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BACKGROUND: Male breast cancer is rare, and there are no large comparative studies to guide treatment. We used National Cancer Data Base data on 4755 men and 624,174 women who had breast cancer (1985-1994) to identify equivalent groups of male and female breast cancer patients. METHODS: For each man with breast cancer, the next woman treated at the same hospital was sought who matched the man's age (within 5 years), ethnicity, income category, and stage. We identified 3627 closely matched pairs of male and female patients with breast cancer. RESULTS: Men were more likely to be treated with mastectomy (modified radical, 65% of men versus 55.1% of women; radical, 2.5% of men versus 0.9% of women; simple, 7.6% of men versus 3.4% of women; P <.001), and more likely to receive radiation therapy after mastectomy (men, 29%; women, 11%; P <.001). Men treated with lumpectomy were less likely to receive radiation therapy (men, 54%; women, 68%; P <. 001). Men were also less likely to receive chemotherapy (26.7% of men versus 40.6% of women; P <. 001) after any surgical treatment. CONCLUSIONS: This large comparative study is the first to detail stage-specific differences in contemporary treatment strategies for highly comparable groups of men and women treated for breast cancer. Further studies of male breast cancer should focus on identifying prognostic factors and defining optimal therapy.

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We report a case of refractory lymphatic ascites following retroperitoneal lymph node dissection and venacavectomy. Placement of a Denver peritoneal venous shunt resulted in resolution of the ascites and marked improvement in the patient's nutritional parameters. Shunt occlusion 2 months following placement demonstrated no recurrence of the ascites. This technique may prove useful in the management of lymphatic ascites associated with radical retroperitoneal surgery.

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Thirty-two patients with potentially resectable recurrent colorectal adenocarcinoma were imaged with the radioimmunoconjugate 111In-satumomab pendetide to determine whether imaging supplies clinically relevant information relating to the extent of disease in patients with different presenting characteristics. Patients included 12 with increasing carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) without anatomical evidence of recurrence, 13 with radiological abnormalities consistent with apparently isolated metastases, and 7 with recurrence and anatomical abnormalities of unclear significance. 111In-satumomab pendetide imaging detected extrahepatic abdominal and pelvic disease in 16 subjects. Imaging was most informative in patients with recurrent disease and anatomical abnormalities of unclear significance, but imaging of the liver was suboptimal owing to high levels of nonspecific uptake. We conclude 111In-satumomab pendetide imaging can supply clinically relevant information relating to the extent and location of recurrent colorectal adenocarcinoma in patients with extrahepatic abdominal and pelvic radiological abnormalities of unclear significance and in radiologically normal patients with high CEA levels.

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Increasing utilisation of chemotherapeutic agents in treating patients with malignancy has led to the potential for widespread exposure of healthcare workers who come into contact with patients or these agents in the work place. Unfortunately, these drugs are toxic to both the abnormal and normal somatic cell. This occurs in the patient, and is also likely to affect any individual exposed. There appear to be widely divergent opinions concerning the extent of hazard of coming into contact with these agents, in spite of which caution and minimising exposure risk seems only prudent and appropriate.

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A multicentered pilot study was conducted to test an intervention protocol designed to reduce fat intake to 15% of energy intake. Eligible subjects were postmenopausal women with stage II breast cancer whose baseline fat intake was more than 30% of energy intake. The low-fat diet intervention protocol consisted of bi-weekly individual counseling sessions with emphasis on substitution of lower-fat foods for high-fat foods and maintenance of nutritional adequacy. Nutrient intakes were calculated from 4-day food records collected at baseline and after 3 months of diet intervention. Mean daily fat intake for the 17 patients on the low-fat diet dropped significantly from 38.4 +/- 4.3% of energy intake at baseline to 22.8 +/- 7.8% at 3 months (p less than .001). A 25% reduction in mean energy intake, from 1,840 +/- 419 kcal at baseline to 1,365 +/- 291 kcal at 3 months, was accompanied by significant increases in protein and carbohydrate as percent of energy intake. A mean weight loss of 2.8 kg and a 7.7% reduction in serum cholesterol were observed; both changes were significant at the p less than .01 level. Absolute intakes of zinc and magnesium were significantly reduced. However, mean intake on the low-fat diet for 14 vitamins and minerals, including zinc and magnesium, exceeded two-thirds of the 1989 Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs). When expressed as nutrient density (i.e., amount of nutrient per 1,000 kcal), increases were observed for all micronutrients. These results support the hypothesis that a nutritionally adequate low-fat diet can be successfully implemented in a highly motivated, free-living population.

