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Biomedical subjects

L B Woolner

Publications and source records attributed to L B Woolner.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Screening for lung cancer. A critique of the Mayo Lung Project.

The National Cancer Institute of the United States recently sponsored three large-scale, randomized controlled trials of screening for early lung cancer. The trials were conducted at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and the Mayo Clinic. Participants were middle-aged and older men who were chronic heavy cigarette smokers and thus at high risk of developing lung cancer. Screening procedures were chest radiography and sputum cytology, the only screening tests of established value for detecting early stage, asymptomatic lung cancer. In the Hopkins and Memorial trials the study population was offered yearly chest radiography plus sputum cytology every 4 months. The control population was offered yearly chest radiography only. In these trials the addition of sputum cytology appeared to confer no lung cancer mortality rate advantage. The Mayo Clinic trial compared offering chest radiography and sputum cytology every 4 months to offering advice that the two tests be obtained once a year. This trial demonstrated significantly increased lung cancer detection, resectability, and survivorship in the group offered screening every 4 months compared with the control group. However, there was no significant difference in lung cancer mortality rate between the two groups. The statistical power of these trials was somewhat limited. Nevertheless, results do not justify recommending large-scale radiologic or cytologic screening for early lung cancer at this time.

Clinical Trials as Topic

Fifty-year trend in incidence rates of bronchogenic carcinoma by cell type in Olmsted County, Minnesota.

An earlier report suggested that incidence rates of primary bronchogenic carcinoma had leveled off for men in Olmsted County, MN. Extension of that study to cover 50 years in this midwestern community now shows that lung cancer incidence continues to increase in both sexes, with rates in women approaching those found in men 20 years ago. This increase was seen for all cell types of bronchogenic carcinoma. Because one pathologist reevaluated tissues, changing histologic classifications were not responsible for secular trends; nor were the results influenced by referral bias inasmuch as the study was population based.

Adult

Papillary thyroid cancer treated at the Mayo Clinic, 1946 through 1970: initial manifestations, pathologic findings, therapy, and outcome.

We performed a retrospective study of 859 patients with papillary thyroid cancer, who had received their primary treatment at the Mayo Clinic during the period 1946 through 1970. The maximal follow-up was 39 years. All but 2 patients underwent a thyroid operation; 319 (37%) had metastatic cervical nodes. Of the 800 patients without distant metastatic lesions on initial examination who underwent a potentially curative surgical procedure, postoperatively 7% had nodal metastatic lesions, 6% had a local tumor recurrence, and 5% had a distant metastatic lesion. In patients who had intrathyroidal tumors initially, postoperative local recurrences or distant metastatic lesions resulted in a 10-year cancer mortality of 17 and 41%, respectively; in those with extrathyroidal tumors, postoperative recurrences were associated with significantly higher death rates. Death from thyroid cancer was highly associated with the following factors: age more than 50 years, male sex, tumor size, tumor grade, initial extent of disease, and absence of Hashimoto's disease. Earlier studies of Mayo patients treated between 1926 and 1960 described no deaths due to thyroid cancer in patients with occult tumors (1.5 cm or less). Four such patients were identified among our 859 patients; all had been examined and treated after 1961. To date, 56 (6.5%) of the 859 patients have died as a result of papillary thyroid cancer. In this study, in which 16% of patients underwent total thyroidectomy and 3% had radioiodine ablation, the overall mortality observed at 30 years was only 3% above that expected.

Carcinoma, Papillary

Lung cancer screening: the Mayo program.

The National Cancer Institute has sponsored three randomized controlled trials of screening for early lung cancer in large, high-risk populations to determine whether lung cancer detection can be improved by adding sputum cytological screening every 4 months to chest roentgenography done either yearly or every 4 months; and lung cancer mortality can be significantly reduced by this type of screening program, followed by appropriate treatment. Results of the three trials suggest that sputum cytology alone detects 15% to 20% of lung cancers, almost all of which are squamous cancers with a favorable prognosis; and chest roentgenography may be a more effective test for early-stage lung cancer than previous reports have suggested. Nevertheless, results of the randomized trial conducted at the Mayo Clinic showed that offering both procedures to high-risk outpatients every 4 months conferred no mortality advantage over standard medical practice that included recommended annual testing.

