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Mistreatment of Elders

    Elder mistreatment affects a considerable proportion of individuals older than 60 to 65 years of age and may include intentional abuse (physical, sexual, emotional, or financial) and neglect. As the proportion of the population that is older than 65 years of age increases, elder mistreatment will become an increasingly common issue. Only a minority of cases of elder abuse are reported; thus, an interview with the patient should be conducted in private if elder mistreatment is suspected. Patient risk factors for elder mistreatment include cognitive or behavioral impairment, poor physical health, and poor social supports.

Axillary Metastasis with Occult Primary Breast Cancer

    • • Use of breast MRI in the detection of occult primary breast cancer
    • • Use of immunohistochemical stains to identify the primary tumor source
    • • Emerging role of breast conservation in the treatment of occult primary breast cancer
    • • Need for ipsilateral breast radiation in occult primary breast cancer

Pediatric Tumors: Extraskeletal Ewing Sarcoma

    • Skeletally based Ewing sarcoma, extraskeletal Ewing sarcoma, primitive neuroectodermal tumor, and Askin tumor were once considered distinct entities due to their various presentations but are now understood to be part of a singular group, the Ewing sarcoma family of tumors (ESFT), due to their common cell of origin and characteristic chromosomal translocations, most commonly t(11;22)(q24;q12).
    • Despite identification of the characteristic chromosomal translocations and the resultant fusion proteins (e.g., EWS-FLI1), targeted therapies specific for ESFT have yet to be sufficiently developed for clinical practice
    • The current treatment regimen of ESFT includes neoadjuvant multiagent cytotoxic chemotherapy, followed by local control and completed with adjuvant, cytotoxic chemotherapy.

Pediatric Tumors: Extraskeletal Ewing Sarcoma

    • Skeletally based Ewing sarcoma, extraskeletal Ewing sarcoma, primitive neuroectodermal tumor, and Askin tumor were once considered distinct entities due to their various presentations but are now understood to be part of a singular group, the Ewing sarcoma family of tumors (ESFT), due to their common cell of origin and characteristic chromosomal translocations, most commonly t(11;22)(q24;q12).
    • Despite identification of the characteristic chromosomal translocations and the resultant fusion proteins (e.g., EWS-FLI1), targeted therapies specific for ESFT have yet to be sufficiently developed for clinical practice
    • The current treatment regimen of ESFT includes neoadjuvant multiagent cytotoxic chemotherapy, followed by local control and completed with adjuvant, cytotoxic chemotherapy.

Current Opinion 

    Current Opinion 

      Surgical Management of the Axilla in Breast Cancer

        • Surgical axillary management for patients with early breast cancer has evolved from complete axillary dissection to sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB).
        • Today, the vast majority of breast cancer patients should undergo SLNB alone. This includes many patients with sentinel lymph node metastases.
        • Radiation may replace axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) for patients with early sentinel node–positive disease but may be unnecessary for most patients.
        • SLNB can adequately stage the axilla if three or more sentinel nodes are removed.
        • There has not been a demonstrable increase in axillary recurrence or a decrease in survival with the decreased use of ALND.

      Surgical Management of the Axilla in Breast Cancer

        • Surgical axillary management for patients with early breast cancer has evolved from complete axillary dissection to sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB).
        • Today, the vast majority of breast cancer patients should undergo SLNB alone. This includes many patients with sentinel lymph node metastases.
        • Radiation may replace axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) for patients with early sentinel node–positive disease but may be unnecessary for most patients.
        • SLNB can adequately stage the axilla if three or more sentinel nodes are removed.
        • There has not been a demonstrable increase in axillary recurrence or a decrease in survival with the decreased use of ALND.
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