Serial comprehensive geriatric assessment in elderly head and neck cancer patients undergoing curative radiotherapy identifies evolution of multidimensional health problems and is indicative of quality of life.

Head and neck (H&N) cancer is mainly a cancer of the elderly; however, the implementation of comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) to quantify functional age in these patients has not yet been studied. We evaluated the diagnostic performance of screening tools [Vulnerable Elders Survey-13 (VES-13), G8 and the Combined Screening Tool 'VES-13 + (17-G8)' or CST], the feasibility of serial CGA, and correlations with health-related quality of life evolution [HRQOL; European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaires (EORTC QLQ)-C30 and -HN35] during therapy in hundred patients, aged ≥65 years, with primary H&N cancer undergoing curative radio(chemo)therapy. Respectively 36.8%, 69.0%, 62.1% and 71.3% were defined vulnerable according to VES-13, G8, CST and CGA at week 0, mostly due to presence of severe grade co-morbidities, difficulties in community functioning and nutritional problems. At week 4, significantly more patients were identified vulnerable due to nutritional, functional and emotional deterioration. The CST did not achieve the predefined proportion necessary for validation. Vulnerable patients reported lower function and higher symptom HRQOL scores as compared with fit patients. A comparable deterioration in HRQOL was observed in both groups through therapy. In conclusion, G8 remains the screening tool of choice. Serial CGA identifies the evolution of multidimensional health problems and HRQOL conditions during therapy with potential to guide individualised supportive care.

Chemo-radiotherapy versus radiotherapy alone in the pre-operative treatment of resectable rectal cancer.

AIM: To determine the differences in downstaging, local control (LC), disease free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) between combined pre-operative chemoradiation and pre-operative radiotherapy alone in the treatment of resectable rectal cancer. METHODS: One hundred and ten patients who underwent pre-operative radiotherapy or chemo-radiotherapy were reviewed. Fifty-seven patients were treated with radiotherapy (30 Gy/3 Gy) alone and 53 patients with chemo-radiotherapy (bolus 5FU+45 Gy/1.8 Gy). The median interval between the end of neo-adjuvant treatment and surgery was 28 and 46 days for the patients treated with radiotherapy alone and chemo-radiotherapy. RESULTS: The groups were homogeneously distributed for all characteristics except for cN-stage with more clinically node positive patients in the combined modality treatment group (47 vs 73%). A significant downstaging for tumour and/or lymph node status was observed in both groups. More ypT0-x-is were observed after chemoradiation than after radiotherapy alone (26 vs 7%; p=0.02). The local control rate at 3 years was 94% for both groups. DFS after radiation and chemoradiation was comparable with a 3-year DFS of 83 and 88%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Both pre-operative schemes have similar outcomes concerning DFS, OS and LC. Tumour downstaging is associated with improved survival.

REPORT OF A RARE ANATOMIC VARIANT: LEFT UPPER LOBE PARTIAL ANOMALOUS PULMONARY VENOUS RETURN.

We report the CT findings in a case of partial anomalous pulmonary venous return (PAPVR) from the left upper lobe in an adult. PAPVR is an anatomic variant in which one to three pulmonary veins drain into the right atrium or its tributaries, rather than into the left atrium. This results in a left-to-right shunt with varying clinical presentation. These can range from asymptomatic patients to advanced cardiac failure.

Dysphagia in a patient with giant osteophytes: case presentation and review of the literature.

A patient with increasing dysphagia due to external bone compression of the oesophagus is presented. Radiographic evaluation revealed the underlying condition to be a diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis with exuberant and bumpy change within the anterior longitudinal ligament.

Correlative imaging in gallbladder carcinoma.

Gallbladder carcinoma is a relatively rare malignant epithelial neoplasm, arising from gallbladder mucosa. It is the fifth most common gastrointestinal malignancy and the most common biliary tract cancer. Early diagnosis remains difficult, because clinical symptoms are sparse and non-specific, often resulting in advanced stage disease at the time of diagnosis. The most common feature of gallbladder carcinoma on different imaging modalities is focal wall thickening, associated with a large eccentric tumor mass. In this case we report the imaging characteristics of gallbladder carcinoma on ultrasound, MDCT and 18F-FDG PET/CT.

Cortisone associated diverticular perforation.

