Incidence of Second Primary Melanoma in Cutaneous Melanoma Survivors.

BACKGROUND: Cutaneous melanoma survivors are at increased risk of a second primary melanoma. Valid estimates facilitate counseling on recommended surveillance after a melanoma diagnosis. However, most estimates of 5- and 10-year incidences of second melanomas are from older cohorts and/or single institutions. This study aimed to determine the 5- and 10-year incidences of second primary cutaneous melanomas in survivors of cutaneous melanoma. METHODS: The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database was used to identify cases of non-metastatic, first cutaneous melanoma diagnosed between 1998 and 2012 (follow-up through December 2017). Eligible survivors were 18 years old or older who underwent surgery as a treatment component. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was used to estimate 5- and 10-year incidences of a second melanoma, excluding new diagnoses within 3 months after the initial diagnosis. Patients were censored at second melanoma diagnosis, death, or 10-years, whichever was first. Multivariable Cox regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with a second cutaneous melanoma diagnosis. RESULTS: The study cohort comprised 152,811 patients. The incidence of second primary melanoma was 3.9% at 5 years (95% confidence interval [CI], 3.8-4.0%) and 6.7% at 10 years (95% CI, 6.6-6.9%). Older age, male sex, and regional disease were associated with increased risk of a second primary melanoma diagnosis. CONCLUSION: Melanoma survivors are at risk of a second primary melanoma, making routine skin surveillance part of recommended follow-up evaluation. A higher incidence of second melanoma with older age and regional disease at presentation is possibly explained by increased health care use providing more diagnostic opportunities, whereas male sex may represent an inherent risk factor.

Sexual Well-Being After Nipple-Sparing Mastectomy: Does Preservation of the Nipple Matter?

INTRODUCTION: The primary aim of this study was to evaluate patient-reported outcome measures in patients undergoing mastectomy with and without breast reconstruction (immediate or delayed) with and without nipple preservation. METHODS: All female patients undergoing mastectomy between 2011 and 2015 at Mayo Clinic Rochester were identified and were mailed the BREAST-Q survey. Breast satisfaction, psychosocial well-being, and sexual well-being were evaluated and compared by surgery type using Wilcoxon rank-sum tests for univariate analysis and linear regression for multivariable analysis adjusting for potential confounders. RESULTS: Of 1547 patients, 771 completed the BREAST-Q survey (response rate 50%). Of these 771 respondents, 237 (31%) did not have reconstruction, 198 (26%) had nipple-sparing mastectomy with reconstruction (NSM), and 336 (44%) had skin-sparing mastectomy with reconstruction (SSM) ± nipple-areolar complex (NAC) reconstruction (via surgery ± tattoo). Patients with breast reconstruction had consistently higher BREAST-Q scores versus those without. Comparing NSM with all SSMs, there was no difference in satisfaction with breasts (mean 71.8 vs. 70.2, p = 0.21) or psychosocial well-being (mean 81.9 vs. 81.3, p = 0.47); however, sexual well-being was significantly higher in the NSM group on univariate (mean 64.5 vs. 58.0, p = 0.002) and multivariable (ß = -4.69, p = 0.03) analysis. Sexual well-being scores were similar for NSM and the SSM subgroups with any type of NAC reconstruction. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that NSM positively impacts patient sexual well-being after breast reconstruction compared with SSM, particularly SSM without nipple reconstruction or tattoo. SSM with any type of NAC reconstruction achieved similar satisfaction and sexual well-being to those undergoing NSM.

Intraoperative Pathologic Margin Analysis and Re-Excision to Minimize Reoperation for Patients Undergoing Breast-Conserving Surgery.

