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Biomedical subjects

C S Grant

Publications and source records attributed to C S Grant.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

The clinical significance of nuclear DNA ploidy pattern in 184 patients with pheochromocytoma.

Flow cytometric nuclear DNA analysis was performed on paraffin-embedded tissue samples taken from 184 patients with pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma treated between 1960 and 1987. The Hedley technique was used for measurement of nuclear DNA content. Thirty-five percent of the tumors were DNA diploid, 33% showed a DNA tetraploid pattern, and 32% had DNA aneuploid pattern. Familial pheochromocytoma and associated endocrine or neoplastic disorders were more common among patients with DNA nondiploid tumors. Eighty-four percent of the tumors that invaded blood vessels and all patients with regional or distant metastases had tumors classified as DNA tetraploid or DNA aneuploid. Of 22 patients who had disease progression, 21 (95%) had tumors with abnormal DNA ploidy pattern (P less than 0.001). All 12 patients who died of cancer-related disease had abnormal DNA ploidy; none of the patients with DNA diploid tumor (n = 64) have died of pheochromocytoma (P less than 0.01). These results suggest that nuclear DNA ploidy pattern is an important and independent prognostic variable for patients with pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma.

Adrenal Gland Neoplasms

Prognostic profile for patients with pheochromocytoma derived from clinical and pathological factors and DNA ploidy pattern.

Eighty-eight patients with pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma treated over a 28 year period (1960-1987) were studied. Based on clinical course, they were divided into three prognostic groups: benign (n = 57); multiple (n = 12); and metastatic (n = 19). Using clinical data, histopathologic findings, and tumor nuclear DNA content a prognostic profile for each group was constructed. The following variables were studied: age, familial pheochromocytoma, associated endocrine or neoplastic disorders, number and location of the lesion at diagnosis, size of the tumor, and the nuclear DNA ploidy pattern. Of these prognostic factors the most significant to predict a future malignant clinical course were large size and local tumor extension at time of surgery. Family history of pheochromocytoma, associated endocrine disorders, and young age at presentation predicted multiplicity. Old age, absence of familial pheochromocytoma or related endocrine disorders and DNA diploid tumors seem to be favorable findings. Using these variables in combination may be helpful for early identification of patients with malignant, multiple, or benign pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma.

Adrenal Gland Neoplasms

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy: operative technique.

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy has become the routine procedure for most patients with symptomatic cholelithiasis. At our institution, a two-surgeon, four-cannula technique is used. In almost all patients, a pneumoperitoneum can be established with use of a closed technique. Adherence to standard operative principles and careful attention to details in the laparoscopic technique will routinely result in the safe completion of laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Cautery provides excellent hemostasis during dissection of the gallbladder from its attachments. Cholangiography through the gallbladder or the cystic duct is easily performed in selected patients. Minimal perioperative care is necessary for patients who undergo laparoscopic cholecystectomy, and the hospitalization time is usually less than 24 hours.

Cautery

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy: early Mayo Clinic experience.

Prospective data and follow-up information were collected on the initial 200 patients who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy at the Mayo Clinic. The operation was completed laparoscopically in all but five patients, who required conversion to laparotomy because of dense scarring or stones in the common bile duct. The median surgical time was 85 minutes. The major postoperative complications were retained stones in the common bile duct (in seven patients), intraperitoneal hemorrhage that necessitated transfusion (in two patients), and intra-abdominal abscess and pulmonary infection (in one patient each). The median hospital stay was 1 day (range, 0 to 8 days), and the median times to full activity and normal employment were 8 days and 12 days, respectively. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is associated with a low frequency of complications in most patients with symptomatic gallstones and allows a rapid return to normal activity. Currently, laparoscopic cholecystectomy is the treatment of choice for most patients with symptomatic cholelithiasis.

Academic Medical Centers

Leiomyosarcoma of the stomach: determinants of long-term survival.

To determine factors associated with a favorable long-term prognosis in gastric leiomyosarcoma, we retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 93 Mayo Clinic patients with this biopsy-proven tumor diagnosed during the 25-year period from 1964 through 1988. Six patients who had Carney's triad (gastric epithelioid leiomyosarcoma, pulmonary chondroma, and functioning extra-adrenal paraganglioma) were excluded from data analysis. The other 87 patients participated in follow-up until death or for a median duration of 5.8 years for those who were alive at the conclusion of the study. The most common symptoms at the time of initial assessment were abdominal pain (51%), melena (36%), and weight loss (16%). Most often, the tumor was located in the greater curvature (25%), fundus (20%), or lesser curvature (16%) of the stomach. Two percent of patients had tumors at multiple sites. All 87 gastric leiomyosarcomas were histologically confirmed; 38% were grade 1, 37% were grade 2, and 25% were either grade 3 or grade 4. Metastatic involvement was noted in 15% of patients at the time of diagnosis. The 5- and 10-year survival rates were 45% and 34%, respectively, and the 5- and 10-year tumor recurrence rates were 57% and 65%, respectively. Variables that were associated with long-term survival were low histologic grade of the tumor, absence of metastatic lesions, and small tumor size (P < 0.01); variables such as site of the tumor, initial symptoms, age, and sex provided no significant additional prognostic information.

