Long-term survival following adrenalectomy for secondary adrenal tumors: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Secondary adrenal tumors (SATs) are uncommon, and the benefits of adrenalectomy for SATs have not been well-established. A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to assess the survival benefits of adrenalectomy for SATs. METHOD: ology: A systematic literature search was performed (1990-2022). The inclusion criteria included a known primary tumor with confirmed adrenal metastasis in patients who underwent adrenalectomy. The primary outcome was the overall survival (OS). RESULTS: A total of 26 studies were included, with 2279 patients. The average age at the time of diagnosis was 61.1 years. Lung cancer was the most common primary tumor. The average time from primary tumor diagnosis to identification of adrenal metastasis was 17 months. The median OS was 35.2 months. One, three, and five-year OS were 79.7 â€‹%, 49.1 â€‹%, and 37.9 â€‹%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The results of this review provide insight into the long-term survival of patients with SATs who underwent adrenalectomy. The study highlights the need for further research to identify the risk factors that play a role in the outcome of adrenalectomy in patients with SATs.

Improved Rate of Negative Margins for Inflammatory Breast Cancer Using Intraoperative Frozen Section Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is a rare and aggressive form of breast cancer with a poor survival rate. Modified radical mastectomy (MRM) with negative pathologic margins is critical for improved survival. We aim to study the potential benefit of intraoperative frozen section analysis (FSA) to improve disease-free margins. METHODS: This prospective, monocentric study included 19 patients who underwent MRM for IBC. For each patient, a 2 mm continuous skin edge was sent for FSA to guide further resection. The rate of tumor-free margins and the concurrence between the FSA and permanent pathological results were analyzed. RESULTS: Overall, 15 of the 19 patients achieved negative margins, including four patients who would have had positive margins without FSA. The odds ratio of achieving a negative final margin with FSA was infinity (p = 0.031), and there was a strong agreement between the FSA and permanent pathological results (Kappa-0.83; p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: The FSA technique decreased the number of positive margins in IBC patients undergoing MRM, thereby potentially reducing the need for re-operation, allowing immediate wound closure, and preventing delays in the administration of adjuvant radiation therapy. More extensive trials are warranted to establish the use of intraoperative FSA in IBC treatment.

Recent trends in cholecystectomy in US veterans.

INTRODUCTION: We hypothesize that the recent trend in performing cholecystectomy in US Veterans shows wide adoption of the laparoscopic technique and improvement in the outcome following both laparoscopic (LC) and open cholecystectomy (OC). This study utilizes the Veterans Affairs Surgical Quality Improvement Program database to examine the status and outcome of cholecystectomy. METHODS: A retrospective review of veterans who underwent cholecystectomy between 2008 and 2015 was performed. Data analysis included patient demographics, operations, and postoperative outcomes. Cochran-Armitage trend analysis was used to assess significant changes in outcome over the study period. p ≤ 0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: A total of 40,722 patients (average age of 61 years) were included in the study (males 85.6%). LC was performed in the majority of patients (86.4%). Patients in the OC group (13.6%) were more likely to have advanced age (≥ 65 years) (47.6% vs 32.0%, p < 0.001) and higher ASA class (III-V) (81.9% vs 65.4%, p < 0.001) than those in the LC group. Compared with LC, OC had higher mortality rates at 30 days (1.3% vs 0.3%; OR = 1.6, p = 0.03), 3 months (2.6% vs 0.7%; OR = 1.7, p < 0.001), 6 months (3.9% vs 1.1%; OR = 1.5, p < 0.001) and 1 year (5.7% vs 2.0%; OR = 1.5, p < 0.001); higher rates of morbidity, including pneumonia (OR = 1.9, p < 0.001), deep venous thrombosis (OR = 2.4, p = 0.02), reoperation (OR = 1.8, p < 0.001), and superficial (OR = 4.9, p < 0.001) and deep (OR = 1.5, p = 0.01) surgical site infections; and a longer length of stay (6.5 days vs 2.6 days, p < 0.001). Trend analysis showed a significant decrease in both mortality (p = 0.02) and morbidity (p < 0.001) for LC over the study period, but no improvement in mortality (p = 0.35) and a only a minimal improvement in morbidity (p = 0.04) for OC. CONCLUSION: In the recent era, LC has been widely performed in the VA with significant improvement in outcome. Efforts are needed to adopt alternative approaches to planned OC and to improve postoperative outcomes.

