The addition of postoperative irradiation to mastectomy and adjuvant chemotherapy reduces locoregional recurrences and prolongs survival in high-risk premenopausal women with breast cancer.

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A 10‐year retrospective survey was undertaken of patients with pyogenic hepatic abscesses (PHA). Fifty‐two patients fulfilled the criteria of PHA, equivalent to a mean annual incidence of 11/1,000,000. The main symptom was fever. Laboratory tests were compatible with infection, slightly elevated alkaline phosphatase being the only test pointing towards the liver as the focus of infection. Forty‐one patients (79%, 95% CL, 68–90%) had positive cultures from aspirated pus, with a total of 79 isolates. Enteric Gram‐negative rods accounted for 45% and anaerobic bacteria for 31% of PHA isolates. Gram‐positive cocci, predominantly non‐haemolytic streptococci, were the third largest group (19%), but were rare among blood isolates. Positive blood cultures were found in 21 patients (40%, 95% CL, 27–54%), with a total of 28 isolates. Percutaneous drainage was performed in 26, percutaneous needle aspiration in 10, combinations thereof in 5, and abdominal surgery in 5. Forty‐nine patients received systemic antibiotic therapy, four of whom were treated with antibiotics only. Seven recurrences occurred and the overall case fatality rate was 6% (95%, CL 0–12%), which might reflect a low rate of underlying malignant diseases in our study material.

Case records from 40 cats subjected to rhinoscopic examination for investigation of chronic nasal disease were reviewed. Cases in which no specific underlying cause (eg neoplasia) was detected were further selected for detailed retrospective study. In these 22 cats (55% of the initial population), a final diagnosis of non-specific chronic nasal disease was made. The radiographic, rhinoscopic, cytological and histopathological findings were reviewed. Mucosal biopsy specimens were obtained in 20 cases. Despite clinical signs of more than 4 weeks duration, histopathology indicated acute inflammation in four cases. Two cases had chronic lymphoplasmacytic inflammation and 14 had mixed (lymphoplasmacytic and neutrophilic) inflammation. Specimens for cytology were obtained from 17 cases by brush sampling. Three of these samples were not diagnostic due to the poor quality of the slides; one showed normal cytology. Acute inflammation was diagnosed by cytology (n=11) more commonly than chronic (n=1) or mixed inflammation (n=1). Concurrent samples, of quality suitable for both histopathological and cytological interpretation, were collected from 12 cases only. Cytological results were in agreement with the histological results in 25% of these cases, the main discrepancy being the nature of the dominant inflammatory cell type. Therefore cytology does not appear to be a reliable means for detection of chronic inflammation. Further studies are needed in order to investigate the correlation between the nature of mucosal inflammation as defined by both histological and cytological evaluation, and the relationship of these test results to prognosis and therapy.