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J Torhorst

Publications and source records attributed to J Torhorst.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1989

Prognostic significance (relapse, non-relapse) of nuclear shape parameters in lymph node negative breast cancer.

A series of 15 postmenopausal patients with stage I invasive breast cancer (pT1-2, pNO, cMO) of uniform histologic type (ductal, NOS) was selected from the Basel Cancer Registry for retrospective analysis. A group of seven patients with a minimal disease-free survival of 9 years was compared to a group of eight patients with clinical and/or histopathological relapse within 8 years of mastectomy. Computer-assisted morphometry of cancer nuclei in routine histological material was used to investigate possible correlations of clinical outcome with nuclear size and shape parameters. Significant differences were found for certain shape descriptors by nonparametric statistical analysis. Stepwise discriminant analysis was applied to find the best combination of parameters separating the two prognostic groups. Application of the 'leaving one out method' showed correct classification in 6 of 8 recurrent cases and in all non-recurrent cases. The number of patients is small, therefore the results should be carefully interpreted.

Breast Neoplasms↗
PubMed1989

[Pathologic-anatomic parameters for the prognosis of invasive breast cancer following amputation or saving the breast].

The axillary lymph-node-status is the most important prognostic factor in breast cancer patients without distant metastases. The proportion of node positive axillae depends on the number of histologically documented nodes (at least 6 according to TNM recommendations). The prognostic significance of solitary micro-metastases and of metastases detected only by serial sectioning or by immunocytochemistry is not yet established. An important prerequisite for successful conserving breast-cancer treatment is patient selection. Selection leads to a high proportion of patients with favourable prognosis: primary tumors less than 3 cm in diameter, at least 2/3 without axillary lymph-node-metastases, at least 1/3 less than 50 years old. That means attribution of prognostically less favourable patients to mastectomy. Tumor diameter and grading are established prognostic parameters of the primary. The significance of grading is independent of the system used and also independent of the reproducibility by different investigators. Measurement of tumor cell ploidy, proliferation and of epidermal growth factor-receptor content may add to the safety of prognosis prediction. Steroid hormone receptor content, eventually also Somatostatin-receptor and Aromatase activity in the tumor tissue can influence the therapeutic decisions.

Breast↗
PubMed1989

[Breast saving therapy: diagnostic problems in after care].

From 1.1.1977 through 31.12.1985 two hundred seventy-five patients with stages pTis, pT1-2, pN0-1, cM0 breast cancer were treated by breast-conserving therapy. Six patients (2%) were lost to follow-up. Fifty-four patients developed significant subcutaneous or parenchymal induration in the treated breast. The induration was considered clinically suspicious for recurrence in 30/54 and non-suspicious in 24/54. Of the 30 suspicious indurations mammography was diagnostic or suggestive of recurrence in 12 (40%), and the diagnosis of recurrence could be confirmed microscopically in 16 (53%). Mammography showed no pathologic findings in 14/30 (42%) patients with suspicious indurations, and in 12/30 (40%) the impression of benignity was also confirmed microscopically. In patients whose mammograms were diagnostic or suggestive of tumor, malignancy was demonstrated by pathologic examination in all cases. In 21/24 (87.5%) clinically benign indurations no tumor could be found on microscopic examination. Twenty of these patients had a normal mammogram, and in only 1 of these was a recurrence discovered incidentally during a cosmetic operation. Four of the 24 patients with clinically benign indurations had pathologic mammograms, and in 2 of these the diagnosis of recurrence was established histologically. - The rate of agreement between suspicious clinical and mammographic or microscopic findings was about 50%, whereas the correlation for clinically benign indurations was greater than 80%.

Biopsy, Needle↗
PubMed1988

[Mortality and cause of death in a 20-year follow-up of the Basel study].

The results of a mortality follow-up in the Basle Study (BS) for the period 1965-1986 are presented, involving data of 4224 males and 936 females. The autopsy rate was 60% and allowed confirmation of the death certificates. The mortality rate of BS men is considerably higher (22% = 928 male) than that of the - on the average younger-females (9.2% = 87 female). In the male cohort the age-specific 10-year mortality is lower than in the general Swiss population due to a lower incidence of various diseases and accidents with fatal outcome and a lower incidence of cardiovascular death. On the other hand, a higher tumor incidence in the BS cohort from the age of 55 years on can be noted. This is mainly due to a higher frequency of lung cancer. With increasing duration of the follow-up the difference between the mortality of the general Swiss population and the BS participants diminishes. The higher tumor incidence observed could be explained by more accurate diagnoses in the BS group. Consequently, the Basel study cohort could-in relation to mortality data-be considered representative of the Swiss population.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Quantitative determination of water-soluble scavengers in neoplastic and non-neoplastic human breast tissue.

