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Background: Recently developed immunohistochemical markers have revolutionised the classification of gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GISTs) whilst tyrosine kinase inhibitors (imatinib) have had a significant impact on the treatment of advanced tumours. We review the clinicopathological features of previously resected mesenchymal tumours of the gastrointestinal tract in our institution to 1) reclassify the histological diagnosis of those stained prior to c-kit availability; 2) perform survival analysis to identify prognostic factors, and 3) to consider the implications for patients., Methods: Clinicopathological records of patients with a diagnosis of mesenchymal tumours treated between May 1992 and April 2007 were reviewed., Results: 82 patients were reviewed. 26 (32%) were reclassified as GISTs following c-kit immunostaining and a further 14 patients were treated for GIST up to April 2007 (Total: 40 patients; 21 males and 19 females, mean age 67, range 30-92 years). 36 (90%) underwent complete resection. 5-year survival of patients with GIST alone was 80%. Females had a better median survival (M: F 43 months: 73 months)., Conclusions: The availability of c-kit staining allowed 32% of previously diagnosed mesenchymal tumours to be reclassified as GISTs. This may have implications for the follow-up of patients diagnosed prior to the availability of this method.

Context: Patients with gastric or esophageal surgery and transection of the vagus nerve may suffer from appetite and weight loss but without dysphagia or mechanical obstruction to eating. The gastric hormone ghrelin stimulates food intake and GH release in rodents and man. However, rodents with vagotomy are not sensitive to the feeding effects of ghrelin., Objective: The objective of the study was to determine whether humans with vagotomy are sensitive to ghrelin., Study Design: The design was a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial., Setting: This was a hospital-based study., Patients: Six men and one woman who all had a previous complete truncal vagotomy with lower esophageal or gastric surgery entered and completed the study., Intervention: Each patient received 120-min infusions of saline, 1 pmol/kg.min ghrelin, and 5 pmol/kg.min ghrelin on 3 separate days. After 90 min, a buffet meal was served., Main Outcome Measure: Energy intake at the buffet meal was measured., Results: Ghrelin-stimulated GH release in a dose-dependent manner was measured, confirming bioactivity. However, no change in energy intake was observed with either dose of ghrelin [energy intake (kilojoules): saline 2805 +/- 812; ghrelin 1 pmol/kg.min, 2486 +/- 767; ghrelin 5 pmol/kg.min, 2382 +/- 543; P = not significant]., Conclusions: Ghrelin is unlikely to be an effective appetite-stimulatory treatment for patients with vagotomy and esophageal or gastric surgery. Our results suggest that an intact vagus nerve may be required for exogenous ghrelin to increase appetite and food intake in man.

A case of retroperitoneal perforation of the appendix presenting with a thigh abscess is described. The patient presented with pyrexia (38 degrees C) and abdominal and right thigh pain. There was tenderness in the right loin. His white blood cell count was 22 x 10(9)/L. An intravenous urogram revealed tapering of the right ureter at the L2/L3 level and suggested an infected obstructive uropathy. The patient failed to respond to drainage and antibiotics, so we performed a computed tomography scan, which showed a retroperitoneal abscess extending to the gluteal region and thigh, with signs of small bowel obstruction. This precipitated surgery. The route of extension of infection was through the sacrosciatic notch, which is considered to be a rare way of spread. The patient made a slow but eventual recovery. The overall mortality of this condition is high, but early recognition of an abdominal source of sepsis with appropriate treatment can improve survival.

