Pulmonary resection for metastases from colorectal cancer

Aim: The prognosis of patients with disseminated colorectal carcinoma is poor except for those with single organ pulmonary or hepatic metastases. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the result of pulmonary metastasectomy for colorectal secondary and to identify the prognostic factors. Methods: This was a retrospective study of 80 patients who had pulmonary metastasectomy for pulmonary secondary from colorectal carcinoma in Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Hong Kong. Results: The overall 5‐year and 10‐year survival rates of the entire cohort were 42.5% and 35.5%, respectively. High premetastasectomy carcinoembryonic antigen (> 20 μg/dL), short disease‐free interval (< 12 months) and incomplete resection were the independent prognostic factors. Neither the characteristics of the primary colorectal tumour nor the number of metastatic nodules had a significant contribution to the long‐term survival. Six patients underwent second pulmonary metastasectomy and three were still free from tumour recurrence after the second operation. Conclusion: Patients with pulmonary metastases from colorectal carcinoma would benefit from pulmonary metastasectomy. High premetastasectomy carcinoembryonic antigen and short disease‐free interval were negative predictive factors for survival. Long‐term follow‐up study is required, as recurrence can occur more than 5 years after pulmonary metastasectomy. Also, whether the survival benefit is due to surgical treatment effect or lead‐time bias remains undecided.     

Reduced expression of CD69 and adhesion molecules of T lymphocytes in asthmatic children receiving immunotherapy

T lymphocytes play a fundamental role in the initiation and regulation of chronic inflammatory responses in patients with asthma. CD69 is an early marker of T‐cell activation. The levels of intercellular adhesion molecule‐1 (ICAM‐1, CD54) and L ‐selectin have been reported to increase in patients with allergic diseases and asthma. The present study was therefore undertaken to investigate the expression of CD69, CD54, and L ‐selectin by T lymphocytes of children with asthma, before and after immunotherapy. Eighteen children newly diagnosed with asthma, 11 good and nine poor responders to immunotherapy, and 16 normal subjects, were enrolled in this study. The percentages of CD69⁺, CD54⁺, and CD62L⁺ cells in T lymphocytes were measured by using flow cytometry. The levels of CD69, CD54, and CD62L in serum and culture supernatants were determined by using enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The expression of CD69 and CD54 on CD3⁺ T lymphocytes was significantly higher in children with asthma than in control patients. All the patient groups expressed (spontaneously and following stimulation with phorbol myristate acetate and ionomycin together with mite‐extract proteins) greater amounts of CD69 and CD54 than did control subjects. With long‐term immunotherapy, the percentages of CD69⁺ and CD54⁺ T lymphocytes were significantly lower in patients with a good response to immunotherapy. Our results also showed significantly lower serum L ‐selectin levels following immunotherapy. In conclusion, successful immunotherapy resulted in decreased expression and production of CD69 and CD54. These results may explain, in part, the clinical efficacy of immunotherapy.     

Stenting of coronary bifurcation lesions by using modified crush technique with double kissing balloon inflation (sleeve technique): immediate procedure result and short-term clinical outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Sleeve technique is a modified version of crush technique. It is specifically designed to increase the success rate of final kissing balloon inflation, which used to be a major limitation of the latter. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to examine the feasibility, safety, and early clinical outcomes of sleeve technique in stenting different types (de novo, in-stent restenotic or in-stent bifurcation) of coronary bifurcation lesions at different locations. METHODS: From August 2005 to May 2006, 41 consecutive patients with symptomatic, nonleft-main coronary bifurcation stenoses of diameter narrowing >or=50% were treated with two-stent strategy, using sleeve technique. RESULTS: The mean age was 63.6 +/- 11.6 years with male predominance (70.7%). High prevalence of diabetes mellitus (31.7%), total occlusion (22.0%), and multi-vessel disease (65.9%) was observed in this cohort. Intravenous abciximab was given in 35 (85.4%) patients. Final kissing balloon inflation was successfully performed in all patients. The minimal luminal diameter in main vessel and side branch was increased from 0.97 +/- 0.53 mm and 0.81 +/- 0.45 mm to 2.76 +/- 0.34 mm and 2.22 +/- 0.35 mm, respectively. The mean procedure time was only 66.6 +/- 24.6 min. There was one (2.4%) case of subacute stent thrombosis presented as non-Q-wave myocardial infarction at day 3 postprocedure. The resultant in-hospital and 30-day major adverse cardiac event rate were both 2.4%. CONCLUSIONS: Sleeve technique is a feasible and efficient approach in stenting of coronary bifurcation stenoses.     

