Chemotherapy for oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancer

Chemotherapy

This review of whether chemotherapy, in addition to radiotherapy and/or surgery for oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancer, results in improved overall survival included 100 studies. the findings indicated some benefit only when used in a few specific circumstances.

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Mouth and throat cancer: evidence for best surgical approaches uncertain

Bariatric surgery and marked weight loss is likely to improve knee complaints but there is a need for high quality studies

12 RCTs were included in this Cochrane review update of surgical approches for the management of oral and pharyngeal cancer. The certaintly of the evidence was very low as there were limited numbers of studies for each comparison.

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People with severe mental illness have more adverse outcomes from medical or surgical treatment

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Laoise Renwick considers the findings of a recent systematic review on the safety of service users with severe mental illness receiving inpatient care on medical and surgical wards.

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Bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw treatments– little evidence available

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This Cochrane review of bisphosphonate related osteonecrosis of the jaw only identified one small RCT. The trial compared the use of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) as an adjunct to standard care. While it suggested a benefit for HBO it was under powered and at high riisk of bias

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What is the trend in surgery for proximal humerus fractures?

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Jennifer Lane considers this retrospective audit which examined current practice in the US to discover the current trends in treatment of proximal humerus fractures.

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Temporomandibular disorders: open or arthroscopic surgery?

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This review looked at surgical approaches for the management of internal derangement of the temporomandibular joint. Seven studies were identified of which 3 were randomised trials. Benefits for some outcomes were found with both open and arthroscopic surgery. However the available evidence is limited.

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No good quality evidence on how to manage juvenile idiopathic arthritis with temporomandibular joint involvement

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Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), also known as juvenile chronic arthritis and juvenile rheumatoid arthritis affects a range of joints. The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) can be the first and only affected joint. In the UK about 1 and 2 in every 10,000 children develop JIA each year. The prevalence of TMJ involvement in JIA patients ranges [read the full story…]

Antibiotic prophylaxis in surgery – SIGN Guideline 104

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The Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network  (SIGN) has just launched their updated guideline on antibiotic prophylaxis in surgery.  SIGN’s first guideline of this topic (SIGN 45)  was published in 2000 and updated in 2008.  The guideline does not aim to provide every surgical speciality with a comprehensive text on preventing  surgical site infection (SSI), but rather [read the full story…]