Adult

Clinical performance of parathyroid hormone immunometric assays.

Three immunometric assays of parathyroid hormone (PTH)--a commercial immunoradiometric assay, an in-house immunoradiometric assay, and an immunochemiluminometric assay--were evaluated in 50 patients with surgically proven primary hyperparathyroidism. Of these patients, 43 had increased values with the commercial assay (sensitivity, 86%), whereas 45 patients had increased concentrations with both the in-house immunoradiometric and the in-house immunochemiluminometric assays (sensitivities, 90%). Because of the results of this comparison study, we confidently chose the immunochemiluminometric assay as our routine assay; this assay was evaluated retrospectively in 361 patients with surgically proven primary hyperparathyroidism. In 45 patients, PTH values were below the upper limit of normal (sensitivity, 88%). The results indicate that the sensitivities of current immunometric assays are approximately 90%. Twenty patients who had hypercalcemia associated with malignant involvement were assessed with the immunochemiluminometric assay. Of these 20 patients, 19 had subnormal PTH values, and 1 had a value within the normal range. In contrast, in the past, PTH values determined with radioimmunoassays have often been in the normal range for such patients. Thus, an immunometric PTH assay is superior to a radioimmunoassay in the differential diagnosis of hypercalcemia associated with malignant disease.

Diagnosis, Differential

Medullary thyroid carcinoma: clinicopathologic features and long-term follow-up of 65 patients treated during 1946 through 1970.

We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 65 consecutive patients with medullary thyroid carcinoma, who had had their primary surgical treatment at the Mayo Clinic during the years 1946 through 1970. Of these patients, 58 had sporadic and 7 had familial medullary thyroid carcinoma. Thyroid nodules were the most common initial manifestation. Near-total thyroidectomy was the most frequent initial operation. Survival was affected by the following factors: male sex, familial inheritance, size of the tumor, stage of the tumor (American Joint Committee on Cancer), and completeness of initial resection of the tumor. The mean duration of follow-up was 23.5 years, and the maximal follow-up was 36 years. Among 52 patients without initial distant metastatic involvement and with complete resection of the tumor, 20-year survival free of distant metastatic lesions was 81%. Overall 10- and 20-year survival rates were 63% and 44%, respectively. Because of the substantial morbidity and mortality associated with medullary thyroid carcinoma, early diagnosis and thorough initial resection of the tumor are important.

Adolescent

The Zollinger-Ellison syndrome. A collective surgical experience.

A retrospective study of 90 surgically treated patients with the Zollinger-Ellison syndrome seen from 1958 through 1990 was performed. Fifteen patients had Zollinger-Ellison syndrome as a manifestation of multiple endocrine neoplasia type I. Preoperative tumor localization was positive in 46% of 54 patients studied. Gastrinomas were identified in 66% of patients, 38% of the tumors being malignant. Postoperative eugastrinemia was achieved in 11% of patients after a variety of surgical procedures. Exploratory laparotomy provides the only chance for cure and identifies the significant prognostic factors associated with long-term patient survival: small tumor size, extrapancreatic primary, and absence of tumor metastases.

Adolescent

Occult functioning insulinomas: which localizing studies are indicated?

BACKGROUND: An occult insulinoma refers to a biochemically proven tumor with an anatomic site that remains indeterminate before operation. The amount of radiologic localization for such patients is debatable. METHODS: Sixty-five patients with sporadic insulinomas were surgically treated at the Mayo Clinic between January 1980 and December 1990. True occult tumors were present in 31% of these patients (n = 20). Thirty-eight negative preoperative localization studies were performed, with 10 patients undergoing more than one study. A benign adenoma was found in 19 patients when they underwent exploratory operation, whereas one patient had malignant disease with hepatic metastases. Thirteen patients underwent intraoperative ultrasonography with a 7.5 MHz real-time high-resolution transducer. RESULTS: Solitary lesions were successfully removed either by enucleation or by distal pancreatectomy in all 19 patients with benign disease. CONCLUSIONS: This high success rate in the management of occult insulinomas suggests that extensive preoperative radiologic investigation is neither indicated nor cost-effective.

Adolescent

The effect of cryopreservation on cell viability and hormone secretion in human parathyroid tissue.

