Bedside Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy for Recurrent Pseudomyxoma Peritonei, an Alternative to Current Methods in a Low-Resource Tertiary Center.

Pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP) is a condition presenting with tumors of the abdominal cavity presenting which could lead abdominal distention and ascites secondary to mucus production. Tumors of this type are potentially fatal due to their obstructing of abdominal structures. The current management of the condition includes surgical debulking with intraoperative or postoperative chemotherapy with protocols such as hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy and early postoperative intraperitoneal chemotherapy (EPIC), respectively.

Incidental finding of a gastric schwannoma: a case report.

Gastric schwannomas are rare peripheral nerve sheath tumors which are usually found incidentally while undergoing workup for other conditions. Despite their benign nature, they require surgical resection with negative margins. It is important to differentiate gastric schwannomas from gastrointestinal stromal tumors prior to surgical excision, as this can alter the recommended surgical plan.

Parapharyngeal space tumor: undifferentiated sarcoma of the parotid gland. A case report.

Parapharyngeal space tumors are extremely uncommon. A 43-year-old man presents with a painless upper neck and face mass, airway obstruction and dysphagia. Physical evaluation revealed a firm, non-mobile mass extending from the right auricular region to the mandibular region of the neck.

The impact of lymph node number on survival in patients with lymph node-negative pancreatic cancer.

Objectives: The role of lymph node (LN) dissection for pancreatic cancer remains uncertain, and guidelines for a minimum LN number have not been established. We hypothesized that LN number in node-negative (N0) pancreatic cancer influences survival.

Methods: The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database was queried for patients undergoing resection for N0 pancreatic adenocarcinoma between 1988 and 2003.

Improved survival with adjuvant external-beam radiation therapy in lymph node-negative pancreatic cancer: a United States population-based assessment.

Background: Although chemoradiation often is administered as an adjuvant to pancreatic cancer surgery, recent reports have disputed the benefit of radiation therapy. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of adjuvant radiation therapy in patients with locally confined, lymph node-negative (N0) pancreatic cancer.

Methods: The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registry was used to identify patients who had undergone cancer-directed surgery for N0 pancreatic adenocarcinoma between 1988 and 2003.

Impact of a full-time preceptor on the institutional outcome of laparoscopic colectomy.

Background: Laparoscopic assisted colectomy (LAC) is a difficult operation with long learning curves and conversion rates inversely proportional to the surgeon's experience. Methods to help train surgeons outside of residency or fellowship programs have been poorly analyzed. This study was undertaken to assess the impact of an experienced laparoscopic surgeon preceptor on the outcome of LAC in a single institution

Methods: In September 2004, a fellowship-trained laparoscopic surgeon joined our department of surgery.

Is there disparity in the care of minority patients with upper aerodigestive tract malignancy?

The data presently available indicate that there is unequal (disparate) care in patients with head and neck cancer. The reasons for this are likely multifactorial and require further study. Complicating such work is the need for subgroup analysis.

Larynx squamous cell carcinoma: concepts and future directions.

The larynx is one of the most important structures in the upper aerodigestive tract. Functional impairment of the larynx is a bur-den to patients who suffer from laryngeal carcinoma, the second most common cancer of the head and neck region after the oral cavity.