Patients on glucocorticosteroid therapy are at increased risk of gastrointestinal perforation. The associated morbidity and mortality of perforations in this group is increased, compared with normal groups. This difference is due to the delay between onset of clinical symptoms and treatment. In the presence of steroids, gastrointestinal perforation is more difficult to diagnose clinically because signs and symptoms of perforation are masked by the anti-inflammatory effect of the steroids.

A new approach to the validation of tissue microarrays.

Although tissue microarrays (TMA) have been widely used for a number of years, it is still not clear how many core biopsies should be taken to determine a reliable value for percentage positivity or how much heterogeneity in marker expression influences this number. The first aim of this study was to validate the human visual semi-quantitative scoring system for positive staining of tumour tissue with the exact values determined from computer-generated images. The second aim was to determine the minimum number of core biopsies needed to estimate percentage positivity reliably when the immunohistochemical staining pattern is heterogeneous and scored in a non-binary way. Tissue sections from ten colorectal cancer specimens were stained for carbonic anhydrase IX (CA IX). The staining patterns were digitized and 400 artificial computer-generated images were generated to test the accuracy of the human scoring system. To determine the minimal number of core biopsies needed to account for tumour heterogeneity, 50 (artificial) core biopsies per section were taken from the tumoural region of the ten digitally recorded full tissue sections. Based on the semi-quantitative scores from the 50 core biopsies per section, 2500 x n (n = 1-10 core biopsies) experimental core biopsies were then generated and scores recorded. After comparison with field-by-field analysis from the tumoural region of the whole tissue section, the number of core biopsies that need to be taken to minimize the influence of heterogeneity could be determined. In conclusion, visual scoring accurately estimated the percentage positivity and the percentage tumour present in a section, as judged by comparison with the artificial images. The exact number of core biopsies that has to be examined to determine tumour marker positivity using TMAs is affected by the degree of heterogeneity in the expression pattern of the protein, but for most purposes at least four is recommended.

Disfluency in Tourette syndrome: observational study in three cases.

It is often stated that stuttering is a common speech disorder in individuals with Tourette syndrome (TS). It has also been suggested, however, that the fluency failures observed in people with TS do not completely conform to the classic pattern of stuttering. The present paper describes the results of an analysis of the speech patterns of three individuals with TS. A picture emerged that bears some resemblance to stuttering, cluttering, and palilalia but that is also different from each of these disfluency types.

Long-term functional results of the non-surgical treatment of common bacterial infections of joints.

Thirty patients with acute bacterial infection of a peripheral joint were treated with intravenous antibiotics, daily closed needle aspiration and early mobilization therapy. Joint mobility, expressed as a percentage of normal mobility, was evaluated at the end of the reconvalescence period and again after 42 to 65 months (mean: 50 months). The functional outcome was excellent and joint mobility normal in 2/3 of the cases as revealed by the short- and long-term evaluation results. Factors that affected joint mobility were: delayed treatment, joint disorders prior to treatment, and ease of access to the joint for needle aspiration. Poor results were found in the presence of hip infections. In the long term, deterioration of joint mobility can occur in the same aggravating conditions. Treatment of septic arthritis with daily needle aspiration and early mobilization gave very good functional results.

Levamisole as basic treatment of rheumatoid arthritis: longterm evaluation.

We evaluated longterm levamisole treatment of 201 rheumatoid patients. Fifty-nine patients in their 1st yr of treatment were not analyzed; of the remaining 142, 69 (49%) still took levamisole with benefit. Levamisole was stopped in 32 patients (22%) for inefficacy and for reversible adverse reactions in 37 (26%). Leukotoxic side-effects were the commonest cause of withdrawal (23 patients = 16%). Since June 1977, we administer levamisole on a 1 d/wk schedule (150 mg), with determination of white blood cells 10 h after intake to detect high-risk patients for agranulocytosis. With disease exacerbation during treatment or lack of response after 6 months, the drug is given on a 2nd non-consecutive day. Since June 1977, cases of agranulocytosis have not been observed. Allergic vasculitis did not occur with a 1 d/wk schedule. The absence of nephrotoxicity and hepatotoxicity is stressed. Only 4 patients (3%) were lost to follow-up. Comparison is made with longterm use of gold and D-penicillamine. We conclude that levamisole is a useful slow acting antirheumatic drug.