BACKGROUND: Reoperation rates following breast-conserving surgery (BCS) range from 10 to 40%, with marked surgeon and institutional variation. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to identify factors associated with intraoperative margin re-excision, evaluate for any differences in local recurrence based on margin re-excision and determine reoperation rates with use of intraoperative margin analysis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We analyzed consecutive patients with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) or invasive breast cancer who underwent BCS at our institution between 1 January 2005 and 31 December 2016. Routine intraoperative frozen section margin analysis was performed and positive or close margins were re-excised intraoperatively. Univariate analysis was used to compare margin status and the Kaplan-Meier method was used to compare recurrence. Multivariable logistic regression was utilized to analyze factors associated with re-excision. RESULTS: We identified 3201 patients who underwent BCS-688 for DCIS and 2513 for invasive carcinoma. Overall, 1513 (60.2%) patients with invasive cancer and 434 (63.1%) patients with DCIS had close or positive margins that underwent intraoperative re-excision. Margin re-excision was associated with larger tumor size in both groups. The permanent pathology positive margin rate among all patients was 1.2%, and the 30-day reoperation rate for positive margins was 1.1%. Five-year local recurrence rates were 0.6% and 1.2% for patients with DCIS and invasive cancer, respectively. There was no difference in recurrence between patients with and without intraoperative margin re-excision (p = 0.92). CONCLUSION: Both DCIS and invasive carcinoma had similar rates of intraoperative margin re-excision. Although intraoperative margin re-excision was common, the reoperation rate was extremely low and there was no difference in recurrence between those with or without intraoperative re-excision.

Workload Differentiates Breast Surgical Procedures: NSM Associated with Higher Workload Demand than SSM.

BACKGROUND: Breast surgery has evolved with more focus on improving cosmetic outcomes, which requires increased operative time and technical complexity. Implications of these technical advances in surgery for the surgeon are unclear, but they may increase intraoperative demands, both mentally and physically. We prospectively evaluated mental and physical demand across breast surgery procedures, and compared surgeon ergonomic risk between nipple-sparing (NSM) and skin-sparing mastectomy (SSM) using subjective and objective measures. METHODS: From May 2017 to July 2017, breast surgeons completed modified NASA-Task Load Index (TLX) workload surveys after cases. From January 2018 to July 2018, surgeons completed workload surveys and wore inertial measurement units to evaluate their postures during NSM and SSM cases. Mean angles of surgical postures, ergonomic risk, survey items, and patient factors were analyzed. RESULTS: Procedural duration was moderately related to surgeon frustration, mental and physical demand, and fatigue (p < 0.001). NSMs were rated 23% more physically demanding (M = 13.3, SD = 4.3) and demanded 28% more effort (M = 14.4, SD = 4.6) than SSMs (M = 10.8, SD = 4.7; M = 11.8, SD = 5.0). Incision type was a contributing factor in workload and procedural difficulty. Left arm mean angle was significantly greater for NSM (M = 30.1 degrees, SD = 6.6) than SSMs (M = 18.2 degrees, SD = 4.3). A higher musculoskeletal disorder risk score for the trunk was significantly associated with higher surgeon physical workload (p = 0.02). CONCLUSION: Nipple-sparing mastectomy required the highest surgeon-reported workload of all breast procedures, including physical demand and effort. Objective measures identified the surgeons' left upper arm as being at the greatest risk for a work-related musculoskeletal disorder, specifically from performing NSMs.

Sentinel Node Lymph Node Surgery After Neoadjuvant Therapy: Principles and Techniques.

Surgical management of the axilla in breast cancer has been a topic of great interest. While sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) is an established approach for patients undergoing surgical treatment as the first element of their care, there is continued debate regarding surgical management of the axilla in patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). In clinically node-negative patients, it has been debated whether or not SLNB should be performed before chemotherapy to accurately determine the clinical stage, or after chemotherapy, thus prioritizing the response to therapy and potentially minimizing axillary surgery. Node-positive patients have undergone axillary lymph node dissection in the past, however this paradigm has been challenged in recent years. Thus, surgeons must understand the importance of accurate axillary information both before and after NAC, and its role in multidisciplinary planning. We present a summary of the data surrounding axillary management in patients receiving NAC, and recommendations for surgical technique.

Management of local or regional non-nodal disease.

Some melanomas develop a striking avidity for lymphatic spread. In spite of multiple recurrences, patients can remain years without visceral metastasis. There is clearly a biologic reason for this lymphotrophic pattern of growth and dissemination, which we have yet to uncover. In-transit metastases have widely diverse clinical presentations and can be a stubborn disease to cure. As a result, a host of treatments exist that should be tailored to the individual patient.

Organized screening detects breast cancer at earlier stage regardless of molecular phenotype.