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This study examined the question of whether previous exposure to cytostatic drugs by oncology nurses was sufficient to lead to haematological phenotypical subclinical abnormalities which had previously been identified in a population of patients who had received chemotherapy as an adjuvant to breast surgery. A comparison of baseline haematological parameters, and the results of a prednisolone stimulation test, was made between nurses regularly coming into contact with such agents and age-adjusted group of nurses who had not been exposed. Although there is a persistent trend toward lower neutrophils, platelets, monocytes and neutrophil reserves in the nurses who handled antineoplastic agents, a statistically significant decrement in these parameters was not identified. Such a finding should help to reassure individuals who have had similar exposure, but does not negate the importance of following published recommended guidelines for the handling and dispensing of antineoplastic agents.

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Little is understood concerning the mechanism of tumor-induced thermographic abnormalities observed in man. An ideal animal model is lacking. In an effort to create such a model we have worked with hairless mice, subcutaneously inoculated with B16 melanoma cells. This report documents the progress of that work and the subsequent development of a totally satisfactory system for the study of such tumors in a hairless animal.

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A retrospective chart review of 25 patients under the age of 20 years with malignant melanoma, diagnosed between the years 1938 and 1984 at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, was conducted. Nine of the patients were under the age of 14 years, and 18 patients were females. There appeared to be a frequent delay in diagnosis of the primary lesion, occasionally incorrect initial diagnosis, and under-treatment in these young patients. Primary treatment varied from limited excision of the lesion to wide excision and regional lymph node dissection. Females appeared to have a better prognosis than males, and wide local excision with or without regional lymph node dissection was associated with the most favorable outcome. Overall 10-year survival in this group of patients was 56 per cent, a rate that compares well to the overall survival in adult patients with malignant melanoma.

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Sister chromatid exchange (SCE) analyses were carried out in hospital nurses to determine whether an increased frequency of SCE may be used as an indicator of occupational exposure to potentially harmful antineoplastic drugs. In our study of 18 oncology nurses who handled these agents for an average of three days per week, we found no increase in mean SCE frequency (9.3 +/- 1.7 SCEs/cell) and no difference in the distribution of individual mean SCE frequencies compared to a group of 18 nurses who did not handle these drugs (9.5 +/- 1.5 SCEs/cell). There was a great deal of individual variation in mean SCE frequency as well as in SCE values in individual cells. No relationship with SCE frequency was found in terms of a subject's age, or the number of days of exposure to the drugs. Since conflicting results have been reported in persons handling antineoplastic drugs, SCE analysis alone is probably not a reliable indicator of exposure to possible mutagenic/carcinogenic effects of these drugs. SCE analysis may be helpful in conjunction with other studies, such as an analysis of urinary mutagens, or in studies of occupational exposure to agents other than antineoplastic drugs which may have a more noticeable effect on SCE frequency.

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We report a case of neuroid giant congenital melanocytic nevus (GCMN) in which a malignant schwannomalike tumor developed. Literature review reveals that neurosarcomatous differentiation occurs among malignant tumors arising in GCMNs, apparently with greater incidence in those GCMNs showing benign neuroid differentiation. Although the differences between neuroid melanocytes and Schwann's cells may be more conceptual than real, we believe that the current tumor arising within a melanocytic nevus is likely of neuroid melanocytic origin and best designated as neurosarcomatous malignant melanoma.

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The question of whether tumors are warmer or colder than surrounding tissue is considered in these experiments which use a highly suitable animal model, the hairless mouse. Temperatures of skin over induced growing subdermal tumors in these mice were monitored by AGA 680 Color Thermovision. The skin over the tumors does not cool over time but on the contrary becomes warmer. This is probably due to an increase in vascularization rather than increased metabolic rate.

