In the last decade the hybrid procedure has emerged as an alternative stage I palliation in neonates with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS). This review discusses the historical aspect, surgical and interventional techniques, current outcomes and future direction of this procedure. Hybrid palliation yields equivalent but not superior stage I palliation survival and comparable 1-year surviv...

Oesophageal carcinoma, accounting for approximately 10 deaths per 100,000 people annually, is a major health problem in the United Kingdom.' With many patients presenting with disseminated disease, either manifest or occult, curative treatment is applicable to only a small minority. For the majority of patients palliative relief of dysphagia is the goal of treatment. Clinicians have an ever inc...

Superior vena cava syndrome (SVCS) is a relatively common sequela of mediastinal malignancies and may cause significant patient distress. SVCS is a medical emergency if associated with laryngeal or cerebral edema. The etiologies and management of SVCS have evolved over time. Non-malignant SVCS is typically caused by infectious etiologies or by thrombus in the superior vena cava and can be manag...

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is most common in the elderly, and most elderly are thought to be unfit for intensive treatment because of the risk of fatal toxicity. The Swedish Acute Leukemia Registry covers 98% of all patients with AML (nonacute promyelocytic leukemia) diagnosed in 1997 to 2005 (n = 2767), with a median follow-up of 5 years, and reports eligibility for intensive therapy, perfor...

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are the most common mesenchymal neoplasms of the gastrointestinal tract. The main treatment for localized gastrointestinal stromal tumors is surgical resection. These tumors respond poorly to conventional cytotoxic chemotherapy agents and to radiotherapy. Imatinib mesylate, a small-molecule kinase inhibitor, has proved useful in the treatment of recurrent...

Introduction: Involvement of the skeleton can cause an excruciating pain in two-thirds of terminal patients with a history of malignancy. Due to several limitations of other therapies, such as analgesics, bisphosphonates, chemotherapy, hormonal therapy and external beam radiotherapy; bone-seeking radiopharmaceuticals have an important role in palliation of pain from bone metastases. Although th...

Only approximately 30% of patients with colorectal cancer liver metastasis qualify for curative therapy, which is in most cases liver lesion resection. Due primarily to the extent of the tumors and patient comorbidities, palliative therapy remains the only option in non-resection cases. Palliation enables local, symptomatic control and prolonged survival in some cases. As established methods ar...