Radiation-induced undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma of the breast.

Breast sarcoma is a rare form of malignancy that arises from connective tissue within the breast, comprising less than 5% of all sarcomas. They develop as primary tumours or as secondary following radiation therapy. Diagnosis can be challenging as breast sarcomas are often asymptomatic and resemble benign breast tissue changes. Radiation-induced breast sarcomas present in various forms with an average latency period of 10-20 years following initial radiation therapy. Angiosarcomas are the most common form, while other types such as undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcomas remain rare. Here, we report a case of radiation-induced undifferentiated pleomorphic breast sarcoma in a 75-year-old woman that developed nearly 20 years following breast conserving surgery and radiation for invasive ductal carcinoma. The patient initially noticed a mass in 2017 on self-examination. The mammogram, ultrasound and biopsy at the time showed a benign 2.2 cm nodular fasciitis without malignancy. The mass grew rapidly in the next 6 months to 5.6 cm and repeat biopsy diagnosed undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma. The mass abutted the pectoralis muscle but staging workup ruled out distant metastasis and the patient underwent wide local resection of the mass with clear margins. The patient subsequently underwent further postoperative radiation due to insufficient posterior margin width on wide local excision, as chest wall resection would have been required for a wider posterior margin. Prognosis for postradiation sarcomas is generally poor with 27%-36% 5-year survival, with surgical resection as the main line of treatment. The patient currently remains disease-free after 15 months of surveillance.

Multimodal Clinical Pathway With Adductor Canal Block Decreases Hospital Length of Stay, Improves Pain Control, and Reduces Opioid Consumption in Total Knee Arthroplasty Patients: A Retrospective Review.

BACKGROUND: Total knee arthroplasty volume is increasing significantly in the United States. Reducing hospital length of stay may represent the best method for accommodating expanding volume and reducing costs. We hypothesized that tailoring a clinical pathway to facilitate early ambulation would decrease costs and resource utilization. METHODS: We conducted a sequential before-and-after study of total knee arthroplasty patients after a phased implementation of a clinical pathway that includes multimodal oral analgesic protocols, adductor canal nerve block, and standardized day of surgery ambulation protocols. Primary outcomes measured were hospital length of stay, total opioid consumption, total antiemetic use, and perioperative pain scores. RESULTS: Two hundred ninety-five patients were divided into 3 sequential cohorts. Cohort 1 received spinal anesthesia, femoral nerve block, and was not placed into postop day 0 ambulation therapy. Cohort 2 received spinal anesthesia, adductor canal block, and postop day 0 ambulation therapy. Cohort 3 received spinal anesthesia, adductor canal block, postop day 0 ambulation therapy, and standardized oral multimodal analgesic protocol. Cohort 3 had significantly reduced hospital length of stay. Cohorts 2 and 3 had significantly less opioid consumption. Cohort 3 had significantly less total ondansetron consumption compared with cohort 1. Cohort 3 had significantly reduced average pain scores compared with cohort 1. CONCLUSION: The data demonstrate that tailored clinical pathways designed to facilitate early ambulation can reduce hospital length of stay, reduce opioid consumption, reduce antiemetic use, and improve pain control. The results establish that refined clinical pathways can assist in improving care while increasing value to patients, providers, and systems.

Indigenous enteric eosinophils control DCs to initiate a primary Th2 immune response in vivo.

Eosinophils natively inhabit the small intestine, but a functional role for them there has remained elusive. Here, we show that eosinophil-deficient mice were protected from induction of Th2-mediated peanut food allergy and anaphylaxis, and Th2 priming was restored by reconstitution with il4(+/+) or il4(-/-) eosinophils. Eosinophils controlled CD103(+) dendritic cell (DC) activation and migration from the intestine to draining lymph nodes, events necessary for Th2 priming. Eosinophil activation in vitro and in vivo led to degranulation of eosinophil peroxidase, a granule protein whose enzymatic activity promoted DC activation in mice and humans in vitro, and intestinal and extraintestinal mouse DC activation and mobilization to lymph nodes in vivo. Further, eosinophil peroxidase enhanced responses to ovalbumin seen after immunization. Thus, eosinophils can be critical contributors to the intestinal immune system, and granule-mediated shaping of DC responses can promote both intestinal and extraintestinal adaptive immunity.