PURPOSE: Mortality reduction attributable to organized breast screening is modest. Screening may be less effective at detecting more aggressive cancers at an earlier stage. This study was conducted to determine the relative efficacy of screening mammography to detect cancers at an earlier stage by molecular phenotype. METHODS: We identified 2882 women with primary invasive breast cancer diagnosed between January 1, 2008 and December 31, 2012 and who had a mammogram through the Ontario Breast Screening Program in the 28 months before diagnosis. Five tumor phenotypes were defined by expression of estrogen (ER) and progesterone (PR) receptors and HER2/neu oncogene. We conducted univariable and multivariable analyses to describe the predictors of detection as an interval cancer. Additional analyses identified predictors of detection at stages II, III, or IV compared with stage I, by phenotype. Analyses were adjusted for the effects of age, grade, and breast density. RESULTS: ER negative and HER2 positive tumors were over-represented among interval cancers, and triple negative cancers were more likely than ER +/HER2 - cancers to be detected as interval cancers OR 2.5 (95% CI 2.0-3.2, p < 0.0001). Method of detection (interval vs. screen) and molecular phenotype were independently associated with stage at diagnosis (p < 0.0001), but there was no interaction between method of detection and phenotype (p = 0.44). CONCLUSION: In a screened population, triple negative and HER2 + breast cancers are diagnosed at a higher stage but this appears to be due to higher growth rates of these tumors rather than a relative inability of screening to detect them.

Validation of the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma's emergency general surgery breast infection grading system.

BACKGROUND: The American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) developed emergency general surgery (EGS) grading systems for multiple diseases to standardize classification of disease severity. The grading system for breast infections has not been validated. We aimed to validate the AAST breast infection grading system. METHODS: Multi-institutional retrospective review of all adult patients with a breast infection diagnosis at Mayo Clinic Rochester 1/2015-10/2015 and Pietermaritzburg South African Hospital 1/2010-4/2016 was performed. AAST EGS grades were assigned by two independent reviewers. Inter-rater reliability was measured using the agreement statistic (kappa). Final AAST grade was correlated with patient and treatment factors using Pearson's correlation coefficient. RESULTS: Two hundred twenty-five patients were identified: grade I (n = 152, 67.6%), II (n = 44, 19.6%), III (n = 25, 11.1%), IV (n = 0, 0.0%), and V (n = 4, 1.8%). At Mayo Clinic Rochester, AAST grades ranged from I-III. The kappa was 1.0, demonstrating 100% agreement between reviewers. Within the South African patients, grades included II, III, and V, with a kappa of 0.34, due to issues of the grading system application to this patient population. Treatment received correlated with AAST grade; less severe breast infections (grade I-II) received more oral antibiotics (correlation [-0.23, P = 0.0004]), however, higher AAST grades (III) received more intravenous antibiotics (correlation 0.29, P <0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: The AAST EGS breast infection grading system demonstrates reliability and ease for disease classification, and correlates with required treatment, in patients presenting with low-to-moderate severity infections at an academic medical center; however, it needs further refinement before being applicable to patients with more severe disease presenting for treatment in low-/middle-income countries.

Factors Associated With Positive Margins in Women Undergoing Breast Conservation Surgery.

OBJECTIVE: To identify factors predicting positive margins at lumpectomy prompting intraoperative reexcision in patients with breast cancer treated at a large referral center. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We reviewed all breast cancer lumpectomy cases managed at our institution from January 1, 2012, through December 31, 2013. Associations between rates of positive margin and patient and tumor factors were assessed using χ2 tests and univariate and adjusted multivariate logistic regression, stratified by ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) or invasive cancer. RESULTS: We identified 382 patients who underwent lumpectomy for definitive surgical resection of breast cancer, 102 for DCIS and 280 for invasive cancer. Overall, 234 patients (61.3%) required intraoperative reexcision for positive margins. The reexcision rate was higher in patients with DCIS than in those with invasive disease (78.4% [80 of 102] vs 56.4% [158 of 280]; univariate odds ratio, 2.80; 95% CI, 1.66-4.76; P<.001). Positive margin rates did not vary by patient age, surgeon, estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, or ERBB2 status of the tumor. Among the 280 cases of invasive breast cancer, the only factor independently associated with lower odds of margin positivity was seed localization vs no localization (P=.03). CONCLUSION: Ductal carcinoma in situ was associated with a higher rate of positive margins at lumpectomy than invasive breast cancer on univariate analysis. Within invasive disease, seed localization was associated with lower rates of margin positivity.

