Journal of the American College of Surgeons
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Clinical Trial
Cost Analysis of Free Colonoscopies in an Uninsured Population at Increased Risk for Colorectal Cancer.
Uninsured patients have poor access to screening colonoscopy and subsequently present with advanced stages of colorectal cancer (CRC) that beget worse outcomes and higher total costs. Providing pro bono colonoscopies to uninsured patients at high risk for CRC can detect early stage disease and be cost-effective. ⋯ Our screening criteria successfully identified a high-risk population with an overall 1.3% incidence of CRC. For these patients, the provision of free screening colonoscopies identified earlier-stage tumors and appears to be cost-neutral.
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Clinical Trial
Prognostic Value of Circulating Tumor Cells Identified Before Surgical Resection in Nonmetastatic Breast Cancer Patients.
Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) can be identified in approximately 25% of nonmetastatic breast cancer patients, and data are emerging regarding their prognostic significance. We hypothesized that CTCs identified before resection of the primary tumor would predict worse outcomes in nonmetastatic breast cancer patients. ⋯ One or more CTCs identified before resection of the primary breast tumor predicted worse relapse-free and overall survival, irrespective of primary tumor size, grade, or lymph node positivity.
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Although laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) is the gold standard, some patients still require an open cholecystectomy (OC). This study evaluates the mean number of OCs performed by each graduating general surgery resident during each of 3 decades. ⋯ There has been a considerable decline in the number of OCs, IOCs, and CBDEs available to our trainees during the past 30 years. New training paradigms should include renewed focus on performing an IOC and/or CBDE as clinically indicated during LC; high-quality simulation programs for OC, IOC, and CBDE; and the availability of an advanced video library depicting complicated open biliary procedures.