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•Background: The Affordable Care Act's Medicaid expansion increased insurance coverage and access to care for endocrine cancers, though impact on benign endocrine disease is unknown. •Methods: Patients undergoing operations for benign thyroid, parathyroid, and adrenal disease were collected from the Vizient® Clinical Data Base from 2009 to 2016 and grouped by state Medicaid expansion status in January 2014. Insurance coverage was analyzed by difference-in-differences analysis, and logistic regression evaluated odds of operation by insurance status. •Results: 134,242 patients were included. Medicaid coverage in expansion states increased for all operations (Adj-DD 5.78%, p 0.001) with decreases in uninsured and private insurance. Medicaid patients had increased odds of undergoing thyroid operations (OR 1.56, p 0.001) and decreased odds of parathyroid (OR 0.68, p 0.001) or adrenal operations (OR 0.70, p 0.001) versus private insurance. •Conclusion: Medicaid expansion increased insurance coverage for benign endocrine disease, however, barriers remain for Medicaid patients with parathyroid and adrenal disease.

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic profoundly impacted the delivery of care and timing of elective surgical procedures. Most endocrine-related operations were considered elective and safe to postpone, providing a unique opportunity to assess clinical outcomes under protracted treatment plans.MethodsAmerican Association of Endocrine Surgeon members were surveyed for participation. A Research Electronic Data Capture survey was developed and distributed to 27 institutions to assess the impact of COVID-19-related delays. The information collected included patient demographics, primary diagnosis, resumption of care, and assessment of disease progression by the surgeon.ResultsTwelve out of 27 institutions completed the survey (44.4%). Of 850 patients, 74.8% (636) were female; median age was 56 (interquartile range, 44-66) years. Forty percent (34) of patients had not been seen since their original surgical appointment was delayed; 86.2% (733) of patients had a delay in care with women more likely to have a delay (87.6% vs 82.2% of men, χ2= 3.84, P= .05). Median duration of delay was 70 (interquartile range, 42-118) days. Among patients with a delay in care, primary disease site included thyroid (54.2%), parathyroid (37.2%), adrenal (6.5%), and pancreatic/gastrointestinal neuroendocrine tumors (1.3%). In addition, 4.0% (26) of patients experienced disease progression and 4.1% (24) had a change from the initial operative plan. The duration of delay was not associated with disease progression (P= .96) or a change in operative plan (P= .66).ConclusionAlthough some patients experienced disease progression during COVID-19 delays to endocrine disease-related care, most patients with follow-up did not. Our analysis indicated that temporary delay may be an acceptable course of action in extreme circumstances for most endocrine-related surgical disease.

We aimed to characterize the association between differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) patient insurance status and appropriateness of therapy (AOT) regarding extent of thyroidectomy and radioactive iodine (RAI) treatment.The National Cancer Database was queried for DTC patients diagnosed between 2010 and 2016. Adjusted odds ratios (AOR) for AOT, as defined by the American Thyroid Association guidelines, and hazard ratios (HR) for overall survival (OS) were calculated. A difference-in-differences (DD) analysis examined the association of Medicaid expansion with outcomes for low-income patients aged65.A total of 224,500 patients were included. Medicaid and uninsured patients were at increased risk of undergoing inappropriate therapy, including inappropriate lobectomy (Medicaid 1.36, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.21-1.54; uninsured 1.30, 95% CI: 1.05-1.60), and under-treatment with RAI (Medicaid 1.20, 95% CI: 1.14-1.26; uninsured 1.44, 95% CI: 1.33-1.55). Inappropriate lobectomy (HR 2.0, 95% CI: 1.7-2.3, P.001) and under-treatment with RAI (HR 2.3, 95% CI: 2.2-2.5, P.001) were independently associated with decreased survival, while appropriate surgical resection (HR 0.3, 95% CI: 0.3-0.3, P.001) was associated with improved odds of survival; the model controlled for all relevant clinico-pathologic variables. No difference in AOT was observed in Medicaid expansion versus non-expansion states with respect to surgery or adjuvant RAI therapy.Medicaid and uninsured patients are at significantly increased odds of receiving inappropriate treatment for DTC; both groups are at a survival disadvantage compared with Medicare and those privately insured.

