Reflux oesophagitis in the rat : the damaging action of pancreatic juice : the development of mural fibrosis

The results obtained in a recent study of surgically induced reflux oesophagitis in rats (Kranendonk, 1980) prompted the study presented in this thesis. In the randomized study by Kranendonk (1980) the reflux of pancreatic juice invariably resulted in oesophagitis; admixture of bile and/or gastric juice caused no significant differences in the extent of the oesophagitis. The reflux of bile or gastric juice was not associated with the development of oesophageal lesions. However, the study lacked control data on the composition of oesophageal contents as proof of the supposed reflux. Furthermore Kranendonk (19801 described the development of mural fibrosis starting after 14 days of reflux and progressing with time. The concomitant inflammatory changes, however, made a good interpretation of the presence of fibrosis impossible. It was therefore decided to further study surgically induced reflux oesophagitis in rats in order to prove the supposed reflux and to further study mural fibrosis. Being aware of the anatomical differences between the oesophagus of rats and of the human being 7 the rat was none the less chosen as experimental animal because of the ready avai!ability of a good experimental model. In addition, rats can be kept in relatively large numbers 7 allowing more elaborated experiments with appropriate statistical ·analysis

Post-radiation fibrosarcoma of the breast

We report the first case of fibrosarcoma of stromal breast tissue occurring 11 years after breast-conserving therapy for breast cancer. A review of six cases of stromal malignant fibrous histiocytoma is presented, developing between 5 years and 11 years after breast radiation. Since all cases developed in the area of boost irradiation, abandoning the booster dose might reduce the incidence of secondary sarcomas. Treatment of radiation-induced sarcoma should be surgical, with wide excisional margins. A lifelong follow-up is recommended for patients treated with breast-conserving therapy for primary cancer

Quality of life in patients with resected oesophageal cancer

__Abstract__ Quality of Life (QL) is hard to assess and seldom measured in patients having carcinomas with an unfavourable prognosis. Oesphageal cancer is one of the malignancies with a low 5-year survival rate. Dysphagia (problems in swallowing food) is considered to be the most important indicator of QL in patients with oesophageal carcinoma. Moreover, the psycho-social aspects and subjective QL in cancer have recently gained importance. The present study investigated QL in a 132 patients with oesophageal cancer. Eighty-three of them had a surgical operation (removal of part of the oesophagus and part of the stomach, followed by a reconstruction of the digestive tract). Sixty-seven patients filled in questionnaires before and after the operation. Complete sets of data were obtained from 62 patients. Time interval between operation and postoperative assessment varied from 3 to 7 months. Indicators of QL were: Psychological Distress, Physical Symptoms, Global Evaluations, Activity Level, Swallowing Problems and Food Intake. Swallowing Problems showed moderate correlations with the other QL indicators. Physical Symptoms increased, whereas the Activity Level, Psychological Distress, and Swallowing Problems decreased; Global Evaluations remained unaltered