The mean lead content of deciduous teeth from children living in the city of Birmingham (U.K.) has been shown to be 11.8 ppm dry weight, irrespective of the sex of the donor. Lead content varies according to type of tooth, and there is a gradient from incisors, with the highest level, to second molars, with the lowest. A relationship was shown between age of donor and lead content of canines and (when lognormalized data were considered) first molars. We were not able to demonstrate a correlation between tooth lead levels and residence near a potential industrial lead source, and we conclude that pollution from a general source is responsible for the body burdens we found.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Neck dissection: radical or conservative.

Four hundred and forty-five neck dissections for epidermoid carcinoma over a 10-year period are reviewed as to local recurrence of neck disease. Three hundred and forty-seven dissections were radical en bloc procedures and in 98 a modified conservative technique was utilized. Cervical lymph node classification was applied and a comparison made of the two techniques. A review of the anatomy of cervical fascias and the technique of conservative neck dissection is given. Evaluation of this series of cases indicate that the control of local disease in the neck in the N0 and N1 groups is is accomplished as well with conservative dissection as with radical neck dissection. The number of conservative neck dissections for N2 disease was too limited for accurate comparison. There were no conservative neck dissections done for N3 disease. We suggest that conservative neck dissection be utilized for subclinical and N1 disease and that the classic en bloc dissection be reserved for N2 and N3 situations.

Carcinoma, Squamous Cell↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Phase II evaluation of cis-dichlorodiammineplatinum(II) in advanced malignancies of the genitourinary and gynecologic organs: a Southwest Oncology Group Study.

One hundred and forty-seven fully and partially evaluable patients with advanced measurable malignancies of the genitourinary and gynecologic organs were given cis-dichlorodiammineplatinum(II) at a dose of 75 mg/m2 iv every 3 weeks. Thirty-six patients with testicular neoplasms were studied; five complete responses (13.9%) and seven partial responses (PR) (19.4%) were noted. Thirty-seven patients with ovarian adenocarcinoma were evaluated; five PRs (13.5%) were seen. One complete response (11.1%) and two PRs (22.2%) were obtained among nine patients with urinary bladder cancer. Four PRs (19.0%) were seen among a group of 21 patients with advanced prostate cancer. One PR (4.8%) was noted among 21 patients with renal cell cancer and no responses were seen in eight patients with cervical cancer. There was a highly statistically significant (P less than 0.001) survival advantage for the responding testicular tumor patients. Toxicity was similar to that previously reported, with gastrointestinal side effects and nephrotoxicity most commonly seen. Prospective and sequential analysis of renal function provided strong evidence for cumulative nephrotoxicity in these patients given bolus injections of cis-dichlorodiammineplatinum(II) without prehydration or treatment with fuosemide or mannitol.

Cisplatin↗