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Fifty men with primary breast carcinoma were seen between the years 1938 and 1983 at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. In most patients, there was a significant delay between the onset of symptoms and seeking medical advice (mean, 21 months; range, 1-156). The vast majority of patients were treated by simple, modified radical, or radical mastectomy. Ten patients underwent incisional or excisional biopsy with or without radiation because of locally advanced disease or distant metastases. Survival was comparable in the groups of patients treated with simple mastectomy (mean, 70 months), modified radical mastectomy (mean, 61 months), and radical mastectomy (mean, 78 months). Local recurrence occurred in 25 per cent of all patients, and this rate was not dependent on the operation performed. The data suggest that modified radical mastectomy is adequate therapy for local control and staging of the disease without reducing survival from that observed after radical mastectomy.

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Carcinoid tumors continue to be of specific clinical interest because of their diverse presentation, hormonal secretion, and malignant potential. One hundred ninety-two patients with carcinoid tumors were treated at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics between 1938 and 1982. The most common location of these tumors was the appendix (30%), followed by the ileum (23%) and rectum (9%). Metastatic disease occurred in 29 per cent of all patients, with colonic and ileal tumors being the most likely to metastasize (40% and 35%, respectively). Surgical excision continues to be the treatment of choice in resectable tumors. Appendectomy alone proved effective in the treatment of appendiceal tumors less than 2 cm in diameter and without lymph node metastases. Local excision was also sufficient for the treatment of rectal tumors less than 2 cm in diameter and without invasion of the muscularis propria. Ileal, colonic, and locally advanced appendiceal and rectal tumors should be treated with radical excision including resection of the regional lymph nodes. The overall 5-year survival rate was 47%. Patients with metastatic disease had a lower survival rate (25%) compared with patients without metastases (64%).

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Xeroradiography was used to detect and aid in needle localization of 63 nonpalpable breast lesions over an 8-year period. In 28 patients (44%), no microcalcifications were present in the lesion biopsied. Xeroradiographs of these noncalcified lesions after their submersion in water carried a clean and close resemblance to their in vivo appearance and aided the pathologist in localizing the abnormality within the biopsy specimen. This simple method improved the accuracy of the needle-guided biopsy while allowing excision of minimal breast tissue. A total of 17 (27%) lesions revealed malignancy. At the time of mastectomy, all carcinomas were at an early stage with no nodal involvement. No recurrence has been detected to date with a mean follow-up period of 24 months. This procedure requires close cooperation between the surgeon, radiologist, and pathologist.

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This report reviews the results of treatment of hepatic malignancies by intra-arterial infusional chemotherapy and hepatic artery ligation. Seventy-nine patients with liver metastases or primary hepatomas were treated by this technique between the years 1970 and 1982. The majority of patients had metastatic disease from colon and rectal cancers. The median and mean survivals in the total group was 10 and 14 months, respectively (including operative deaths). Patients with metastatic disease from colon and rectal cancers had better survival than those with metastases from other primaries. Patients with synchronous liver malignancy had better survival than those with metachronous disease. Length of survival correlated positively with the duration of chemotherapeutic infusions, the latter being frequently (in 42% of patients) interrupted because of catheter complications. A new technique utilizing implantable pumps can be expected to further improve the results by reducing catheter malfunction and prolonging treatment courses.

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The authors reviewed the records of 569 patients transported by an emergency helicopter service to evaluate its impact on the outcome of patients with multisystemic injuries. A Total Trauma Score for each patient was computed. A number of other factors were also considered, including the nature of the injury, number of systems injured, origin and duration of flight, resuscitative maneuvers, number of blood transfusions given and the timing of operations required to treat the injury. The service was then rated utilizing strict specific guidelines as either essential, helpful or not a factor, in the preservation of life and/or limb in each case. A fourth group was comprised of patients who expired as a result of their injuries. The air transport service was essential to 16.5% and helpful to 10.9% of patients. In spite of rapid evaluation and maximal intervention, 102 (17.9%) of the patients died. The group for which air transport was judged "not a factor" (54.7%) consisted of patients whose injuries would not have proven fatal had their transportation to the tertiary care center been delayed. Retrospective analysis of the data available to the tertiary care center at the time of the decision to transfer the patients by air revealed that it was not possible to differentiate those patients who did not benefit from the service from those for whom the service was judged essential or helpful. Even though 17.9% of the helicopter transported patients died at some time during their period of hospitalization, they did receive the benefit of prompt sophisticated evaluation and management of their injuries.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

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