Homicides in Western Norway, 1985-2009, time trends, age and gender differences.

This retrospective study from Western Norway is based on the cases of 196 homicide victims from 1985 to 2009. The median age of the victims was 35 years, in both genders. Within the cases, 113 of the victims were male and 83 female, 28 victims were under the age of 18, and 19 victims were not native Norwegians. Ethanol was detected in the blood of a higher proportion of male compared to female victims, whereas a higher proportion of female compared to male victims had both illegal/legal drugs detected in their blood. Most perpetrators were male. Men were most often killed by an acquaintance, women by their present or former intimate partner. In 14 cases of intimate partner homicide the perpetrator committed suicide after killing their female partner. The dominant scene of crime was private homes. Most victims were killed by blunt force, sharp force or gunshot. The head was the body region most often injured in the homicide victims. Female victims were more often killed by manual strangulation than male victims.

Fatal diving accidents in western Norway 1983-2007.

Despite efforts to reduce their number, fatal diving accidents still occur. The circumstances and post-mortem findings in 40 fatal diving accidents in western Norway from 1983 through 2007 were investigated. Diving experience, medical history and toxicology reports were retrieved. The material consisted of recreational divers, professional saturation divers and professional divers without experience with saturation. In 33 cases the diving equipment was examined as part of the forensic investigation. In 27 cases defects in the diving equipment were found. For six divers such defects were responsible for the fatal accidents. Eighteen divers died on the surface or less than 10 m below surface. Five divers reached below 100 msw, and two of them died at this depth. The fatalities were not season-dependent. However, wave-height and strength of currents were influential factors in some cases. Twelve divers were diving alone. Twenty divers had one buddy, 9 of these divers were alone at the time of death. The cause of death was drowning in 31 out of 40 divers; one of them had a high blood-ethanol concentration, in two other divers ethanol was found in the urine, indicating previous ethanol consumption. Nine divers died from sudden decompression, pulmonary barotraumas, underwater trauma and natural causes. The study shows that most of the fatal diving accidents could be avoided if adequate diving safety procedures had been followed.

Efferent vascular invasion in the axillary nodes in breast carcinoma: a potent prognostic factor.

Tumour cells in the efferent vessels of the axillary nodes in breast cancer (EV status) have been associated with poor prognosis since 1979. A prospective study (1980-1989) of all the nodes from 1037 consecutive female patients with unilateral breast cancer whose treatment included axillary node dissection yielded 471 node-positive cases. Tumour cells were found in the efferent nodal vessels of 210 patients, while 252 were negative. In the remaining 9 patients efferent nodal vessels could not be identified. At follow-up, 62% of the node-positive patients had died of breast carcinoma, in contrast to 32% of node-negative patients. The prognosis in cases with 1-3 versus 4+ tumour-bearing nodes was highly significant, 36% and 64%, respectively having died of breast carcinoma,. Prognosis was not dependent on the number of EV+ nodes in those cases showing efferent vascular invasion, one positive node was enough. Differentiation between these nodal growth forms thus provides a strong prognostic indicator, available to all with access to routine surgical pathology. We confirmed the significance of both variables using Cox's regression analysis and showed that the number of positive nodes adds significant prognostic information to that of EV status, which is the stronger of the two prognostic indicators. EV+ patients with more than three positive nodes have more than a three times higher risk of dying than EV- patients with three or fewer positive nodes.

'Missed' micrometastases--the extent of the problem.

The value of detecting micrometastases in patients with breast cancer has been debated for many years. The aim of this study was to determine whether and why such tumour deposits are missed at the time of reporting. The series comprised 272 patients treated surgically for breast carcinoma. For node-negative cases, the haematoxylin and eosin stained slides were re-examined. Those still remaining negative were stained with epithelial membrane antigen marker (EMA). Hilar sections were used in 76% of cases. Micrometastases were found in 35 cases reported as node-negative: 15 being identified on re-examination and 20 after staining with EMA, a gain of 44%, including 20 of embolic type. All were found in hilar sections of the nodes. The patients in whom micrometastases were found on further examination had significantly smaller tumour deposits than those reported as node-positive. In cases with infiltrating ductal carcinoma these presented as embolic growth, while those with infiltrating lobular carcinoma, for example, tended to colonize the nodal parenchyma, giving nodal growth. Differentiation between these growth patterns enables pathologists to distinguish between the dangerous embolic type and the less important nodal growth. In conclusion, many of these micrometastases can be detected if the slides reported as node-negative on first reading are re-examined. In those remaining negative, immunohistochemical staining is recommended.

