Life Expectancy For Most Patients Research Articles

Chronic Myeloid Leukemia: who should get a treatment-free trial and how?

Treatment with a BCR::ABL1 targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) has afforded a near-normal life expectancy for most patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). Approximately half of CML patients achieve a deep molecular response with TKI therapy and can discontinue treatment. In these patients, the CML can remain in prolonged remission, and patients can experience an improvement in quality of life.
 The European Leukemia Network (ELN) and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) provide the most up-to-date frameworks for treatment-free trials (TFTs), reflecting best practices from over 13 clinical trials published since the concept first entered the CML vernacular around 2010. Provincial guidelines also exist, such as those published in Quebec by the Groupe Québécois de Recherche en LMC-NMP (the Chronic Myeloid Leukemia and Myeloproliferative Neoplasms Quebec Research Group).
 The discontinuation of therapy for patients with CML in deep remission marks a potential shift from the management of CML as a chronic illness to the potential for a curative approach to CML. However, for now, only 50% of eligible patients have undergone successful TFT; optimal patient selection and monitoring is required to ensure the best outcomes with such a management strategy.

Moving beyond chemotherapy in the management of follicular lymphoma

Follicular lymphoma (FL) is the most common indolent lymphoma. It is estimated that approximately 2,000 Canadians are newly diagnosed with FL each year; however, this is an underestimation of the disease burden due to the indolent nature of FL. Indeed, the life expectancy for most patients can be measured in decades, with slow but constant improvement in survival estimates having been achieved over time.
 Traditionally, FL has been considered a chemo-sensitive disease and, for the last 15 years, antibodies targeting the CD20 surface epitope on B cells have become a compelling adjunct to induce long-lasting remission in the frontline setting. Outcomes are favourable for most patients; a long-term follow-up from the seminal PRIMA trial showed that the median progression-free survival (PFS) was 10.5 years in patients treated with immunochemotherapy as part of an initial induction regimen followed by rituximab maintenance, as compared with just over 4 years in the control arm (initial induction regimen followed by observation). In terms of chemotherapy backbone, bendamustine has established itself as the preferred standard in Canada and induces durable response in the majority of patients.
 This article will focus on patients with high-tumour burden disease in need of treatment, as opposed to patients with limited-stage disease who may benefit from localized radiation or patients with advanced-stage with low-tumour burden disease who may benefit from observation or single agent rituximab.

New Drug for Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Might Stimulate the Market.

The evolution of treatment options over the past 20 years has provided for a normal life expectancy for most patients with chronic myeloid leukemia. Currently approved tyrosine kinase inhibitors mainly differ in potency and side effect profile. Flumatinib goes for deep responses and good tolerability.See related article by Zhang et al., p. 70.

Incoming ethical issues for deep brain stimulation: when long-term treatment leads to a ‘new form of the disease’

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has been regarded as an efficient and safe treatment for Parkinson’s disease (PD) since being approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1997. It...

Radioiodine in thyroid cancer—how to minimize side effects

Life expectancy of most patients with differentiated thyroid cancer is normal, so adverse treatment effects should be minimized. Lower activities of radioiodine for ablation of thyroid remnants are non-inferior to higher activities and quality of life can be maintained by preparation of radioiodine remnant ablation using recombinant human thyrotropin.

Saphenous vein graft disease: causes, prevention, and contemporary treatment strategies

Coronary bypass graft surgery provides symptomatic relief and a long life expectancy for most patients with coronary artery disease who have suitable vessels. Although arterial conduits are becoming more popular, saphenous vein grafts (SVG) are still frequently used in coronary artery bypass surgery since they are readily available, especially in emergency situations. However, SVG tend to degenerate over time, as nearly half of them develop significant stenosis and nearly 40% of them become completely occluded within a decade. Treatment options for SVG failure include redo-surgery, percutaneous intervention, and/or medical therapy. However, challenges in maintaining graft patency (as a predictor of long-term survival) and interventional complications (e.g., distal embolization, ''no-reflow,'' and higher rates of periprocedural myocardial infarction) are still ongoing problems for cardiologists and cardiovascular surgeons. This review discusses the possible causes of graft failure and the contemporary approaches for improving outcomes in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery with at least one SVG.

HAART improves quality of life: should we care about the quality of spermatozoa?

Improvement in quality of life (QOL) under HAART has been extensively reported in the past few years [1]. Complete suppression of viral replication in blood not only results in an improvement of the cell-mediated immune system, it also dramatically improves life expectancy for most patients with no co-morbidity such as hepatitis C or substance abuse [2]. As a result of this development, an increasing proportion of couples living in an HIV-discordant partnership express the desire to conceive a child [3]. Consequently, several clinics in Europe specialized in artificial reproduction techniques are now offering artificial insemination with processed semen and even more specialized in-vitro techniques [4].

