Four methods of assessing oestrogen receptor (ER) status were compared in 33 patients with operable primary breast cancer. The methods used to assess the ER status were immunocytochemical assay (ER-ICA) of frozen sections, fine needle aspirates and imprint material and enzyme immunoassay (ER-EIA) of tumour tissue. A mean overall ER positivity of 45% (15 out of 33), 41% (13 out of 32) and 21% (six out of 29) was obtained by immunocytochemical (ER-ICA) staining of frozen sections, fine needle aspirates and tumour imprints, respectively, and a mean overall ER positivity of 42% (14 out of 33) was obtained by ER-EIA. The concordance of ER positivity in pairs of data obtained from different method combinations was found to range between 72 and 91%. However, statistically there was no significant difference between the four methods on the basis of the data obtained. Good comparability has been shown between the three tissue analyses and therefore the method of choice is technically not immediately apparent.

Biopsy, Needle↗

PubMed1987

Ultrasonic Doppler study of the hormonal response of blood flow in the normal human breast.

The breasts of seven normal female volunteers were examined using a continuous wave, directional 10 MHz ultrasonic Doppler system. A range of quantitative features were extracted from recorded Doppler signals by first computing an average, single cardiac cycle sonogram from 4-6 overlayed cardiac cycles of sonogram data taken from each recording. Substantial variations were observed to occur in both frequency and amplitude characteristics of the Doppler signals during the menstrual cycle and pregnancy. For each subject the two breasts behaved similarly and the fluctuations correlated with known variations in blood hormone levels and breast surface temperature. In the one case of pregnancy, the mammary blood flow appeared to increase throughout pregnancy, beginning very shortly after conception. It is concluded that the normal fluctuations of the blood flow in the breast may make a large contribution to the variance of Doppler-derived blood flow features for the pre-menopausal breast. Use of the contralateral breast as a control is advocated for studies of the application of the Doppler method to the diagnosis and measurement of therapeutic response of breast cancer in young women. The usefulness of the contralateral breast as such a control might be enhanced by performing Doppler examinations only at about the midcycle. If the presence of a tumour were to alter these fluctuations there may be a possibility of using the effect to advantage alongside other methods for early diagnosis of breast cancer.

Breast↗

PubMed1987

Superior mesenteric artery aneurysm diagnosed by ultrasound.

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Aged↗

PubMed1986

Multiphoton absorption of intense electromagnetic laser radiation in narrow-gap semiconductors.

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Journal Article↗

PubMed1983

The relationship between blood flow of mammary tissue and its overlying skin in the mouse.

To determine the relationship between mammary and cutaneous blood flow (BF) the regional distribution of 86RbCl was used to estimate the fractional distribution of the cardiac output to these tissues in virgin, multiparous, pregnant and lactating mice. The results indicate a positive linear correlation between the values obtained for the skin and that obtained for its underlying mammary tissue. This finding may have a practical application, since the skin is more readily accessible for BF measurements than the mammary tissue that it covers.

Animals↗

PubMed1983

Regional differences in blood flow in relation to tumour growth in the mouse.

The regional distribution of radio-isotopes was used to estimate regional differences in the cutaneous and mammary gland blood flow in the mouse. The observed values were greater in the cranial than caudal regions. The association of these findings with the reported higher tumour growth rate in the cranial than caudal aspect of the mouse is discussed.

Animals↗

PubMed1982

A preliminary assessment of an ultrasonic Doppler method for the study of blood flow in human breast cancer.

A 10 MHz, continuous wave ultrasonic Doppler system was used to study the blood flow associated with normal and malignant mammary tissue in patients with breast cancer. Some patients were receiving endocrine therapy and were examined repeatedly over a period of months. each of 6 characteristics extracted from the time varying maximum Doppler-shift frequency were averaged over signals obtained from a number of sites in the vicinity of the tumour, and from corresponding sites in the normal breast. A method was devised to allow location of previously examined vessels for subsequent examinations. The preliminary results of analysing approx. 400 recordings of Doppler signals obtained from 16 patients (6 of whom received endocrine therapy) are presented. The most informative of the 6 characteristics were the maximum systolic frequency (A) and the "mean" frequency (M) (= A + B/2 where B is the maximum frequency during end diastole). The average values of A and M obtained from the tumourous breast were always greater than those obtained from the normal breast in the same patient. A and M were roughly proportional to tumour volume, with extrapolated values at zero volume only slightly greater than the corresponding mean values for normal breast tissue. On average, changes in the values of A and M obtained from tumour sites during endocrine therapy appeared to occur in association with, and possibly slightly in advance of, changes in the tumour volume.

Aminoglutethimide↗

PubMed1980

A simple tourniquet to aid mouse tail venipuncture.

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Animals↗

PubMed1978

Influence of postoperative empyema on survival after pulmonary resection for bronchogenic carcinoma.

Fifty patients who had developed empyema after pulmonary resection for primary carcinoma of the lung were individually paired with patients who had not suffered this complication. Pairs were matched as far as possible for age, sex, extent of operation, histology of tumour, extent of primary spread, extent of lymphatic spread, and use of postoperative radiotherapy. Analysis of survival times both for the matched pairs and for the two groups of patients showed no significant difference in long-term survival. The results suggest that any immunological suppression of carcinoma cells due to sepsis in the pleural space is ineffective in prolonging survival.

Adult↗

PubMed1977

Uncommon pulmonary hamartomas.

Three cases are reported--one endobronchial hamartoma, one endobronchial hamartoma accompanied by a similar intrapulmonary lesion, and one multiple hamartoma. These cases typify the clinical presentation and illustrate some of the difficulties in diagnosis and management. The published cases are reviewed.

Adult↗

PubMed1975

The therapeutic application of hyperthermia in the bladder.

Experience with 10 cases of hyperthermic irrigation of the bladder suggests that irrigation with saline at 80 degrees C for 10 to 15 min will stop bleeding and destroy epithelium and muscle layers without causing visceral injury or systemic disturbance. It may be preferable to cystectomy in certain poor-risk patients, or in those who refuse cystectomy for fear of impotence.

Aged↗