Biomedical subjects

Natalie G Coburn

Publications and source records attributed to Natalie G Coburn.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Significant regional variation in adequacy of lymph node assessment and survival in gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND: Lymph node (LN) status is a major determinant of prognosis and treatment of gastric adenocarcinoma. The 1997 American Joint Commission on Cancer/Union Internationale Contre le Cancer guidelines were revised, requiring examination of > or =15 LN for staging. METHODS: We investigated compliance with these guidelines and the correlation with overall survival (OS) by analyzing 10,807 resected gastric cancers in the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database, 1988-2002. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were constructed; survival was compared by using Cox proportional hazards. RESULTS: Overall, 29% of cases had > or =15 LN examined. After 1997, the median number of LN assessed increased from 9 to 10 (P < .0001). Factors predictive of adequate LN assessment (ALNA) were higher stage, worse grade, age <74 years, later year of diagnosis, nonwhite race, more extensive surgery, female sex, and SEER region. Differences in the rate of ALNA between regions were noted, ranging from 19.7-53% (P < .0001). Of T1N0 patients, 19% had ALNA. Improved OS was predicted by earlier stage, lower grade, marital status, Asian race, younger age, T-stage, female sex, SEER region, and ALNA. Median OS was highest in the region with the best ALNA rate and worst in the region with the lowest (33 mos vs. 17 mos, P < .0001). Inadequate LN assessment led to poorer survival at every stage (P < .001). CONCLUSION: The overwhelming majority of patients have an inadequate LN assessment. ALNA was associated with improved OS, with significant variation across regions. Understaging due to inadequate LN assessment may affect eligibility for adjuvant therapy. Education is required to improve LN retrieval.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2006

Use of the round ligament of the liver to decrease pancreatic fistulas: a novel technique.

BACKGROUND: The reported pancreatic anastomosis fistula rate for pancreaticoduodenectomy, distal pancreatectomy, or enucleation is 2% to 27%. We hypothesized that reinforcement with a vascular pedicle would decrease the number of fistulas. We report a novel technique: the use of the round ligament of the liver to reinforce the pancreatic anastomosis after resection. STUDY DESIGN: Patients undergoing resection from January 1, 2000 until August 8, 2005, at a tertiary referral center, were followed in a retrospective cohort study. The round ligament of the liver was disconnected from the abdominal wall, from the umbilicus to the liver. After pancreatic resection, it was sutured to the anastomosis or closure. A pancreatic fistula was defined as follows: Jackson-Pratt (JP) drainage>50 mL/d, after the fifth postoperative day, with amylase>3 times the serum level; reexploration for a fistula; postoperative pseudocyst; or death from sepsis with a presumed fistula. RESULTS: In 95 patients, we were able to mobilize the round ligament and use it as a vascular pedicle. The overall fistula rate for the series was 5.3% (5 of 95) and for pancreaticoduodenectomy it was 8.8% (5 of 57). There were no fistulas within the distal pancreatectomy and enucleation group (n=38). Importantly, there was no mortality from pancreatic fistula in the studied patients and no need for operative intervention for a fistula. CONCLUSIONS: We present a novel technique to prevent pancreatic fistula. Although randomized trials are necessary, it appears that the use of the round ligament as a vascular pedicle for reinforcing the pancreatic anastomoses and resections results in a very low number of pancreatic fistulas.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Population-based assessment of the surgical management of locally advanced colorectal cancer.

