Radical neck dissection: is it still indicated?

Elective paratracheal neck dissection for lateral metastases from papillary carcinoma of the thyroid: is it indicated?

BACKGROUND Therapeutic paratracheal neck dissection for patients with papillary carcinoma of the thyroid is standard treatment. Its use as an elective procedure is controversial. METHODS Thirty-seven patients with papillary carcinoma of the thyroid and evidence of positive adenopathy at levels II-V underwent selective neck dissection and elective/therapeutic paratracheal neck dissection. Resu...

Shoulder function after radical neck dissection.

Upper mediastinal and paratracheal node dissection in total (pharyngo) laryngectomy, it is really indicated?

Introduction: Advanced laryngeal and hypopharyngeal cancers are aggressive tumors with a poor prognosis. Multiple lymph node metastases often occur in the neck as well as in the upper mediastinum and thus upper mediastinal dissection is crucial to improving the cure rate. However, excessive mediastinal dissection can increase postoperative morbidity and mortality making it important to employ t...

Radionuclide bone scintigraphy in patients with biochemical recurrence after radical prostatectomy: when is it indicated?

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the use of radionuclide bone scintigraphy following biochemical recurrence after radical retropubic prostatectomy (RRP) for localized prostate cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS Of 1197 patients undergoing RRP we identified those with biochemical recurrence and who had also had a bone scan. Biochemical recurrence was defined as a prostate specific antigen (PSA) level of > or =...

Pathology: is it still necessary?

One may wonder what may be the reasons to ask this apparently odd question. Undoubtedly, the main concern is that we are still far away from being able to precisely identify the target population of patients for tailored interventions. It has been repeatedly shown by the results of large clinical trials that the benefit of new therapeutic approaches is relatively small, and that it is most like...