Atrial fibrillation after resection: a PROGRESS III study.

AIM: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common cardiac arrhythmia, and is associated with worsening quality of life and complications such as stroke. Previous work showed that 8% of patients develop new-onset AF following colonic resection and highlighted factors that might predict the development of postoperative AF. The development of a new arrhythmia may have a negative effect on longer-term quality of life as well as cancer survivorship. The aim of this study is to accurately quantify the incidence of AF following colorectal cancer surgery and to validate a model to predict its development. METHOD: The Atrial Fibrillation After Resection (AFAR) study will recruit 720 patients aged 65 or over undergoing resection of colorectal cancer with curative intent. The primary outcome is development of AF within 90 days of surgery. Assessment of cardiac rhythm will be performed using 24-h Holter monitors at baseline, 30 and 90 days after surgery. An electrocardiogram (ECG) will be performed on the day of discharge. Baseline descriptors including model variables and quality of life will be recorded using EQ-5D-5L. The occurrence of complications and other key surgical outcomes will be recorded. An additional blood test for N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) will be performed prior to surgery. Statistical analysis will validate a previously derived model and will test the incremental value of added variables such as NT-proBNP. Finally, an exploratory analysis will assess whether changes in ECG measures between baseline and postoperative ECG can predict subsequent new-onset AF. CONCLUSION: This study will provide data that may allow us to stratify the risk of developing AF following colorectal cancer surgery. This may inform screening or prophylactic approaches.

Antenatal diagnosis of agenesis of the corpus callosum.

AIM: To estimate the diagnostic performance of ultrasound in detecting agenesis of the corpus callosum (ACC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective review was performed of 1722 in utero MRI examinations. All cases were identified in which the fetus had been referred from ultrasonography with a diagnosis of ACC and those in which ACC was given as a diagnosis on the in utero MRI study. The MRI was assumed to provide the correct diagnosis of ACC and descriptive statistics of diagnostic accuracy for ultrasound were calculated. RESULTS: Of the 1722 ultrasound examinations performed, 121 had a diagnosis of ACC and approximately 50% were confirmed at MRI. Forty-two fetuses with ACC not suspected at ultrasonography were also identified at MRI. Ultrasonography had a positive predictive value of 47% (95% CI: 38-56%) and a negative predictive value of 97% (95% CI: 96-98%) for detecting ACC. CONCLUSION: Ultrasound is poor in diagnosing ACC and in utero MRI should be performed if there is any suspicion on antenatal ultrasonography.

Subcellular localisation of cyclin B, Cdc2 and p21(WAF1/CIP1) in breast cancer. association with prognosis.

The heterodimeric cyclin B/Cdc2 protein kinase governs entry into mitosis, and can be negatively regulated through p53-mediated transcriptional induction of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21(WAF1/CIP1). Ectopic expression of p21(WAF1/CIP1) in cultured cells has been shown previously to influence the subcellular distribution of the cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) including Cdc2. In this study, we have examined the subcellular localisation of Cdc2, cyclin B and p21(WAF1/CIP1) by immunohistochemistry in a well characterised series of primary breast cancers. Surprisingly, p21(WAF1/CIP1) was predominantly cytoplasmic in many of the tumours, where it was associated with high p53 levels; cytoplasmic p21(WAF1/CIP1) and high cyclin B levels were also significant predictors of poor prognosis. We conclude that breast tumorigenesis may be characterised by abnormalities in pathways determining not only levels of expression of key regulatory molecules, but also their subcellular localisation. Investigation of the subcellular distribution of cell cycle regulatory proteins, particularly p21(WAF1/CIP1), could provide valuable prognostic markers in breast cancer.

Randomised trial of educational visits to enhance use of systematic reviews in 25 obstetric units.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of an educational visit to help obstetricians and midwives select and use evidence from a Cochrane database containing 600 systematic reviews. DESIGN: Randomised single blind controlled trial with obstetric units allocated to an educational visit or control group. SETTING: 25 of the 26 district general obstetric units in two former NHS regions. SUBJECTS: The senior obstetrician and midwife from each intervention unit participated in educational visits. Clinical practices of all staff were assessed in 4508 pregnancies. INTERVENTION: Single informal educational visit by a respected obstetrician including discussion of evidence based obstetrics, guidance on implementation, and donation of Cochrane database and other materials. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Rates of perineal suturing with polyglycolic acid, ventouse delivery, prophylactic antibiotics in caesarean section, and steroids in preterm delivery, before and 9 months after visits, and concordance of guidelines with review evidence for same marker practices before and after visits. RESULTS: Rates varied greatly, but the overall baseline mean of 43% (986/2312) increased to 54% (1189/2196) 9 months later. Rates of ventouse delivery increased significantly in intervention units but not in control units; there was no difference between the two types of units in uptake of other practices. Pooling rates from all 25 units, use of antibiotics in caesarean section and use of polyglycolic acid sutures increased significantly over the period, but use of steroids in preterm delivery was unchanged. Labour ward guidelines seldom agreed with evidence at baseline; this hardly improved after visits. Educational visits cost pound860 each (at 1995 prices). CONCLUSIONS: There was considerable uptake of evidence into practice in both control and intervention units between 1994 and 1995. Our educational visits added little to this, despite the informal setting, targeting of senior staff from two disciplines, and donation of educational materials. Further work is needed to define cost effective methods to enhance the uptake of evidence from systematic reviews and to clarify leadership and roles of senior obstetric staff in implementing the evidence.