Hairy cell leukemia

Hairy cell leukemia is a rare B-cell neoplasm. When treated with either pentostatin or cladribine, complete and durable remissions can be secured and life expectancy for most patients is normal. A small minority of patients require alternative treatment with monoclonal antibodies or immunotoxins. Patients who attain a complete response to first-line treatment have the best prognosis.

Different patterns of aortic wall elasticity in patients with Marfan syndrome: A noninvasive follow-up study

Aortic complications determine the life expectancy of most patients with Marfan syndrome. To find out whether there is heterogenous aortic involvement among patients and, if there is, to characterize aortic patterns and response to long-term beta-blocker therapy, we investigated aortic elastic properties before and during beta-blocker treatment. In 46 patients with Marfan syndrome (age, 17.4 +/- 11.1 years) and 46 healthy control subjects, ascending and descending aortic elastic parameters were determined noninvasively before and after 39 +/- 16 months of beta-blocker treatment with atenolol. Aortic diameters and distensibility distinguished Marfan patients and controls with a sensitivity of 85% and a specificity of 87%. Cluster analysis revealed 4 patterns of aortic phenotypic expression: (1) reduced ascending aortic elasticity (46% of patients), (2) diminished ascending and descending aortic elasticity (17%), (3) minimal alterations of ascending and descending aortic elasticity (20%), and (4) reduced descending aortic elasticity (17%). During follow-up, aortic elastic properties improved in 21 (70%) of 30 patients and deteriorated in 9 (30%) irrespective of beta-blocker dosage. Improvement was observed in 100% of patients (n = 7; age, 5.3 +/- 4.2 years) with end-diastolic aortic root diameters between 20 and 30 mm and in 61% of patients (14/23; age, 20.5 +/- 10.0 years) with root diameters between 30 and 52 mm. Aortic elastic parameters distinguish between patients with Marfan syndrome and healthy controls and show the pattern of regional aortic involvement. Improvement or deterioration during follow-up can influence therapeutic decisions to prevent aortic dissection and rupture. Young age, small root diameter, and high distensibility are favorable prognostic factors.

Use of Distal Femoral Osteoarticular Allografts in Limb Salvage Surgery

BACKGROUND: As diagnostic and therapeutic techniques improve, patients with a musculoskeletal sarcoma should expect longer survival, fewer complications and side effects, and an improved quality of life. Functional longevity of the reconstruction after resection of the tumor becomes a major concern, especially in young and physically active patients. The purpose of this study was to analyze the mid-term and long-term survival of reconstructions with a distal femoral osteoarticular allograft in a series of patients. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the results of eighty reconstructions with a distal femoral osteoarticular allograft following resection of a bone tumor in seventy-six patients. The mean duration of follow-up was eighty-two months. The rates of survival of the allograft and the joint surface were estimated with use of the Kaplan-Meier method. Cox regression analysis was performed to determine whether age, gender, the percentage of the femur that had been resected, and the use of chemotherapy were independent prognostic factors. Functional and radiographic results were documented according to the Musculoskeletal Tumor Society scoring system at the time of the latest follow-up. RESULTS: Five patients were lost to follow-up, leaving seventy-five allografts in seventy-one patients available for study. Thirteen patients (thirteen allografts) died of tumor-related causes without allograft failure before a two-year radiographic follow-up could be performed. Of the remaining sixty-two allografts, fourteen failed: six failed as a result of infection; four, because of local recurrence; one, because of massive resorption; and three, as a result of fracture. At the time of final follow-up, at a mean of 125 months, forty-eight allografts were still in place. The overall rate of allograft survival was 78% at both five and ten years, and the rate of allograft survival without the need for resurfacing with a knee prosthesis was 71% at both five and ten years. With the numbers available, age, gender, the percentage of the femur that had been resected, and the use of chemotherapy were not found to have a significant effect on the overall allograft survival rates. The patients who retained the original allograft had good or excellent functional and radiographic results. CONCLUSIONS: The life expectancy for most patients with a highly aggressive or malignant tumor in the distal part of the femur is now several decades. In this study, we found a high rate of survival of distal femoral allograft reconstructions at both five and ten years.