Neoadjuvant systemic therapy for regionally advanced melanoma.

BACKGROUND: Patients with regionally advanced melanoma are at high risk of distant failure and unlikely to be cured by surgery alone. Neoadjuvant therapy may provide benefit in these patients. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate our experience with neoadjuvant systemic therapy in high-risk stage III patients. METHODS: Retrospective review of patients with advanced stage III disease who received neoadjuvant therapy between August 2009 and August 2016 at Mayo Clinic Rochester. RESULTS: Twenty-three cases met our inclusion criteria, 16 with resectable disease and 7 with unresectable disease. No patients with resectable disease and one patient with borderline resectable disease progressed regionally, prohibiting surgical resection. Five of seven patients with unresectable disease were down-staged to a resectable state. Six of twenty-three (26%) had a CR and five are alive at last follow-up. Fifteen of twenty three patients (65%) progressed with a median progression free survival of 11 months; however, the 5 year overall survival estimate was 84%. CONCLUSIONS: Neoadjuvant systemic therapy is a reasonable approach for patients with advanced but resectable/borderline resectable disease and the risk of losing regional control is low. Our data also suggest some patients with unresectable disease will be converted to resectable and a complete clinical response to treatment can be obtained in approximately one quater of patients.

When Does Atypical Ductal Hyperplasia Require Surgical Excision?

Atypical ductal hyperplasia (ADH) is a proliferative, nonobligate precursor breast lesion and a marker of increased risk for breast carcinoma. Surgical excision remains the standard recommendation following a core needle biopsy result consistent with ADH. Recent research suggests that women with no mass lesion or discordance, removal of greater than or equal to 90% of calcifications at the time of core needle biopsy, involvement of less than or equal to 2 terminal duct lobular units, and absence of cytologic atypia or necrosis are likely to have a less than 5% chance of a missed cancer.

In Search of a Gold Standard Scoring System for the Subjective Evaluation of Cosmetic Outcomes Following Breast-Conserving Therapy.

The absence of a widely accepted method for aesthetic evaluation following breast-conserving surgery for breast cancer limits the ability to evaluate cosmetic outcomes. In this study, two different panel scoring approaches were compared in an attempt to identify a gold standard scoring system for subjectively assessing cosmetic outcomes following breast-conserving therapy. Standardized photographs of each participant were evaluated independently by twelve health care professionals involved in breast cancer diagnosis and treatment using the Danoff four-point scale. Individual Danoff scores were combined using two methods, a random sample "three-panel" score and an iterative "Delphi-panel" score, in order to create a final cosmetic score for each patient. Agreement between these two aggregative approaches was assessed with a weighted kappa (wk) statistic. Patient and professional recruitment occurred at two separate tertiary care multi-disciplinary breast health centers. Women with unilateral breast cancer who underwent breast-conserving therapy (segmental mastectomy or lumpectomy and radiotherapy) and were at least 2 years after radiotherapy were asked to participate. Ninety-seven women were evaluated. The Delphi approach required three rounds of evaluation to obtain greater than 50% agreement in all photographs. The wk statistic between scores generated from the "three-panel" and "Delphi-panel" approaches was 0.80 (95% CI: 0.71-0.89), thus demonstrating substantial agreement. Evaluation of cosmetic outcomes following breast-conserving therapy using a "three-panel" and "Delphi-panel" score provide similar results, confirming the reliability of either approach for subjective evaluation. Simplicity of use and interpretation favors the "three-panel" score. Future work should concentrate on the integration of the three-panel score with objective and patient-reported scales to generate a comprehensive cosmetic evaluation platform.

Multivisceral resections for gastrointestinal stromal tumors: are the risks justifiable?

