Stage T1c prostate cancer: defining the appropriate staging evaluation and the role for pelvic lymphadenectomy

A good staging system should be able to accurately reflect the natural history of a malignant disease, to express the extent of the disease at the time of diagnosis, and stratify patients in prognostically distinctive groups. The staging system for prostate cancer, as it is today, fails to fulfill these requirements. Approximately one third of the patients who undergo surgery for complete excision of prostate cancer in fact do not have a localize disease. The incidence of tumor at the inked margin may reach 30% for T1 stage and up to 60% for clinical T2b prostate cancer according to comparision with pathologic examination of resected specimen. Several concepts have been recently proposed as a means of improving the accuracy of the available staging system. In this paper, we review current aspects of clinical and pathological staging of prostate cancer, and the importance of these new concepts on the early stages of prostate cancer.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/47057/1/345_2005_Article_BF01300182.pd

Polymyalgia rheumatica: observations of disease evolution without corticosteroid treatment

Arthur E Brawer Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, Monmouth Medical Center, Long Branch, NJ, USA Objectives: The diagnostic diversity of polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) can easily be obscured by the widespread use of corticosteroids (CSs) early in the disease course. This study observed the course of PMR without CSs and determined whether alternative medication could be useful. Methods: Seventy patients with new-onset PMR comprised phase 1. Eight were removed with specific diagnoses (four with giant cell arteritis [GCA]). The remaining 62 were treated with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) alone until enough time had elapsed to ascertain whether their PMR had evolved into another rheumatologic inflammatory condition. Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) was then added to their regimen. Twenty-five additional patients with PMR comprised phase 2. Twenty-two were immediately treated with HCQ prior to the anticipated disease progression. Results: In phase 1, 52/62 developed synovitis in multiple other joints 9 months from PMR onset; 48/52 received HCQ, and 42/48 (87.5%) achieved complete remission. In phase 2, during HCQ induction, 21 patients developed similar synovitis; after 6 months of HCQ use, 80% achieved remission. In 73/95 (77%), a definite diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) could be made on average 8.5 months from PMR onset. Only 12/95 (13%) stayed true to form with their PMR and did not develop another specific diagnosis. Conclusion: In this study, true PMR was infrequent in the absence of GCA. PMR in most patients evolved into seronegative RA, which was dramatically responsive to HCQ use. Treatment of acute PMR with HCQ was a rational alternative to CS use even if progressive additive synovitis had not yet occurred. Keywords: polymyalgia rheumatica, rheumatoid arthritis, corticosteroid

The onset of rheumatoid arthritis following trauma

Arthur E Brawer, Noopur Goel Department of Medicine, Monmouth Medical Center, Long Branch, NJ, USA Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is known to have many predisposing factors.Objective: We studied individuals whose RA was initiated by physical injuries.Patients and methods: Sixty patients (43 females), previously well, developed RA following trauma. No other known environmental or familial influences were present. Fourteen sustained a fracture; of the 46 who did not, 36 sustained multiple injuries that in part involved the axial skeleton. Subsequent unremitting daily pain, stiffness, limited motion, pain on motion, and/or swelling in the injured areas were mandatory for inclusion.Results: Nine months after injuries (span: 2 weeks–36 months), more obvious signs of inflammation (IM) appeared in multiple other joints that were previously not affected by the original trauma. In those with laboratory tests done prior to the spread of IM (30/60), 22 (73%) were normal until an average 8 months after the spread of IM. Of the entire cohort of 60, only 23% had a positive rheumatoid factor, but 43% had a positive antinuclear antibody.Conclusion: It seems apparent that any severe trauma to a joint may precipitate an ongoing localized chronic inflammatory disorder for an indefinite period of time, which may then lead to the spread of IM to multiple other joints. The initiation of RA following trauma warrants consideration as a legitimate entity. Keywords: rheumatoid arthritis, trauma, injuries, inflammation, antinuclear antibody, rheumatoid facto