The water-soluble scavengers ascorbic acid (Asc), cysteine (Cys), glutathione (GSH) and uric acid (UA) as well as DNA content were determined in 40 breast tissue samples (neoplastic and non-neoplastic tissues from 20 patients). To allow proper homogenization to take place, a fixed number of sections was cut from a tissue cylinder of known diameter. Adjacent sections were stained with hematoxylin-eosin and the fractions of epithelium, fat and connective tissue were estimated as a percentage of the section area. Protein-free extracts were injected into a reverse-phase high-pressure liquid chromatography system and scavengers quantified with 2 electrochemical detectors (gold and glassy carbon). DNA and all scavengers, except UA, were greatly increased in cancer tissues in nearly all cases. Amounts of Asc and GSH in neoplastic tissue correlated closely with DNA values and percentage of epithelium, those of Cys not so closely and those of UA not at all. We assume that Asc and GSH were located mainly in the epithelium, UA mainly in the extracellular space and Cys in both spaces. When values were expressed as mumol/g DNA, a parameter related to content per cell, values were higher in neoplastic than in non-neoplastic tissue for Asc (18/20 cases), GSH (17/20) and Cys (14/20) and lower in neoplastic tissue for UA (19/20). It is known that increased GSH protects cells against certain drugs in tissue cultures. For in vivo treatment the presence of increased Asc (and to a lesser extent Cys) in addition to GSH could be of importance.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Metastatic patterns of renal carcinoma: an analysis of 687 necropsies.

The metastatic behaviour of renal cell carcinoma has been studied in a series of 687 necropsies. The observations were consistent with the concept of "metastatic inefficiency", in that in 295 cases, including 25 with renal vein invasion, there were no detectable metastases. In the present series, renal vein involvement was not an important prognostic factor in stage 1 or 2 disease. In 73% of cases without lung metastases there were none in other sites, and in 84% of those with lung metastases there were others elsewhere, consistent with a metastatic "cascade" in which metastases first developed in the lungs and were later detected in other organs. However, the observations did not permit discrimination between anatomic cascades, in which other organs were seeded from metastasizing pulmonary metastases, and temporal cascades, in which the other were seeded at the same time as the lungs, but with fewer cancer cells. The patterns of arterial metastasis were consistent with the "seed-and-soil" hypothesis, and a novel index was developed to quantify differential organ "soils". The contralateral kidney was not the best soil for metastases from renal carcinoma. Given the presence of lymph node metastasis, the probability of heamatogenous metastasis is 90%. However, in the absence of nodal metastasis, approximately half the cases had haematogenous metastasis.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Somatostatin receptors in human endocrine tumors.

A selection of 90 mainly endocrine but nonpituitary tumors have been tested for their content of specific somatostatin receptors using receptor autoradiography. Somatostatin receptors were detected in the following tumors: in all 5 meningiomas tested; in 3 of 39 malignant breast tumors; and in 3 growth hormone releasing factor-producing tumors, i.e., one mediastinal carcinoid, one intestinal carcinoma, and its liver metastasis. Receptor density varied greatly among individual tumors. Some of the positive tumors were biochemically characterized using in vitro binding assay and were shown to have saturable and high affinity receptors with pharmacological specificity for somatostatin. The following tumors did not contain somatostatin receptors: prostate carcinomas (n = 17); prostate hyperplasia (n = 2); ovarian carcinomas (n = 6); endometrial carcinomas (n = 4); primary liver cell carcinomas (n = 3); pheochromocytomas (n = 3); aldosteronomas (n = 2); medullary thyroid carcinomas (n = 2); one adrenocorticotropic hormone-secreting pulmonary carcinoid; one astrocytoma; one neurofibroma; one lung tumor; and one bladder tumor. Somatostatin receptors can be found in benign or malignant tumors, originating in part from tissue not primarily known as a somatostatin target. The biological function of such receptors is, therefore, partly unknown. If they can mediate antiproliferative properties, as has been suggested to be the case for somatostatin receptors in selected endocrine tumors in rats and humans, the present data could be of potential therapeutic interest.

Autoradiography↗
PubMed1987

The contribution of vascular obstruction to the functional defect that follows renal ischemia.

