Purpose: A multi-centre study to assess the value of combined surgical resection and radiotherapy for the treatment of desmoid tumours. Patients and methods:One hundred and ten patients from several European countries qualified for this study. Pathology slides of all patients were reviewed by an independent pathologist. Sixty- eight patients received post-operative radiotherapy and 42 surgery only. Median follow-up was 6 years (1 to 44). The progression-free survival time (PFS) and prognostic factors were analysed. Results:The combined treatment with radiotherapy showed a significantly longer progressionfree survival than surgical resection alone (p smaller than 0.001). Extremities could be preserved in all patients treated with combined surgery and radiotherapy for tumours located in the limb, whereas amputation was necessary for 23% of patients treated with surgery alone. A comparison of PFS for tumour locations proved the abdominal wall to be a positive prognostic factor and a localization in the extremities to be a negative prognostic factor. Additional irradiation, a fraction size larger than or equal to 2 Gy and a total dose larger than 50 Gy to the tumour were found to be positive prognostic factors with a significantly lower risk for a recurrence in the univariate analysis. This analysis revealed radiotherapy at recurrence as a significantly worse prognostic factor compared with adjuvant radiotherapy. The addition of radiotherapy to the treatment concept was a positive prognostic factor in the multivariate analysis. Conclusion:Postoperative radiotherapy significantly improved the PFS compared to surgery alone. Therefore it should always be considered after a non-radical tumour resection and should be given preferably in an adjuvant setting. It is effective in limb preservation and for preserving the function of joints in situations where surgery alone would result in deficits, which is especially important in young patients.

Photodynamic diagnosis is of increasing interest for diagnosis in oncology. It is based on a more intense incorporation of a fluorescent dye in tumours compared to normal tissue. As a feasibility study we investigated the effectiveness of oral application of 5-aminolevulinic acid for photodynamic diagnosis of human primary mammary tumours. The study included 16 patients with palpable breast tumours. Aminolevulinic acid was administered at a concentration of 40 mg kg −1 bodyweight 150–420 min prior to tumourectomy. Intraoperatively blue light (405 nm) was applied to the operation site. Sections of the excised tumour and some lymph nodes were prepared and analysed with a fluorescent microscope. All primary mammary tumour tissues showed significantly higher fluorescence intensity than surrounding normal mammary tissue. Fluorescence of the mammary tumours could also be discriminated macroscopically and intraoperatively. Fluorescence intensity in nonmetastatic lymph node tissue was higher in 2 out of 3 patients than in primary tumour tissue. By photodynamic diagnosis using aminolevulinic acid we were able to reliably distinguish primary mammary tumours from normal mammary tissue microscopically and macroscopically in all our patients. We suggest that photodynamic diagnosis with aminolevulinic acid for breast tumours should be further investigated and developed for intraoperative use and may well be a simple tool for better intraoperative diagnosis and recognition of tumour margins. We hypothesize that lymph node metastasis of breast tumours will not be detectable by this method. © 2001 Cancer Research Campaign http://www.bjcancer.com

To learn how effective medroxyprogesterone-acetate is for treating adenomatous hyperplasia of the endometrium, we prescribed a controlled therapy in a randomly selected group of 60 women in whom we had diagnosed adenomatous hyperplasia histologically. The endometria of these women were histologically evaluated before therapy was started and again after three months of therapy. The greatest rate of regression was shown by the 40-59 year old women with adenomatous hyperplasia of grade I (15 of 23 patients). The regression occurred with 50 mg/day within three to eight months. For the women with adenomatous hyperplasia of grade II severity, 100 mg per day were required to obtain a similarly good result. For those with adenomatous hyperplasia of grade III severity, 150 mg per day were needed. The over 60-year old patients required higher doses of MPA over longer time periods for equally good therapeutic results. The patients younger than 40 years of age received lower doses (10-40 mg daily) to maintain or regain their fertility. Their adenomatous hyperplasias regressed with 20-40 mg of MPA daily, whereas with a daily dose of 10 mg their adenomatous hyperplasias recurred. The number of cases here, however, is too small for a statistical analysis. Summarising our results we recommend treating patients with adenomatous hyperplasias of grade I and II severity with MPA until it can be proved histologically that the hyperplasia has regressed. The daily dose needed for grade I hyperplasias is between 50 and 100 mg per day, whereas for grade II between 100 and 150 mg are needed.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

31 patients, suffering from an occipital neuralgia, were treated surgically by section of the n. occipitalis major or minor. The retrospective study of these cases extends over a period of one to nine years. In 26 patients (84%) a good result was achieved initially, and 16 patients (52%) are completely free of any complaint up to the present. In five patients (16%) no improvement has occurred. In two of these five patients an epipharyngeal cancer was discovered later; in one of the patients trigeminal neuralgia was established later on. Contrary to earlier published intradural rhizotomy this operation is simple and without risk (it is performed under local anaesthesia), and in long-standing, obstinate and tormenting cases very good results can thus be achieved. The unclear aetiology of the neuralgia was observed anatomically by the atypical course of the nerves. Other methods for the treatment of occipital neuralgia were not considered here.

Abstract. Canova CR, Kuhn M, Allemann J, Reinhart WH (Kantonsspital, Chur, Switzerland). Lethal pulmonary hypertension in a young woman caused by unrecognized haemangiosis carcinomatosa (Case Report). J Intern Med 1998; 243: 255-57.A 38-year-old female is described, who was admitted with increasing respiratory distress, cough and visible blood stasis in the jugular veins. The most likely diagnosis in this young women taking oral contraceptives was pulmonary embolism, however, a ventilation-perfusion lung scan was normal. Echocardiography showed a dilated right ventricle and increased systolic pulmonary pressure. Despite administration of oxygen and intravenous heparin the patient died in circulatory collapse before further investigations could be initiated. Post-mortem examination revealed diffuse adenocarcinoma of the stomach (linitis plastica) with metastasis to local lymphnodes, lymphangiosis carcinomatosa of the liver, pancreas and spleen and tumour cell masses within the lumen of small pulmonary arteries leading to variable occlusions of the vessels. Fibrocellular intimal proliferation was found, leading to further obstruction and increased resistance to flow through the pulmonary vascular bed and to subacute cor pulmonale.