BACKGROUND To retrospectively access the outcome and toxicity of a total skin electron beam therapy (TSEBT) in patients with cutaneous lymphoma (CL) or leukemia. PATIENTS AND METHODS Treatment results of 25 patients (median age 63 years; 5 female, 20 male) with cutaneous manifestations of advanced and therapy-refractory CL (n = 21; T-cell lymphomas n = 18, B-cell lymphomas n = 3) stage IIB-IV...

BACKGROUND Second-stage palliation with hemi-Fontan or bidirectional Glenn procedures has improved the outcomes of patients treated for single-ventricle heart disease. The aim of this study was to retrospectively analyze risk factors for death after second-stage palliation of single-ventricle heart and to compare therapeutic results achieved with the hemi-Fontan and bidirectional Glenn procedur...

The palliation of patients with megaesophagus secondary to achalasia of the cardia presents significant challenges to the surgeon. Experience with palliation of megaesophagus secondary to Chagas' disease suggests that options other than cardiomyotomy or oesophagectomy can result in satisfactory outcomes. A small series of patients with non-chagasic megaesophagus who were treated with a gastroes...

Mrs E.B. is a 54-year-old woman with a 1-year history of ovarian cancer. She was diagnosed with abdominopelvic recurrence 6 months ago, complicated by a rectovaginal fistula and bouts of bowel obstruction. She suffered from fatigue and anorexia, and also had perineal pain due to excoriation from the fecal incontinence via the fistula. Mrs E.B. was admitted to the palliative care unit of a small...

that the chest x-ray can be normal, but feel that colonization must be considered in this setting. An abnormal chest x-ray should be confirmed as related to MOTT by applying standard criteria for nontuberculous mycobacterial disease. Ifthese criteria are not met, dissemination from a pulmonary isolate alone can be inferred if extrapulmonary disease is documented within one month (arbitrary). 4 ...

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a site-specific tumor treatment involving the administration of a photosensitizer activated by the local application of light. In interstitial PDT (IPDT), multiple laser fibers are inserted into the depth of the tumor. Image guidance is essential for accurate, safe, and uniform light delivery. We report a novel technique of IPDT for advanced head and neck tumors in...

Lung cancer is one of the most lethal cancers, causing more deaths of men and women than any other cancer in the United States. Non-small-cell lung cancers account for most the newly diagnosed cases of lung cancer. Many patients with non-small-cell lung cancer present with advanced-stage disease and are not appropriate candidates for combined modality therapy. Although these patients have incur...

Routine, thorough history and physical examinations are the mainstay of follow-up for patients with breast cancer. Yearly mammography of the contralateral breast in all patients is important, as is more frequent radiologic surveys of the ipsilateral breast in patients who had breast-conserving therapy. Frequent chest films and regular bone scans are beneficial only in those patients with advanc...

UNLABELLED This study evaluated the effects of low-dose cisplatin plus 89Sr versus 89Sr alone in the treatment of painful bone metastases from prostate cancer, addressing both pain palliation and cytostatic effects. METHODS Seventy patients with metastatic hormone-refractory prostate cancer were randomized into 2 groups: One group (arm A) received 148 MBq 89Sr plus 50 mg/m(2) cisplatin, and t...