Evaluation of quality of life related to i-131 therapy in patients with well-differentiated thyroid cancer and emphasis in salivary morbidity: a follow up study after treatment

To evaluate the impact of iodine-131 therapy received during childhood and adolescence and correlate it with the quality of life in these patients. Methods: We studied 19 patients diagnosed with cancer in childhood or adolescence who underwent thyroidectomy and supplemental therapy with I-131. We also recruited a control group of healthy subjects with the same demographic parameters. All patients were subjected to a scintigraphy examination of the salivary glands, and were also asked to complete a questionnaire in order to assess their overall quality of life. In addition, a more specific questionnaire for patients with head and neck cancer was also given to all study participants. Results: The quantitative and qualitative analyses of the salivary glands showed functional deficits with greater involvement of the parotid gland for volume, concentration and excretion. The right submandibular gland showed significant changes for volume in the patient group. The questionnaires made it possible to observe significant differences between the patient and control groups for symptoms such as thick saliva, dry mouth and speech problems. Conclusion: In spite of being very effective and widely used, iodine radionuclide therapy is correlated with a lower quality of life in young people

Accuracy of Tc-99m-sestamibi scintimammography for breast cancer diagnosis

Scintimammography using Tc-99m-sestamibi is a noninvasive and painless diagnostic imaging method that is used to detect breast cancer when mammography is inconclusive Because of the advantages of labeling v '7,ith Tc-99m-sestamibi and its high efficiency in detecting carcinomas, it is the most widespread agent for this purpose Its accumulation in the tumor has multifactorial causes and does not depend on the presence of architectural distortion or local or diffuse density variation in the breast The objective of tfiis study was to evaluate the accuracy of scintimammography 1 for detecting breast cancer One hundred and fifty-seven patients presenting 158 palpable and non-palpable breast nodules were evaluated Three patients were male and 154 were female, aged between 14 and 81 years All patients underwent scintimammography, and the nodule was subjected i to cytological or histological study, i e, the gold standard for diagnosing cancer One hundred and eleven malignant and 47 benign nodules were detected, with predominance of ductal carcinomas (n=94) and fibroadenoma/fibrocysiic condition (n=11/n=11), respectively The mean size was 3 11 cm (7-10 cm) among the malignant nodules and 2 07 cm among the benign nodules (0 5-10 cm) The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and accuracy were 89, 89, 95, 78 and 89%, respectively Analysis on the histological types showed that the technique was more effective on tumors that were more aggressive, such as ductal carcinoma In this study, Tc-99m-sestamibi scintim immography was shown to be an important tool for diagnosing breast cancer when mammography was inconclusiv

Tc-99m-sestamibi scintigraphy used to evaluate tumor response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in locally advanced breast cancer: A quantitative analysis

To evaluate the tumor response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy, Tc-99m-sestamibi breast scintigraphy was proposed as a quantitative method Fifty-five patients with ductal carcinoma were studied They underwent breast scintigraphy before and after neoadjuvant chemotherapy, along with clinical assessment and surgical specimen analysis The regions of interest on the lesion and contralateral breast were identified, and the pixel counts were used to evaluate lesion uptake in relation to background radiation The ratio of these counts before to after neoadjuvant chemotherapy was assessed The decrease in uptake rate due to chemotherapy characterized the scintigraphy tumor response The Kruskal-Wallis test was used to compare the mean scintigraphic tumor response and histological type Dunn's multiple comparison test was used to detect differences between histological types The Mann-Whitney test was used to compare means between quantitative and qualitative variables scintigraphic tumor response vs clinical response and uptake before chemotherapy vs scintigraphic tumor response The Spearman's test was used to correlate the quantitative variables of clinical reduction in tumor size and scintigraphic tumor response All of the variables compared presented significant differences The change in Tc-99m-sestamibi uptake noted on breast scintigraphy, before to after neoadjuvant chemotherapy, may be used as an effective method for evaluating the response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy, since this quantification reflects the biological behavior of the tumor towards the chemotherapy regimen Furthermore, additional analysis on the uptake rate before chemotherapy may accurately predict treatment respons

Physiotherapeutic stimulation: Early prevention of lymphedema following axillary lymph node dissection for breast cancer treatment

The aim of this study was to confirm the effectiveness of early physiotherapeutic stimulation for lymphatic flaw progression in patients with breast cancer undergoing axillary dissection This was a randomized experimental study oil 22 patients who underwent lymphoscintigraphy in their arms on two different occasions, firstly without stimulation and secondly after randomization into two groups without physiotherapeutic stimulation (WOPS, n=10) and with physiotherapeutic stimulation (WPS, n=12) The lymphoscintigraphy scan was performed with (99m)Tc-phytate administered into the second interdigital space of the hand, ipsilaterally to the dissected axilla, in three phases dynamic, static, and delayed whole body imaging Physiotherapeutic stimulation was earned out using Foldi's technique In both groups, images from the two examinations of each patient were compared Flow progression was considered positive when, on the second damnation, the radiopharmaceutical reached areas more distant from the injection site Statistical analysis was used to evaluate frequencies, percentages and central trend measurements, and non-parametric tests were conducted Descriptive analysis showed that the WPS and WOPS groups were similar M terms of mean age, weight, height, body mass index and number of lymph nodes removed There were statistically significant associations between physiotherapeutic stimulation and radiopharmaceutical progression at all three phases of the study (p < 0 0001) Early physiotherapeutic stimulation in beast cancer patients undergoing radical axillary dissection is effective, and can therefore be indicated as a preventive measure against lymphedem

