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Biomedical subjects

K Henne

Publications and source records attributed to K Henne.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Evaluation of patients after extraperitoneal lymph node dissection for cervical cancer.

OBJECTIVE: The presence of nodal metastases is an important prognostic factor in patients with cervical cancer. To adjust our therapy to the anatomic extent of the disease, we performed a surgical staging with extraperitoneal lymph node dissection (EPLND). The goal of our study was to evaluate the clinical outcome and side effects of the combined treatment approach of EPLND and either radical hysterectomy in case of early stage cervical cancer (FIGO Ia/b and IIa) and negative nodes, or pelvic radiotherapy/extended field radiotherapy with concomitant chemotherapy in case of positive nodes or advanced stage cervical cancer (FIGO IIb, III, and IVa). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Fifty-nine patients with primarily diagnosed invasive cervical cancer underwent EPLND. The value of this procedure as a diagnostic tool for evaluating the extent of disease was determined. Additionally, treatment-related complications and clinical outcomes were monitored. RESULTS: A total of 983 lymph nodes were removed during EPLND (mean 16.7). According to the results of EPLND, radical hysterectomy was abandoned due to histopathologically confirmed lymph node involvement by frozen section in 11 out of 36 patients with early stage cervical cancer (31%). The most common adverse effects directly related to surgery in general (EPLND or combined EPLND and radical hysterectomy) were lymph cysts in seven patients (12%). Only in the group of patients who received EPLND followed by radical hysterectomy, 2 out of 25 patients (8%) developed a severe ileus postoperatively (WHO Grade 3 toxicity). The treatment approach of combined EPLND followed by radio- and chemotherapy was without major complications (WHO Grade 3 or 4 toxicity). After a mean follow up of 28 months (range 6-60), 44 out of 58 patients (one patient lost to follow up) are without evidence of disease (76%), 2 patients have progressive disease (3%), and 12 patients died of their disease (21%). Using Kaplan-Meier analysis, the estimated 5-year overall survival rate for all patients is 64% (SD +/- 9%). Performing the Cox proportional regression analysis, in contrast to clinical FIGO staging (P = 0.24; ns), lymph node involvement was the only significant independent predictor for overall survival (P = 0.04). CONCLUSION: Our data support the approach of pretherapeutic surgical staging by performing EPLND as a diagnostic tool with a low complication rate. This allows an individualized treatment for cervical cancer patients.

Adult↗

Breast cancer: patient information needs reflected in English and German web sites.

Individual belief and knowledge about cancer were shown to influence coping and compliance of patients. Supposing that the Internet information both has impact on patients and reflects patients' information needs, breast cancer web sites in English and German language were evaluated to assess the information quality and were compared with each other to identify intercultural differences. Search engines returned 10 616 hits related to breast cancer. Of these, 4590 relevant hits were analysed. In all, 1888 web pages belonged to 132 English-language web sites and 2702 to 65 German-language web sites. Results showed that palliative therapy (4.5 vs 16.7%; P=0.004), alternative medicine (18.2 vs 46.2%; P<0.001), and disease-related information (prognosis, cancer aftercare, self-help groups, and epidemiology) were significantly more often found on German-language web sites. Therapy-related information (including the side effects of therapy and new studies) was significantly more often given by English-language web sites: for example, details about surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, hormone therapy, immune therapy, and stem cell transplantation. In conclusion, our results have implications for patient education by physicians and may help to improve patient support by tailoring information, considering the weak points in information provision by web sites and intercultural differences in patient needs.

Breast Neoplasms↗

[Second malignancies after the therapy of Hodgkin's disease: the Freiburg collective 1940 to 1991].