BACKGROUND: To explain the decreased success of cryopreserved versus fresh parathyroid autotransplants, we investigated the effect of cryopreservation on parathyroid function. METHODS: Parathyroid cryopreserved tissue from surgical specimens of 18 patients was analyzed in a comparative fashion with 10 fresh abnormal glands. Cell viability was evaluated by a double-fluorescence technique, and parathyroid hormone secretion was detected from individually dispersed parathyroid cells with the reverse hemolytic plaque assay. The plaque area reflected the amount of parathyroid hormone secreted by each cell, and the percentage of plaque-forming cells represented the number of secreting cells. Feedback regulatory mechanisms remained intact for both fresh and cryopreserved tissue as shown over a wide range of calcium concentrations. RESULTS: The percentage of viable cells from fresh and cryopreserved tissue was always in excess of 88%. No significant difference was noted in the percentage of plaque-forming cells nor the amount of hormone released per individual cell comparing fresh and cryopreserved glands (6 months to 2 years). Specifically, at physiologic calcium concentrations no significant differences existed in the secretory behavior between fresh and cryopreserved tissue. CONCLUSIONS: Without showing decreased viability or parathyroid hormone secretion after cryopreservation, the cause of graft failure in cryopreserved tissue still remains unknown.

Calcium

Follicular thyroid carcinoma with capsular invasion alone: a nonthreatening malignancy.

BACKGROUND: The study was designed to determine whether invasion of the tumor capsule, in the absence of vascular invasion (VI), was significant in predicting cause-specific mortality in follicular thyroid carcinoma (FTC). METHODS: Seventy-two patients with FTC were treated by us during 1971 through 1985. In 65 cases the tumors could be classified as either showing capsular invasion (CI) alone (20) or VI, with or without CI, (45). Median follow-up of 45 survivors was 11 years; 12 patients died of FTC. RESULTS: The 10-year occurrence rates for cause-specific mortality and distant metastases were 28% and 19%, respectively, for patients with VI. Comparable rates for the patients with CI were 0% (p = 0.019) and 0% (p = 0.052), respectively. By univariate analysis, higher rates of cause-specific mortality were significantly associated with distant metastases at diagnosis (p < 0.0001), the presence of VI (p = 0.019), and moderate or marked microinvasion (p = 0.019). In stepwise multivariate analyses, only distant metastases at diagnosis had independent prognostic significance (p < 0.0001) in the prediction of cause-specific mortality. In a Cox model, adjusting for distant metastases at diagnosis, the presence of VI was of borderline significance (p = 0.06) in predicting cause-specific mortality. CONCLUSIONS: FTC, diagnosed on the basis of CI alone, did not result in either distant metastases or cancer-related death. The dominant determinant of cause-specific mortality was the presence of distant metastases at diagnosis.

Adenocarcinoma

Papillary thyroid microcarcinoma: a study of 535 cases observed in a 50-year period.

BACKGROUND: The study aims were to characterize patients with papillary thyroid microcarcinoma and to provide data on outcome after surgical therapy. METHODS: Five hundred thirty-five patients with papillary microcarcinoma had initial treatment at Mayo Clinic from 1940 to 1989. Follow-up extended to 48 years. Median follow-up time for 400 survivors was 16 years. Recurrence and mortality details were derived from a computerized cancer database. RESULTS: Median tumor size was 8 mm. Ninety-nine percent of tumors were histologic grade 1; 98% were not locally invasive. Thirty-two percent of patients had nodal metastases at examination. TNM stages were I in 485 patients (91%), III in 49 patients (9%), and IV in one patient (0.2%). Ninety-one percent of patients underwent bilateral lobar resection. Tumor resection was incomplete in three cases (0.6%). Radioiodine remnant ablation was performed in 55 patients (10%). All-causes survival did not differ from expected; two patients (0.4%) died of papillary microcarcinoma. Twenty-year tumor recurrence rate was 6%. Higher recurrence rates were seen either with node-positive patients (p < 0.0001) or after unilateral lobectomy (p < 0.0001). Recurrence rates did not appear to be significantly altered by total thyroidectomy (p = 0.44) or radioiodine remnant ablation in node-positive patients (p = 0.99). CONCLUSIONS: These results reaffirm that papillary microcarcinoma has an excellent prognosis if managed initially by bilateral lobar resection. Routine radioiodine remnant ablation is not indicated.

Adolescent

Gastric leiomyosarcoma. Prognostic factors and surgical management.

Information on gastric leiomyosarcoma, such as important prognostic factors, patterns of disease recurrence, and optimal methods of treatment, are derived from limited patient experience. We address these questions, with specific focus on whether an advantage could be demonstrated for radical resection compared with wide local excision, by retrospectively investigating 53 patients who underwent surgical treatment at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Abdominal pain and/or gastrointestinal bleeding associated with an intramural or exogastric mass were typical features of this disease. Only tumor size and histologic grade were statistically significant prognostic factors. With analysis of survival curves and patterns of recurrence, neither the addition of lymphadenectomy nor the wider tumor-free margins of a radical gastrectomy seemed superior to the more conservative local excision. Therefore, wide local excision remains the preferred treatment when technically feasible.

Adolescent