Radiotherapy or Surgery of the Axilla After a Positive Sentinel Node in Breast Cancer: 10-Year Results of the Randomized Controlled EORTC 10981-22023 AMAROS Trial.

Purpose: The European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer 10981-22023 AMAROS trial evaluated axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) versus axillary radiotherapy (ART) in patients with cT1-2, node-negative breast cancer and a positive sentinel node (SN) biopsy. At 5 years, both modalities showed excellent and comparable axillary control, with significantly less morbidity after ART. We now report the preplanned 10-year analysis of the axillary recurrence rate (ARR), overall survival (OS), and disease-free survival (DFS), and an updated 5-year analysis of morbidity and quality of life.

Is a tailored work-related support intervention feasible in everyday clinical practice? The experience of healthcare professionals and patients with cancer.

Background: Work is valued as an important feature in life, however patients diagnosed with cancer can experience work-related problems. We developed a work-related support intervention to support those in need.

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of the performed tailored GIRONA (Gastro Intestinal cancer patients Receiving Occupational support Near and After diagnosis) intervention and to describe the experiences of those receiving the work-related support and of those providing it.

Physiotherapy With Telerehabilitation in Patients With Complicated Postoperative Recovery After Esophageal Cancer Surgery: Feasibility Study.

Background: Improvement of functional status with physiotherapy is an important goal for patients with postoperative complications and an increased length of hospital stay (LoS) after esophagectomy. Supervised physiotherapy with telerehabilitation instead of conventional face-to-face care could be an alternative to treat these patients in their home environment after hospital discharge (T0), but its feasibility has not yet been investigated in detail.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of a 12-week supervised postoperative physiotherapy intervention with telerehabilitation for patients with esophageal cancer who underwent esophagectomy and had postoperative complications or who had an increased LoS.

The Successful Return-To-Work Questionnaire for Cancer Survivors (I-RTW_CS): Development, Validity and Reproducibility.

Background: Cancer survivors' perspectives on a successful return to work (RTW) may not be captured in the common measure of RTW, namely time until RTW.

Objective: The purpose of this study was therefore to develop an RTW outcome measure that reflects employed cancer survivors' perspectives, with items that could be influenced by an employer, i.e.

[What do the results of the DENSE-trial tell?].

The DENSE trial has demonstrated that offering an MRI scan to women with very dense glandular breast tissue and normal results on screening mammography reduces the number of interval cancers by 50%. In the women who agreed to undergo an MRI (59%), this reduction was 80% (from 5 per 1000 to 1 per 1000 participants). DENSE will continue in order to answer the only question that is relevant to patients: does additional MRI lead to less invasive treatment and, above all, to a decrease in mortality? Even in the event where additional MRI screening would lead to a decrease in mortality, we still need to have an open discussion on whether investing in additional MRI screening for women with very dense glandular tissue is the most effective way to improve the health of the Dutch female population.

Process evaluation of a tailored work-related support intervention for patients diagnosed with gastrointestinal cancer.

Purpose: To perform a process evaluation of a tailored work-related support intervention for patients diagnosed with gastrointestinal cancer.

Methods: The intervention comprised three tailored psychosocial work-related support meetings. To outline the process evaluation of this intervention, we used six key components: recruitment, context, reach, dose delivered, dose received and fidelity.

The pre- and postoperative course of functional status in patients undergoing esophageal cancer surgery.

Introduction: To optimally target physiotherapy treatment, knowledge of the pre- and postoperative course of functional status in patients undergoing esophagectomy is required. The aim of this prospective longitudinal study was to investigate the course of functional status in patients with esophageal cancer before and after esophagectomy.

Materials And Methods: Functional status outcome measures of patients with esophageal cancer who underwent surgery between March 2012 and June 2016 were prospectively measured at 3 months and at 1 day before surgery and at 1 week and at 3 months after surgery.

