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Biomedical subjects

J S Spratt

Publications and source records attributed to J S Spratt.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

An update on incision for ilioinguinal lymph node dissection.

The wound morbidity after ilioinguinal lymph node dissections can be significantly reduced by precise planning of both the incision and the extent of flap elevation. Flap elevation extends no farther than the edges of the quadrilateral block of Anson, and exposure is best obtained with a bipedicle incision with broad-based pedicles. The broad bases ensure the greatest possibility for the sustentation of the flaps by the remaining microcirculation. All suction drains are placed far laterally, not through the base of any flaps, to avoid the high bacterial count on the skin of the groin, genitals, perineum, and anus. Closure is undertaken with a running suture, which allows for a seal that will facilitate suction. Suction continues until drainage is less than 25 mL/d.

Groin↗
PubMed1991

The risky shift.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Biometry↗
PubMed1990

Medical and legal implications of screening and follow-up procedures for breast cancer.

Grievances result from false expectations on the part of both practitioners and patients when a disease treatment problem is unsolved because of biological variations in the disease itself. Widely publicized screening and follow-up recommendations are often the source of the grievances. Even when recommendations are followed exactly, bad outcomes are still associated with incurable cancer even though a fatal outcome is inevitable. Patients must be told about treatment prospects including limitations of efficacy, so that patient expectations will be realistic. Otherwise, practitioners may find themselves involved in lawsuits alleging deviation from case standards for an adverse outcome actually attributable to the nature of the cancer. Because screening and follow-up techniques continue to control treatment of breast cancer, such lawsuits are common. When ineffective treatment exists, there often are adverse harm/benefit considerations and high costs, particularly when screening or follow-up are practiced defensively, without hard data proving the value of a strategy. This article will review these problems, placing specific emphases on screening and follow-up procedures and on strategies for breast cancer. Factors that limit efficacy and increase both cost and diagnosis-associated morbidity will also be explored.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Validity of the clinical alert on breast cancer.

In May 1988, the National Cancer Institute issued a clinical alert calling for the routine use of systemic adjuvant therapy for all node-negative breast cancers. Subsequent review of the data that the National Cancer Institute used as a basis for its endorsement revealed several limitations, including failure to consider cost-benefit ratios and failure to exclude late toxicities. The authors conclude that the issuance of the release was premature and that it does not attempt to balance the slight lengthening of disease-free survival against the overall population costs. It is suggested that physicians individually assess the potential merits of such a treatment regimen in each of their patients with node-negative breast cancer.

Breast Neoplasms↗
PubMed1989

Breast cancer risk: a review of definitions and assessments of risk.

The histopathological and biochemical characteristics of cells and multicellular structure of benign and malignant breast changes have highly significant implications as to the risk of acquiring and dying of breast cancer. Consequently, every breast biopsy merits highly specific histopathological characterization as well as assay for hormone receptors. Certain aspects of a woman's personal and family history may be associated with increased or decreased risk. Clinical application of these variables to the prediction of future outcome requires an understanding of the definitions of risk. These definitions must then be applied appropriately when assessing risk. The definition of risk used must be explicitly stated and consistently used. Provided is a review of the definitions of risk and the risk of acquiring breast cancer according to age, family history, and histopathological characteristics of benign breast biopsies. The highly variable relative risk of dying from breast cancer when diagnosed is also reviewed.

Breast Neoplasms↗
PubMed1987

What is the value of the computer for the physician?

Computer technology is advancing at an increasingly rapid rate. Although the computer's former role in the health care field was primarily limited to the financial and marketing departments of health care facilities, the computer is moving beyond the managerial departments and into the realm of the practicing physician. Much of this change in the use of computers in this field is due to the pressures of cost containment, DRG requirements, the availability of microcomputers, and the desire for improved health care. In the areas of clinical care, medical research, and medical education, the computer is rapidly becoming an indispensable tool through its technological adaptation. The computer is an obvious adjunct to the problem of improving cost efficiency without compromising the efforts toward better health care.

Computer Systems↗
PubMed1986

Osteogenic sarcoma of the mandible and maxilla.

Our early aggressive management of osteogenic sarcoma of the facial skeleton in two patients included the use of radical surgery, irradiation, and chemotherapy. One patient died after two years, but the other patient is alive and free of disease after five years. Despite a better prognosis for osteogenic sarcoma of the facial bones than for osteogenic sarcoma of the long bones, it remains a highly lethal disease with a high local recurrence rate.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Establishment of a clinical teaching associates breast examination program for medical students.

A program was designed to instruct medical students on how to obtain a history pertinent to breast abnormalities and to perform a breast examination. The use of clinical teaching associates provides direct student instruction and critiques during the examination. In addition, students are taught how to instruct patients in the breast self-examination and to properly document breast abnormalities. Such a program should be considered for incorporation in all physical diagnosis courses as well as in residency training programs and seminars for practicing physicians.

Breast↗
PubMed1986

Geometry, growth rates, and duration of cancer and carcinoma in situ of the breast before detection by screening.

The purpose of this study is to report the time elapsing between the moment a breast cancer reaches threshold size that would permit detection and the size at actual detection defined as sojourn time (STt) using data from the Breast Cancer Detection and Demonstration Project (Louisville data and reported composite data from 27 centers) by dividing prevalence rates by incidence rates. The number of cellular generations (n) required to produce cancers of different volumes was calculated at threshold (nt), at detection (nd), and the difference between the two (nd - nt). By dividing the difference (nd - nt) into STt, the average actual or net tumor volume doubling time (DTact) in this interval have been estimated. The STt value for carcinoma in situ was 557 and for cancer it was 538. At ages 35-39, STt ranged from 365-456 days, by ages 70-74, 942-1383 days. The average DTact similarly varied with age, carcinoma in situ, cancer with negative axillary nodes, and cancer with positive axillary nodes over a range of 28-732 days (95% confidence). The estimated DTact in the predetectable period was manyfold less than the DTact measured for mammographically visible cancers, in keeping with the predictions of decelerating growth. Models of the cytokinetic and clinical behavior of breast cancer are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Association of chronic cystic mastopathy, xeromammographic patterns, and cancer.

The Breast Cancer Demonstration and Detection Project in Louisville (BCDDP-L) screened 10,128 women for cancer. From this screening, another project evolved wherein those patients diagnosed as having chronic cystic mastopathy (CCM) were followed over a 10-year period to evaluate any association between CCM and breast cancer. In all, 1396 breast biopsies were performed, with 165 cancers being diagnosed either on initial screening or during subsequent years. Three of these are excluded, since histopathologic slides could not be obtained for central review. Of this group, cancer was associated with CCM in 116 specimens and without CCM in 46 specimens. One subset of 355 patients with biopsy-proven CCM but no breast cancer was followed for 6 to 12 years, for a total of 2443.5 woman-years of observation. Within this subset, a total of only four cancers occurred (4 cancers/2443.5 woman-years for 0.00164 cancers/woman-years). This incidence is not significantly different from the expected value. However, an estimate is provided as to the power of the test that could be obtained from a larger sample size derived from other BCDDPs. This group of 355 women was sorted into subsets by establishing a matrix matching ten histopathologic subdivisions of CCM against six subdivisions of Wolfe's xeromammographic (XM) patterns. The numbers of cancers in each cell of this matrix is reported. The results found no concentration of these four cancers in this matrix.

Adult↗