Clinical Trials as Topic

Bronchogenic carcinoma in Olmsted County, 1935-1979.

The incidence rates of bronchogenic carcinoma based upon 414 cases that occurred in Olmsted County, Minnesota, over a period of 45 years are described. Histologic preparations were available for 97% of cases and were reviewed by one pathologist. The overall average annual age-adjusted rates per 100,000 person-years for the most recent 5 years were 45.6 and 14.0 for men and women, respectively. Squamous cell carcinoma was most common among men and adenocarcinoma was the most common cell type among women. Incidence rates for women have risen to approximately those of men 30 years ago, whereas the incidence for men in the last 5 years has ceased to increase. Age-specific rates show increases for women in all age groups 55 years and older, and for men 65 years and older, whereas the incidence in men younger than 65 years has declined. Survival for 5 years is best for women for all cell types except small cell carcinoma, and is essentially unchanged from the earlier 40-year report.

Adenocarcinoma

Early lung cancer detection: results of the initial (prevalence) radiologic and cytologic screening in the Mayo Clinic study.

The initial (prevalence) radiologic and cytologic screening for lung cancer in the Mayo Clinic study (Mayo Lung Project) involved 10,933 outpatients. All were men at high risk for lung cancer, but none were suspected of having it when they entered the Mayo Clinic. Screening identified 91 lung cancers (8.3 per 1,000 screened). Nearly two thirds of the prevalence lung cancers were detected by chest roentgenography alone. Half of these cancers were resected. Only a fifth of the cancers were detected by sputum cytologic examination alone; however, all but 1 of these were resected. Compared with a group of lung cancers encountered in contemporary clinical practice at the Mayo Clinic, the prevalence cancers were more than twice as likely to be (1) resectable, (2) postsurgical Stage I or II (AJCC), and (3) associated with survival 5 yr after treatment.

Adenocarcinoma

Clinical application of a new endoscopic technique for detection of in situ bronchial carcinoma.

Hematoporphyrin is preferentially concentrated by cancer tissue and therefore is a potentially useful chemical marker. This report demonstrates the effectiveness of a photoelectric hematoporphyrin fluorescence detector used simultaneously with flexible fiberoptic bronchoscopy as a means of detecting and localizing bronchogenic carcinoma. The detector generates an audio signal when fluorescence is within the visual field of the bronchoscope. Of interest is that an audio signal was generated which indicated hematoporphyrin fluorescence in areas where no mucosal abnormality had been seen. These areas proved to be carcinoma in situ.

Aged

Bronchoplastic procedures in the treatment of carcinoid tumors of the tracheobronchial tree.

Sixteen patients, aged 10 to 70 years, had carcinoid tumors of the lower respiratory tract treated by various resective tracheobronchoplastic procedures. These represent 8.8 percent of 181 patients with carcinoid lesions treated during a recent 20 year period. All 16 patients had respiratory symptoms, and one patient also had the carcinoid syndrome. Roentgenographic changes ranged from a mass or atelectasis (or both) through unilateral lung hyperinflation to clear lungs with subtle filling defects in major airways. All tumors were visualized endoscopically, and 13 patients had biopsies. Histopathologically, all tumors were "typical" carcinoids . Before operation, the patients had minimal or no respiratory insufficiency, although flow-volume and ventilation-perfusion abnormalities were noted when major airways were affected. Surgical management at thoracotomy was as follows: (1) simple wedge tracheobronchotomy without lung resection (five patients); (2) bronchial sleeve resection without lung resection (three patients); and (3) bronchial sleeve with upper lobe resection (eight patients). These 16 operations were performed with eight technical anatomic variations. No early or late deaths occurred. One patient had early transient atelectasis, and three patients required late endoscopic removal of suture granulation tissue. All patients were alive without recurrence of tumor or carcinoid syndrome or other respiratory complications 6 months to 19 years postoperatively. Pulmonary resection should be avoided unless there is histologic evidence of tumor extension into lung parenchyma or irreversible pulmonary suppuration distal to the obstructive tumor.

