Actinic cheilitis: a systematic review of treatment options.

Actinic cheilitis is a premalignant condition that can progress to squamous cell carcinoma with a higher propensity for metastasis than cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma. Optimal treatment for actinic cheilitis has not been established, and evidence-based estimates of clinical cure in the dermatology literature are limited. Here, we review and synthesize outcome data published for patients with actinic cheilitis after treatment with various modalities. A systematic review was conducted in MEDLINE, Embase and the Cochrane library for English, French and German-language studies and references of included articles from inception to 20 January 2020. Studies were included if they reported on at least six patients with biopsy-proven actinic cheilitis. After quality appraisal, results of studies with the strongest methodology criteria were synthesized. 18 studies of 411 patients (published 1985 to 2016) were included. The majority of the studies were case series. Carbon dioxide laser ablation and vermilionectomy were associated with the most favourable outcomes with fewest recurrences. Chemical peel and photodynamic therapy were associated with higher recurrence. Adverse effects generally resolved in the weeks following treatment and cosmetic outcomes were favourable overall. In conclusion, there is a lack of high-quality comparative studies evaluating different treatment options for actinic cheilitis. The included publications used various outcome measures; however, the majority reported on the recently defined core outcome sets. These results suggest that both carbon dioxide laser ablation and vermilionectomy are effective treatments for actinic cheilitis. Prospective head-to-head studies are needed to compare these treatment modalities and to assess patient preferences.

Rectum versus colon: should malignant polyps be treated differently?

BACKGROUND: The management of malignant colorectal polyps removed at endoscopy remains controversial with patients either undergoing surgical resection or regular endoscopic surveillance. Lymph node (LN) metastases occur in 6-16% of patients with malignant polyps. This study assessed the rate of LN metastases in patients undergoing surgical resection for malignant polyps removed endoscopically to determine if there is a difference in the rate of LN metastases between colonic and rectal polyps. METHODS: A retrospective review of a prospectively maintained database was performed from 2010 to 2018. All patients who underwent surgical resection following endoscopic removal of a malignant colorectal polyp were reviewed. Clinical data including patient demographics and tumour characteristics were examined. RESULTS: A total of 177 patients underwent surgical resection in the study period. The median age at diagnosis was 65 years (range 22-88 years) with females comprising 52% of the patient cohort (n = 92/177). Polyps were located in the colon in 60.5% of cases with the remainder located in the rectum. The median number of LN harvested was 14 (range 0-44) with malignant LN (including a mesenteric tumour deposit) identified in 8.5% of resection specimens (n = 15/177). Malignant LNs were retrieved in 5.5% of right-sided tumours, 5.6% of left-sided tumours and 12.9% of rectal tumours (P = 0.090). CONCLUSION: A small proportion of patients with malignant polyps removed endoscopically will have LN metastases. The results of this study suggest that the tumour location might be a useful predictive marker; however, a further study with increased patient numbers is required to properly establish this finding.

Neuronal autoantibodies associated with cognitive impairment in melanoma patients.

BACKGROUND: Cancer-related cognitive impairment is an important complication in cancer patients, yet the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. Over the last decade, the field of paraneoplastic neurological syndromes has been dramatically changed by the discovery of new neuronal autoantibodies, some of them associated with cognitive impairment. We aimed to assess the prevalence of neuronal autoantibodies in melanoma patients and their association with neurological and cognitive dysfunction. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 157 consecutive melanoma patients with a median age of 63 years were recruited at the Department of Dermatology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin and tested for neuronal autoantibodies. A comprehensive neuropsychological assessment was carried out in a selected subgroup of 84 patients after exclusion of patients with confounding factors for a cognitive dysfunction, including brain metastases, relevant medication, and neurological disorders. RESULTS: Neuronal autoantibodies were found in 22.3% of melanoma patients. The most frequent antibodies were IgA/IgM anti-NMDAR antibodies. Applying the International Cognition and Cancer Task Force criteria, 36.9% had cognitive impairment, however, with a threefold higher odds in antibody-positive compared with antibody-negative patients (57.1% versus 30.2%, OR = 3.1, 95% CI: 1.1 to 8.6; P = 0.037). In patients with anti-NMDAR antibodies, this impairment increased with higher antibody titers (P = 0.007). Antibody-positive patients had a significantly impaired overall cognitive performance (z-value: -0.38 ± 0.69 versus 0.00 ± 0.56; P = 0.014) as well as significant impairments in tests of memory, attention, and executive function. In a multiple linear regression analysis, autoantibodies were an independent risk factor for cognitive impairment (B = -0.282; 95% CI: -0.492 to -0.071; P = 0.009). Autoantibody seropositivity was associated with immune checkpoint inhibitor treatment and a history of autoimmune diseases. CONCLUSIONS: A large number of melanoma patients harbor neuronal autoantibodies that are associated with significant cognitive impairment affecting memory, attention, and executive function. Neuronal autoantibodies might represent a pathophysiological factor and possible biomarker in the development of cancer-related cognitive impairment.

