Early withdrawal of calcineurin inhibitors and everolimus monotherapy in de novo liver transplant recipients preserves renal function.

We designed a randomized trial to assess whether the early withdrawal of cyclosporine (CsA) followed by the initiation of everolimus (Evr) monotherapy in de novo liver transplantation (LT) patients would result in superior renal function compared to a CsA-based immunosuppression protocol. All patients were treated with CsA for the first 10 days and then randomized to receive Evr in combination with CsA up to day 30, then either continued on Evr monotherapy (Evr group) or maintained on CsA with/without mycophenolate mofetil (CsA group) in case of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Seventy-eight patients were randomized (Evr n = 52; CsA n = 26). The 1-year freedom from efficacy failure in Evr group was 75% versus 69.2% in CsA group, p = 0.36. There was no statistically significant difference in patient survival between the two groups. Mean modification of diet in renal disease (MDRD) was significantly better in the Evr group at 12 months (87.7 ± 26.1 vs. 59.9 ± 12.6 mL/min; p < 0.001). The incidence of CKD stage ≥ 3 (estimated glomerular filtration rate < 60 mL/min) was higher in the CsA group at 1 year (52.2% vs. 15.4%, p = 0.005). The results indicate that early withdrawal of CsA followed by Evr monotherapy in de novo LT patients is associated with an improvement in renal function, with a similar incidence of rejection and major complications.

Liver transplantation in patients aged 65 and over: a case-control study.

INTRODUCTION: The average age of patients undergoing liver transplantation (LT) is consistently increasing. The aim of this case-control study is to evaluate survival and outcome of patients ≥65 yr compared to younger patients undergoing LT. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From 10/00 to 4/08 we performed 330 primary LT, 31 (9.4%) of these were in patients aged 65-70. Following a case-control approach, we compared these patients with 31 patients aged between 41 and 64 yr and matched according to sex, LT indication, viral status, cadaveric/living donor, LT timing, and Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score. RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences in demographic and surgical donor characteristics. The mean MELD score was under 18 in both groups. Post-LT complications occurred with a similar incidence in the two groups. one-, three-, and five-yr survival was 83.9%, 80.6%, and 80.6%, respectively, for the elderly group, and 80.6%, 73.8%, and 73.8%, respectively, for the young group (p = 0.61). DISCUSSION: Patients aged between 65 and 70 with low MELD score who undergo LT have the same short- and middle-term survival expectancy, morbidity, and outcome quality as younger patients with the same indication and same pre-LT pathology severity, whatever they might be. Thus, chronological age alone should not deter LT workup in patients >65 and <70.

Orbital exenteration for advanced periorbital non-melanoma skin cancer: prognostic factors and survival.

PurposeTo describe prognostic factors and survival outcomes in patients who underwent orbital exenteration for periocular non-melanoma cutaneous malignancies.MethodsThe authors performed an institutional review board-approved retrospective review of all patients who underwent orbital exenteration for non-melanoma periocular cutaneous malignancies at a tertiary care hospital system over a 10-year period. Patient demographics, tumor, and treatment data were recorded. Survival outcomes included disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS). Log-rank tests were used to test for difference in survival curves among various potential prognostic indicators, and multivariate analysis was performed using Cox's proportional hazards model.ResultsForty-nine patients with an average age of 70.3 years were followed with a median follow-up of 17.5 months. At 2 years the OS was 78% while the DFS was 61%. The mean DFS for basal cell carcinoma (BCC), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), and sebaceous gland carcinoma (SGC) were 52.6, 39.2 and 28.1 months, respectively. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that only positive final surgical margin was predictive of worse outcome (P=0.002). Recurrences were most frequent in the first 2 years.ConclusionsDespite the relatively more aggressive nature of periocular malignancies that have invaded the orbit, orbital exenteration offers an overall 2-year DFS of ~60%. BCC had the greatest mean survival time, however this was not statistically significant. We found worse prognosis with positive final surgical margins and recommend a multidisciplinary surgical approach to achieve complete resection when indicated.