Reasons for (non)participation in supplemental population-based MRI breast screening for women with extremely dense breasts.

AIM: To determine the willingness of women with extremely dense breasts to undergo breast cancer screening with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in a research setting, and to examine reasons for women to participate or not. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between 2011 and 2015, 8,061 women (50-75 years) were invited for supplemental MRI as part of the Dense Tissue and Early Breast Neoplasm Screening (DENSE) trial (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01315015), after a negative screening mammography in the national population-based mammography screening programme. Demographics of participants and non-participants were compared. All invitees were asked to report reasons for (non)participation. Ethical approval was obtained. Participants provided written informed consent. RESULTS: Of the 8,061 invitees, 66% answered that they were interested, and 59% eventually participated. Participants were on average 54-years old (interquartile range: 51-59 years), comparable to women with extremely dense breasts in the population-based screening programme (55 years). Women with higher socio-economic status (SES) were more often interested in participation than women with lower SES (68% versus 59%, p<0.001). The most frequently stated reasons for non-participation were "MRI-related inconveniences and/or self-reported contraindications to MRI" (27%) and "anxiety regarding the result of supplemental screening" (21%). "Expected personal health benefit" (68%) and "contribution to science" (43%) were the most frequent reasons for participation. CONCLUSION: Of women invited for MRI because of extremely dense breasts, 59% participated. Common reasons for non-participation were "MRI-related inconveniences" and "anxiety regarding the result of supplemental screening". In case of future implementation, availability of precise evidence on benefits and harms might reduce this anxiety.

The separate impact of tight control schemes and disease activity on quality of life in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis: results from the CAMERA trials.

OBJECTIVES: To examine in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) whether quality of life (QoL), independently of disease activity, is affected by tight control treatment strategy schemes. METHODS: In the Computer Assisted Management in Early RA (CAMERA) trials, patients with early RA, disease duration <1 year, no prior use of DMARDs) had been randomised to a methotrexate (MTX)-based tight control strategy or usual care (CAMERA study) or to 10 mg/d prednisone or placebo both added from start to a MTX-based tight control strategy (CAMERA-II study). In either study, randomisation to the more intensive strategy resulted in lower disease activity. To assess QoL, the 'Influence of Rheumatic Diseases on General Health and Lifestyle' questionnaire (IRGL) was used. Baseline and 1- and/or 2-year measurements were analysed with regression analyses with the IRGL (sub)scales as outcome variables and treatment strategy and disease activity assessing 28 joints (DAS28) as independent variables, correcting for baseline values of each scale and possible confounders (gender, age, rheumatoid factor status). RESULTS: There was no clear association between either of the treatment strategies and QoL, but a decrease in DAS28 was associated with improvement in the majority of QoL (sub)scales. CONCLUSIONS: No independent effect of the specific tight control strategies schemes on QoL was found, while there was a clear disease activity related effect. Thus frequent outpatient visits or the inclusion of prednisone in a tight control strategy did not negatively influence QoL.

Are changes in bone mineral density different between groups of early rheumatoid arthritis patients treated according to a tight control strategy with or without prednisone if osteoporosis prophylaxis is applied?

UNLABELLED: Addition of 10 mg prednisone daily to a methotrexate-based tight control strategy does not lead to bone loss in early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients receiving preventive treatment for osteoporosis. A small increase in lumbar bone mineral density (BMD) during the first year of treatment was recorded, regardless of use of glucocorticoids. INTRODUCTION: This study aims to describe effects on BMD of treatment according to EULAR guidelines with a methotrexate-based tight control strategy including 10 mg prednisone daily versus the same strategy without prednisone in early RA patients who received preventive therapy for osteoporosis. METHODS: Early RA patients were included in the CAMERA-II trial: a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind 2-year trial, in which effects of addition of 10 mg prednisone daily to a methotrexate-based tight control strategy were studied. All patients received calcium, vitamin D and bisphosphonates. Disease activity was assessed every 4 weeks. Radiographs of hands and feet and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry of lumbar spine and left hip were performed at baseline and after 1 and 2 years of treatment. RESULTS: BMD increased significantly over time in both treatment groups at the lumbar spine with a mean of 2.6% during the first year (p<0.001), but not at the hip; at none of the time points did BMD differ significantly between the prednisone and placebo group. Higher age and lower weight at baseline and higher disease activity scores during the trial, but not glucocorticoid therapy, were associated with lower BMD at both the lumbar spine and the hip in mixed-model analyses. CONCLUSION: Addition of 10 mg prednisone daily to a methotrexate-based tight control strategy does not lead to bone loss in early RA patients on bisphosphonates. A small increase in lumbar BMD during the first year of treatment was found, regardless of use of glucocorticoids.