HIV Pharmacist's Impact on Inpatient Antiretroviral Errors.

OBJECTIVES: Transitions in care between out-patient and in-patient settings provide ample opportunity for medication errors to occur in HIV-infected patients. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of an HIV pharmacist monitoring service in decreasing antiretroviral medication errors in a large south central teaching hospital in the USA. METHODS: A retrospective, observational study was conducted to examine the frequency of antiretroviral medication errors in HIV-seropositive patients with hospital admissions between 1 September 2011 and 30 September 2013 at a single tertiary care centre in Oklahoma. Patient assignment to the 12-month pre-intervention and intervention study periods was determined by admission date. Demographic, laboratory, and in-patient medication data were collected. Bivariate analyses were conducted using χ2 analysis with the Yates correction factor for continuity to examine frequencies in specific antiretroviral classes and error categories. A multivariable Poisson regression was employed to examine the frequency of medication errors before and after initiation of the pharmacist service. RESULTS: Medication errors were examined in a total of 330 patient admissions during the 2-year study period. A multivariable-adjusted decrease of 73.9% in the number of errors was observed between the pre-intervention and intervention periods (P < 0.001). Patients on protease inhibitor regimens or with impaired renal function had 2.6-fold and 2.8-fold higher numbers of errors, respectively (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: HIV pharmacist monitoring can decrease medication errors in HIV-infected patients as they transition between out-patient and in-patient care. Patients receiving protease inhibitor-based therapy or with renal insufficiency are at higher risk for medication errors upon admission.

Transanal endoscopic microsurgery colorectal anastomosis: a critical step to natural orifice colorectal surgery in humans.

BACKGROUND: Transanal endoscopic microsurgery is used in the surgical management of advanced rectal polyps and early rectal cancers. There are case reports of transanal endoscopic microsurgery colorectal anastomoses being performed with laparoscopic assistance in humans. METHODS: The concept of a transanal endoscopic microsurgery colorectal anastomosis without laparoscopic assistance has been discussed and trialed on animal and cadaveric specimens; however, to date, there have been no technical reports of this particular procedure in the literature. RESULTS: We present a technical note describing a transanal endoscopic microsurgery intraperitoneal colorectal anastomosis in a live human without laparoscopic assistance.

The first 1000 patients on an internet-based colorectal neoplasia database across private and public medicine in Australia: development of a binational model for the Colorectal Surgical Society of Australia and New Zealand.

BACKGROUND: Collection of multi-institutional data pertaining to the treatment of bowel cancer has been hindered by poor clinician compliance with data entry and the lack of incentive to participate. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to establish if a novel browser-based model of data collection results in complete data capture. DESIGN: A Web-based data collection interface was custom written, offering automated reporting modules for clinical outcome to participants and an automated reporting system for outstanding data fields, and summary reporting of surgical quality outcomes. The software was combined with a clinical feedback system incorporating fortnightly data review meetings, at the time of clinical multidisciplinary meetings. PATIENTS AND SETTING: Selected were 932 consecutive patients with opt-out consent from 3 hospital sites, including public and private medicine. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcomes measured were the analysis of data completeness and accuracy and ensuring that the highest-quality data were used for clinical audit of the surgical practices of Australian colorectal surgeons for the purpose of quality assurance. RESULTS: A total of 932 men and women, 22 to 94 years of age, treated for colorectal neoplasia were evaluated. We obtained 100% completion (>27,000 data points) of perioperative data registered by 8 specialist colorectal surgeons and a full-time database manager. CONCLUSIONS: Data completeness and validity are essential for clinical databases to serve the purpose of quality assurance, benchmarking, and research. The results confirm the safety and efficacy of colorectal cancer surgery in both the public and private sector in Australia. The combination of a simple multiuser interface, defined data points, automated result-reporting modules, and data-deficiency reminder module resulted in 100% data compliance in nearly 1000 clinical episodes. The unprecedented success of this model has lead to the Colorectal Surgical Society of Australia and New Zealand adopting this model for data collection for Australia and New Zealand as the binational database.

