The Natural History, Treatment Pattern, and Outcomes of Patients With Micropapillary Bladder Carcinoma.

Objective: Micropapillary bladder carcinoma (MPBC) is a rare variant of urothelial cancer. Most literature on MPBC is from case series reports. This study's objective was to examine the epidemiology, natural history, and prognostic factors of MPBC using a population-based registry, in addition to a literature review.

Impact of age on clinical presentation, treatment, and cancer-specific survival of patients with small-cell carcinoma of the prostate.

Background: The effects of age on clinical presentation, treatment, and outcomes for patients with small-cell carcinoma of the prostate (SCCP) are unclear.

Methods: A retrospective review was performed on 259 patients who were identified with SCCP in the national Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) registry from January 1973 to December 2004. The patients were categorized into two groups according to age at diagnosis, ie, younger than 75 years (n = 158, 61%) or 75 years and older (n = 101, 39%).

Prolonged high-pressure is required for optimal stent deployment as assessed by optical coherence tomography.

Aims: Optimizing stent deployment is important for both acute- and long-term outcomes. High-pressure balloon inflation is the standard for coronary stent implantation. However, there is no standardized inflation protocol.

Younger age is an independent predictor for poor survival in patients with signet ring prostate carcinoma.

Objective. The aim of this study was to examine the epidemiology, natural history, treatment pattern, and predictors of long-term survival of signet ring prostate carcinoma (SRPC) patients based on the analysis of the national Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. Methods & Results.

The natural history and outcomes of the patients with carcinosarcoma involving kidney and renal pelvis.

Background. The objective of this paper was to examine the epidemiology, natural history, and prognostic factors of carcinosarcoma of the kidney and renal pelvis (CSKP) using population-based registry. Patients and Methods.

The impact of signet-ring cell carcinoma histology on bladder cancer outcome.

Background: Signet-ring cell carcinoma (SRCC) of the urinary bladder is a rare entity. No previous studies have directly compared the cancer-specific survival of patients with SRCC to patients with urothelial carcinoma (UC) of the urinary bladder.

Materials And Methods: Patients with diagnosis of urinary bladder SRCC and UC were identified in the Surveillance, epidemiology, and end results program (SEER) (2001-2004).

Outcomes after carotid artery stenting and endarterectomy in the Medicare population.

Background And Purpose: Carotid artery stenting (CAS) is an alternative to carotid endarterectomy (CEA) for stroke prevention. The value of this therapy relative to CEA remains uncertain.

Methods: In 10 958 Medicare patients aged 66 years or older between 2004 and 2006, we analyzed in-hospital, 1-year stroke, myocardial infarction, and death rate outcomes and the effects of potential confounding variables.

Clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients with primary signet-ring cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder.

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the epidemiology, natural history, treatment pattern and predictors of long-term survival of patients with signet-ring cell carcinoma (SRCC) of the urinary bladder based on the analysis of the national Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database.

Methods And Results: In total, 230 patients with pathologically confirmed SRCC of the urinary bladder were identified between 1973 and 2004. The mean age was 65 ± 13 years.

Clinical features and outcomes of 25 patients with primary adenosquamous cell carcinoma of the prostate.

The aim of the present study was to examine the epidemiology, natural history, treatment and long-term survival of patients with adenosquamous cell carcinoma of the prostate. The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program database was used to identify ASCC of prostate cases between January 1973 and December 2006. Survival probabilities were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier methods and compared using the log-rank test.

Clinical features of sarcomatoid carcinoma (carcinosarcoma) of the urinary bladder: analysis of 221 cases.

Background. Urinary bladder sarcomatoid carcinoma (carcinosarcoma) is rare. The objective of this study was to examine the epidemiology, natural history, and prognostic factors of urinary bladder carcinosarcoma using population-based registry.

Refusal of cancer-directed surgery strongly impairs survival of patients with localized hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: This study investigated the frequency of patients with HCC who refused cancer-directed surgery and the characteristics and outcomes of these patients.

Patients And Methods: A retrospective study was performed using data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End RESULTS (SEER) Program. Characteristics of patients who refused CDS were compared with those who accepted surgery using logistic regression.

Distal myocardial protection with intracoronary beta blocker when added to a Gp IIb/IIIa platelet receptor blocker during percutaneous coronary intervention improves clinical outcome.

Objective: The present study tested the hypothesis that intracoronary (IC) propranolol improves clinical outcomes with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) when used with background Gp IIb/IIIa receptor blockade.

Background: We have previously shown that administration of a relatively large weight-based IC dose of the beta blocker propranolol before PCI decreases the incidence of post-PCI myocardial infarction (MI) and improves short- and long-term outcome. It has previously been shown that administration of a Gp IIb/IIIa receptor blocker decreases post-PCI MI and improves short- and long-term clinical outcome.

Survival advantage in Medicare patients receiving drug-eluting stents compared with bare metal stents: real or artefactual?

Background: Concerns have been raised regarding late mortality, particularly from late stent thrombosis, from drug-eluting stents (DES). Randomized clinical trials have shown that DES decrease restenosis but do not decrease mortality compared with bare metal stents (BMS). These studies utilized well-defined clinical and angiographic subsets.

Meta-analysis of published reports on the effect of statin treatment before percutaneous coronary intervention on periprocedural myonecrosis.

Myonecrosis, manifested by an increase in cardiac markers, may occur in up to 50% of patients undergoing elective percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). The degree of periprocedural myonecrosis, measured by the peak creatine kinase-MB fraction, has been associated with incidence of adverse clinical outcomes. Therefore, strategies to decrease myonecrosis may translate into a decrease in mortality.

Implementation and application of a continuous quality improvement (CQI) program for the cardiac catheterization laboratory: one institution's 10-year experience.

There is consensus that a continuous quality improvement (CQI) program is essential in optimizing patient outcomes in the cardiovascular catheterization laboratory. A CQI method was described in guidelines produced by the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) in 1993 and 1997. However, little information is available in the medical literature to determine the implementation and application of this approach in a modern catheterization program.

Distal myocardial protection during percutaneous coronary intervention with an intracoronary beta-blocker.

Background: Experimental studies have demonstrated that intravenous beta-blocker administration before coronary artery occlusion significantly reduces myocardial injury. Clinical studies have shown that intracoronary (IC) propranolol administration before percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) delays myocardial ischemia. The present study tested the hypothesis that IC propranolol treatment protects ischemic myocardium from myocardial damage and reduces the incidence of myocardial infarction (MI) and short-term adverse outcomes after PCI.