Background The effects of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic on surgical oncology practice are not yet quantified. The aim of this study was to measure the immediate impact of COVID‐19 on surgical oncology practice volume. Methods A retrospective study of patients treated at an NCI‐Comprehensive Cancer Center was performed. “Pre‐COVID” era was defined as January–February 2020 and “COVID” as March–April 2020. Primary outcomes were clinic visits and operative volume by surgical oncology subspecialty. Results Abouyt 907 new patient visits, 3897 follow‐up visits, and 644 operations occurred during the study period. All subspecialties experienced significant decreases in new patient visits during COVID, though soft tissue oncology (Mel/Sarc), gynecologic oncology (Gyn/Onc), and endocrine were disproportionately affected. Telehealth visits increased to 11.4% of all visits by April. Mel/Sarc, Gyn/Onc, and Breast experienced significant operative volume decreases during COVID (25.8%, p = 0.012, 43.6% p

Background Outcomes after adrenalectomy in patients with primary aldosteronism (PA) are variable. The aldosteronoma resolution score (ARS) uses preoperative variables to calculate a score that identifies those patients that are more likely to have resolution of hypertension after adrenalectomy. We aim to determine the efficacy of adrenalectomy and whether the ARS accurately predicts clinical success in a Black and Hispanic population. Methods We reviewed patients who underwent adrenalectomy for PA from 2004 to 2018 at two academic centers treating primarily Hispanic and Black patients. Postoperative outcomes were evaluated based on the primary aldosteronism surgical outcome consensus criterion. Retrospectively, the accuracy of ARS was determined by a receiver operating characteristic curve and the area under the curve (AUC). Results Forty-three Hispanic and 10 Black patients underwent adrenalectomy for PA. Twenty-two patients (41.5%) had complete clinical success. Variables associated with complete clinical success in the univariate analysis were female gender (p = 0.026), younger age (p = 0.001), lower preoperative aldosterone (p = 0.035), lower preoperative systolic blood pressure (p = 0.001), fewer number of preoperative antihypertensive medications (p = 0.007) and a higher ARS (p = 0.003). On multivariate analysis, only fewer number of preoperative antihypertensive medications was independently associated with complete clinical success (p = 0.026). The AUC of the ARS was 0.746. Conclusion The rate of clinical success from adrenalectomy is good for Hispanic and Black patients with PA. Our analysis shows that the ARS is an accurate test of clinical success in Hispanic and Black patients. The ARS may be utilized preoperatively to frame expectations after adrenalectomy in these populations.

Primary aldosteronism (PA) occurs in 10%-20% of patients with resistant hypertension. Guidelines recommend adrenal vein sampling (AVS) to identify patients for surgical management. We evaluate the use of AVS in managing PA to better understand the selection and outcomes of medical versus surgical treatment.A retrospective review was performed, and patients were divided into those who did (AVS) and did not have AVS (non-AVS). Demographics, aldosterone and renin levels, blood pressure, comorbidities, and antihypertensive medications were recorded. Reasons to defer AVS and medical versus surgical decision-making were examined and groups were compared.We included 113 patients; 39.8% (45/113) had AVS, whereas 60.2% (68/113) did not. Groups were similar in age, body mass index, and initial systolic blood pressure (SBP). In patients who underwent AVS, 31 of 45 (68.9%) had unilateral secretion and were referred for surgery, whereas 13 of 45 (28.9%) had bilateral secretion. Of the 31 referred for surgery, 26 underwent laparoscopic adrenalectomy, all cured; four refused surgery; and one counseled toward medical management by their physician. In 68 non-AVS patients, 6 (8.8%) underwent adrenalectomy without sampling and 2 with no clinical improvement. The remaining deferrals were because of normal or bilateral adrenal nodules on imaging (8/68, 11.8%); medical management due to poor surgical candidacy (12/68, 17.6%); patient refusal of intervention (13/68, 19.1%); or reasons not stated (28/68, 41.1%). At the follow-up, patients who underwent AVS had lower median SBP (135.4 mmHg versus 144.7 mmHg, P = 0.0241) and shorter follow-up (17.7 mo versus 54.0 mo, P 0.0001). Surgically managed patients had biochemical resolution of PA with normalization of potassium levels (3.6 to 4.7mEq/L, P 0.00001).AVS correctly selects patients for surgical management avoiding unnecessary surgery. However, despite guidelines, AVS is not always pursued as part of PA treatment, potentially excluding surgical candidates.

