Primary carcinoma of the veriform appendix : a critical study of 90 cases, with references to 123 cases / by Clarence A. McWilliams.

  • McWilliams, Clarence A.
Date:
[1908?]
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Primary carcinoma of the veriform appendix : a critical study of 90 cases, with references to 123 cases / by Clarence A. McWilliams. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    19/52 (page 111)
    From these figures we find that of the 63 patients with some variety of appendicitis, 23 (36 .5 per cent.) had their appendices removed during or immediately after the first acute attack. In these cases it would seem more than likely that the growth was the cause of the acute inflammations, acting in a manner similar to a concretion. For the growth may occlude the lumen, causing stagnation of material beyond the tumor with the resulting changes in the mucous membrane, allowing the entrance of micro¬ organisms, or the same condition may be brought about by ulceration of the surface of the tumor, or its breaking down through lack of nutrition, due to obliteration or compression of the blood vessels. The question then immediately comes up, what causes the growth itself? This will be discussed later. Forty patients, or 63.5 per cent., had had symptoms of chronic appendicitis in some form for varying periods of time. Of these, 17 are to be found in Rolleston’s series, and 23 in my own. I have been able from the imperfect records to ascertain the duration of the symptoms in the following cases: 12 years, 2 cases, 7 « 2 “ 5 “ 1 “ 4 2 “ 3 4 “ 2 “ 5 “ 1 “ 4 “ Manyyrs.,1 9 months, 1 “ 7 1 “ 3 “ 2 “ 2 “ 1 “ Jones and Simmons, Zaaijer. Weinberg, Kelly and Hurdon. Neri. Hartmann, Jong. Moschkowitz, Driessen, Zaaijer, Villar. Weir, Burnham, Kaufmann, Zaaijer, Mandlebaum, McCosh. Battle, Barrow, Deaver, Eccles. Kaufmann. Landau. Baldauf. Lejars, Zaaijer. Cullingworth and Corner. 26 cases. These figures show that symptoms existed for over a year in 21 patients (more than 28 per cent.). This lends weight to the theory that chronic inflammatory changes are the cause of malig¬ nancy.