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Purpose: To determine whether a probiotic drink containing Lactobacillus casei DN-114 001 reduces the incidence of radiation-induced diarrhea in patients with gynecologic cancer. Methods and Materials: Patients who were undergoing pelvic radiotherapy (45–50 Gy, conventional fractionation) for either cervical carcinoma (radiotherapy and weekly cisplatin) or endometrial adenocarcinoma (postoperative radiotherapy) were randomly assigned to a probiotic drink or placebo, in a double-blind fashion. The probiotic drink consisted of liquid yogurt containing L. casei DN-114 001 at 108 CFU/g. The patients recorded the daily the number of bowel movements and scored the stool consistency using the Bristol scale. Diarrhea was graded weekly according the Common Toxicity Criteria system. The primary endpoint was to reduce the incidence of diarrhea, defined by a Common Toxicity Criteria Grade of 2 or greater or the need for loperamide. Results: A total of 85 patients were enrolled. Grade 2 or greater diarrhea and/or the use of loperamide was observed in 24 of 41 patients in the placebo group and 30 of 44 in the probiotic group (p = 0.568). No differences were found in the median time to the presentation of the primary endpoint. Probiotic intervention had a significant effect on stool consistency (p = 0.04). The median time for patients to present with Bristol scale stools of Type 6 or greater was 14 days for patients receiving the probiotic drink vs. 10 days for those receiving placebo. Conclusion: Nutritional intervention with the probiotic drink containing L. casei DN-114 001 does not reduce the incidence of radiation-induced diarrhea as defined by a Common Toxicity Criteria Grade 2 or greater. However, it had a significant effect on stool consistency as measured by the Bristol scale. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and feasibility of extraperitoneal laparoscopic paraaortic lymphadenectomy for suspected lymph node recurrence of gynecological cancers., Design: Descriptive study., Setting: Unit of Gynecologic Oncology of an acute-care teaching hospital in Barcelona, Spain., Population: Between December 2002 and October 2007, eight women underwent extraperitoneal laparoscopic paraaortic lymphadenectomy for suspected lymph node recurrence, detected by magnetic resonance image (MRI), computed tomography (CT) scan or 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (PET) scanning. The suspicious nodes were removed through an extraperitoneal laparoscopic approach., Results: The median age of patients was 66.5 years (range: 54-74). The median operating time was 157.5 minutes (range: 120-240). The median blood loss was 112.5 mL (range: 50-150). The mean nodal yield was 9.4+/-4.72 (range: 1-16). There were no intraoperative or postoperative complications. The median hospital stay was two days. Histological examination revealed metastasis in seven of eight patients., Conclusions: The extraperitoneal laparoscopic paraaortic lymphadenectomy for lymph node recurrence of gynecological cancers is a safe and feasible procedure which should be considered where there is isolated involvement of retroperitoneal lymph nodes. This procedure is a minimally invasive technique that allows an excellent approach to the paraaortic lymph nodes.