSIONS: Fitting RGP lenses after PRK results in good visual acuity but may be associated with mild to moderate lens instability and decentration. Soft contact lens fitting also results in good visual acuity. Soft lenses were better tolerated by the subjects in our study because of improved lens centration and stability.