Nonpalpable breast masses: radiologic predictability of malignancy.

Of 568 nonpalpable breast lesions detected by screening mammography 242 proved to be noncalcified masses; biopsy showed 165 to be benign and 77 malignant. The lesions were evaluated with respect to contour, radiographic density and size. Of the malignant lesions 90% were infiltrating carcinomas, 88% of which had an indistinct contour and were of moderate to high density.

Sensitivity to vecuronium in myasthenia gravis: a dose-response study.

A cumulative dose plus infusion technique and integrated EMG monitoring of the first dorsal interosseous muscle were used to determine the potency of vecuronium in 20 normal patients and in ten patients with myasthenia gravis under thiamylal, N2O, O2, fentanyl anaesthesia. The mean (+/- SEM) values for ED50, ED90, and ED95 in the normal patients were 19 +/- 1, 31 +/- 1 and 36 +/- 2 micrograms.kg-1, respectively.

Surgery for nonpalpable breast lesions.

Nonpalpable lesions detected on mammograms were localized in 475 women between 1976 and 1988 by means of the spot method. A malignant neoplasm was noted in 149 patients (31%), including 69 (33%) of 206 with clusters of microcalcifications, 16 (41%) of 39 with calcifications associated with densities and 64 (28%) of 230 with nonpalpable masses. Infiltrating lesions were present in 89 (60%) of 149 patients.

Occult malignant breast lesions in 114 patients: relationship to age and the presence of microcalcifications.

This study evaluates the mammographic findings in 352 patients, aged 30-85 years, who underwent spot localization and biopsy for evaluation of nonpalpable breast abnormalities. Malignancy was found at biopsy in 114 cases. The mammographic appearance (specifically, whether grouped microcalcifications, mass, or both were present) was correlated with patient age and histologic findings (specifically, whether the pathologic changes were infiltrating or noninfiltrating in nature).

Prognosis in occult thymomas in myasthenia gravis following transcervical thymectomy.

Thymomas were noted in 239 (11%) of 2097 myasthenic patients followed up at our institution. Among 996 patients who had undergone thymectomy, 191 patients (19%) had thymomas compared with 48 (4%) of 1101 patients treated without surgery. A definitive diagnosis of thymoma was not made until after thymectomy in 61 patients (35%); in patients not treated with thymectomy, 23% of associated tumors were diagnosed at autopsy.

Effects of thymectomy in myasthenia gravis.

Factors influencing onset of remission in myasthenia gravis were evaluated in 2062 patients, of whom 962 had had thymectomy. Multivariate analysis showed that appearance of early remissions among all patients was significantly and independently influenced by thymectomy, by milder disease, and by absence of coexisting thymomas. Patients with mild generalized symptoms treated with thymectomy reached remission more frequently, even when compared with those with ocular myasthenia treated without surgery.

Clinical experience in more than 2000 patients with myasthenia gravis.

The vast strides in terms of pathophysiologic understanding which have been made in the past 25 years of research in myasthenia gravis are remarkable. This period of time has also seen the evolution of many applicable technological advances to better our care of these patients. Myasthenia's place in the autoimmune family of diseases has been demonstrated.

Association of tumor differentiation with caffeine and coffee intake in women with breast cancer.

Caffeine, which has been linked to benign breast disease, has an antineoplastic effect in experimental animals, whereas in tissue cultures it inhibits mitoses and induces cell differentiation. We examined caffeine and coffee intake in 101 women with breast cancer to determine whether either or both influence cell differentiation in tumors as well. Nutrient analysis was performed by the Nutrition Coding Center of the University of Minnesota with the Nutrition Data system from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

Association between prognosis and hormone receptors in women with breast cancer.

Axillary node involvement, hormone receptors, tumor differentiation, and obesity have been linked to breast cancer prognosis. We have evaluated which of these factors have an independent association with disease-free survival using the Cox Proportional Hazards model. The study was carried out in 377 patients with breast cancer who underwent mastectomy and axillary node dissection between 1977 and 1984.

Perioperative blood transfusion has prognostic significance for breast cancer.

The transfusion-induced immune suppression that prolongs kidney graft survival for transplant patients may be detrimental to patients with malignancies. We studied the relationship of blood transfusion to the disease-free survival of 169 patients with operable breast cancer who had undergone mastectomy with axillary dissection at Mount Sinai Hospital between 1964 and 1972. The cumulative 5-year disease-free survival rate for patients who had received transfusions was 51% compared with 65% for patients who had not received blood (p = 0.

Cholesterol, weight, height, Quetelet's index, and colon cancer recurrence.

The association of low serum cholesterol with colon cancer mortality suggests that low serum cholesterol promotes colon cancer recurrence. We compared cumulative 5-year recurrence-free rates of 279 colon cancer patients in relation to serum cholesterol, weight, height, and Quetelet's index. The median value for each variable was used to divide patients into those above the median, or at the median and below.

The prognostic significance of elevated serum alkaline phosphatase levels preoperatively in patients with carcinoma of the colon and rectum.

Two hundred and eighty-three patients were observed for a minimum of 38 months after undergoing resection of Dukes' B2, C1 or C2 classification for carcinoma of the colon and rectum. Cumulative recurrence rates were higher in patients with elevated preoperative serum alkaline phosphatase levels. Site specific recurrence rates revealed a lower incidence of metastases to the liver in patients with elevated preoperative alkaline phosphatase levels.

Fecal steroid excretion and degradation and breast cancer stage.

Evaluation of excretion and degradation of fecal steroids in 74 women with breast cancer in relation to stage, tumor size, and histopathologic nodal status revealed significant differences in relation to stage of disease and tumor size. The level of total fecal steroids (mean +/- SD in mg/g dry wt) in patients with Stage I disease was 40 + 20, Stage II = 56 +/- 32, and Stage III = 75 +/- 57 (P = 0.006).

Transcervical thymectomy for thymoma in myasthenia gravis.

The results of thymectomy performed through a transcervical approach in 37 myasthenic patients with thymomas is reported and compared with results in 97 patients who had thymomas removed through a transsternal approach. In 29 of the former patients the thymomas were unsuspected and found at the time of thymectomy, and in 8 a preoperative chest roentgenogram was suspicious for the presence of a tumor. In the transcervical group there were only 4 invasive thymomas, while in the transsternal group there were 32.

Fecal steroid metabolites and breast cancer risk.

Women with breast cancer (n = 78) had a higher excretion of total fecal steroids in mg/gm of dry weight (56 + 37) compared to controls (45 + 29; n = 71) (P = 0.03). Increases in both total neutral steroids and total bile acids in cases contributed to this significant difference.