AIM: To quantify the risk of second malignancies in patients with Hodgkin's disease treated at the Department of Radiotherapy, University Clinic Freiburg, with the object of comparing this risk with the international experience and as a contribution to the discussion about future treatment. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Second malignancies were reviewed in 1,588 patients treated for Hodgkin's disease between 1940 and 1991. Treatment consisted of involved or extended field radiotherapy as a single modality or in combination with chemotherapy. Before the early 1970's, chemotherapy used (sequential) monodrug regimens. The mean follow-up was 8.3 years. The cumulative risk was calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method and related to the risk of a normal population taken from epidemiological data of the National Cancer Institute. An estimate of radiation dose at the site of origin of the second malignancy was obtained from representative measurements employing an Alderson phantom. RESULTS: After 5, 10, 15 and 20 years the cumulative risk for all malignancies was 1.5%, 4.2%, 9.4% and 21%, respectively; for solid tumors it came to 1.2%, 3.1%, 7.9% and 19%; for non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) the risk amounted to 0.1%, 0.9%, 1.4% and 1.9%; and for leukemia it was 0.1%, 0.3%, 0.6% and 0.6%. For the same time points the relative risk for all malignancies was calculated to be 1.1, 1.4, 1.8 and 2.5; for solid tumors it came to 1.0, 1.1, 1.6 and 2.5; for NHL it amounted to 3.3, 11.8, 9.3 and 8.0; and for leukemia it was 3.3, 3.1, 3.4 and 2.1. For combinations of radiotherapy and chemotherapy the risk for second malignancies was highest in patients receiving ABVD any time during their treatment. 51% of the second malignancies were located infield, 22% at the field border and 27% outfield. In those cases for which the cause of death was known, Hodgkin's disease accounted for 79% followed by second malignancies accounting for 8%. The results obtained in Freiburg fell within the range reported in international publications. CONCLUSION: The increased incidence of second malignancies in cured Hodgkin's patients is along-term risk making regular follow-up mandatory. Although part of the second malignancies are unrelated to therapy, there is a need to carefully collect the data from patients treated according to new protocols in order to detect any changes in the number or kind of second malignancies in due time. This may well lead to a reassessment of therapeutic concepts.

Adult↗

Endoscopic ultrasound-guided brachytherapy of head and neck tumours. A new procedure for controlled application.

Brachytherapy is an established procedure in primary and in recurrent cancer. We perform afterloading brachytherapy during general anaesthesia. The target organ is punctured with hollow needles which are loaded with 192iridium via remote control. The depth and number of needles depend on tumour extension. In the interdisciplinary approach of our departments, this method has been improved and supplied by B-scan ultrasound control. Needles are positioned under continuous ultrasonographic guidance, and adjacent structures (e.g. the carotid artery) are localized ultrasonographically. Thus violation of the large vessels is avoided and the exact position of the needles within the tumour is improved. In this paper, we report results on 22 patients suffering from recurrent carcinoma of the head and neck following surgery and curative radiation, and 17 patients with first onset of cancer. We did not observe any severe complications such as haemorrhage, osteomyelitis, or dyspnoea. The only side-effect was temporary oedema, sometimes associated with a short-term increase of pain. No systemic side-effects occurred. The method is described and results from both patient groups are reported in detail. We conclude from our data that ultrasonographically-controlled endoscopic brachytherapy is a valuable procedure in locally-advanced primary, and in recurrent head and neck cancer.

Aged↗

Photographic documentation of acute radiation-induced side effects of the oral mucosa.

BACKGROUND: Radiotherapy in cancer of the head and neck induces cutaneous and mucosal reactions. These must be carefully assessed and documentated to control the accuracy of individual treatment, the overall toxicity of particular treatment schedules, the efficacy of prophylaxis and treatment and to determine the adequate therapy of treatment sequelae depending on the severity of the reactions. The accurate classification of lesions according to internationally accepted schedules (WHO/RTOG/CTC) is indispensable for the comparison of radiotherapy treatment results and efficacy of supportive care. METHODS: While the treatment of cancer depends on tumor stage and medical circumstances of the patient and is more or less standardized, prophylaxis and treatment of side-effects is highly variable. Discussing an optimized prophylaxis and therapy of oral mucositis, the problem of accurate classification and documentation emerged. The verbal description of mucosal lesions is open to many subjective interpretations. Photographic documentation seems a suitable method to optimize the grading of toxicity. RESULTS: A photographic survey of typical lesions for each grade of toxicity is a tool to reach several aims in one step. Toxicity of an individual patient may be compared with representative photographic examples in daily routine to decide quickly on the grade of toxicity. Subjective differences due to intra- and interpersonal variability of the evaluating radiooncologist will be reduced. The efficacy of treatment can be proven by accurate documentation. Randomized clinical studies concerning prophylaxis and treatment of oral mucositis will provide more reliable results if evaluation of toxicity grading is standardized by photographs. CONCLUSIONS: Photographic documentation of lesions of the oral mucosa might be the best means to reduce interindividual subjectivity in grading. It is a valuable appendix to standard classification systems and only concerns the visible signs of mucosal lesions. However, the exact grading of mucositis is only possible with additional clinical information about pain and nutritional situation.

Documentation↗

Cyclin kinase inhibitors are increased during experimental membranous nephropathy: potential role in limiting glomerular epithelial cell proliferation in vivo.

