The histologic status of axillary lymph nodes, one of the most important prognostic indicators in patients with breast cancer, directly affects clinical management.¹ However, over 80 percent of women who undergo axillary dissection have at least one ...

Osteogenesis imperfecta, often referred to as “brittle-bone disease,” is a heritable disorder characterized in most affected persons by either a reduction in the production of normal type I collagen or the synthesis of abnormal collagen as a result of ...

Obesity is reported to be the most common health problem in developed countries and is the second most common cause of preventable death in the United States.¹–³ It results from an inbalance between energy intake and energy expenditure. This imbalance ...

The hereditary long-QT syndrome is a familial disorder characterized by prolonged ventricular repolarization on the electrocardiogram and a propensity for syncope, polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (torsade de pointes), and sudden death.¹–⁶ Four ...

Figure 1. A 26-year-old woman (Panel A) and her 6-year-old daughter (Panel B) were evaluated for recurrent bone fractures. Both had blue sclerae. The mother had had a femoral-neck fracture at the age of 3 years and fractures of the elbow and wrist at the ...

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neuromuscular disease that causes gradual paralysis and respiratory failure and that results in death within three to five years, on average, after the diagnosis has been established.¹ There is currently no clearly ...

Breast cancer is a major public health problem worldwide. Management of breast cancer was last reviewed in the Journal in 1992.¹ The accumulation of new biologic information, the results of recent clinical trials, and the availability of new diagnostic ...

Osteogenesis imperfecta is an autosomal dominant disorder of the connective tissue, which is also known as “brittle-bone disease” because it renders those affected susceptible to fractures after minimal trauma. Clinically and biochemically, osteogenesis ...

Don't let go too soon, but don't hang on too long.

Tuesdays with Morrie

For an uncommon disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) commands a great deal of attention from the media, especially in the debate about physician-assisted suicide. Yet there ...

A sentinel lymph node is the first lymph node to receive lymphatic drainage from a tumor. It can be detected by injection of a blue dye or radioactive colloid around the primary tumor, which travels to and identifies the first draining (sentinel) node. ...

My mother, Merian Frederick, suffered from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) for four years. She ended her suffering with the assistance of Jack Kevorkian in 1993, at the age of 72. She was in control and made the decision herself.

My husband and I were ...

To the Editor: Camus et al. (May 28 issue)¹ present interesting and useful data on the risk of lung cancer with environmental exposure to chrysotile. However, the standardized mortality ratios for mesothelioma and asbestosis may be seriously confounded ...

To the Editor: Manifestations of endometriosis in thoracic organs are very rare.¹,² We describe a case of endometriosis in the thoracic aorta.

After an uneventful pregnancy, a 28-year-old woman delivered a healthy girl by elective cesarean section. The ...

To the Editor: In their review of dialysis therapy, Pastan and Bailey (May 14 issue)¹ state that the average cost of providing care for a patient undergoing dialysis is $45,000 per year. This figure underestimates the cost of dialysis for the majority of ...

To the Editor: In their article on the management of acid–base disorders, Adrogué and Madias (Jan. 1 issue)¹ omitted the role of THAM (tromethamine; tris-hydroxymethyl aminomethane) in the management of acidemia. A review of the subject was recently ...

To the Editor: Editors, when they send manuscripts to external consultants for peer review, usually include a letter that provides some instructions regarding what the reviewers should do, when they should do it, and related matters. My colleagues and I ...

Sir Roy Calne, a world-renowned transplantation pioneer, presents in this book a unique blend of art and the pathos of transplantation surgery. As is the case with many uniquely talented surgeons, Calne felt an early urge to draw and paint, which resulted ...

During the past two decades, our knowledge of the pathogenesis of cancer has progressed from the unidimensional notion of cancer-causing, dominant mutations that accelerate growth (oncogenes) to a complex picture involving growth inhibition (tumor ...

Our understanding of supportive care has continued to expand the breadth and practice of oncology. Oncologists recognize the ways in which this understanding has changed their practice, whether they are managing distressing symptoms, complications due to ...

Of all the malignant conditions of the female genital system, ovarian cancer causes the most deaths. Unfortunately, little progress has been made in the fight against this cancer, although in the past few years the use of refined and more radical surgical ...