ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: Transition of care (TOC) from paediatric to adult care is still at an early stage in Malaysia. This study aimed to explore current practices and perspectives regarding TOC among paediatric surgeons in Malaysia. METHODS: This study was carried out between June and December 2017. All 48 paediatric surgeons currently working in Malaysia were invited to participate in a questionnaire-based survey to assess demographic characteristics and practices and perspectives regarding TOC. RESULTS: A total of 38 paediatric surgeons participated in the survey (response rate: 79.2%). Overall, 97.4% did not have an organised TOC model in their institution, with most (65.8%) caring for paediatric patients with complex surgical conditions until adulthood. Although the majority (86.8%) felt that care should be transitioned to adult surgeons with appropriate credentials, most surgeons (84.2%) nevertheless preferred to be involved in the management of adolescent patients after transition. However, there was no consensus regarding the most suitable age to begin the transition. Years of experience as a paediatric surgeon and place of practice did not affect overall TOC practice scores (P >0.050 each). The presence of adult comorbidities was considered the most common reason to initiate TOC (81.6%), while the lack of TOC guidelines was perceived to be the greatest barrier (84.2%). CONCLUSION: This study provides a better understanding of TOC from the point of view of paediatric surgeons in Malaysia. However, further studies involving other stakeholders (i.e. patients and adult surgeons) are needed to help formulate a suitable and successful TOC model in this setting.
Subject(s)
Pediatrics , Practice Patterns, Physicians'/statistics & numerical data , Transition to Adult Care/standards , Adolescent , Attitude of Health Personnel , Female , Health Care Surveys , Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice , Humans , Malaysia/epidemiology , Male , Patient Transfer , Practice Guidelines as TopicABSTRACT
Fetus-in-fetu (FIF) is a rare entity resulting from abnormal embryogenesis in diamniotic monochorionic twins, being first described by Johann Friedrich Meckel (1800s). This occurs when a vertebrate fetus is enclosed in a normally growing fetus. Clinical manifestations vary. Detection is most often in infancy, the oldest reported age being 47. We report the case of a 4-day-old girl who was referred postnatally following a prenatal fetal scan which had revealed the presence of a multi-loculated retroperitoneal mass lesion with calcifications within. A provisional radiological diagnosis of FIF was made. Elective laparotomy revealed a well encapsulated retroperitoneal mass containing among other structures a skull vault and rudimentary limb buds. Recovery was uneventful. Here we discuss the difference between FIF and teratomas, risks of non-operative therapy and the role of serology in surveillance and detection of malignant change.
ABSTRACT
Breast cancer estrogen receptor (ER) status is one of the strong additional factors in predicting response of patients towards hormonal treatment. The main aim of this study was to assess the morphological characteristics and proliferative activity using MIB-1(Ki-67) of estrogen receptor negative invasive breast ductal carcinoma (NOS type) as well as to correlate these features with clinicopathological data. We also aim to study the expression of c-erbB2 in ER negative breast tumors. High proliferative rate (MIB-1 above 20%) was observed in 63 (63.6%) of 99 ER negative tumors and that these tumors were associated with high expression of c-erbB2 (57.6%). We observed that MIB-1 is a reliable independent prognostic indicator for ER negative infiltrating ductal carcinoma in this study.