Quality of life valuations of HPV-associated cancer health states by the general population.

OBJECTIVES: To obtain health-related quality of life valuations (ie, utilities) for human papillomavirus (HPV)-related cancer health states of vulval, vaginal, penile, anal and oropharyngeal cancers for use in modelling cost-effectiveness of prophylactic HPV vaccination. METHODS: Written case descriptions of each HPV-associated cancer describing the 'average' patient surviving after the initial cancer diagnosis and treatment were developed in consultation with oncology clinicians. A general overview, standard gamble questionnaire for each health state and a quiz was conducted in 120 participants recruited from the general population. RESULTS: In the included population sample (n=99), the average age was 43 years (range = 18-70 years) with 54% men, 44% never married/43% married, 76% education beyond year 12 and 39% employed full-time. The utility values for the five health states were 0.57 (95% CI 0.52 to 0.62) for anal cancer, 0.58 (0.53 to 0.63) for oropharyngeal cancer, 0.59 (0.54 to 0.64) for vaginal cancer, 0.65 (0.60 to 0.70) for vulval cancer and 0.79 (0.74 to 0.84) for penile cancer. Participants demonstrated a very good understanding of the symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of these cancers with a mean score of 9 (SD=1.1) on a 10-item quiz. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides utility estimates for the specific HPV-related cancers of vulval, vaginal, penile, anal and oropharyngeal cancers valued by a general population sample using standard gamble. The results demonstrate considerable quality of life impact associated with surviving these cancers that will be important to incorporate into modelling cost-effectiveness of prophylactic HPV vaccination in different populations.

Implantation of ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer for faecal incontinence management.

PURPOSE: The primary objectives of this trial were to evaluate the safety and feasibility of treatment and to gain a preliminary indication of the effectiveness of ethylene vinyl alcohol injections into the anal sphincters of faecally incontinent patients. METHODS: Between April 2004 and February 2006, we conducted a prospective, single-arm, procedure optimization study of ethylene vinyl alcohol injections in 21 subjects with well-characterized faecal incontinence and an intact external anal sphincter at two Australian hospitals. RESULTS: There was a significant decrease in the Cleveland Clinic Florida Faecal Incontinence Score (CCFFIS) (P= 0.0005) and the Faecal Incontinence Severity Index score (P= 0.005) after treatment. At 12 months post-treatment, the mean CCFFIS had decreased by 37% (P= 0.0021), and 47% of subjects had a > or =50% improvement in CCFFIS. There were significant improvements in embarrassment (P= 0.0455) and coping/behaviour (P= 0.0056) domains of the Faecal Incontinence Quality of Life. At 12 months, the mean anal canal length had increased by 29% (P= 0.066), with 40% of patients demonstrating increases of 50% or more. There were no further improvements following retreatment. CONCLUSIONS: Ethylene vinyl alcohol injection into the anal intersphincteric plane is feasible and well tolerated. Improvement in faecal incontinence compared with baseline was seen. Retreating initial non-responders was not successful.

Giant villous adenoma presenting as McKittrick-Wheelock syndrome and pseudo-obstruction.

McKittrick-Wheelock syndrome is a rare but recognised complication of hypersecretory rectosigmoid villous adenoma. Fluid and electrolyte imbalances require close monitoring because of large-volume losses of water, sodium and potassium. We report an unusual presentation of the syndrome associated with the development of acute pseudo-obstruction of the colon, presumably due to electrolyte dysfunction and acute renal failure.

Clinical and endorectal ultrasound staging of circumferential rectal cancers.

Circumferential rectal cancers present at a more advanced stage than those located in a single quadrant. Although accurate staging is an important aspect of the preoperative management of the patient with a rectal cancer, the clinical and radiological staging of this subgroup of rectal cancer patients has been poorly studied. All patients with a rectal cancer were assessed clinically (by digital rectal examination and rigid sigmoidoscopy) before the radiological assessment by endorectal ultrasound (ERUS). Data collected included tumour height (distance from anal verge in centimetre) and tumour type (circumferential or non-circumferential). Radiological tumour staging was with the TNM system. Fifty-nine subjects (33 men, 26 women; median age 65 years (range 38-86 years)) were identified with a circumferential rectal cancer. Mean height of the cancer was 8 +/- 0.4 cm (standard error of the mean; range 2-13 cm). Forty-two cancers were palpable, and 17 cancers were impalpable. All cancers assessed clinically as circumferential were confirmed as circumferential on ERUS scanning. Tumour stage as assessed by ERUS was either T3 (n = 57) or T4 (n = 2). Nodal status was N0 (n = 29) and N1 (n = 30). All rectal cancers assessed as circumferential on clinical examination have an ERUS stage of T3 or greater.