Use of Distal Femoral Osteoarticular Allografts in Limb Salvage Surgery

As diagnostic and therapeutic techniques improve, patients with a musculoskeletal sarcoma should expect longer survival, fewer complications and side effects, and an improved quality of life. Functional longevity of the reconstruction after resection of the tumor becomes a major concern, especially in young and physically active patients. The purpose of this study was to analyze the mid-term and long-term survival of reconstructions with a distal femoral osteoarticular allograft in a series of patients. We retrospectively reviewed the results of eighty reconstructions with a distal femoral osteoarticular allograft following resection of a bone tumor in seventy-six patients. The mean duration of follow-up was eighty-two months. The rates of survival of the allograft and the joint surface were estimated with use of the Kaplan-Meier method. Cox regression analysis was performed to determine whether age, gender, the percentage of the femur that had been resected, and the use of chemotherapy were independent prognostic factors. Functional and radiographic results were documented according to the Musculoskeletal Tumor Society scoring system at the time of the latest follow-up. Five patients were lost to follow-up, leaving seventy-five allografts in seventy-one patients available for study. Thirteen patients (thirteen allografts) died of tumor-related causes without allograft failure before a two-year radiographic follow-up could be performed. Of the remaining sixty-two allografts, fourteen failed: six failed as a result of infection; four, because of local recurrence; one, because of massive resorption; and three, as a result of fracture. At the time of final follow-up, at a mean of 125 months, forty-eight allografts were still in place. The overall rate of allograft survival was 78% at both five and ten years, and the rate of allograft survival without the need for resurfacing with a knee prosthesis was 71% at both five and ten years. With the numbers available, age, gender, the percentage of the femur that had been resected, and the use of chemotherapy were not found to have a significant effect on the overall allograft survival rates. The patients who retained the original allograft had good or excellent functional and radiographic results. The life expectancy for most patients with a highly aggressive or malignant tumor in the distal part of the femur is now several decades. In this study, we found a high rate of survival of distal femoral allograft reconstructions at both five and ten years.

USE OF DISTAL FEMORAL OSTEOARTICULAR ALLOGRAFTS IN LIMB SALVAGE SURGERY

Background: As diagnostic and therapeutic techniques improve, patients with a musculoskeletal sarcoma should expect longer survival, fewer complications and side effects, and an improved quality of life. Functional longevity of the reconstruction after resection of the tumor becomes a major concern, especially in young and physically active patients. The purpose of this study was to analyze the mid-term and long-term survival of reconstructions with a distal femoral osteoarticular allograft in a series of patients. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the results of eighty reconstructions with a distal femoral osteoarticular allograft following resection of a bone tumor in seventy-six patients. The mean duration of follow-up was eighty-two months. The rates of survival of the allograft and the joint surface were estimated with use of the Kaplan-Meier method. Cox regression analysis was performed to determine whether age, gender, the percentage of the femur that had been resected, and the use of chemotherapy were independent prognostic factors. Functional and radiographic results were documented according to the Musculoskeletal Tumor Society scoring system at the time of the latest follow-up. Results: Five patients were lost to follow-up, leaving seventy-five allografts in seventy-one patients available for study. Thirteen patients (thirteen allografts) died of tumor-related causes without allograft failure before a two-year radiographic follow-up could be performed. Of the remaining sixty-two allografts, fourteen failed: six failed as a result of infection; four, because of local recurrence; one, because of massive resorption; and three, as a result of fracture. At the time of final follow-up, at a mean of 125 months, forty-eight allografts were still in place. The overall rate of allograft survival was 78% at both five and ten years, and the rate of allograft survival without the need for resurfacing with a knee prosthesis was 71% at both five and ten years. With the numbers available, age, gender, the percentage of the femur that had been resected, and the use of chemotherapy were not found to have a significant effect on the overall allograft survival rates. The patients who retained the original allograft had good or excellent functional and radiographic results. Conclusions: The life expectancy for most patients with a highly aggressive or malignant tumor in the distal part of the femur is now several decades. In this study, we found a high rate of survival of distal femoral allograft reconstructions at both five and ten years. Level of Evidence: Therapeutic Level IV. See Instructions to Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Use of Distal Femoral Osteoarticular Allografts in Limb Salvage Surgery

As diagnostic and therapeutic techniques improve, patients with a musculoskeletal sarcoma should expect longer survival, fewer complications and side effects, and an improved quality of life. Functional longevity of the reconstruction after resection of the tumor becomes a major concern, especially in young and physically active patients. The purpose of this study was to analyze the mid-term and long-term survival of reconstructions with a distal femoral osteoarticular allograft in a series of patients. We retrospectively reviewed the results of eighty reconstructions with a distal femoral osteoarticular allograft following resection of a bone tumor in seventy-six patients. The mean duration of follow-up was eighty-two months. The rates of survival of the allograft and the joint surface were estimated with use of the Kaplan-Meier method. Cox regression analysis was performed to determine whether age, gender, the percentage of the femur that had been resected, and the use of chemotherapy were independent prognostic factors. Functional and radiographic results were documented according to the Musculoskeletal Tumor Society scoring system at the time of the latest follow-up. Five patients were lost to follow-up, leaving seventy-five allografts in seventy-one patients available for study. Thirteen patients (thirteen allografts) died of tumor-related causes without allograft failure before a two-year radiographic follow-up could be performed. Of the remaining sixty-two allografts, fourteen failed: six failed as a result of infection; four, because of local recurrence; one, because of massive resorption; and three, as a result of fracture. At the time of final follow-up, at a mean of 125 months, forty-eight allografts were still in place. The overall rate of allograft survival was 78% at both five and ten years, and the rate of allograft survival without the need for resurfacing with a knee prosthesis was 71% at both five and ten years. With the numbers available, age, gender, the percentage of the femur that had been resected, and the use of chemotherapy were not found to have a significant effect on the overall allograft survival rates. The patients who retained the original allograft had good or excellent functional and radiographic results. The life expectancy for most patients with a highly aggressive or malignant tumor in the distal part of the femur is now several decades. In this study, we found a high rate of survival of distal femoral allograft reconstructions at both five and ten years.