BACKGROUND: Evidence-based guidelines recommend multivisceral resection for patients with locally advanced adherent colorectal cancer because it reduces local recurrence and improves survival. However, this procedure can increase morbidity compared with standard resection and may not be practiced uniformly. We performed a population-based study to examine surgical practice and outcomes among patients with locally advanced adherent colorectal cancer in the United States. METHODS: Patients who were 18 years or older and who had surgical resection for nonmetastatic, locally advanced adherent colorectal cancer from January 1, 1988, through December 31, 2002, were identified from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) registry. Logistic regression was used to examine patient, tumor, and geographic factors associated with multivisceral resection. Cumulative early mortality (i.e., at 1 and 6 months after diagnosis) and 5-year survival were obtained from Kaplan-Meier estimates; adjusted risks of death were calculated using Cox proportional hazards models. All statistical tests were two-sided. RESULTS: We identified 8380 patients who underwent surgical resection for locally advanced adherent colorectal cancer, of whom 33.3% were managed with multivisceral resection. Among colon cancer patients, younger age at diagnosis, female sex, SEER region, node negativity, and left-sided tumors were independently associated with having had a multivisceral resection. Among rectal cancer patients, younger age at diagnosis and female sex were positively and statistically significantly associated with multivisceral resection, whereas receipt of neoadjuvant radiation was inversely and statistically significantly associated with multivisceral resection. Compared with standard resection, multivisceral resection was associated with improved overall survival for patients with colon (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.89, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.83 to 0.96) and rectal (HR = 0.81, 95% CI = 0.70 to 0.94) cancer, with no associated increase in early mortality. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of patients with locally advanced colorectal cancer did not receive a multivisceral resection. The geographic variation in the application of this procedure in patients with colon cancer suggests that local organizational structures and processes of care may play an important role in patient treatment and, therefore, prognosis.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

A novel approach to T classification in tumor-node-metastasis staging of breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to examine the effect of measurement bias in breast cancer and to create a more rational T-size categorization in tumor-node-metastasis staging in response to smaller, screen-detected cancers and measurement bias. METHODS: From 1987 to 2003, 10,853 invasive nonmetastatic breast cancers enlisted in the Rhode Island Cancer Registry with a known dimension were reviewed. Data analyzed by proposed classifications included the rate of lymph node metastases and the mortality rate from breast cancer. RESULTS: The median diameter was 16 mm. Cancer measurements reflected the bias in pathologists' dimension recording, which is centered strongly about whole- and half-centimeter sizes. A new T classification is proposed with the following sizes and frequencies in the Rhode Island Cancer Registry: 1 to 2 mm = T1 mic (3% of registered cases); 3 to 7 mm = T1a (11%); 8 to 12 mm = T1b (23%); 13 to 17 mm = T1c (18%); 18 to 22 mm = T2a (17%); 23 to 27 mm = T2b (8%); 28 to 32 mm = T2c (8%); 33 to 42 mm = T3a (6%); 43 to 52 mm = T3b (3%), and greater than 52 mm = T3c (4%). The unadjusted odds ratio for the probability of node metastases was 1.43 (confidence interval, 1.40-1.46; P < .001) with each increase in proposed grouping. The range in the lymph node metastatic rate was 5.5% for tumors 1 to 2 mm to 64% for cancers greater than 52 mm. By Cox proportional hazard, the unadjusted hazard ratio for death from breast cancer for each increase in proposed grouping was 1.33 (confidence interval, 1.29-1.37; P < .001). The 10-year survival rate ranged from 98.3% for tumors 1 to 2 mm to 70.3% for cancers greater than 52 mm. CONCLUSIONS: A more rational T category for use in tumor-node-metastasis staging is presented to reflect the much smaller invasive breast cancers encountered by screening and to account for the dimension recording bias of pathologists. This new T category shows a clinically and statistically significant linear relationship for both incidence of lymph node metastases and hazard ratio of death.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Decreased breast cancer tumor size, stage, and mortality in Rhode Island: an example of a well-screened population.

BACKGROUND: Since the 1980s, Rhode Island has achieved one of the highest mammography screening rates in the nation. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of high mammography rates on breast cancer presentation and outcomes. METHODS: Using the Rhode Island Cancer Registry, the incidence of DCIS and invasive cancer, tumor size, stage, rate of BCS and mortality from breast cancer were determined from 1987 to 2001. RESULTS: Over 80% of Rhode Island women report routine mammography. From 1987 to 2001, there were 1,660 cases of DCIS and 11,301 cases of invasive breast cancer. Although the overall incidence of invasive cancer was stable, the median diameter decreased from 2 cm to 1.5 cm with a significant decrease in the incidence of stage III and IV cancers. There was an increase in BCS for women 50 to 64 years of age with stage I and II disease and for women older than 65 years with stage I disease. Disease-specific mortality decreased by 25%. CONCLUSIONS: High mammography rates in Rhode Island are associated with smaller and earlier-stage breast cancers. This largely accounts for the decreased mortality from breast cancer and the increased rate of BCS.

Adult↗