Purpose: The role of pressure flow studies in the routine evaluation of patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia remains a controversial issue in urological practice. There are little data on age matched asymptomatic control groups. We evaluated pressure flow findings in such a group., Materials and Methods: A total of 24 male patients 47 to 80 years old (mean age 62.5) attending a general surgical clinic were recruited for study after ethical committee approval. The volunteers had never sought medical attention for urinary symptoms and did not perceive themselves as having a urological problem. Volunteers were assessed by International Prostate Symptom Score (I-PSS) and Madsen symptom score, clinical examination, free uroflowmetry, post-void residual ultrasound, repeat pressure flow studies and transrectal ultrasonography. Pressure flow tracings were manually analyzed for standard urodynamic values and the degree of bladder outflow obstruction according to recognized International Continence Society, Abrams-Griffith nomogram, linear passive urethral resistance relation and urethral resistance factor classifications., Results: Median I-PSS was 2.0 (interquartile range 1.2 to 5.7). For I-PSS quality of life the median was 1.0 (interquartile range 0.75 to 2.0). On pressure flow studies 3 patients (13%) had unequivocal obstruction, 7 (29%) were in the equivocal area and 14 (58%) had no obstruction, while 15 (63%) had unstable contractions on medium fill cystometry., Conclusions: The data show that a surprising number of apparently normal men are obstructed by commonly used criteria. This finding confirms asymptomatic obstruction, suggesting that obstruction may be less important in the development of symptoms than previously thought. Also, until the natural history of obstruction is more clearly defined surgery in obstructed asymptomatic patients is probably unwise.

Chagas' disease is endemic in South America, affecting several million people. Megacolon, the commonest intestinal manifestation, causes severe constipation and usually requires surgery. We report a case which was treated by restorative proctocolectomy. We believe this to be a useful new technique in the treatment of this condition.

This study was aimed at assessing the significance of pS2 immunostaining in colorectal adenocarcinoma and adjacent tissue. Paraffin sections of 63 surgically resected colorectal adenocarcinomas were stained with a pS2 specific monoclonal antibody using the avidin-biotin complex immunoperoxidase technique. Several tumor sections also included adjacent nonneoplastic mucosa. Six tubular adenomas and five hyperplasic polyps found in the resected bowels were also examined. Focal staining for pS2 was seen in 32 tumors (51%). In all but one case, less than 10% of the tumor cells were stained. pS2 staining was more common in right-sided than in left-sided tumors (p < 0.05), and was more prevalent in Dukes C than combined Dukes A and B tumors (p < 0.05). No significant relationship was found between pS2 positivity and the degree of tumor differentiation, patients' sex, or outcome of the disease as judged by the development of recurrence or metastasis. Strong pS2 positivity was seen in hyperplastic polyps and in nonneoplastic mucosa adjacent to many tumors. Tubular adenomas were either negative or showed focal superficial staining. It is concluded that pS2 immunostaining in colorectal adenocarcinoma does not seem to have prognostic significance, but may reflect developmental differences between the right and left side of the colon. The presence of pS2 staining in adjacent nonneoplastic mucosa and in hyperplastic polyps suggests that the epithelium in these areas is of a regenerative or reactive nature.

Paraffin wax sections of 70 surgically resected colorectal adenocarcinomas were examined for the overexpression of HER2/c-erbB-2 oncoprotein using three different specific antibodies and the avidin-biotin immunoperoxidase technique. The patients included 38 men and 32 women aged between 47 and 80 years. The tumours were derived from various parts of the large intestinal tract, and represented all three stages of Dukes' classification and the three histological grades of differentiation. Many tumour sections also included adjacent normal or transitional mucosa. Eight tubular adenomas found in the colectomy specimens in association with some carcinomas were also examined. No positive membrane staining was seen in any of the 70 carcinomas, four adenomas, two hyperplastic polyps, nor in the adjacent normal or transitional mucosa. It is suggested that the overexpression of c-erbB-2 gene product is unlikely to be as common and as pronounced in colorectal adenocarcinoma as it is in ductal carcinoma of the breast.

A patient is described who had generalized plane xanthomas, cutaneous vasculitis, peliosis hepatis, and intraabdominal giant lymph node hyperplasia of the plasma cell type. After excision of the abdominal mass, the xanthomas resolved and the liver returned to its normal size, but the patient continued to develop skin lesions. A review is presented of the cutaneous manifestations of giant lymph node hyperplasia.