Management of Patients with “Ex Vacuo” Pneumothorax After Thoracentesis 1

To determine clinical outcome in patients who developed "ex vacuo" pneumothorax following thoracentesis and to assess the benefit of chest tube placement for this complication. We retrospectively reviewed records of 282 patients who underwent 437 thoracenteses at a single institution during a 6-year period. We identified 34 patients (12.1%) who developed a pneumothorax following 39 thoracenteses (8.8%) and then identified a subset of patients with pneumothorax "ex vacuo" defined as a moderate to large hydropneumothorax or small pneumothorax persisting for more than 3 days. Patient charts were reviewed to document the treatment strategy employed and subsequent clinical outcome, which included length of hospital stay, resolution of pneumothorax, reaccumulation of pleural effusion, and overall survival. Ten patients developed "ex vacuo" pneumothroax following thoracentesis. None complained of significant worsening of symptoms following thoracentesis. Seven patients were treated by observation alone and 3 patients underwent tube thorocostomy. A decrease in size of the pneumothorax was observed in only 3 patients, none of whom had a chest tube placed. Effusion completely reaccumulated in 7 patients. All 10 patients died during the follow-up period; the mean survival was 157 days (range: 13-402 days). Survival among patients treated by observation was 191.4 days versus 71.7 days for patients receiving chest tubes. Life expectancy for most patients who develop "ex vacuo" pneumothorax following therapeutic thoracentesis is short (<6 months). Chest tube placement is not necessary in asymptomatic patients and is unlikely to provide clinical benefit.

Operative therapy for skeletal metastases in the extremities

Operations on skeletal metastases of the extremities represent the most frequent surgical treatment in orthopedic oncology. From 1970 to 1997, 340 patients were operated on in 383 surgical procedures in the Orthopedic Department of the University of Heidelberg. Carcinoma of the breast and renal cell carcinoma were the most common primary tumors. Operations concerned mainly the femur with acetabulum (55 %) and the humerus with glenoid (25 %). A pathologic fracture occurred in 51 %. While in these cases surgical treatment is absolutely necessary, it is contraindicated in preterminal patients. In imminent fractures or peripheral compression syndromes, the indication is relative and has to be justified on a multidisciplinary basis. Marginal resection of the tumor is allowed because of the limited life expectancy of most patients. Only in patients with solitary metastases and a better prognosis the resection of metastasis margin can be more extensive. Intensification of local therapy by adjuvant irradiation is indicated in an R2 situation, depending on the patient's prognosis. An analysis of our cases from 1994 to 1996 exemplifies the increasing use of modular tumor endoprostheses (52 %). In meta-diaphyseal and diaphyseal cases, cement-augmented osteosynthesis is mainly used (34 %). The application of these established reconstruction techniques after metastasis resection in cases with adjuvant radiotherapy assures a pain-free extremity capable of weight bearing.

Surgical management of skeletal metastases of the extremities

Operations on skeletal metastases of the extremities represent the most frequent surgical treatment in orthopedic oncology. From 1970 to 1997, 340 patients were operated on in 383 surgical procedures in the Orthopedic Department of the University of Heidelberg. Carcinoma of the breast and renal cell carcinoma were the most common primary tumors. Operations concerned mainly the femur with acetabulum (55%) and the humerus with glenoid (25%). A pathologic fracture occurred in 51%. While in these cases surgical treatment is absolutely necessary, it is contraindicated in preterminal patients. In imminent fractures or peripheral compression syndromes, the indication is relative and has to be justified on a multidisciplinary basis. Marginal resection of the tumor is allowed because of the limited life expectancy of most patients. Only in patients with solitary metastases and a better prognosis the resection of metastasis margin can be more extensive. Intensification of local therapy by adjuvant irradiation is indicated in an R2 situation, depending on the patient's prognosis. An analysis of our cases from 1994 to 1996 exemplifies the increasing use of modular tumor endoprostheses (52%). In meta-diaphyseal and diaphyseal cases, cement-augmented osteosynthesis is mainly used (34%). The application of these established reconstruction techniques after metastasis resection in cases with adjuvant radiotherapy assures a pain-free extremity capable of weight bearing.