Safety of radioactive sentinel node biopsy for breast cancer and the pregnant surgeon - A review.

Introduction: Sentinel node biopsy is an established key element in the surgical management of breast cancer and melanoma. Several studies have assessed radiation exposure during sentinel node biopsy and confirmed it to be safe for health workers. Recent demographic changes amongst surgeons has resulted in increasing numbers of women of childbearing age performing sentinel node procedures as a regular part of their surgical practice.

Strategies for localisation of impalpable breast lesions.

With advances in the sensitivity of mammographic screening and the broader population of women screened via national programmes. More than 50% of all new breast cancers in the United Kingdom are screen-detected and of the 11,110 invasive breast cancers (78.7 per cent of all UK cancers) detected in the year 2007-2008, 5814 (52.

The two-week rule in colorectal cancer. Can it deliver its promise?

Despite recent advances in technology, a high percentage of patients with colorectal cancer present with disease that is already advanced, leading to an overall 5-year survival rate of 49.6% in men and 50.8% in women.

Postpartum pneumoperitoneum and peritonitis after water birth.

Pneumoperitoneum (the presence of free gas in the peritoneal cavity) usually indicates gastrointestinal perforation with associated peritoneal contamination. We describe the unusual case of a 28-year-old female, who was 7 days postpartum and presented with features of peritonitis that were initially missed despite supporting radiological evidence. The causes of pneumoperitoneum are discussed.

Faecal peritonitis secondary to perforated recto sigmoid colon by a large gallstone: a case report.

Large bowel obstruction is an important surgical emergency. The cause of obstruction may be benign or malignant, and include large bowel volvulus, polyps, intraperitoneal adhesions, strictures and neoplastic growths. Large bowel obstruction caused by gallstone(s) is a very rare phenomenon and not many cases are reported in the English literature.

Henoch-Schonlein purpura with ischaemic bowel.

Henoch-Schonlein purpura is a vasculitis affecting small arterial vessels. Occasionally, cases are referred for a general surgical opinion due to bowel involvement in the form of abdominal pain with or without rectal bleeding. However, surgical intervention is rarely required.

Extruded Filshie clip presenting as an ischiorectal abscess.

This report adds to the small, but significant, literature base describing late complications following laparoscopic sterilisation. In women with recalcitrant peri-anal sepsis (who have previously undergone a sterilisation procedure) the possibility of tubal clip migration should be borne in mind. This is also an important learning point from a medicolegal point of view as patients presenting with the sequelae of clip migration will need to be counselled, and possibly investigated, with respect to the efficacy of their sterilisation procedure.

Proteomic analysis of nipple aspirate fluid throughout the menstrual cycle in healthy pre-menopausal women.

A proteomic approach to nipple aspiration fluid (NAF) has been used in a number of studies comparing women with breast cancer and healthy women. However, to make useful comparisons between women with breast cancer and healthy women it is necessary to establish whether there is physiological variation in the proteomic profiles of NAF. The purpose of this study was, for the first time, to examine how the proteomic profile of NAF using surface-enhanced laser desorption ionisation time-of-flight mass spectrometry varies across the menstrual cycle in healthy pre-menopausal women.

The intraductal approach to breast cancer biomarker discovery.

Established methods of breast cancer detection have well-described limitations, and new diagnostic techniques are evolving continually to improve diagnostic accuracy. The intraductal approach encompasses the modalities of nipple aspiration, ductal lavage, and duct endoscopy, and is a means of directly accessing the microenvironment of the breast and either sampling or visualizing this intraductal milieu. The aim of sampling this mammary microenvironment is to obtain samples from the physical surroundings of cells that are undergoing malignant transformation, thereby providing a new method of detection before the development of a clinically or radiologically discernible mass.