Biópsia do linfonodo sentinela para o câncer de mama com anestesia local

Introduction: The technique of sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLB) is the gold standard method to predict the axilar status for breast cancer. However, the intraoperative evaluation of the sentinel lymph node has disadvantages. Some services, attempting to minimize these disadvantages, have begun to carry out the sentinel lymph node biopsy under local anesthesia. The aim of this prospective study is to demonstrate our experience in the sentinel lymph node biopsy, which was carried out under local anesthesia, and this procedure’s feasibility. Methods: This is a prospective study that targets the patients enrolled in the Hospital de Câncer de Barretos, suffering from breast cancer. The patients underwent sentinel lymph node biopsy under local anesthesia from January to November, 2009, according to the established protocol. Results: From January to December, 2009, 41 research procedures were performed of the sentinel lymph node under local anesthesia. During the procedure under local anesthesia, the dissected average was 2.4 (0-5) lymph nodes. In four cases, the result of the resected pathological lymph nodes was positive; in one case for macrometastases; and the remaining three for micrometastases. In all patients, the procedure was performed uneventfully, using doses of anesthetic below their toxic levels. All patients survived without any complications intra- or postoperatively. Conclusion: The sentinel lymph node biopsy under local anesthesia is a feasible procedure that brings little discomfort to the patient, and should be indicated whenever possible. It has many advantages, when comparing with the technique under general anesthesia.Introdução: A técnica da biópsia do linfonodo sentinela (BLS) é considerada padrão-ouro como método preditor do comprometimento axilar para o câncer de mama. Entretanto, a avaliação perioperatória do linfonodo sentinela tem desvantagens. Tentando minimizar as desvantagens, alguns serviços começaram a realizar a pesquisa do linfonodo sentinela sob anestesia local. O objetivo principal deste trabalho prospectivo é demonstrar nossa experiência na pesquisa do linfonodo sentinela, realizada sob anestesia local, e demonstrar a viabilidade deste procedimento. Métodos: Trata-se de um estudo prospectivo que tem como alvo as pacientes matriculadas na Fundação Pio XII – Hospital de Câncer de Barretos, as quais são portadoras de carcinoma da mama. As pacientes foram submetidas à biópsia do linfonodo sentinela sob anestesia local, no período de janeiro a novembro de 2009, conforme protocolo estabelecido. Resultados: No período de janeiro a dezembro de 2009, foram realizados 41 procedimentos da pesquisa de linfonodo sentinela sob anestesia local. Durante o procedimento sob anestesia local, a média dissecada foi de 2,4 (0-5) linfonodos. Em quatro casos, o resultado anatomopatológico dos linfonodos ressecados foi positivo; houve um caso para macrometástases e três restantes para micrometástases. Em todos os pacientes, o procedimento foi realizado sem intercorrências, utilizando-se de doses de anestésicos muito inferiores aos seus níveis tóxicos. Todos os pacientes evoluíram sem qualquer tipo de complicação intra ou pós-operatória. Conclusão: A pesquisa do linfonodo sentinela sob anestesia local é um procedimento factível que traz pouco desconforto para o paciente, devendo ser indicado sempre que possível. Apresenta inúmeras vantagens, comparando-se com a técnica sob anestesia geral

Which of the branched-chain amino acids increases cerebral blood flow in hepatic encephalopathy? A double-blind randomized trial

Branched-chain amino acids increase the brain perfusion of patients with hepatic encephalopathy (HE), but the amino acid and the mechanisms involved are still unknown. This study compared brain perfusion and clinical improvement during leucine or isoleucine supplementation. After randomization, 27 subjects with cirrhosis and HE received leucine or isoleucine supplements for one year. Brain single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) and dynamic brain scintigraphy (DBS) were performed pretreatment and at 1, 8 and 12 months of supplementation. Brain perfusion was increased only in the isoleucine group at 8 months of treatment by both SPECT and DBS (p < 0.001 and p = 0.05, respectively) and by SPECT at the 12th month (p < 0.05). This was associated with hepatic encephalopathy improvement at 8 and 12 months (p = 0.008 and 0.004, respectively), which was not observed in the leucine group (p = 0.313 and 0.055, respectively). Isoleucine supplementation achieved a better impact on brain perfusion restoration in HE. Keywords: Hepatic encephalopathy, Liver cirrhosis, Branched-chain amino acids, Cerebral blood flo