Early Intestinal Changes Following Abdominal Radiotherapy

PURPOSE: To compare tests for intestinal function with clinical scores after abdominal irradiation. PATIENTS AND METHODS: At the Department of Radiotherapy, Erfurt, Germany, intestinal changes were studied in 91 patients receiving abdominal radiotherapy between 1992 and 1996. Conventional fractionation (1.8-2 Gy per fraction, total doses 30.6-62.5 Gy) was applied. Before and at weekly intervals during radiotherapy, the clinical response was scored according to RTOG/EORTC for the upper and lower gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Resorption tests for vitamin B(12) and D-xylose were performed before the onset and immediately after treatment. RESULTS: The clinical response displayed a well-defined dose-effect relationship with grade 1 effects in 5% and 50% of the patients at about 10 Gy and 50 Gy, respectively. For grade 2 reactions, 5%- and 50%-effective doses were 20-30 Gy and 60-80 Gy. Effects in the upper and lower GI tract were highly correlated. Changes in body weight did not show a correlation with other clinical symptoms. Changes in resorption also displayed a significant dose effect. However, no correlation was found with the clinical symptoms in the individual patient. CONCLUSION: In the present study, the clinical manifestation of intestinal side effects according to RTOG/EORTC criteria was reflected by neither the vitamin B(12) nor by the D-xylose resorption test. Hence, these tests cannot be regarded as useful for objective quantitation of intestinal radiation injury.     

Challenges in physician supply planning: the case of Belgium

Introduction  

Planning human resources for health (HRH) is a complex process for policy-makers and, as a result, many countries worldwide swing from surplus to shortage. In-depth case studies can help appraising the challenges encountered and the solutions implemented. This paper has two objectives: to identify the key challenges in HRH planning in Belgium and to formulate recommendations for an effective HRH planning, on the basis of the Belgian case study and lessons drawn from an international benchmarking.     

De novo esophageal neoplasia after liver transplantation.

The purpose of the study was to determine the incidence, risk factors, treatment, and influence on survival of patients with de novo esophageal cancer after liver transplantation (LT). From 1988 to 2006, 1,926 patients underwent LT in our institution. A total of 9 patients (0.5%) developed a de novo esophageal cancer and 1 patient a cancer of the cardia (0.05%). A retrospective analysis was performed to reveal underlying diseases, timeframes between LT and appearance of cancer, predisposing factors, cancer therapy, complications, immunosuppressive regimens, and survival. Of our 10 patients, 7 (70%) suffered from esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and 3 patients (30%) developed an adenocarcinoma, including the patient with cancer of the cardia. A total of 9 patients were transplanted due to alcoholic cirrhosis; 1 patient suffered from hepatocellular carcinoma in nonA-nonB hepatitis-related cirrhosis. Median time to tumor diagnosis was 51 months after transplantation. A total of 5 patients were treated conservatively with combined radiochemotherapy and 5 underwent surgical resection. Patients with radiochemotherapy showed a mean survival of 14.8 months vs. 24.8 months for the patients of the surgery group. No major postoperative complication has been observed. A total of 2 patients of the surgery group are still alive after a follow-up of 15 and 89 months. In conclusion, de novo esophageal and cancer of the cardia after LT is a rare event. In spite of immunosuppression, no increased complication rate has been observed. Patients may have a survival benefit from surgical resection.     

Lipoprotein(a) as a strong indicator for cerebrovascular disease

To evaluate the role of lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a] in patients with cerebrovascular disease (CVD), lipid parameters were compared with a control group (CO). Additionally, the Lp(a) serum levels were investigated in a coronary artery disease (CAD) group. The CO was made up of 37 healthy persons (age: 54.5 +/- 7.7, 26 males and 11 females), the CVD group included 46 patients with sustained transient ischemic attack (TIA) prolonged reversible ischemic neurologic deficits (PRIND) and cerebral infarction (CI) (age: 53.6 +/- 9.7, 32 males and 14 females), and the CAD group was made up of 28 survivors of myocardial infarctions (age: 52.5 +/- 8.1, 18 males and 10 females). The median values of Lp(a) in CVD were significantly higher than in the CO (p less than 0.01) and did not differ significantly from the CAD. Total TC, HDL-C, TG, LDL-C and the ratio of LDL-C/HDL-C did not show any significant difference between the control and cerebrovascular disease group. For quantification of the vascular lesions of the carotid system, a Duplex Doppler score system was used. The score correlated with Lp(a) in patients between 40 to 65 years of age (r = 0.34, p less than 0.01). Thus, we conclude that Lp(a) is not only a risk factor for CAD but also for CVD.