Merkel cell carcinoma of the head and neck: a retrospective case series.

Background: Eighty-five percent of all Merkel cell carcinomas appear on sun-exposed areas, with 50% to 55% occurring on the head and neck.

Methods: A chart review was performed on 22 patients treated for Merkel cell carcinoma of the head and neck between 1981 and 1998.

Results: Fifteen patients were men (68%).

Pathologic staging of renal cell carcinoma: significance of tumor classification with the 1997 TNM staging system.

Background: The TNM staging system for renal cell carcinoma was revised by the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) and the International Union Against Cancer (UICC) in 1997. The 1997 TNM staging system for renal cell carcinoma reclassifies tumors using criteria for size and for extent of renal vein/vena cava involvement that are different from the criteria used in the 1987 staging system. The current study investigated the prognostic significance of tumor classification and other factors using the new staging system.

Outcome of isolated renal cell carcinoma fossa recurrence after nephrectomy.

Purpose: Local recurrence of renal cell carcinoma in the renal fossa after complete radical nephrectomy is uncommon. We characterize and determine outcome in a small subset of patients.

Materials And Methods: From 1970 to 1998 the incidence of isolated renal bed recurrence among 1,737 T1-3N0M0 unilateral nephrectomy cases was 1.

Operation for partial atrioventricular septal defect: a forty-year review.

Background: We describe the long-term outcome of repair of partial atrioventricular septal defect by determining the rates of survival, reoperation, and occurrence of left atrioventricular valve regurgitation, left atrioventricular valve stenosis, left ventricular outflow tract obstruction, and arrhythmia.

Methods: We studied 334 patients who underwent repair of partial atrioventricular septal defect before 1995.

Results: The 30-day and 5-, 10-, 20-, and 40-year survival were 98%, 94%, 93%, 87%, and 76%, respectively.

Cancer heterogeneity and its biologic implications in the grading of urothelial carcinoma.

Background: Urothelial carcinoma of the bladder often contains areas with different histologic grades. The influence of cancer heterogeneity on grading and its relation to patient outcome is uncertain.

Methods: The study group consisted of 164 patients with Ta urothelial carcinoma diagnosed at the Mayo Clinic between 1985 and 1986.