BACKGROUND: Surgical resection is the cornerstone of treatment for non-metastatic gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs). Multivisceral resection (MVR) for locally advanced tumors is often required to achieve negative margins. The purpose of this study was to review the peri-operative and long-term oncologic outcomes for patients who required MVR versus single-organ resection (SOR) for GISTs. METHODS: All patients who underwent treatment for GISTs at a tertiary cancer center between 2001 and 2011 were identified. Patient characteristics and clinical outcomes were compared using the chi-squared/Fisher's exact test and Student's t-test. Disease-free (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier product-limit method. RESULTS: 33 patients underwent MVR and 77 underwent SOR. Tumors in the MVR group were larger and had a higher mitotic index. MVR patients had longer operative times, greater operative blood loss and more peri-operative complications. There was no significant difference in the final margin status between the two groups (R0 resection: SOR 92.2%, MVR 81.8%, p = 0.1303). 5-year DFS was significantly lower in the MVR cohort (44.4% vs. 78.9%, p = 0.0090), but there was no difference in 5-year OS (80.2% vs. 90.5%, p = 0.2547). CONCLUSIONS: MVR patients had more aggressive tumors and more complications; however, there was no difference in 5-year OS between the MVR and SOR cohorts. These findings support the use of MVR in the appropriately selected patient. Further studies are necessary to fully define its clinical application.

Predictive Ability of Blood Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte and Platelet-to-Lymphocyte Ratios in Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors.

BACKGROUND: Recent findings have shown that the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is prognostic for gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST). The platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) can predict outcome for several other disease sites. This study evaluates the prognostic utility of NLR and PLR for patients with GIST. METHODS: All patients who had undergone surgical resection for primary, localized GIST from 2001 to 2011 were identified from a prospectively maintained database. Recurrence-free survival (RFS) was calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method and compared by the log-rank test. Univariate Cox proportional hazard regression models were used to identify associations with outcome variables. RESULTS: The study included 93 patients. High PLR [≥245; hazard ratio (HR) 3.690; 95 % confidence interval (CI) 1.066-12.821; p = 0.039], neutrophils (HR 1.224; 95 % CI 1.017-1.473; p = 0.033), and platelets (HR 1.005; 95 % CI 1.001-1.009; p = 0.013) were associated with worse RFS. Patients with high PLR had 2- and 5-year RFS of 57 and 57 %, compared with 94 and 84 % for those with low PLR. High NLR (≥2.04) was not associated with reduced RFS (p = 0.214). Whereas more patients in the high PLR group had large tumors (p = 0.047), more patients in the high NLR group had high mitotic rates (p = 0.016) than in the low-ratio cohorts. Adjuvant therapy was given to 41.2 % of the patients with high PLR (p = 0.022). The patients with high PLR/NLR had worse nomogram-predicted RFS than the patients with low PLR/NLR. CONCLUSIONS: High PLR was associated with reduced RFS. The prognostic ability of PLR to predict recurrence suggests that it may play a role in risk-stratification schemes used to determine which patients will benefit from adjuvant therapy.

The accuracy of three predictive models in the evaluation of recurrence rates for gastrointestinal stromal tumors.

BACKGROUND: Treatment decisions for gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) are frequently guided by tumor characteristics. An accurate prediction of recurrence is important to determine the benefit from targeted therapy. Our goal was to compare the concordance of three validated risk stratification schemes with observed outcomes in patients undergoing resection for GISTs. METHODS: Patients who underwent surgery for GISTs from 2001 to 2011 at a tertiary centre were identified. Survival was evaluated using the Kaplan-Meier product-limit method. Cox proportional hazard models were used to obtain predicted recurrence for each system and concordance indices were calculated. RESULTS: Of 110 patients identified, 77 (70.0%) had surgery and 29 (26.4%) also received adjuvant therapy. The majority of patients had tumors that were very low (4.5%), low (32.7%), or intermediate (22.7%) in terms of malignant potential. R0 resection was achieved in 89.1% of cases. Observed 2-year and 5-year recurrence rates were significantly lower than those predicted by the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center nomogram (7.6% vs. 19.3% and 18.4% vs. 27.0%); however, it was the most favorable tool compared to the US National Institutes of Health (NIH)-consensus (P = 0.0017) and modified NIH-consensus (P < 0.001), with a concordance index of 0.811. CONCLUSION: Development of a novel predictive tool that includes additional prognostic factors may better stratify recurrence following resection for GIST.

Relapse of acute myeloid leukemia manifested by cholecystitis: A case report and review of the literature.