Detection of residual disease following breast-conserving surgery.

BACKGROUND: Assessment of completeness of tumour excision has become an integral part of breast-conserving surgery, but the accuracy of margin analysis has been questioned. This study compared the results of resection margin analysis with an examination of tumour bed biopsies and of the excised cavity wall. METHODS: One hundred and forty-four patients underwent breast-conserving surgery for T1-2 N0-1 breast cancer. Following wide local excision, four bed biopsies were taken from the cavity wall which was then completely excised. The presence of invasive and in situ disease at the inked resection margin (IRM) and in the adjacent bed biopsies and cavity wall was recorded. RESULTS: Positive margins and/or residual disease in either the bed biopsies or cavity wall was found in 62 (43 per cent) of 144 cases. Residual disease (invasive or in situ) was present at the IRM in 39 specimens (27 per cent) and was present in 25 bed biopsy (17 per cent) and 39 cavity wall (27 per cent) specimens. These comprised different but overlapping groups of patients. CONCLUSION: Margin analysis of wide local excision specimens is a poor predictor of completeness of excision. Routine resection and examination of the entire cavity wall increases the detection of residual disease compared with examination of bed biopsies alone and is a useful adjuvant to conventional margin evaluation.

Time trends in breast cancer survival: experience in a single centre, 1975-89.

The aim of this retrospective cohort study was to investigate whether survival of patients with breast cancer has changed over the period 1975-89. A total of 2604 women diagnosed as having invasive breast cancer at a clinical oncology unit in London were followed up for between 5 and 20 years. Patients were divided into four groups according to menstrual status (pre or post) and the staging of cancer (operable or inoperable). For each group, survival from diagnosis was compared between three consecutive 5-year cohorts, both with and without adjustments made for relevant prognostic factors. No temporal patterns were found in patients with inoperable cancer, in whom the survival rate was consistently low. Of women with operable cancers, differences were seen only among post-menopausal women, for whom the best survival patterns were seen in patients diagnosed between 1985-89. This is probably due to tamoxifen being commonly prescribed as adjuvant treatment for this cohort of patients. We cannot explain an apparently worse survival in the group of patients presenting in the early 1980s compared with that observed in the late 1970s.

High-dose treatment with autologous bone marrow support as consolidation of first remission in younger patients with acute myelogenous leukaemia.

BACKGROUND: Debate and controversy remain as to the optimal post-remission therapy for younger patients with acute myelogenous leukaemia (AML). The aim of this study was to evaluate high-dose treatment (HDT) with autologous bone marrow support (ABMS) as consolidation of first complete remission (CR). PATIENTS AND METHODS: One hundred forty-four patients (AML-M3 excluded, median age 38 years, range 15-49 years) received remission induction therapy comprising: adriamycin 25 mg/m2, days 1-3, cytosine arabinoside (ara-C) and 6-thioguanine, both at 100 mg/m2 bid, days 1-7. Patients in whom CR was achieved received two further cycles of the same treatment prior to bone marrow being harvested and cryopreserved. HDT comprised ara-C: 1 g/m2 b.i.d. x six days and total body irradiation (TBI): 200 cGy b.i.d. for three days. Thawed autologous marrow was then re-infused. RESULTS: Complete remission was achieved in 106 of 144 patients (73%) who were thus eligible to receive ara-C + TBI + ABMS; 61 actually received it. Following HDT, the median time to neutrophil recovery (> 0.5 x 10(9)/l) was 25 days (range 11-72 days) and to platelet recovery (> 20 x 10(9)/l), 42 days (range 15-159 days). There were eight treatment-related deaths. Analysis by 'intention to treat' shows both remission duration (log-rank, P = 0.001) and survival (log-rank, P = 0.004) to be significantly longer for the 106 patients eligible to receive HDT than for a historical control group (n = 133) who received identical remission induction and consolidation therapy but without ara-C + TBI + ABMS. With a median follow-up of 5.5 years, 39 of 106 patients remain in CR (37%) and 54 (51% of those in whom CR was achieved) remain alive, with a predicted actuarial survival of 52% at 5 years. CONCLUSIONS: The addition of ara-C + TBI + ABMS to conventional consolidation therapy significantly improved remission duration and survival over those of a historical control group of patients with AML (aged < 50, AML-M3 excluded). HDT was, however, associated with significant treatment-related mortality and slow blood count recovery. The use of ara-C + TBI supported by peripheral blood progenitor cells should make the treatment safer and more widely applicable in AML.