Development of a tailored work-related support intervention for gastrointestinal cancer patients.

Aim is the development of a work-related support intervention, tailored to the severity of work-related problems of patients diagnosed with gastrointestinal (GI) cancer treated with curative intent. Two methods were used: (1) Work-related problems were identified from the literature and submitted to an expert panel during a modified Delphi study. Experts allocated work-related problems into degrees of severity: mild, severe or complex.

Design of a multicentre randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness of a tailored clinical support intervention to enhance return to work for gastrointestinal cancer patients.

Background: Gastrointestinal (GI) cancer is frequently diagnosed in people of working age, and many GI cancer patients experience work-related problems. Although these patients often experience difficulties returning to work, supportive work-related interventions are lacking. We have therefore developed a tailored work-related support intervention for GI cancer patients, and we aim to evaluate its cost-effectiveness compared with the usual care provided.

Is there a Benefit of Multidisciplinary Cancer Team Meetings for Patients with Gastrointestinal Malignancies?

Background: Multidisciplinary cancer team meetings are intended to optimize the diagnosis of a patient with a malignancy. The aim of this study was to assess the number of correct diagnoses formulated by the multidisciplinary team (MDT) and whether MDT decisions were implemented.

Methods: In a prospective study, data of consecutive patients discussed at gastrointestinal oncology MDT meetings were studied, and MDT diagnoses were validated with pathology or follow-up.

Decreasing the dispatch time of medical reports sent from hospital to primary care with Lean Six Sigma.

Rationale, Aims And Objectives: Timely communication is important to ensure high-quality health care. To facilitate this, the Gastro Intestinal Oncology Center Amsterdam (GIOCA) stipulated to dispatch medical reports on the day of the patient's visit. However, with the increasing number of patients, administrative processes at GIOCA were under pressure, and this standard was not met for the majority of patients.

18F-FDG PET-CT after Neoadjuvant Chemoradiotherapy in Esophageal Cancer Patients to Optimize Surgical Decision Making.

Background: Prognosis of esophageal cancer patients can be significantly improved by neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT). Given the aggressive nature of esophageal tumors, it is conceivable that in a significant portion of patients treated with nCRT, dissemination already becomes manifest during the period of nCRT. The aim of this retrospective study was to determine the value and diagnostic accuracy of PET-CT after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy to identify patients with metastases preoperatively in order to prevent non-curative surgery.

Radiotherapy or surgery of the axilla after a positive sentinel node in breast cancer (EORTC 10981-22023 AMAROS): a randomised, multicentre, open-label, phase 3 non-inferiority trial.

Background: If treatment of the axilla is indicated in patients with breast cancer who have a positive sentinel node, axillary lymph node dissection is the present standard. Although axillary lymph node dissection provides excellent regional control, it is associated with harmful side-effects. We aimed to assess whether axillary radiotherapy provides comparable regional control with fewer side-effects.

Immunohistochemical analysis of steroid hormone receptors in hidradenitis suppurativa.

Background: Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is an inflammatory follicular skin disease. In women and men, the condition starts after puberty, has a peak in the third decade, and is rare after the menopause in women. This age distribution suggests a hormonal influence in the pathogenesis of the disease.

Preoperative chemoradiation therapy in combination with panitumumab for patients with resectable esophageal cancer: the PACT study.

Purpose: Preoperative chemoradiation therapy (CRT) has become the standard treatment strategy for patients with resectable esophageal cancer. This multicenter phase 2 study investigated the efficacy of the addition of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitor panitumumab to a preoperative CRT regimen with carboplatin, paclitaxel, and radiation therapy in patients with resectable esophageal cancer.

Methods And Materials: Patients with resectable cT1N1M0 or cT2-3N0 to -2M0 tumors received preoperative CRT consisting of panitumumab (6 mg/kg) on days 1, 15, and 29, weekly administrations of carboplatin (area under the curve [AUC] = 2), and paclitaxel (50 mg/m(2)) for 5 weeks and concurrent radiation therapy (41.