INTRODUCTION: AML is the most common form of leukemia in adults. In rare circumstances AML may present in the form of extra-medullary disease. Gallbladder infiltration with myeloblasts is rare and only a few cases exist in the literature describing this entity. PRESENTATION OF CASE: We present a rare case of AML relapse in the form of extramedullary infiltration of the gallbladder in a 50-year-old male patient. The leukemic infiltration presented as symptomatic cholecystitis and sepsis. A laparoscopic cholecystectomy was performed and the gallbladder was pathologically examined. Histopathologic examination demonstrated multiple scattered, highly atypical single cells admixed with some plasma cells, small lymphocytes and macrophages consistent with leukemic infiltration. The abnormal cells demonstrated immunohistochemical staining for CD68, CD33 and CD117. The patient did well post-operatively but the relapse precluded him from bone marrow transplantation. DISCUSSION: Although AML is relatively common, 3 cases per 100,000 population, extramedullary disease in the form of gallbladder infiltration is exceedingly rare. An extensive review of the literature revealed only four cases of myeloid infiltration of the gallbladder. To our knowledge this is the only case of relapsing disease in the form of gallbladder infiltration presenting as symptomatic cholecystitis in a pre-bone marrow transplantation patient. CONCLUSION: This case highlights the importance of maintaining a high index of suspicion of atypical manifestations of AML when managing refractory sepsis. Extramedullary manifestations of AML in the form of gallbladder infiltration must be considered in the differential diagnosis of patients with a history of myeloid malignancies and for patients whom fail conventional non-operative management.

Severe stricturing Crohn's disease of the duodenum: A case report and review of surgical options.

INTRODUCTION: Duodenal Crohn's disease is a rare clinical entity that occurs in 0.5-4.0% of patients with Crohn's disease. A unique case of Crohn's disease of the upper gastrointestinal tract characterized by multiple strictures within the duodenum and jejunum is described in our review. PRESENTATION OF CASE: A 41-year-old male presented with a 2-month history of intermittent, crampy abdominal pain accompanied by nausea, bilious emesis, early satiety, anorexia and weight loss. Physical examination revealed fullness in the epigastric region. Imaging demonstrated strictures in the proximal and distal duodenum with dilatation of the intervening segments. There was also gross dilatation of the proximal jejunum, which was followed by a 9cm strictured segment. There was no evidence of acute Crohn's disease. Although a Whipple's resection was initially considered as a form of operative intervention given the extent of disease within the duodenum, the discovery of unexpected disease intra-operatively presented a surgical dilemma. In this case, strictureplasty, surgical resection and bypass were used to treat the patient. DISCUSSION: Diffuse stricturing of the proximal gastrointestinal tract is a rare manifestation of Crohn's disease. Although imaging can aid in surgical planning, intra-operative decision-making to deal with unexpected findings will remain an important aspect of the management of this entity. CONCLUSION: The fundamental goal of the surgical management of strictures secondary to Crohn's disease is to relieve obstruction while maximizing bowel conservation. A variety of operative techniques are currently described for the management of duodenal Crohn's disease and are reviewed in this case report.

Gender preference for a female physician diminishes as women have increased experience with intimate examinations.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the importance of seven statements encouraging medical student participation in the health care team with respect to the effect they would have on a woman's decision to allow a medical student to participate in an intimate physical examination, and to explore factors associated with gender bias. METHODS: Questionnaires were administered to women attending outpatient clinics in obstetrics and gynaecology at Kingston General Hospital and to students at two local secondary schools. RESULTS: Responses from 683 clinic patients and 192 secondary school students were analyzed. The mean age (range) was 42 years (17- 85) and 16 years (15- 22) for the respective samples. More clinic patients rated each of the statements as important or very important than did students (P < 0.01, Fisher exact tests). The largest differences between the sample groups were seen for the statements pertaining to the potential for enhanced understanding (81.0% vs. 60.2%), quality of health care (87.4% vs. 69.8%), and affording medical students the opportunity to participate (92.7% vs. 77.0%); 72.8% (485/666) of clinic patients reported they would accept an intimate examination by a medical student of either gender, compared with 32.1% (61/190) of secondary school students, and 22.2% (148/666) of clinic patients indicated they would only accept a female student compared with 55.3% (105/190) of secondary school students. The proportion of students preferring female medical students was inversely related to the number of previous breast or pelvic examinations (P = 0.031, chi-square test for trend). CONCLUSIONS: Educational statements designed to encourage women to allow students to participate in their medical care had less effect on the secondary school students than on the women in a clinic setting. Although secondary school students express a preference for female physicians, it appears that with increasing experience with intimate examinations other factors take precedence in determining choice of health care provider.