The size of a micrometastasis in the axilla in breast cancer: a study of nodal tumour-load related to prognosis.

Much has been written on micrometastases to the axilla in breast cancer but there is no consensus as to their size. In this study three levels of nodal tumour-load are defined following measurement of nodal tumour area on histology. The two cut-points described are both of clinical interest. The smallest deposits, up to 0.0001 cm2, include embolic growth on the afferent side of the node, which is, as reported previously, of poor prognosis. In such cases post-operative prognosis approaches that in the "node-positive", here defined as cases with an axillary tumour-load of 0.5 cm2 or more. Between these two groups is a collection of cases, 40% of the total series, with a prognosis similar to the node-negative. It is suggested that the deposits in this intermediate group should be termed micrometastases, the high risk cases with embolic growth reported as such and those with larger deposits as node-positive.

Staging nodal growth in breast cancer on a histological basis.

This study describes the axillary tumour-load in 484 women with breast carcinoma with spread to one or more nodes. The aim was to relate tumour-load to nodal histology. The tumour area and that of residual lymphoid tissue was measured from standardised nodal sections. The presence/absence of tumor cells in the efferent vessels (EV) defined their nodal status as EV+ or EV-. The former has a poor prognosis. While the number of EV+ cases increased with the total tumour-load, the number of EV- cases decreased. In the EV+ there was high positive correlation between tumour-load and number of deaths from breast cancer, with a corresponding negative correlation in the EV-. Twice as many patients with EV+ nodes died of breast cancer compared to the EV- group. Investigation of 164 consecutive tumour-bearing nodes showed a similar pattern. Irrespective of EV status the area of residual lymphoid tissue remained constant. Although the lymphoid area was similar the tumour-load was twice as high in the EV+ cases. These findings stress basic biological differences in the growth of breast carcinoma in the nodes. Patients with the smallest micrometastases that are found in the afferent lymphatics of the node and the EV+ patients in which tumour cells are present in the efferent nodal vessels have a poor short-term prognosis. The patients with larger micrometastases in the nodal lymphoid tissue and also EV- patients with the next highest tumour-load are both of low prognostic risk, with the exception of the few EV- with an exceptionally high tumour-load.

Fibrosarcoma in children--a rare tumour with long-term survival even with advanced disease--a report of 3 cases.

Fibrosarcoma is a rare tumour in children. The potential of malignancy has been questioned. We present three cases of fibrosarcoma in children . The follow-up periods range from 10 to 37 years. The first patient had pulmonary metastases at the time of diagnosis in 1958. The primary tumour in fossa ischio-rectalis was resected in 1960. Lung metastases were resected in 1960 and 1989. Radiotherapy was given in 1992. He is still alive with metastases 37 years after the first manifestation of disease. The second patient had a primary tumour and several local recurrences in the mandible. He is alive without evidence of disease 4 years after resection of pulmonary metastases and 21 years after resection of the primary tumour. The third patient has no signs of recurrence or metastatic spread 10 years after a wide excision of subcutaneous tumours of the left upper arm. The cases demonstrate a special tumour-entity of low-grade malignancy, which show a good prognosis and a wide spectrum of biological behaviour.

Breast cancer: two micrometastatic variants in the axilla that differ in prognosis.

Measurement of the area of the tumour deposits present in routine sections from the axillary nodes from a series of 1069 breast cancer patients showed that 138 cases had a single micrometastasis (0.2 cm2 or less), while in 29 a similar load was spread over two or more nodes. These 167 cases represent 15% of the patients in the series. Twentyfive of them had died of breast cancer within a mean follow-up of 6 years. They had smaller micrometastases than those surviving (P < 0.0025). Histological examination in the 138 with single micrometastases showed that two variants were present. In one, tumour growth was confined to the capsular lymphatics and/or the subcapsular sinus. In the other, tumour growth was present in the nodal lymphoid tissue, and, on occasion, at the other sites as well. Those with growth in the lymphoid tissue had a better prognosis than those without (P < 0.0035). Prognosis in the former was comparable to that in the node-negative cases, while in those lacking such growth it was similar to that in the node-positive. The presence of these two variants could explain divergent reports in the literature on prognosis in cases with micrometastases. While the mechanisms behind this apparent paradox remain speculative, the observation can be of diagnostic interest in routine surgical pathology.