Subxiphoid approach for spontaneous bilateral pneumothorax: a case report.

The development of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) has contributed to reduced pain and improved recovery following thoracic surgery. However, pain remains a major issue. Patients with bilateral pulmonary pathology requiring operative intervention may have even more pain due to bilateral transthoracic incisions.

Type of breast cancer diagnosis, screening, and survival.

Introduction: Breast cancer screening is known to reduce mortality. In the present study, we analyzed the prevalence of breast cancers detected through screening, before and after introduction of an organized screening, and we evaluated the overall survival of these patients in comparison with women with an extrascreening imaging-detected breast cancer or those with palpable breast cancers.

Materials And Methods: We collected data about all women who underwent a breast operation for cancer in our department between 2001 and 2008, focusing on type of tumor diagnosis, tumor characteristics, therapies administered, and patient outcome in terms of overall survival, and recurrences.

Feasibility of concervative breast surgery and intraoperative radiation therapy for early breast cancer: a single-center, open, non-randomized, prospective pilot study.

Intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT) consists of an accelerated, single-dose, partial breast irradiation, performed immediately after breast conservative surgery. In the present study, we report the results of our feasibility protocol study using IORT between 2005 and 2009. We analyzed the data from a single-center, open, non-randomized, prospective pilot study including patients who underwent breast conservative surgery for invasive breast cancer between January 2005 and December 2009 at our Clinic of Surgery.

Eight-year experience with the intraoperative frozen section examination of sentinel lymph node biopsy for breast cancer in a North-Italian university center.

Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) completely changed the impact of breast surgery on patients psycho-physical wellness, reducing morbidity associated with complete axillary lymph node dissection (CALND) while granting an adequate breast cancer staging. We reviewed our experience with the SLNB in a University Clinic. We collected data about all breast cancer patients submitted to SLNB from 2002 to 2010, and analyzed them with R (version 2.