Twelve years'' experience of computer-aided diagnosis in a district general hospital.

This paper describes experience in a modern district general hospital with a small desktop system for computer-aided diagnosis of acute abdominal pain, over a 12-year period involving 5512 cases. When compared with a baseline year (1973) in which unaided performance was monitored, during an initial study period (1974-76) the diagnostic accuracy of junior staff rose by between 10 and 15%. This higher performance level was then maintained for a decade (1976-86) despite changes in staff. The perforation rate among appendicitis cases fell from 27% to 12.5%, accompanied by a smaller fall in negative laparotomy rates. The saving in surgical bednights devoted to acute abdominal pain was approximately 15%, and the notional cost of resources saved during the first 6 years of operation was 120,000 pounds. Other hospitals have shown--in the short term--benefits similar to those obtained at Airedale District General Hospital. The long-term benefits of the system at Airedale reinforce the conclusions of the earlier short-term trials that a comparable system should probably be offered to all DGHs in the UK, not as an exercise in 'artificial intelligence' but as an effective continuing stimulus to good clinical practice.     

Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia associated with methotrexate therapy in rheumatoid arthritis

Opportunistic infections occur in patients with rheumatic diseases treated with low dose methotrexate (MTX) with or without other immunosuppressants. Our case report illustrates a fatal case of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis treated with low dose MTX and glucocorticoid. A review of the literature reveals other opportunistic infections such as Cryptococcus, Nocardia, and herpes zoster presenting in such patients. These occurrences suggest that MTX should be used cautiously in patients with rheumatic disease receiving concomitant medical therapy.     

GASTRIC CANCERS IN SINGAPORE: POOR PROGNOSIS ARISING FROM LATE PRESENTATION

Background : Mortality rates from gastric cancer, apart from those derived from Japanese series, remain poor. This paper sought to determine the present outcome of gastric carcinoma in a predominantly Chinese population in Singapore. Prognostic factors useful in predicting survival were also evaluated in this population. Method : All cases of histologically confirmed gastric adenocarcinoma presenting in 1992 were entered into a prospective database. Prognostic factors related to age, sex, site of disease, depth of invasion, histological grade, nodal status and stage of disease were evaluated in patients with resectable disease to determine their utility in predicting survival. Results : Of 1310 consecutive patients with histologically proven adenocarcinomas, 37% had distant metastases at presentation predominantly in the liver (21%) and peritoneal cavity (20%). Sixty-four per cent of patients underwent surgery and in only 51% of these patients was resection of the turnour possible. Stages 111 and IV (T4N2) locally advanced disease were present in 38% of patients. Thus the majority of patients presented with late or metastatic disease (75%, stages 111 and IV). Sixty per cent of patients were alive at I year and 40% at 2 years after resection of the tumour (Kaplan-Meier survival plots). In contrast, no patient survived longer than a year if the tumour was not resectable (P < 0.001, log-rank test). Median survival of patients without surgery was 12 weeks. Median survival for patients with resected stage IV disease was 23 weeks, compared to 18 weeks after surgical bypass. Age, sex, site, depth of invasion and histological grade did not significantly predict survival. Patients with node-negative disease survived longer (2 year, 70%) than those with nodal involvement (2 years, 44%; P = 0.06, log-rank test). Pathologic staging with the TNM system was useful in predicting survival (P < 0.001). Sixty per cent of patients with stage I and II disease were alive at 2 years compared to 54% with stage III disease and 0% with stage IV disease. Conclusion : The prognosis of stomach cancer remains poor, due predominantly to late presentation. Pathologic TNM staging and nodal status were useful in predicting survival outcome after resection. If the tumour were resectable, survival was appreciable even in patients with advanced stage III (2 years, 54%) and stage IV (1 year, 40%) disease. Strategies to improve outcome should focus on early detection of gastric carcinomas.