Adolescent

Adenoid cystic carcinoma (cylindroma) and mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the bronchus. Factors affecting survival.

A review was made of the presentation, treatment, and follow-up of 20 patients with adenoid cystic carcinoma and 12 patients with mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the bronchus who were seen at the Mayo Clinic during the 50 year period 1927 through 1977. Three forms of therapy were employed: complete surgical resection, radiation therapy alone, and radiation therapy after endoscopic removal of tumor tissue. Superior results were obtained in the group with adenoid cystic carcinoma, when complete resection was possible. Significant survival and palliation of sepsis was achieved with subtotal resection. The mucoepidermoid carcinomas in this series were classified on the basis of histologic differentiation. Mucoepidermoid carcinoma of Grade 1 was managed by conservative pulmonary resection. Mucoepidermoid carcinoma of Grades 2 and 3 showed a greater propensity for malignancy. Widespread dissemination caused death with unresectable high-grade mucoepidermoid carcinomas of Grades 2 and 3.

Adolescent

Primary hyperparathyroidism with multiple parathyroid gland enlargement: review of 53 cases.

Of 53 patients who had hyperparathyroidism assocated with multiple parathyroid gland enlargement, 39 (74%) had primary hyperparathyroidism without clinical or laboratory evidence of associated endocrine gland dysfunction, 2 had documented familial primary hyperparathyroidism, and 12 had hyperparathyroidism as part of the multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome. When last studied, 31 of the 39 patients with nonfamilial hyperparathyroidism had normal serum calcium levels, 3 had permanent hypoparathyroidism, 2 had recurrent hyperparathyroidism, and 3 were lost to follow-up. The two patients with familial hyperparathyroidism were treated by removal only of enlarged parathyroid glands, and in each, hyperparathyroidism recurred. Five patients with multiple endocrine neoplasia, type 1, were treated by removal only of enlarged parathyroid glands, and hyperparathyroidism recurred in four. Four patients with multiple endocrine neoplasia, type 1, were treated by removal of three or more parathyroid glands, and there were no instances of recurrent hyperparathyroidism. In one patient, permanent hypoparathyroidism developed. Three patients with multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome, type 2, had total parathyroidectomies as a part of thyroidectomy for medullary thyroid carcinoma. In each patient, permanent hypoparathyroidism developed. When primary hyperparathyroidism occurs in the absence of a definite history of polyendocrine or familial disease, only the glands that are definitely enlarged should be removed, and normal-appearing glands should be tagged rather than risk the possibility of permanent hypoparathyroidism that may attend routine subtotal parathyroid gland excision.

Adolescent

Transient hyperthyroidism in patients with lymphocytic thyroiditis.

We have studied seven episodes of transient hyperthyroidism in three men and one woman, aged 19 to 38 years. No patient had fever or neck tenderness. All had palpable thyroid glands. Elevated serum thyroxine values persisted for 1 to 3 months. Thyroid131I uptake at 6 and 24 hours was low (1 to 3%). Erythrocyte sedimentation rates were normal or only slightly increased. Needle biopsy in four patients and a thyroidectomy specimen in one patient, all taken during the hyperthyroid phase, showed lymphocyte infiltration and extensive follicular disruption without oxyphilia. There was no evidence of granulomatous thyroiditis. Thyroglobulin antibodies were normal in all. In three patients, transient hypothyroidism followed the hyperthyroid episode. In two patients, the condition was recurrent. The findings are compatible with transient unregulated discharge of thyroid follicle content in some patients with lymphocytic thyroiditis. Recognition permits avoidance of unnecessary treatment with surgery, radioiodine, or antithyroid drugs.

Adult

Localized mesothelioma of the pleura: benign and malignant variants.

Mesothelioma, even of the pleura alone, is a ubiquitous pathological designation. The diffuse variety is associated with an ominous prognosis. The localized mesothelioma generally has been assumed to be benign. A review of tumors from 60 patients with localized pleural mesothelioma seems to justify separation into benign (52 patients) and malignant (eight patients) variants. Histologic criteria are used primarily to make this division. No single clinical feature allowed preoperative predictability concerning benignity or malignancy, although extrathoracic osteoarthropathy was seen only with benign lesions (20 percent), usually those greater than 7 cm. Follow-up periods of as long as 24 years revealed recurrent tumor in only two of the 58 patients with benign lesions and revealed a survival curve identical to that of the general population. All of the patients with the malignant variety had recurrence or metastasis, and all but one were dead within 2 years of the initial operation. One patient died of tumor complications after 9 years. More aggressive local resection is indicated for the malignant variant.