Pneumothorax, pneumomediastinum, pneumoperitoneum, pneumoretroperitoneum and subcutaneous emphysema following diagnostic colonoscopy.

Colonic perforation is an unusual complication of colonoscopy. We present a case of pneumothorax, pneumomediastinum, pneumoperitoneum and extensive subcutaneous emphysema resulting from a diagnostic colonoscopy. To our knowledge, only two such cases have been described previously.

Transanal endoscopic microsurgery: the first 50 cases.

BACKGROUND: Transanal endoscopic microsurgery is a form of minimally invasive rectal surgery first used at Cabrini Hospital in April 1997. This paper presents a prospective analysis of the first 50 cases with a median follow up of 33 months (range 20-48 months). METHODS: Prospective data was obtained from all cases between April 1997 and June 2000. RESULTS: Forty-nine patients (30 men and 19 women) underwent 50 procedures. Thirty-six had benign lesions and 14 malignant. The mean distance of the lower edge of the lesion from the anal verge was 8.7 cm. Three cases were converted to traditional transanal or transabdominal operations. Full-thickness excision was performed on 26 patients and the rectal wound was closed in 13 cases. The mean duration of transanal endoscopic microsurgery was 67 min (range 20-175), with a mean blood loss of 24 mL (0-300). The mean diameter and area of the fixed specimen was 3.7 cm (1.5-9.8) and 11.4 cm2 (0.8-18.9), respectively. Complications included postoperative fever (3), urinary retention (1) and per rectum bleeding (1). There was one death. The mean length of stay was 4 days. Histology confirmed complete excision in 39 (78%) cases and there have been two instances of local recurrence of adenoma (5%). CONCLUSIONS: Transanal endoscopic microsurgery is an effective, safe and cost-beneficial procedure for local excision of selected lesions in the middle and upper thirds of the rectum.

Rectal cancer in Victoria in 1994: patterns of reported management.

BACKGROUND: A retrospective survey of medical practitioners was conducted to describe the management of patients newly diagnosed with rectal cancer in 1994, prior to the publication of best practice guidelines. METHODS: A sample of 908 patients with rectal cancer diagnosed between 1 January and 31 December 1994 was identified from the Victorian Cancer Registry. Questionnaires were then sent to the treating doctor(s) for completion. The topics covered by the questionnaires included: reported management by method of diagnosis; staging investigations; and treatment by surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. RESULTS: Seven hundred and twenty-six (80%) of 908 eligible patients were surveyed. Surgery was the primary treatment in 681 (93.8%) with curative intent in 483 (70.9%) of these cases. One- third (163; 33.7%) of curative cases were pathologically staged as Dukes' C. Almost all patients (96%) were symptomatic, and three-quarters were referred by general practitioners to 166 surgeons. One-third (221; 32.5%) underwent liver computed tomography or ultrasound, and only three cases had transrectal ultrasound. Restorative anterior resection was the most common surgical procedure (431; 63.3%) with 160 (23.5%) and 34 (5.0%) patients being managed with abdominoperineal resections and local excision, respectively. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy were administered as part of the initial management to 216 (31.7%) and 171 (25.1%) patients, respectively. In five of the 171 cases, radiotherapy was given preoperatively. CONCLUSIONS: There was considerable variation in preoperative assessment. Staging was less complete than expected by today's standards. The diversity of surgical techniques observed may reflect both the lack of clinical trials and disparity in surgical training and experience. Referral to stomal therapists, and medical and radiation oncologists was lower than would now be expected, as was the use and timing of adjuvant therapies. These findings will be useful as a baseline for comparison with subsequent surveys conducted since the introduction of evidence-based guidelines.

Bladder diverticulum simulating a pelvic metastasis on a Tc-99m HDP bone scan.

Carcinoma of the prostate was diagnosed in a 74-year-old man. A Tc-99m HDP bone scan was performed as part of the initial staging process. The findings on the bone scan were normal except for an area of increased tracer uptake projected over the left sacroiliac joint, which was seen best on the anterior view. When this was investigated further, the findings of a plain radiograph were inconclusive. Computed tomography showed a large diverticulum projecting from the left side of the bladder; the tracer retained within this diverticulum had produced the findings on the bone scan.