Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans: a population-based cancer registry descriptive study of 66 consecutive cases diagnosed between 1982 and 2002

BACKGROUND: Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP) is a rare malignant tumour of the skin, with an estimated incidence of 0.8 to five cases per 1 million people per year. OBJECTIVE: To study epidemiological, immunohistochemical and clinical features, delay in diagnosis, type of treatment and outcome of DFSP from 1982 to 2002. METHODS: Using data from the population-based cancer registry, 66 patients with pathologically proved DFSP were included (fibrosarcomatous DFSP were excluded). Each patient lived in one of the four departments of Franche-Comté (overall population of 1 million people) at the time of diagnosis. The main data sources came from public and private pathology laboratories and medical records. The rules of the International Agency for Research on Cancer were applied. RESULTS: The estimated incidence of DFSP in Franche-Comté was about three new cases per 1 million people per year. Male patients were affected 1.2 times as often as female patients were. The trunk (45%) followed by the proximal extremities (38%) were the most frequent locations. DFSP occurred mainly in young adults between 20 and 39 years of age. Mean age at diagnosis was 43 years, and the mean delay in diagnosis was 10.08 years. Our 66 patients initially underwent a radical local excision. Among them, 27% experienced one or more local recurrences during 9.6 years of follow-up. There was one regional lymph node recurrence without visceral metastases. These recurrences were significantly related to the initial peripheral resection margins. We observed a local recurrence rate of 47% for margins less than 3 cm, vs. only 7% for margins ranging from 3 to 5 cm [P=0.004; OR=0.229 (95%, CI=0.103-0.510)]. The mean time to a first local recurrence was 2.65 years. Nevertheless, there was no death due to the DFSP course at the end of the follow-up, and the final outcome was favourable. CONCLUSION: Our study emphasizes the importance of wide local excision with margins of at least 3 cm in order to prevent local recurrence. However, the recent development of inhibitors of signal transduction by the PDGFB pathway should soon modify the surgical strategy, which is often too mutilating.     

Can we understand partnerships in general practice? A pilot study

BACKGROUND: Partnerships have been investigated in different professions,but other than identifying problems, little work has been carriedout on general practice. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this present study was to develop methods for studyingpartnerships in general practice. METHOD: A tripartite methodological approach was used, with questionnairesadapted from other instruments in use in other professions,followed by an individual interview with each partner, and non-participantobservation at a partnership meeting. Results for one case-studypartnership are given. RESULTS: There were no major differences between the partners on alldimensions measured; the minor differences indicated by theresults of the questionnaires were corroborated by the partnerinterviews and observations. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that the use of such techniques could provide supportto partnerships going through significant periods of change. Keywords. General practice, interview, observation, partnerships, questionnaire.     

Near-infrared fluorescent dyes for enhanced contrast in optical mammography: phantom experiments

Optical mammography with near-infrared (NIR) light using time-domain, frequency-domain, or continuous-wave techniques is a novel imaging modality to locate human breast tumors. By investigating excised specimens of normal and diseased mamma tissue we were able to demonstrate that differences in their scattering properties are a poor predictive parameter for normal and diseased mamma tissue. This paper describes the application of a NIR dye to improve the differentiation between breast tumors and normal tissue in a rat model. The NIR dye furnished a high tumor-to-tissue contrast ratio (6:1) in fluorescence images. Furthermore, this dye was used to develop liquid scattering phantoms with absorbing and fluorescent inhomogeneities. Using frequency-domain and time-domain instrumentation these inhomogeneities were localized at sufficient contrast by their increased absorption and fluorescence. Contrast between inhomogeneities and surrounding medium could be improved by combining fluorescence and transmittance images.     

Otoacoustic emissions as a screening test for hearing impairment in children recovering from acute bacterial meningitis

OBJECTIVES: To study the efficacy of otoacoustic emissions (OAEs) as a screening test for hearing impairment in children with acute bacterial meningitis. Hearing tests were performed before discharge from the hospital in an attempt to improve coverage and avoid delays in the diagnosis of postmeningitic hearing loss. METHODS: Children with bacterial meningitis were recruited from 21 centers. In the 48 hours before discharge from the hospital, all patients underwent a thorough audiologic assessment consisting of transient evoked OAEs, auditory brainstem responses (ABRs), otoscopy, and tympanometry. Hearing loss was defined as ABR threshold >/=30 dB. The results of OAE screening were compared with the gold standard of ABR threshold. RESULTS: Of 124 children recruited, we were able to perform both OAEs and ABRs on 110 children. Seven (6.3%) of the 110 children had ABR threshold >/=30 dB; 2 had sensorineural hearing loss and 5 had conductive hearing loss. At follow-up, hearing loss persisted in both cases of sensorineural hearing loss and no new cases were identified. All 7 children with hearing loss failed the OAE screening test. Ninety-four children with normal hearing thresholds passed the test, and 9 failed. Thus, the screening test had a sensitivity of 1.00 (95% confidence interval, 0.59 to 1.00), a specificity of 0.91 (0.85 to 0.97), a positive predictive value of 0. 44 (0.20 to 0.70), and a negative predictive value of 1.00 (0.96 to 1.00). CONCLUSIONS: OAE screening in children recovering from meningitis was found to be feasible and effective. The test was highly sensitive and reasonably specific. Inpatient OAE screening should allow early diagnosis of postmeningitic hearing loss and prompt auditory rehabilitation.     

Iron-induced oxidative DNA damage and its repair in primary rat hepatocyte culture

Iron-overload diseases frequently develop hepatocellular carcinoma. The genotoxic mechanism whereby iron is involved in hepatocarcinogenesis might involve an oxidative process via the intermediate production of reactive oxygen species. This was presently investigated by examining kinetics of formation and repair of DNA base lesions in primary rat hepatocyte cultures supplemented with the iron chelate, ferric nitrilotriacetate Fe-NTA (10 and 100 microM). Seven DNA base oxidation products have been identified in DNA extracts by gas chromatography- mass spectrometry, which showed a predominance of oxidized-purines (8- oxo-guanine, xanthine, fapy-adenine, 2-oxo-adenine) above oxidized pyrimidines (5-OHMe-uracil, 5-OH-uracil, 5-OH-cytosine) in control cultures. All these DNA oxidation products revealed a significant dose- dependent increase at 4 to 48 h after Fe-NTA supplementation, among which fapy-adenine showed the highest increase and 5-OH-cytosine was the least prominent. Involvement of iron in this oxidative process was established by a correlation between extent in DNA oxidation and intracellular level of toxic low molecular weight iron. DNA excision- repair activity was estimated by release of DNA oxidation products in culture medium. All the seven DNA oxidation products were detected in the medium of control cultures and showed basal repair activity. This DNA repair activity was increased in a time- and dose-dependent fashion with Fe-NTA. Oxidized-pyrimidines, among which was 5-OHMe-Uracil, were preferentially repaired, which explains the low levels detected in oxidized DNA. Since oxidized bases substantially differed from one another in terms of excision rates from cellular DNA, specific excision- repair enzymes might be involved. Our findings, however, demonstrate that even though DNA repair pathways were activated in iron-loaded hepatocyte cultures, these processes were not stimulated enough to prevent an accumulation of highly mutagenic DNA oxidative products in genomic DNA. The resulting genotoxic effect of Fe-NTA might be relevant in understanding the hepatocarcinogenic evolution of iron-overload diseases.