Comparison between use of a pleural drainage system with flutter valve and a conventional water-seal drainage system after lung resection: a randomized prospective study.

Background: There is still a debate regarding the most appropriate pleural collector model to ensure a short hospital stay and minimum complications.

Objectives: To study aimed to compare the time of air leak, time to drain removal, and length of hospital stay between a standard water-seal drainage system and a pleural collector system with a unidirectional flutter valve and rigid chamber.

Design And Setting: A randomized prospective clinical trial was conducted at a high-complexity hospital in São Paulo, Brazil.

Role that anorexia and weight loss play in patients with stage IV lung cancer.

Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of anorexia and weight loss at diagnosis (pre-treatment), to identify the factors associated with pre-treatment weight loss, and to determine the prognostic role of anorexia and weight loss in the overall survival of patients with stage IV lung cancer.

Methods: This was a retrospective observational cohort study. The patients were stratified by the presence/absence of anorexia and of pre-treatment weight loss, which generated a measure composed of four categories, which were the independent variables.

CT-guided percutaneous core needle biopsy of pulmonary nodules smaller than 2 cm: technical aspects and factors influencing accuracy.

Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of CT-guided percutaneous core needle biopsy (CT-CNB) of pulmonary nodules ≤ 2 cm, as well as to identify factors influencing the accuracy of the procedure and its morbidity.

Methods: This was a retrospective, single-center study of 170 consecutive patients undergoing CT-CNB of small pulmonary nodules (of ≤ 2 cm) between January of 2010 and August of 2015.

Results: A total of 156 CT-CNBs yielded a definitive diagnosis, the overall diagnostic accuracy being 92.

Endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) in diagnosis of mediastinal lesions.

Objective: To describe the results of endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration in making diagnosis of mediastinal injuries associated to different causes.

Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study of patients submitted to Endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration at a private organization, between June 2013 and October 2016. All cases referred for collection of lymph nodes or peritracheal/peribronchial masses by endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration, and evaluated through tomography or PET-CT were included.

Survival in a cohort of patients with lung cancer: the role of age and gender in prognosis.

Objective: To determine the demographic and clinical characteristics of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), as well as their disease course, by age group and gender.

Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of patients diagnosed with NSCLC from 2000 to 2012 and followed until July 2015 in a tertiary referral hospital in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. Based on the 25th and 75th percentiles of the age distribution, patients were stratified into three age groups: < 55 years; ≥ 55 and < 72 years; and ≥ 72 years.

Retrospective study of the physical therapy modalities applied in head and neck l ymphedema treatment.

Background: Secondary lymphedema after head and neck cancer treatment is a serious complication and its management can be a challenge. The purpose of this study was to verify which physical therapy modalities were applied in the treatment of head and neck lymphedema through a retrospective analysis.

Methods: A retrospective study was developed, based on the analysis of medical records of 32 patients treated in the physiotherapy outpatient department of the Brazilian Institute of Cancer Control (IBCC).