Evaluation of clinical, laboratory and morphologic prognostic factors in colon cancer

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The long-term prognosis of patients with colon cancer is dependent on many factors. To investigate the influence of a series of clinical, laboratory and morphological variables on prognosis of colon carcinoma we conducted a retrospective analysis of our data.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Ninety-two patients with colon cancer, who underwent surgical resection between January 1999 and December 2001, were analyzed. On survival analysis, demographics, clinical, laboratory and pathomorphological parameters were tested for their potential prognostic value. Furthermore, univariate and multivariate analysis of the above mentioned data were performed considering the depth of tumour invasion into the bowel wall as independent variable.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>On survival analysis we found that depth of tumour invasion (P < 0.001; F-ratio 2.11), type of operation (P < 0.001; F-ratio 3.51) and CT scanning (P < 0.001; F-ratio 5.21) were predictors of survival. Considering the degree of mural invasion as independent variable, on univariate analysis, we observed that mucorrhea, anismus, hematocrit, WBC count, fibrinogen value and CT scanning were significantly related to the degree of mural invasion of the cancer. On the multivariate analysis, fibrinogen value was the most statistically significant variable (P < 0.001) with the highest F-ratio (F-ratio 5.86). Finally, in the present study, the tumour site was significantly related neither to the survival nor to the mural invasion of the tumour.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The various clinical, laboratory and patho-morphological parameters showed different prognostic value for colon carcinoma. In the future, preoperative prognostic markers will probably gain relevance in order to make a proper choice between surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Nevertheless, current data do not provide sufficient evidence for preoperative stratification of high and low risk patients. Further assessments in prospective large studies are warranted.</p

Living in a LOFT

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Predominant O-alkylation in the gas-phase attack of tert-butyl cations on phenol and anisole

In the gas-phase attack of t-C4H9+ ions, obtained in the dilute gas state from the radiolysis of neopentane, on phenol and anisole, the competition between n-type and π-type nucleophilic centres of the ambident substrates is strongly biased in favour of the oxygen atom, leading to the predominant formation of the t-butylated oxonium ions as the major reaction intermediates

L'Unione Europea nel sistema politico globale [in Cinese]

This book assumes that the EU is a political system with a complex of institutions, rules and policies. The EU as a political system exerts functions as any other political system, by distributig its functions among actors working at different political layers as in a multi-layered political sytem (Part 1). The book focuses in particular upon the EU foreign and defence policy (Part 2), EU relations with third countries, grouped into world regions (Par 3), EU-UN relations and the management of global problems (Part 4)