Predictive risk model of recurrence of acute diverticulitis after the first episode.

Introduction: The recurrence of acute diverticulitis (AD) of the colon is frequent and leads to hospital readmissions and the need for elective surgery in selected cases. It is important to individualize risk factors and develop predictive tools for their identification.

Materials And Methods: This prospective observational study included 368 patients who were diagnosed with AD between 2016 and 2021 in a tertiary general university hospital during their first episode and who had a good response to antibiotic, percutaneous, or peritoneal lavage treatment.

Analysis of the impact of bariatric surgery on medium-term pharmacological expenditure.

Introduction: Obesity and associated diseases represent an important health and economic problem since pharmacological treatment for many of these pathologies needs lifelong subsidies. Theoretically, bariatric and metabolic surgery decreases the medication requirements of patients for these diseases but may result in other types of pharmacological needs. This study aims to demonstrate whether there is a real decrease in pharmacological expenditure after bariatric surgery.

Analysis of the impact of bariatric surgery on medium-term pharmacological expenditure.

Introduction: Obesity and associated diseases represent an important health and economic problem since pharmacological treatment for many of these pathologies needs lifelong subsidies. Theoretically, bariatric and metabolic surgery decreases the medication requirements of patients for these diseases but may result in other types of pharmacological needs. This study aims to demonstrate whether there is a real decrease in pharmacological expenditure after bariatric surgery.

Rare Site Hepatocellular Carcinoma Metastasis.

Introduction: Besides more common sites such as lung or peritoneum, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) can metastatize to rare sites. We report herein a new metastatic site of HCC: the nail-bed. We also review other recently reported rare site HCC metastases (RSHM).

Modelling the probability of erroneous negative lymph node staging in patients with colon cancer.

Background: Patients in who with insufficient number of analysed lymph nodes (LNs) are more likely to receive an incorrect LN staging. The ability to calculate the overall probability of undiagnosed LN involvement errors in these patients could be very useful for approximating the real patient prognosis and for giving possible indications for adjuvant treatments. The objective of this work was to establish the predictive capacity and prognostic discriminative ability of the final error probability (FEP) among patients with colon cancer and with a potentially incorrectly-staged LN-negative disease.

Quality control techniques in surgery: Application of cumulative sum (CUSUM) charts.

Cumulative sum graphs are quality control charts that are possibly the most frequently used for monitoring clinical-care processes. One of their main advantages is the use in rare cases and in events with low incidence, where it would be necessary to obtain a large sample and a long follow-up time with conventional statistical methods, which is impossible in certain cases. This is also why they are useful for studying learning curves, the introduction of new technologies and, in general, for assessing the quality of care outcomes themselves, because their profile is sensitive to very subtle changes in trends (positive or negative), which would not be observed with other methods.

CUSUM charts in the quality control of colon cancer lymph node analysis: a population-registry study.

Background: The most important determinant of survival in patients with colon cancer is the presence or absence of regional lymph node metastases. This factor is consistently associated with long-term and disease-specific survival. Cumulative summation of differences (CUSUM) charts can help to discriminate abnormalities that cannot be explained by the general variability of a process.

The lymph node status as a prognostic factor in colon cancer: comparative population study of classifications using the logarithm of the ratio between metastatic and nonmetastatic nodes (LODDS) versus the pN-TNM classification and ganglion ratio systems.

Background: pN stage in the TNM classification has been the "gold standard" for lymph node staging of colorectal carcinomas, but this system recommends collecting at least 12 lymph nodes for the staging to be reliable. However, new prognostic staging systems have been devised, such as the ganglion quotients or lymph node ratios and natural logarithms of the lymph node odds methods. The aim of this study was to establish and validate the predictive and prognostic ability of the lymph node ratios and natural logarithms of the lymph node odds staging systems and to compare them to the pN nodal classification of the TNM system in a population sample of patients with colon cancer.

Primary esophageal melanoma: report of a case.

Introduction: Primary malignant melanoma of the esophagus is a rare tumor representing only 0.1-0.2% of esophageal malignancies.

[Local recurrence based on size after conservative surgery in breast cancer stage T1-T2. A population-based study].

Background: Conservative surgery can be regarded as the standard treatment for most early stage breast tumors. However, a minority of patients treated with conservative surgery will present local or locoregional recurrence. Therefore, it is of interest to evaluate the possible factors associated with this recurrence.

[Diagnostic yield of pancreatic percutaneous puncture depending on the size of the lesion].

Introduction: The aim of the present study was to study the diagnostic efficacy of the percutaneous puncture of pancreatic tissue.

Material And Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on patients with suspicion of pancreatic neoplasm, and with a percutaneous biopsy of pancreatic tissue, from 2000 to 2011. For the statistical comparative analysis, the sample was stratified by tumour size: ≤ 3cm and > 3cm.

Breast cancer screening: have there been any changes during the last decade? A study in a Spanish unit.

Background: Breast screening programs in Spain cover almost 100% of population. The objective of the present study was to analyze if there have been any changes during the last decade in our breast screening unit (Unidad de Prevención del Cáncer de Mama de Castellón) that can also be extrapolated to other breast screening units.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective and descriptive analysis reviewing patients seen in our breast screening unit between January 1, 2000 and December 31, 2009.