Gastric and duodenal neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are increasing in incidence as a result of increased detection and awareness of neuroendocrine tumors as distinct tumor types. The three types of gastric NETs and duodenal NETs have different etiologies and tumor-specific factors, such as grade, location, and hormone-production, and the clinical settings influence management. Options for treatment include removal by local endoscopic resection and surgical resection. Medical therapy is used to treat the inciting condition or as systemic therapy in advanced disease. Although the overall prognosis for most is good, higher grade tumors behave aggressively and have reduced survival.

Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is associated with a poor prognosis. We reviewed the National Cancer Database (NCDB) to analyze the prognostic factors in surgically resected ACC patients and the association of surgical approaches with overall survival (OS).A retrospective NCDB (2004-2014) review of patients undergoing curative-intent surgical resection for ACC was performed. Effects of patient demographics, tumor characteristics, histopathology, and perioperative course on OS were analyzed. Log-rank statistics were used to associate clinical variables with OS. The multivariable Cox proportional hazard model included only statistically significant variables.A total of 1599 patients with ACC were included. A majority of patients were female (60.73%) and presented with a Charlson-Deyo score of zero (75.42%). A majority of the ACC cases were Grade 3 (45.69%), and almost a third (30.64%) underwent margin-positive resections. Univariate analysis demonstrated a decrease in OS associated with increasing age and comorbidities. A negative resection margin and lack of lymphovascular invasion predicted better OS. Multivariable analysis showed that age, grade, surgical resection margins, and hospital length of stay were associated with OS.Advanced age, grade, presence of lymphovascular invasion, and positive surgical margins predicted a worse overall survival for adrenocortical cancer in our analysis. Resection with negative margins improves outcomes.

BACKGROUND The Bethesda System standardized the reporting of thyroid cytopathology and created categories to provide an estimation of a nodule's risk of malignancy. There are limited data describing their utility in different racial-ethnic groups. METHODS A retrospective chart review of thyroid fine-needle aspirations (FNA) was performed within our health-care systems. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive values (NPVs) were calculated for the total cohort, and racial-ethnic groups. RESULTS The sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV of the entire cohort was 93%, 77%, 57%, and 97%. Among patients who underwent surgery, African Americans contained a high number of Bethesda II FNAs (63%) compared to Hispanics (48%) and whites (45%). The sensitivity, specificity, and NPV were comparable among groups, the PPV was lowest for African Americans (43%), followed by Hispanics (60%) and whites (69%). CONCLUSIONS The Bethesda system's predictive value may differ among racial-ethnic groups.

Background This study investigates the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on endocrine surgeons. Methods A survey on the professional, educational, and clinical impact was sent to active and corresponding members of the American Association of Endocrine Surgeons (AAES) in September 2020. Chi-square and paired t-test were used for analysis. Results 77 surgeons responded (14.8 %). All reported suspension of elective surgeries; 37.7 % were reassigned to other duties during this time. The median number of cases backlogged was 30 (IQR 15–50). Most surgeons reported decreased clinical volume (74.6 %). The use of virtual platforms for clinical and educational purposes increased from pre-COVID-19 levels (all p

Background Adrenal incidentalomas are common radiographic findings. Guidelines recommend biochemical and radiographic surveillance of adrenal incidentalomas. We investigated if patients were appropriately referred for outpatient evaluation. Methods Retrospective chart review was performed to identify patients with adrenal masses on imaging between November 7, 2016 and November 7, 2017. Demographic information, medical history, and outpatient referral information was collected. Results 11,723 computed tomography (CT) scans of the chest and/or abdomen/pelvis were performed. 246 patients were noted to have adrenal incidentalomas and met inclusion criteria. The CT report recommended follow-up in 63/246 cases (25.6%). 38/246 (15.4%) patients were referred for evaluation. Age, adrenal nodule size, and type of evaluating provider did not affect referral. A radiology report recommending follow-up was associated with increased referral rate (OR 5.441, 95% CI: 2.491–11.887). Conclusion There was low outpatient referral for adrenal incidentalomas. Language in the radiology report significantly influenced referral rates and may be an important resource for improving guideline adherence.

