Biomedical subjects

Antonio Cavallaro

Publications and source records attributed to Antonio Cavallaro.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2003

Thyroid cancer in patients with hyperthyroidism.

OBJECTIVE: The coexistence of hyperthyroidism and thyroid cancer is considered a rare event. With the aim of assessing the clinical relevance of this association, we have retrospectively analyzed the incidence of thyroid cancer in 425 hyperthyroid patients seen and treated by surgery in our institutions. METHODS: Among these hyperthyroid patients, we observed 241 (56.7%) cases of multinodular toxic goiter, 120 (28.3%) of uninodular toxic goiter and 64 (15%) cases of Graves' disease. RESULTS: Thyroid cancer was diagnosed in 7 (1.65%) hyperthyroid patients. Histological examination revealed the presence of papillary carcinoma in 5 cases and follicular carcinoma in 2 cases. Neoplasia was detected in 4 patients with nodular toxic goiter and in 3 with uninodular toxic goiter. None of the patients with Graves' disease had thyroid cancer. During the follow-up of 74 months (range 4-154), there were no deaths or any recurrences. CONCLUSION: Although the occurrence of thyroid cancer in hyperthyroid patients is a rare event, the presence of a 'cold' nodule in a hyperfunctioning thyroid should be carefully evaluated to exclude the presence of concurrent malignancy.

Adenocarcinoma, Follicular↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Preoperative concomitant radiochemotherapy with a 5-fluorouracil plus folinic acid bolus in the combined treatment of locally advanced extraperitoneal rectal cancer: a long-term analysis on 27 patients.

AIMS AND BACKGROUND: Many studies of preoperative chemoradiation in resectable rectal cancer have focused on down-staging and sphincter-saving procedures. The aim of this study was to evaluate long-term outcome in resectable rectal cancer treated with preoperative chemoradiation and surgery by only one surgical team irrespective of the tumor downstaging. MATERIAL AND METHODS: From 1992 to 2001, in a cooperative study between the Institute of Semeiotica Chirurgica and the Division of Radiotherapy of the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, 27 patients with locally advanced rectal cancer were treated with preoperative chemoradiation, followed by surgery after 4-6 weeks, and, just for 6 of them, by adjuvant chemotherapy. Seventeen patients were staged T3 N1 (63%), 4 patients T3N0 (15%), 4 patients T3N2 (15%) and 2 T4N2 (7.5%). Twenty-three patients (85.1%) had signs of nodal involvement at combined imaging. Radiation therapy was delivered to the posterior pelvis at a dose of 45 Gy to the tumor (clinical target volume) and the whole pelvis (planning target volume). Fractionation was conventional: 1.8 Gy/day, 5 fractions a week. Radiotherapy was started on Monday for all patients and was delivered with a linear accelerator. Concomitant chemotherapy consisted of 5-fluorouracil (350 mg/m2/day, as an intravenous bolus on days 1-5 and 29-33 of radiotherapy) and folinic acid (L-isomer) (10 mg/m2 as an intravenous bolus on days 1-5 and 29-33). This chemotherapy was generally administered about 1 hr before radiotherapy. Data were analyzed on July 2002; median follow-up was 59 months (range, 20-116 months). No patient was lost during the follow-up. RESULTS: All patients completed the treatment. Grade > 3 acute toxicity occurred in 11% of the patients and late toxicity was 15%. A pathologic complete response was recorded in 22% of patients; sphincter-preserving surgery was feasible in 44%. Seven patients died: 2 of them perioperatively, 1 patient died with local recurrence, and 1 died with distant metastases; 3 patients died during the follow-up for other causes. Five-year local control was 95% and overall survival was 84%. CONCLUSIONS: Our study, although limited in number, demonstrated good results in local control and disease-free survival with a limited toxicity.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Benign multicystic mesothelioma of the peritoneum: a case report.

The aim of this study is to report the experience of a case of benign multicystic mesothelioma of the peritoneum presented with acute appendicitis symptomatology. A 28 years old man with right lower and upper abdominal pain was admitted into hospital. Because of the clinical picture, the symptomatology and the leukocytosis a diagnosis of acute appendicitis was made and the patient underwent appendicectomy according to Mc Burney. At laparotomy some cc of purulent fluid were sucked and a cystic mass that contained clear fluid was revealed. In consequence of the incidental diagnosis a following middle laparotomy was made with a careful surgical excision of the mass and of the appendix. Macroscopically the lesion was identified like a neoplastic mass 25 centimeters in diameter, with a multicystic and fibrous-adipose aspect, with cysts 5 centimeters in diameter. The cystic spaces were lined by a layer of eptelial cells which presented positive reaction for cytokeratin and EMA, whereas endothelium markers were absent. The ultrastructural, morphological and immunohistochemical findings were diagnostic of a benign multicystic mesothelioma.

Abdominal Pain↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Diverticular disease: complications and treatment].

This study reports on 10 years of experience in observing diverticular disease. The study considers 77 patients, 41 males and 36 females, aged from 50 to 88 years (mean age: 70 years), observed from January 1991 to December 2001. Sixty-two patients were admitted from the Accident and Emergency Unit and 15 were elected patients. Five patients underwent emergency surgery, while 72 received only antibiotic therapy. The overall mortality rate was 0. The morbidity rate was 22% in those patients undergoing emergency surgery. In only one of the elected patients was wound suppuration detected. Diverticular disease, in most cases, is treated by antibiotic therapy alone, but in 30% of cases surgery is necessary. Colon resection and immediate anastomosis are the first choice operation also in the emergency setting, provided local conditions (inflammation, septic contamination) make anastomosis safe. In patients with major peritoneal contamination, Hartman's operation and subsequent recanalization after 6 months are to be preferred.

Aged↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Intravascular ultrasound in the endovascular management of atherosclerotic peripheral occlusive disease.

This study is a retrospective analysis of the impact of intravascular ultrasound in addiction to conventional angiography in 36 patients with 55 stenotic peripheral arterial lesions treated with angioplasty and/or stenting. Before treatment, intravascular ultrasound imaging showed that the vessel diameter was underestimated with angiography in 6 cases. The correlation index between angiography and intravascular ultrasound measurements, however, was significant in 27 arterial lesions. After endovascular treatment, angiography showed 3 vessel dissections and no incomplete stent deployment, whereas intravascular ultrasound showed 15 dissections and 5 instances of stent underdeployment. If we consider the intravascular ultrasound data as the gold standard, the specificity of angiography is 100%, while its sensitivity is 56% for vessel dissection and 75% for stent deployment. In the follow up of the 16 patients treated for iliac lesions with intravascular ultrasound control, re-stenosis occurred in 5% (primary patency 94.7%); in a control group of 15 patients treated in the same period without intravascular ultrasound control, re-stenosis occurred in 15.8% (primary patency 83.4%, difference not statistically significant). In conclusion, in the peripheral arteries intravascular ultrasound is more accurate than arteriography in evaluating dissection and stent deployment, but the routine use of intravascular ultrasound in every case of iliac PTA or stenting would not appear justified.

Adult↗