Radioimmunoguided surgery (RIGS) using an anti-CEA (A5B7) monoclonal antibody has been assessed in 52 patients (43 primary excisions and nine second look procedures) undergoing surgery for colorectal carcinoma. The antibody localized in 97.8 percent of primary tumours and in 88.8 percent of the principal tumor in second look procedures. Additional information concerning the extent of primary tumor was obtained in 11 of 43 patients (25.5 percent) undergoing excision of primary carcinoma and five of nine patients (55 percent) in the second look series. Incorrect information was obtained about the extent of the primary tumour in six patients (11.3 percent), whereas no incorrect information was obtained during second look procedures. RIGS correctly predicted the subsequent Dukes' staging in 77 percent of first look cases (sensitivity 65 percent, specificity 90 percent), although accurate identification of individual nodes was impossible. The technique influenced the surgical procedure performed in 2 of 43 cases (4.6 percent) in primary surgery and in three of nine patients undergoing second look laparotomy (33 percent). RIGS in primary colorectal carcinoma may provide additional information concerning extent of locally advanced tumors in particular and the principle that the subsequent surgery may be influenced has been established. The technique appears to have a greater role in second look procedures where it may help determine the extent of recurrent tumour. Larger follow-up series are required to define how the additional information provided by this technique may best be exploited.

Between 1977 and 1988, 67 patients underwent surgical removal of residual metastatic deposits following an aggressive chemotherapy regimen (cisplatin, vincristine, methotrexate and bleomycin alternating with etoposide, actinomycin D and cyclophosphamide) for disseminated germ cell tumours of the testis (stage IIB or above). Ninety-one surgical procedures were performed. There were 63 (69 per cent) retroperitoneal lymph node dissections, 16 (18 per cent) thoracotomies, three (3 per cent) hepatic resections, three (3 per cent) craniotomies, five (5 per cent) delayed orchidectomies and one anterolateral decompression of the vertebral column. Nine (13 per cent) patients required a repeat retroperitoneal node dissection and one patient needed a repeat thoracotomy to remove recurrent metastatic deposits during the period of follow-up. Multivisceral resections and vascular reconstruction procedures were required in 20 (30 per cent) patients undergoing retroperitoneal node dissection. Fifty-five (82 per cent) patients remain in complete remission with a mean follow-up period of 49.6 months (range 2-121 months). Nine (13 per cent) patients died with metastatic disease between 2 months to 4 years after operation. There were three deaths in the perioperative period (4 per cent). The histology of the resected metastases revealed undifferentiated active tumour in 20 (30 per cent) patients, differentiated mature teratoma in 29 (43 per cent) patients and fibrosis/necrosis in 18 (27 per cent) patients. Twelve (60 per cent) patients with undifferentiated elements and 15 patients (60 per cent) with raised preoperative tumour markers (poor prognostic categories) are in complete remission. Cytoreductive surgery in patients with metastatic germ cell tumours offers the best chance of remission following chemotherapy even in poor prognostic group categories.

The oestrogen receptor content of colorectal adenocarcinoma was investigated using an established ligand binding biochemical assay and two more recently introduced techniques using specific monoclonal antibodies (Abbott ER-EIA and ER-ICA assay kits). Twenty nine tumours were investigated by the ligand binding assay. Only one (3.4%) tumour gave a weakly positive result (11 fmol/mg cytosol protein); the rest were all negative. Where sufficient tissue was available, the receptors were also determined by a quantitative immunoassay in 18 patients and an immunohistochemical method in 13 patients. The results were similarly all negative. It is concluded that most colorectal carcinomas, irrespective of sex, are oestrogen receptor negative, and it is thus unlikely that hormonal manipulation would have an influence on the course of the disease.