Disparities exist in access to high-volume surgeons, who have better outcomes after thyroidectomy. The association of the Affordable Care Act's Medicaid expansion with access to high-volume thyroid cancer surgery centers remains unclear.The National Cancer Database was queried for all adult thyroid cancer patients diagnosed from 2010 to 2016. Hospital quartiles (Q1-4) defined by operative volume were generated. Clinicodemographics and adjusted odds ratios for treatment per quartile were analyzed by insurance status. An adjusted difference-in-differences analysis examined the association between implementation of the Affordable Care Act and changes in payer mix by hospital quartile.In total, 241,448 patients were included. Medicaid patients were most commonly treated at Q3-Q4 hospitals (Q3 odds ratios 1.05, P = .020, Q4 1.11, P.001), whereas uninsured patients were most often treated at Q2-Q4 hospitals (Q2 odds ratios 2.82, Q3 2.34, Q4 2.07, P.001). After expansion, Medicaid patients had lower odds of surgery at Q3-Q4 compared with Q1 hospitals (odds ratios Q3 0.82, P.001 Q4 0.85, P = .002) in expansion states, but higher odds of treatment at Q3-Q4 hospitals in nonexpansion states (odds ratios Q3 2.23, Q4 1.86, P.001). Affordable Care Act implementation was associated with increased proportions of Medicaid patients within each quartile in expansion compared with nonexpansion states (Q1 adjusted difference-in-differences 5.36%, Q2 5.29%, Q3 3.68%, Q4 3.26%, P.001), and a decrease in uninsured patients treated at Q4 hospitals (adjusted difference-in-differences -1.06%, P = .001).Medicaid expansion was associated with an increased proportion of Medicaid patients undergoing thyroidectomy for thyroid cancer in all quartiles, with increased Medicaid access to high-volume centers in expansion compared with nonexpansion states.

MTC is a rare thyroid malignancy that is associated with a worse prognosis than follicular-derived thyroid cancers. It can occur sporadically or as part of hereditary syndromes such as MEN2 with various clinical phenotypes dependent on the tumor genotype. The mainstays for treatment are early diagnosis and surgical removal of all disease. In the case of sporadic MTC, this is done with a total thyroidectomy and central lymph node dissection with a lateral dissection reserved for sonographic or biochemical evidence of disease. In patients with a hereditary form of MTC, the goal is for prophylactic surgery to improve future oncologic outcomes with the timing of surgery based on genotype and calcitonin level. For patients with advanced or metastatic disease, further work is being done to identify systemic therapies, such as novel tyrosine kinase inhibitors, that improve outcomes in those who cannot be cured with surgery alone.

Pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma (PPGLs) are neuroendocrine tumors with diverse clinical presentations. PPGLs can be sporadic but often are associated with various syndromes, which can have variable clinical presentations. A thorough workup is therefore critical for staging, treatment, and follow-up. Imaging is an essential part of the workup and diagnosis of PPGLs. Improvements in cross-sectional imaging with radionuclides have increased specificity and sensitivity for identifying and treating PPGLs. Furthermore, a variety of targets on PPGLs has allowed for optimal imaging with radionuclides that can be used for staging and treatment. Currently, radionuclides are being evaluated for staging and treatment of PPGLs. Developing novel radionuclides that can identify disease sites and target them simultaneously provides a potential for improving survival and outcomes in patients with PPGLs. Given the clinical diversity among PPGLs, expanding the therapeutic arsenal against locally advanced or metastatic PPGLs can allow clinicians to evaluate and treat PPGLs thoroughly.

Pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma (PPGLs) are neuroendocrine tumors with diverse clinical presentations. PPGLs can be sporadic but often are associated with various syndromes, which can have variable clinical presentations. A thorough workup is therefore critical for staging, treatment, and follow-up. Imaging is an essential part of the workup and diagnosis of PPGLs.Improvements in cross-sectional imaging with radionuclides have increased specificity and sensitivity for identifying and treating PPGLs. Furthermore, a variety of targets on PPGLs has allowed for optimal imaging with radionuclides that can be used for staging and treatment. Currently, radionuclides are being evaluated for staging and treatment of PPGLs. Developing novel radionuclides that can identify disease sites and target them simultaneously provides a potential for improving survival and outcomes in patients with PPGLs. Given the clinical diversity among PPGLs, expanding the therapeutic arsenal against locally advanced or metastatic PPGLs can allow clinicians to evaluate and treat PPGLs thoroughly.

This is a case presentation of a large locally advanced adrenocortical carcinoma that is used to exhibit the step-by-step approach to open right adrenalectomy. The patient is a 65-year-old male who...

Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PNETs) may occur in a variety of forms. They may or may not be hormone-producing PNETs and may occur either sporadically or within a genetic syndrome. Behavior is predicted by both tumor grade and stage. Treatment options are influenced by clinical stage at presentation as well as by tumor grade. Guidelines for management are published outlining the approach to initial evaluation as well as for therapeutic intervention. Surgery is recommended for those patients who have resectable primary tumors and may be appropriate in the setting of metastatic disease to the liver. For those patients who are not able to undergo or are not candidates for surgery, other therapeutic options exist and are selected based on tumor characteristics.

Calcium channel blockade with nicardipine (NC) is an alternative to phenoxybenzamine (PB) preparation for resection of a pheochromocytoma. Intraoperative magnesium sulfate infusion (+MgSO(4)) is often used for its cardiovascular stabilizing properties. We hypothesized that preparation with NC would be similar clinically to PB for resection of a pheochromocytoma, and MgSO(4) infusion would not affect intraoperative stability.This retrospective review included 64 patients undergoing resections of a pheochromocytoma from 2003 to 2011. PB or NC was used preoperatively, with MgSO(4) use distributed equally in the population. Pre-, intra-, and postoperative hemodynamics and outcomes were compared.There was no difference in NC (n = 7) versus PB (n = 57) or +MgSO(4) (n = 33) versus -MgSO(4) (n = 31) groups for demographics with the exception of age. The NC group had smaller median tumor size and lesser plasma baseline levels of normetanephrine than the PB group, but subgroup analysis of all neoplasms3.0 cm revealed no differences. Pre-, intra- and postoperative hemodynamic stability and outcomes were similar for NC versus PB analyses as well as the +MgSO(4) versus -MgSO(4) groups.NC use may be an equivalent alternative to PB in preoperative preparation, especially for smaller pheochromocytomas. Intraoperative MgSO(4) use does not seem to have a substantive effect on hemodynamic stability.

Prophylactic central lymph node dissection (CLND) accompanying total thyroidectomy for papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) remains controversial. Our hypothesis is that CLND may help select patients who benefit from postoperative radioactive iodine (RAI).A total of 119 patients who were clinically node-negative underwent total thyroidectomy/bilateral CLND for papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) 1 cm during 2002-2010. Pathology results, RAI results, and outcomes were compared between node-positive (NP) and node-negative (NN) patients.NP and NN patients were similar in age, gender, tumor size, and MACIS score. Median number of nodes excised was six. The rate of permanent hypocalcemia was 1.7% without permanent recurrent laryngeal nerve injuries. Thirteen of 52 (25%) NN patients and 24 of 67 (36%) NP patients had suspicious nodes by intraoperative inspection. The node assessment negative predictive value was 75%; positive predictive value was 36%. Fifty-six percent (67/118) were NP; 100 patients were treated with RAI. Fourteen of 62 NP patients had abnormal postoperative RAI scans aside from the thyroid remnant versus 4 of 38 NN patients (23 vs. 11%, p = 0.18). Median 1-year stimulated thyroglobulin (Tg) level was 0.0 for both (range 0.0-1.2, NN; 0.0-22.7, NP; p = 0.1). NP patients received higher doses of RAI (150 vs. 30 mCi, p 0.001). Rate of recurrent or persistent disease was 3.4%.Few node-negative patients have abnormal RAI scans outside of the thyroid bed. Node-positive patients had greater variability in stimulated 1-year Tg levels after higher doses of RAI. CLND may identify the patients most likely to have persistently elevated stimulated Tg after initial therapy for PTC.