The inadequate proliferative response of the visceral glomerular epithelial cell (GEC) following injury in vivo may contribute to the development of progressive glomerulosclerosis in many forms of glomerular disease. Cell proliferation is ultimately controlled by cell-cycle regulatory proteins, including cyclins that bind to cyclin dependent kinases (CDK), and the active complex formed is necessary for progression through the cell-cycle. By inhibiting cyclin-CDK complexes, cyclin kinase inhibitors arrest the cell-cycle and prevent proliferation. To determine the mechanisms that may be responsible for the lack of GEC proliferation in vivo, we examined GEC expression of specific cell-cycle proteins in normal rats and in the passive Heymann nephritis (PHN) model of membranous nephropathy, where the GEC are the target of complement-mediated injury. Following antibody deposition and complement activation there was a marked up-regulation in the cyclin kinase inhibitors p21 and p27 in rats with PHN. By associating with cyclin A-CDK2 complexes, p21 and p27 limited the kinase activity of CDK2. Giving bFGF to rats with PHN was associated with an increase in GEC mitosis and ploidy and a decrease in expression of p21, but not CDK2 or p27. Furthermore, apoptosis was not present in PHN, but was increased in rats given bFGF. In conclusion, this study shows that the low proliferative capacity of the GEC in vivo in response to immune injury may be due to an increase in the expression of specific cyclin kinase inhibitors. The increase in mitosis in PHN rats given bFGF may be due to a decrease in p21. Thus, changes in cell cycle regulatory proteins may regulate the response of GEC to injury and underlie the development of progressive glomerulosclerosis in diseases of the GEC.

Animals↗

Positive identification of enterocytes by keratin antibody staining of sloughed intestinal tissue in severe GVHD.

Nine marrow allograft recipients who developed GVHD of the gastrointestinal tract accompanied by the passage of ropey necrotic material per rectum were studied. The material, resembling necrotic intestinal mucosa, was evaluated for the presence of epithelial cells using monoclonal antibodies for keratin and macrophages. Two keratins (AE1/AE3 and 34 beta E12) were detected within cells in all cases while macrophages were found in all but one case. In three cases, some cells were positive for both antibodies suggesting the presence of phagocytosed keratin in macrophage cytoplasm. Search for organisms with Gram and methenamine silver stains showed bacteria in six cases and fungus in one. Some cases of severe GVHD will be associated with the passage of ropey tan material grossly resembling sloughed mucosal tissue, but microscopically consisting largely of fibrin clots. The presence of free intestinal epithelial cells in this material is confirmed by the present study.

Bone Marrow Transplantation↗

[Recurrent theca cell tumor].

Thecomas are considered to be benign ovarian tumours. Whether there are malignant thecomas, is a subject of controversy in literature. This contribution describes a case of recurrent thecoma with a clinically malignant course and histological signs of malignant dedifferentiation. The particular diagnostic and therapeutic consequences of this rare disease are discussed with emphasis on the need for radical surgical intervention.

Adult↗

[A technic of magnetic resonance tomographic pelvimetry in obstetrics].

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRL) allows for the first time direct determination of maternal pelvic dimensions without ionising radiation. Phantom measurements and the correlation with traditional pelvimetric measurements in 10 patients after Caesarean section have shown mean differences of +/- 2 mm, with a maximum of 5 mm. The evaluation of pelvic configuration is obtained analogous to the conventional roentgenogram. In addition to conventional or digital x-ray pelvimetry, the soft tissues of the maternal pelvis and the presenting part of the foetus is delineated with high contrast. Positioning in the body coil can be accomplished even late in pregnancy or in impending labour, acceptance by the pregnant women being high. Whereas in a given indication after delivery conventional x-ray pelvimetry continues to be performed, antenatally MRI pelvimetry has now been established in our Departments as the method of choice--based on meanwhile 107 examinations. Present drawbacks are the relatively high cost and the limited availability of MR units.

Evaluation Studies as Topic↗

[Pathogenetic variance and diagnostic criteria in neurotoxoplasmosis].

With reference to the special position of neurotoxoplasmosis in regard of the detection of postnatal infection with Toxoplasma gondii the authors present 18 cases of this illness. The main factor responsible for the diagnostic uncertainty proves to be the blood-brain-liquor barrier which is responsible both for the behaviour of the parasite in the CNS and for immunological reactivity. Attention is drawn to the advisability of considering all anamnestic, clinical and paraclinical data and of long-term observation of the patient. Cases treated by the authors are discussed in greater detail as examples of basis pathogenetical variants.

Adult↗