One hundred and thirteen consecutive patients admitted with a perforated duodenal ulcer over a 5-year period (1978-82) and treated by simple closure have been followed prospectively over a median period of 43 months. Patients were divided into two categories according to their previous history of dyspepsia; group 1 (66 patients) with a chronic history of more than 3 months and group 2 (47 patients) where there was no history of dyspepsia or a history of less than 3 months duration. The follow-up periods were similar (group 1, 44 months; group 2, 43 months). The overall recurrence rate was 42 per cent and to date only 14 per cent of the total group of 113 patients have required a definitive operation. The incidence of ulcer recurrence was higher in group 1 than in group 2 in terms of total recurrence (group 1, 50 per cent; group 2, 32 per cent) and patients requiring further surgery (group 1, n = 14, 21 per cent; group 2, n = 7, 15 per cent). Five of these 21 patients required an emergency procedure for haemorrhage or reperforation (group 1, n = 2; group 2, n = 3). There were no significant differences between the 5-year predictive recurrence rate or the requirement for definitive surgery between the groups. Five of the 27 patients currently on medical treatment have required maintenance treatment while the remaining patients receive active treatment for a mean of 20 per cent of the time since they developed recurrent ulceration. These results support continuation of our 'wait and see' policy following simple closure of perforated duodenal ulcer, even in patients with a history of chronic dyspepsia.

Since January 1985 we have changed our policy regarding lymph node biopsy in male homosexuals presenting with lymphadenopathy. Before that date all such patients underwent biopsy if there was no apparent cause. We no longer perform biopsy in male homosexuals presenting with uncomplicated persistent generalized lymphadenopathy (enlargement to more than 1 cm of lymph nodes in more than one extra-inguinal site for more than 3 months with no apparent cause) provided that the patient is positive for the antibody to lymphadenopathy associated virus/human T-lymphotropic virus type III. Such a policy should reduce the need for open biopsy procedures in this group of patients.

Islets of Langerhans have been enclosed in polycarbonate diffusion chambers and transplanted intraperitoneally to syngeneic streptozotocin diabetic rats. Direct implantation of 1100--1400 islets in these chambers failed to reverse diabetes during a period of 12 weeks, and viable islet tissue was not recoverable at the end of this period. Islets placed in chambers which had been implanted 3--12 weeks previously similarly failed to lower blood glucose of diabetic recipients, as a result of lack of survival of the islets. Insulin infusion into chambers previously implanted in vivo, I125 insulin diffusion studies in chambers recovered 6--8 weeks after implantation, and scanning electron microscopy of the recovered membranes all indicated that the pores were not totally occluded. The failure of islet transplantation via chambers in this simple syngeneic model has discouraging implications for their use as a means of avoiding allograft rejection.

A 73-year-old man with a cavernous haemangioma of the right breast is presented. The patient had had gynaecomastia of the left breast 8 years earlier. Prior to that he had been on cimetidine for 2 years. The patient's mother and sister had breast carcinomas, while two other sisters and a brother had carcinomas of kidney, uterus and lung respectively.

The incidence of rebleeding was studied prospectively in 177 patients with acute gastrointestinal haemorrhage from peptic ulceration with reference to the degree of haemodynamic insult on admission and the presence of endoscopic signs of recent haemorrhage on initial endoscopy. Rebleeding occurred in two (2%) of 114 patients without shock, in seven (18%) of 38 with tachycardia (pulse rate greater than 100 beats/min, systolic blood pressure greater than 100 mm Hg), and in 12 (48%) of 25 with shock (systolic blood pressure less than 100 mm Hg). A similar gradient was noted with the presence of endoscopic signs alone. Rebleeding occurred in four (5%) of 79 patients with no endoscopic signs, in none of 40 with black spot only, in 11 (23%) of 48 with a clot, and in five (50%) of 10 with a visible vessel on endoscopy. When the incidence of rebleeding was assessed in shocked patients, however, it was significantly higher in those with important signs (clot or visible vessel), in 11 (79%) out of 14 patients, than in those with no signs, in one (9%) out of 11 (p less than 0.001). These data suggest that the association of shock with important endoscopic signs is a stronger predictor of rebleeding than either shock or important signs alone. More aggressive treatment may be warranted in this small group of patients.

We describe a new technique of operative orthograde colonic washout followed by colonoscopy for use in patients with severe colonic haemorrhage. We report its use in four patients in whom the exact source of bleeding was localized and treated. In two of these cases a policy of 'blind' hemicolectomy would have been incorrect. The technique is simple and safe, and we advocate its use during laparotomy for major colonic haemorrhage.