Pheochromocytoma (PCC) and paraganglioma (PG) are evaluated and treated similarly. This study evaluates the hypothesis that tumor characteristics and outcome of patients with PCC and PG are equivalent. Records of patients from a single institution undergoing resection of PCC or PG from 1999 to 2010 were reviewed. Data were collected for demographics, operative records, laboratory and pathologic results, adjuvant and palliative therapy given, recurrence, and length of survival. Descriptive statistics were used to describe differences between patients with benign and malignant PCC and PG. Analysis was performed using the Wilcoxon–Mann–Whitney test with p = 0.05 considered as significant. One hundred fifteen patients were identified (106 PCC and nine PG). Of the tumors, 5.2% were bilateral and 10.4% were malignant. Forty-three of the 115 patients underwent genetic testing; 21out of 37 (56.8%) PCC and five out of six (83.3%) PG had a genetic mutation. Twelve patients (seven PCC and five PG) had malignant tumors. Malignant PG (mPG) exhibited more invasive pathologic characteristics. The median sizes of benign and malignant PCC (mPCC) were 4.0 (0.7–14 cm) and 5.5 cm (3.7–11.2 cm), respectively, p = 0.03. The median sizes of benign and mPG were 4.1 (2.7–5.4 cm) and 5.8 cm (4–6.2 cm), respectively, p = 0.11. Sites of recurrence were similar between the groups. Patients with mPG received chemotherapy more often than those with mPCC. With a median follow-up of 54.7 months (2.0–185.3), two out of five mPG and zero out of seven mPCC had died of the disease. Tumor size does not appear to correlate with malignancy in a clinically significant manner. Malignant paraganglioma may be more aggressive than malignant pheochromocytoma and is frequently offered more adjuvant therapy. PCC and PG should be evaluated separately in future analyses of these diseases.

Primary hyperparathyroidism is a disease that is caused by excess parathyroid hormone (PTH) secretion from 1 or more of the parathyroid glands. Surgery is the only cure. Traditional surgical management consists of a 4-gland cervical exploration. Development of imaging specific to identification of parathyroid glands and application of the rapid PTH assay to operative management have made more minimal exploration possible. There are distinct advantages and disadvantages of minimally invasive parathyroidectomy (MIP) and bilateral neck exploration (BNE). The advantages of MIP seem to outweigh those of BNE, and MIP has replaced BNE as the operation of choice by many surgeons.

Sporadic, nonfunctional pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (NF-PNETs) are diagnosed with increasing frequency. We compared the risk of tumor growth, metastasis, and mortality between patients treated versus those treated expectantly.A retrospective study of patients seen at our institution with sporadic NF-PNETs, with ≥ 12 months of follow-up. Kaplan-Meier analysis was performed.Between 1999 and 2014, 35 patients with an incidentally discovered nonfunctional PNET were identified. Twenty underwent resection and 15 were followed with imaging. In the operative group, 8 had NF-PNETs2 cm, while 12 had NF-PNETs ≥ 2 cm. In the nonoperative expectant management by serial imaging group, 10 had NF-PNETs2 cm while 5 had NF-PNETs ≥ 2 cm. Small NF-PNETs (2 cm) in either the operative or nonoperative groups demonstrated no evidence of progression or metastasis (median follow-up of 27.8 months). Morbidity in the operative group was 35% with pancreatic pseudocyst the most common.Incidentally discovered NF-PNETs2 cm in size can be observed safely with serial imaging.

