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Biomedical subjects

S Nayler

Publications and source records attributed to S Nayler.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

Aggressive fibromatosis--impact of prognostic variables on management.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the impact of prognostic variables on local control in patients with aggressive fibromatosis treated with or without radiation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-two patients presenting to the combined sarcoma clinic at Johannesburg Hospital with aggressive fibromatosis from 1990 to 2003 were analysed retrospectively. There were 14 males and 28 females. The lesions involved the head and neck in 6 cases (14%), the thorax in 6 (14%), the extremities in 19 (45%) and the abdomen in 11 (26%). Thirty-seven patients (88%) presented to the clinic for the first time, whereas 5 (12%) had recurrent disease at presentation. Fifteen patients (36%) underwent excision only, 15 (36%) had excision followed by postoperative radiation, 8 (19%) had biopsy only, and 4 (9%) had radiation only. The median dose of radiation was 60 Gy (range 9 - 70 Gy). RESULTS: One patient had local failure following excision and postoperative radiation therapy. The local control was 100% for surgery alone and 86% for surgery followed by postoperative radiation at > or = 24 months. On univariate analysis, age, sex, positive margins, primary or recurrent presentation, site of involvement and initial treatment did not affect local control significantly. Eight of 19 patients (42%) receiving radiation developed severe moist desquamation following treatment, and all these patients had doses of 60 Gy or more. CONCLUSION: Surgery with or without radiation therapy gave excellent local control. The addition of radiation therapy to surgery as well as other known prognostic parameters did not impact on local control. The morbidity of radiation treatment is considerable, as noted in this series, and adjuvant radiation therapy should therefore be considered only in situations where the risk of recurrence and the morbidity of re-excision are high.

Adolescent↗

Angiosarcomas--clinical profile, pathology and management.

Files of 8 patients with primary angiosarcomas treated in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of the Witwatersrand from 1982 to 1995 were identified. None of these patients had received prior radiotherapy or chemotherapy which would have predisposed them to the formation of an angiosarcoma. Slides of 6 patients were reviewed. Five of the 6 were confirmed as having angiosarcomas, while 1 patient was found to have a peripheral neuro-epithelial tumour. Four patients had angiosarcomas of the breast, while there was 1 patient each with angiosarcoma of the skin, intestine and brain. Complete excision was the primary modality of management whenever possible. Postoperative radiotherapy was given in cases of incomplete excision, patient refusal of radical surgery or gross tumour. Four patients died within 4 months of diagnosis. Three patients are alive (2 with no evidence of disease) 22-96 months after diagnosis. In 1 patient follow-up details were not available as he did not return for treatment. Angiosarcomas are aggressive malignant tumours arising from the endothelial cells. Complete surgical excision is the treatment of choice in the management of this aggressive disease, which has a poor prognosis.

Abdominal Neoplasms↗

Sialadenosis: a presenting sign in bulimia.

BACKGROUND: Sialadenosis refers to noninflammatory, often recurrent, enlargement of the salivary glands, most frequently the parotids, which is almost always associated with an underlying systemic disorder. These include diabetes, alcoholism, malnutrition, anorexia nervosa, and bulimia. It is thought that the various causes of sialadenosis all result in a common pathogenetic effect in that they produce a peripheral autonomic neuropathy which is responsible for disordered metabolism and secretion, resulting in acinar enlargement. METHODS: This paper reports a case of sialadenosis as a presenting sign in bulimia and studies the histologic and electron microscopic features of this disease. RESULTS: Light microscopy showed acini which appeared to be larger than normal and which were composed of plump pyramidal cells containing prominent zymogen granules. There was less interstitial fat, and the ducts were widely dispersed. Electron microscopy showed the acinar cells to be packed with membrane-limited, dark secretory granules some of which showed moulding of their outlines. Cellular organelles and nuclei were inconspicuous. CONCLUSIONS: Management of sialadenosis depends upon identification of the underlying cause, which must then be corrected. In bulimia, the swellings may be refractory to standard treatment modalities, and parotidectomy may be considered as a last resort to improve the unacceptable aesthetics.

Adult↗

Spindle epithelial tumour with thymus-like element (SETTLE): the predominantly monophasic variant.

AIMS: To describe two cases of spindle epithelial tumour with thymus-like element (SETTLE) which are composed predominantly of spindle cells. In addition, to highlight some unusual histological features in SETTLE and discuss its separation from histological mimics. METHODS AND RESULTS: The thyroid masses were in a 4-year-old boy and a 25-year-old male. Both patients were euthyroid and were well except for thyromegaly. The specimens were formalin fixed, and immunohistochemistry was performed on this material using a panel of antibodies following microwave antigen retrieval. Morphologically, the dominant pattern was of sheets of spindle cells arranged in several patterns. There was mild pleomorphism and occasional mitoses. There were very small foci of squamous epithelium and occasional ductular structures. The stroma was composed of fibrous tissue and isolated areas of calcification were noted. The spindle cells showed strong and diffuse immunoreactivity with AE1/3, CAM5.2 and vimentin. CONCLUSION: We describe two cases of SETTLE that are composed mainly of spindle cells and only a very focal ductular component. In addition, calcification was noted within the stroma in one of the cases. These predominantly spindle examples of SETTLE must be separated from synovial sarcoma, which is a more mitotically active, aggressive tumour displaying only patchy immunopositivity with epithelial markers.

Adult↗

Symmetrical multifocal liposarcoma.

Multiple liposarcomas are extremely rare. We report on a patient with liposarcoma of the right lower limb who had undergone surgery and radiotherapy 4 years previously for a liposarcoma in the left lower limb. An outline of the management is discussed and a short review of available literature is given.

Humans↗

Bacillary angiomatosis. The first case reported in South Africa.

A 28-year-old white man, positive for HIV, who was admitted to hospital for pneumonia, had for 2 months had several fluctuating cutaneous purple nodules on his legs and abdomen. Cultures of two lesions were negative, but light and electron microscopy showed organisms characteristic of bacillary angiomatosis. The patient responded well to therapy with erythromycin. This is the first reported case of bacillary angiomatosis in South Africa.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