Soft tissue sarcoma brain metastases. Prevalence in a cohort of 3829 patients

BACKGROUND: Brain metastases from soft tissue sarcoma (STS) are uncommon. To the authors' knowledge limited information is available regarding the influence of the initial STS site, the significance of parenchymal versus leptomeningeal metastases, and the role of surgical resection. METHODS: STS patients evaluated between July 1982 and March 1999 who presented with or developed brain metastases were identified from a prospective database. Association between factors was determined using the Fisher exact test. Survival was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. The influence of factors on the endpoint (disease specific survival [DSS]) was analyzed using the log-rank test. Significance was defined at P < or = 0.05. RESULTS: A total of 3829 STS patients were evaluated during the study interval; 21 patients presented with and 19 patients subsequently developed brain metastases, accounting for < 1% (40 of 3829 patients) of the total patient group. The STS presentation status for this group of patients (n = 40) included 15 patients with primary STS, 1 patient with local recurrence, and 24 patients with metastatic disease. The most frequent types of STS metastasizing to the brain were leiomyosarcoma (eight patients), liposarcoma (five patients), rhabdomyosarcoma (four patients), and malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH) (four patients). Fourteen other sarcoma types were determined in the remaining 19 patients. Of the 19 patients who developed subsequent brain metastases, 18 had lung metastases as the immediate prior site of disease. The median overall follow-up for the 40 patients was 14 months (range, 1-128 months); for survivors (n = 5), the median overall follow-up was 18 months. During follow-up, 34 patients died of disease and 1 patient died of other causes. Brain metastasectomy was performed in 27 of the 40 patients and was highly associated with the initial site of STS; 20 of the 27 patients who underwent resection versus 2 of the 13 patients who did not undergo resection initially had extremity or trunk STS (P < 0.001). No association was observed between parenchymal versus leptomeningeal site of metastases and any outcome factor. The 1-year and 2-year overall DSS for the 40 patients was 55% and 25%, respectively, with a median survival of 15 months. The 1-year and 2-year postmetastasis survival rates were 34% and 20%, respectively, with a median survival of 7 months. Metastasectomy (n = 27) was associated with an improved median postmetastasis survival (9.6 months vs. 2.7 months for unresected patients; P < 0.01). The 2-year postmetastasis survival was 27% for those patients who underwent resection and 0% for the unresected patients. CONCLUSIONS: Although brain metastases from STS are rare, vigilance is warranted. Symptomatic patients should be examined neurologically and investigated thoroughly for metastases. Surgical resection may be an appropriate treatment for selected patients; however, survival is dismal.     

Evaluation of attempted prevention of unexpected infant death in very high-risk infants by planned health care

Three hundred and ninety-six babies born in Sheffield between 1982 and 1990 identified as being at "very high risk" of unexpected infant death by means of a scoring system, received an intensive programme of health care including a case discussion between a paediatrician, the GP and the health visitor held in the family doctor's surgery, weekly visits from the health visitor and informal hospital admission. Significantly fewer sudden unexpected infant deaths occurred in this group than were expected by logistic regression anlysis or occurred in the best available control group with comparable scores ( p = 0.024). Problems in evaluation include identification of an adequate control population, ethical difficulties in introducing a controlled study when the programme is already perceived as effective, and the calculation of "expected death rates". The results of this study indicate that very energetic programmes of intervention may prevent some deaths in vulnerable infants.     

Outcome of congenital lung abnormalities detected antenatally

To determine the outcome of congenital lung abnormalities, data were collected retrospectively between January 1991 and December 1996 on any foetus found to have a lung lesion on antenatal ultrasound. A total of 23 foetuses had lung lesions on antenatal ultrasound. In two foetuses the antenatal ultrasound showed bilateral enlarged "bright" echogenic lungs with evidence of hydrops. Both pregnancies were terminated and tracheal atresia was confirmed. In 15 foetuses the antenatal ultrasound appearance was of a unilateral "bright" echogenic lung. There was one case of bronchial atresia and two cases of congenital lobar emphysema, which all had surgery. In nine cases there was a reduction in the size of the lesion on serial antenatal ultrasounds and no lesion was detected after birth. In three cases a small lesion was present after birth on chest radiography. In six foetuses the antenatal ultrasound appearance was of unilateral cystic or mixed cystic and echogenic lung lesions. Two pregnancies were terminated; both had congenital cystic adenomatoid malformation. Four pregnancies were continued and three infants had surgery soon after birth and were confirmed to have had congenital cystic adenomatoid malformation. One infant has been managed conservatively. In conclusion, a definitive diagnosis cannot usually be made antenatally. A large lesion on initial scan does not necessarily predict a poor outcome. The natural history of small asymptomatic postnatal lesions is unknown and a long-term prospective study is needed to determine the outcome of these lesions.     

Minimally invasive treatment of esophageal cancer: laparoscopic staging to robotic esophagectomy

Minimally invasive surgical (MIS) procedures have become commonplace in modern surgical practice. The term minimally invasive surgery has been and continues to be interchangeably applied to describe laparoscopic, laparoscopic-assisted, thoracoscopic, and telesurgical (robotic) procedures. Minimally invasive surgical procedures for the treatment of benign and malignant disorders of the esophagus are being developed, refined, and clinically applied in parallel with the exponential availability of novel technologies and instrumentation. Herein, we review the progression from laparoscopic/thoracoscopic esophagectomy to telesurgical esophagectomy, presently termed minimally invasive esophagectomy, and describe the telesurgical procedure as well as early the clinical outcome experience.     

Airway intervention in adult supraglottitis

Background The timing of aggressive airway intervention in adult epiglottitis is controversial. Aims To correlate Friedman’s staging of epiglottitis on admission with the airway interventions undertaken. Methods A retrospective study of 23 adult patients, mean age 51 years (range 29–81 years), who had been admitted with acute supraglottitis between March 1988 and December 2000 was undertaken. Results Three patients (13%) had airway interventions; two with tracheostomy and one with tracheal intubation. All were Friedman stage III and had rapid symptom progression during the 24 hours prior to admission. Three other stage III patients with symptom progression longer than 24 hours and all the remaining patients (stage II or less) were managed with observation and intravenous therapy. Conclusions Friedman originally advocated airway intervention in any patient stage II or worse, but this intubation threshold should probably be lowered to those patients with rapid-onset stage III (moderate respiratory distress, stridor, respiratory rate >30 per minute, pCO₂ >45mmHg) disease.