Recent randomized prospective data suggest that early hyperglycemia is associated with excess mortality in critically ill patients, and tight glucose control leads to improved outcome. This concept has not been carefully examined in trauma patients, and the relationship of early hyperglycemia to mortality from sepsis in this population is unclear. The objective of this study was to determine the relationship different levels of early blood glucose elevation to outcome in a trauma ICU population.The records of all patients admitted to the ICU over a 2-year period at a Level I trauma center were reviewed for age, injury severity scores (ISS), admission Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score, base deficit (BD), blood glucose, and mortality. Three possible cutoffs in defining hyperglycemia were examined (glucoseor =110 mg/dL,or =150 mg/dL,or =200 mg/dL) in relation to infection and mortality. Early hyperglycemia was defined as elevated blood glucose on hospital days 1 or 2. Those with diabetes mellitus were excluded.From 1/00-12/01, 516 eligible patients were admitted to the ICU after injury. Early hyperglycemia occurred in 483 at theor =110 mg/dL level, 311 at theor =150 mg/dL level, and 90 patients at theor =200 mg/dL level. Univariate logistic regression demonstrated a significant relationship between ISS and subsequent infection(p = 0.02) and a trend toward such a relationship in GCS score, glucoseor =150 mg/dL, and glucoseor =200 mg/dL (p = 0.06, 0.12, and 0.06). A similar analysis for the relationship of these variables to eventual mortality showed a significant correlation with all examined variables except glucoseor =110 mg/dL. Multiple logistic regression to control for the effect of age, ISS, GCS score, and BD found early glucoseor =200 mg/dL to be an independent predictor of both infection and mortality while no such relationship was found withor = 110 mg/dL oror =150 mg/dL.Early hyperglycemia as defined by glucoseor =200 mg/dL is associated with significantly higher infection and mortality rates in trauma patients independent of injury characteristics. This was not true at the cutoffs ofor =110 mg/dL oror =150 mg/dL. These data support the need for a prospective analysis of tight glucose control, keeping serum glucose200 mg/dL in critically ill trauma patients. However, aggressive maintenance of levels110 mg/dL as reported by others may not be necessary.

Papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) has an excellent prognosis with current treatment methods. However, the rates of locoregional recurrence after initial surgical management remain significant. This study evaluates the effect of reoperative neck dissection for locoregional recurrence of PTC after initial total thyroidectomy and radioiodine therapy on the incidence of cervical recurrence and postoperative serum thyroglobulin (Tg) levels. This is a retrospective cohort study conducted in a single academic medical center of patients with recurrent or persistent PTC isolated to the neck after previous total thyroidectomy with or without lymph node dissection and adjuvant I131 therapy who were treated with reoperative lymph node dissection. Outcomes including operative complications, pathologic findings, and effect of surgery on Tg levels and rates of recurrent disease were analyzed. From 2001 to 2010, a total of 61 patients had reoperative neck dissections for recurrent cervical PTC with a complication rate of 5 %. Seventy-two percent of patients were clinically free of detectable disease, and 28 % of patients had recurrent, persistent, or newly metastatic disease detected during the follow-up period. All patients had significant decreases in Tg levels, with a median 98 % reduction in preoperative levels. However, only 21 % of patients had an undetectable stimulated Tg (

Medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) arises from parafollicular C cells and is an elusive tumor to image. It occurs as a sporadic neoplasm in 70-80% of cases and is hereditary in 20-30% because of germline mutations of the rearranged during transfection proto-oncogene. Successful disease management relies on accurate staging. Tumor secretory biomarkers are highly sensitive to a disease; however, despite a wide variety of radiopharmaceuticals for molecular imaging that take advantage of hybrid SPECT/CT and PET/CT fusion imaging, imaging of MTC is still problematic. After initial surgical resection, the limited sensitivity of localization of small locoregional disease and the inability to detect early liver metastases hamper the success of later surgical approaches. F-fluorodeoxyglucose PET has been used to detect MTC recurrences with modest success and may be best suited for only a small subset of more biologically aggressive MTCs. Recent developments in PET imaging with novel radiopharmaceuticals targeting specific cellular processes of MTC offer increased sensitivity for identifying recurrence, assessing prognosis, and guiding selection of optimal therapies.

e17029 Background: Obesity is a risk factor for a number of solid organ tumors, including breast and ovarian cancer. Potential mechanisms for the effect of obesity include elevated blood levels of ...