Experiments were performed on rats subjected to renal ischemia and various treatment procedures to determine the origin and functional consequences of vascular obstruction. To this end, its occurrence and severity was assessed qualitatively and quantitatively in the outer medulla, where it is particularly prominent. The incidence of medullary hyperemia was not influenced by inhibiting thrombocyte aggregation with 5 or 70 mg/kg of acetyl salicylic acid or preventing fibrin deposition with 100 IE/kg of heparin before ischemia, and these substances produced no improvement renal function. The incidence and degree of hyperemia, however, could be substantially reduced or completely eliminated by acutely raising blood pressure after ischemia or by decreasing the number of circulating erythrocytes before ischemia. These procedures were effective in raising filtration rate and tubular reabsorption from 20% to 60% of normal, in restoring renal blood flow and vascular resistance to completely normal, and in diminishing epithelial damage both three and 18 hours after ischemia. The following conclusions are drawn: first, vascular obstruction, which is not lessened by inhibiting thrombus formation but is easily reversed or prevented by raising perfusion pressure or decreasing hematocrit, is probably caused by erythrocyte aggregation during ischemia. Second, vascular obstruction, which appears to raise renal vascular resistance and lower blood flow and filtration rate, cannot be limited to the medulla but must also be present in the cortex. Finally, reversing or preventing vascular obstruction can fully restore renal perfusion, partially restore glomerular and tubular function, greatly reduce tubular necrosis and thus prevent renal failure.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

[In families of ovarian cancer patients, breast cancer in females and colorectal cancers in males are overrepresented].

A detailed tumour-related family history was obtained from 30 women with histologically verified epithelial ovarian carcinomas. 46% of the anamnestic tumour diagnoses were also verified by obtaining copies of histology reports. Breast cancer was overrepresented among the female relatives and colorectal cancer among the male relatives. This study demonstrates that persons at high cancer risk as well as tumour-prone families of interest for aetiological cancer research can be identified by the simple method of obtaining a family history.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Haematogenous metastatic patterns in colonic carcinoma: an analysis of 1541 necropsies.

The sequence of events in haematogenous metastasis from colonic carcinoma was analysed, using 1541 necropsy reports from 16 centres. The findings are consistent with the cascade hypothesis that metastases develop in discrete steps, first in the liver, next in the lungs and finally, in other sites. Deviations of necropsy findings from the cascade model are largely explained on the basis of false negative reports. In only 216 of 1194 cases was there suggestive evidence that metastatic patterns (excluding lymph nodes) were causally related to lymphatic or non-haematogenous pathways. The incidence of metastatic involvement in 'other' (quaternary) sites correlated with target organ blood-flow (ml min-) per g, only when bone marrow and thyroid were excluded. In the thyroid the incidence was lower than expected on the basis of blood flow per g tissue; this may indicate that the thyroid is an unfavourable site for metastatic growth of colonic carcinoma. In the bone marrow it is higher; the latter may be due to delivery of cancer cells via both arterial blood and the vertebral venous plexus. Recognition of this pattern of metastases in the bone marrow could be important with respect of diagnosis and therapy, in patients with colonic carcinoma.

Aged↗
PubMed1986

[Do pathologico-anatomic parameters modify the incidence of recurrence following conservative breast surgery and radiotherapy?].

201 breast cancer patients (pT1-2, pN0-1) were treated with conservative breast surgery and radiation therapy. 28 (13.9%) treatment failures, -13 (6.5%) local recurrences, 4 (2.0%) axillary - and 11 (5.5%) distant metastases -, were found overall after a mean follow-up of 47 months. The differences between pT2 and pT1-tumors (20.6% vs 10.5%) and nodal positive versus nodal negative patients (28.1% vs 6.8%) are statistically significant. No differences were seen regarding histological features.

Breast↗
PubMed1986

[Changes in epidemiological parameters in colorectal carcinoma in Basel 1970-1980].

In the Basel Cancer Registry, the age standardized incidence rate remained stable from 1970 to 1980: 54 to 60 in men, 33 to 34 in women. One third of all cancers are located in the right colon. The age specific incidence rate has not changed, the values being higher for men in every age group. Only 5% of patients are under 50 years old. In radically operated cancers the number of small primary tumors remained low: 17% were confined to the muscularis propria. During the same period (1970-1980) the proportion of cancers with regional lymph node metastases remained stable at 40%. Short term and long term survival depend on the nodal status. Adenomas accompanying invasive cancers are more frequently found in men (30%) than in women (20%).

Adult↗