Gynaecomastia surgery in the Netherlands: what, why, who, where….

Gynaecomastia, breast enlargement in men, is common in all age groups. It is operated on by plastic surgeons, general surgeons and paediatric surgeons. It is therefore possible that there is a difference in the populations treated, the indications for surgery and the management used by the different practitioners.

How attachment style and locus of control influence patients' trust in their oncologist.

Objective: Cancer patients need to trust their oncologist. How the oncologist communicates probably contributes to patients' trust. Yet, patient characteristics such as their attachment style and health locus of control may influence how such communication is perceived.

Initial experiences of an enhanced recovery protocol in esophageal surgery.

Background: A recent development in gastrointestinal surgery is the implementation of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) programs. Evidence regarding the benefit of these programs in patients undergoing esophageal surgery is scarce. We investigated the feasibility and possible benefit of a perioperative ERAS program in patients undergoing esophagectomy for malignant disease.

Survival after recurrent esophageal carcinoma has not improved over the past 18 years.

Background: Numerous patients will develop recurrent disease after esophagectomy for esophageal carcinoma (EC). In literature, survival after recurrent EC is poor with 6-8 months. In these studies, diagnostic imaging during follow-up (FU) is routinely performed.

Results of the introduction of a minimally invasive esophagectomy program in a tertiary referral center.

Background: Esophagectomy is accompanied by a high postoperative complication rate. Minimally invasive esophageal surgery appears to be a promising technique that might be associated with a lower pulmonary morbidity rate. The objective of this study was to describe the implementation of minimally invasive esophageal surgery in a tertiary referral center and to compare the results of our first series of minimally invasive esophagectomies (MIE) to conventional open esophagectomies.

Minimally invasive versus open oesophagectomy for patients with oesophageal cancer: a multicentre, open-label, randomised controlled trial.

Background: Surgical resection is regarded as the only curative option for resectable oesophageal cancer, but pulmonary complications occurring in more than half of patients after open oesophagectomy are a great concern. We assessed whether minimally invasive oesophagectomy reduces morbidity compared with open oesophagectomy.

Methods: We did a multicentre, open-label, randomised controlled trial at five study centres in three countries between June 1, 2009, and March 31, 2011.

['Clinical auditing', a novel tool for quality assessment in surgical oncology].

Objective: To determine whether systematic audit and feedback of information about the process and outcomes improve the quality of surgical care.

Design: Systematic literature review.

Method: Embase, PubMed, and Web of Science databases were searched for publications on 'quality assessment' and 'surgery'.

Sentinel node identification rate and nodal involvement in the EORTC 10981-22023 AMAROS trial.

Background: The randomized EORTC 10981-22023 AMAROS trial investigates whether breast cancer patients with a tumor-positive sentinel node biopsy (SNB) are best treated with an axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) or axillary radiotherapy (ART). The aim of the current substudy was to evaluate the identification rate and the nodal involvement.

Methods: The first 2,000 patients participating in the AMAROS trial were evaluated.

Decreased peritoneal tissue plasminogen activator during prolonged laparoscopic surgery.

Background: Peritoneal fibrinolysis is crucial in the peritoneal healing processes and subsequent adhesion formation. During conventional surgery, the peritoneal fibrinolytic system is rapidly disturbed. Short-term laparoscopy does not seem to affect peritoneal fibrinolysis.

Surgical treatment of hidradenitis suppurativa with gentamicin sulfate: a prospective randomized study.

Background And Method: This article describes and discusses a prospective randomized study with gentamicin sulfate in the surgical treatment of hidradenitis suppurativa. The purpose of the study was to investigate whether enclosure of antibiotics after primary excision and closure reduces the number of postoperative infections. Therefore, the hidradenitis lesions were excised and closed with or without enclosure of a gentamicin-collagen sponge (GC).