Adult

Incidence, trend, and outcome of bronchogenic carcinoma in Olmsted County, Minnesota, 1935--1974.

The 40-year incidence trends of bronchogenic carcinoma in Olmsted County, Minnesota, are presented and analyzed. The incidence in men has risen rapidly with each decade. During the last decade this increase was due to an increase of the rate among men over 65, rates in men under 65 appearing to have plateaued. The incidence in women increased for the first time in the decade 1965 to 1974. During the period 1935 through 1974, rates for all cell types increased in men, with that for squamous cell carcinoma increasing most. In women the recent overall increase was due mainly to an increase of adenocarcinoma, which has been the predominant cell type in women throughout. Among all cases together the 5-year survivorship was 11%, which comprised 24% for squamous cell carcinoma, 11% for large cell carcinoma, 12% for adenocarcinoma, and 0 for small cell carcinoma.

Adenocarcinoma

Carcinoid tumors of the lung.

Resection of typical bronchial carcinoid was carried out in 203 patients. The average age was 48 years, and the sex distribution was approximately equal. Bronchoscopy was the most definitive diagnostic procedure, even though 15% of the tumors were located in the segmental bronchus or beyond. Conservative resection including local removal of the lesion was the treatment of choice, but distal suppuration and location of the tumor necessitated pneumonectomy in 54 (27%) of the patients. The incidence of metastasis was 5% (11 patients), and the overall hospital mortality was 3%. Of patients who qualified for follow-up, 94% survived 5 years, and of those who were asymptomatic preoperatively, 98% survived 5 years. The 10- and 25-year survival rates for the group as a whole were 87 and 66%, respectively.

Adolescent

Palpation thyroiditis (multifocal granulomatour folliculitis).

Disseminated inflammatory lesions constituting a multifocal granulomatous folliculitis in the thyroid are described. These lesions were present in the majority (greater than 83%) of thyroids removed surgically because of thyroid or nonthyroid (carcinoma of the larynx) disease. They also were found at autopsy in patients who died while hospitalized but not in those who died at home. An identical lesion was produced experimentally in dogs by vigorously squeezing their thyroids. The human folliculitis is believed to result from traumatic injury or rupture of isolated thyroid follicles caused by palpation of the gland (palpation thyroiditis). Palpation thyroiditis may have little, if any, clinical importance. The remote possibility that it might be associated with iatrogenically produced metastasis of thyroid carcinoma is being investigated.

Adenoma

The Mayo Lung Project for early detection and localization of bronchogenic carcinoma: a status report.

The Mayo Lung Project (MLP) is a screening program designed to detect bronchogenic carcinoma at a curable stage. Screening tests include chest roentgenograms, three-day "pooled" sputum cytology studies, and lung-health questionnaires. These are being applied every four months to a study population of outpatients who have a high probability of developing lung cancer. Initial patient acceptance of the screening program has been excellent. Small asymptomatic lung cancers have been detected both roentgenographically and cytologically. The two procedures have complemented each other with little overlap. Chest roentgenography has proved most useful in diagnosing peripherally situated cancers, whereas sputum cytology studies have been most effective in identifying early squamous cancer involving major airways. At present, more cancers have been detected roentgenographically than cytologically, but the cytologically detected cases appear to have a better prognosis. Roentgenographically occult cancers have been localized with regularity, although the localization process is complicated. Theoretically, vigorous application of radiologic and cytologic screening, combined with optimum use of localizing procedures and treatment, could increase the five-year survival rate among lung cancer patients to nearly 50 percent. However, the actual survivorship attained will ultimately be determined by currently imponderable factors such as patient acceptance of longterm screening, frequency of multicentric respiratory cancers, and incidence of noncancerous smoking-related diseases, especially chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and ischemic heart disease.

Aged