Early clinical response to treatment predicts 5-year outcome in RA patients: follow-up results from the CAMERA study.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the long-term effects of the tight control (TC) and conventional (CT) methotrexate-based strategies of the Computer Assisted Management in Early Rheumatoid Arthritis trial in early rheumatoid arthritis and evaluate the predictive value of an early response to treatment. METHODS: Clinical and radiographic 5-year outcome was compared between initial strategies. Patients were classified according to the EULAR response criteria. The prognostic value of early response to treatment in addition to established predictors was analysed by multiple linear regression analyses. RESULTS: 5 years of data were available for 205 of 299 patients, with no indication for selective drop-out. At 5 years there was no longer any significant difference for clinical and radiographic outcomes between treatment strategies applied during the first 2 years. Good-responders had a mean disease activity score of 2.39 (1.2) and median yearly radiographic progression rate of 0.6 (0.0 to 2.2) at 5 years; significantly lower (both p<0.02) when compared to moderate- and non-responders. Multiple regression analysis showed that early response to treatment is an independent predictor of 5-year outcome, irrespective of treatment strategy. CONCLUSIONS: The difference in disease activity between treatment strategies disappeared over the years. Good-response to treatment independently predicts significantly better 5-year clinical and radiographic outcome. The TC principle probably should be continued in the long-term.

Are switches from oral to subcutaneous methotrexate or addition of ciclosporin to methotrexate useful steps in a tight control treatment strategy for rheumatoid arthritis? A post hoc analysis of the CAMERA study.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of a switch from oral methotrexate (MTX) to subcutaneous MTX (scMTX) or adding ciclosporin to oral MTX with a simultaneous reduction of the MTX dose, in case of adverse events (AE) or insufficient effect (IE) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS: The tight control treatment arm of the Computer Assisted Management in Early RA (CAMERA) trial was evaluated. The change in 28-joint Disease Activity Score (DAS28) after taking scMTX (over 1 month) or adding ciclosporin (over 3 months) was compared to the average monthly change in the preceding 3 months. Analyses were performed separately for strategy steps because of AE or IE. RESULTS: Of 151 patients, 57 needed the scMTX strategy step (21 because of AE, 36 because of IE) and 40 the following ciclosporin strategy step (20 and 20, respectively). The decrease in DAS28 after taking the scMTX strategy step was 0.30 points (p<0.05); no significant change in DAS28 was seen after the ciclosporin strategy step. In both strategy steps for AE or IE, quite similar observations were made. Of the patients who took the scMTX strategy step, 63% showed improvement. CONCLUSION: scMTX seems a useful treatment step after oral MTX in a tight control strategy, whereas the ciclosporin step seems ineffective.

Adverse events and factors associated with toxicity in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis treated with methotrexate tight control therapy: the CAMERA study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate toxicity profiles in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treated either according to an intensive or a conventional treatment strategy approach with methotrexate (MTX) and to study factors associated with MTX-related toxicity. METHODS: Data were used from the Computer-Assisted Management in Early Rheumatoid Arthritis (CAMERA) study, in which clinical efficacy of an intensive treatment strategy with MTX was more beneficial than a conventional treatment strategy approach. In this study, data on adverse events (AEs) were compared between the two strategy groups. Logistic regression analyses were used to identify possible associations between factors assessed at baseline and withdrawal due to MTX-related AEs or liver toxicity at follow-up. RESULTS: Although significantly more patients in the intensive strategy group experienced MTX-related AEs than in the conventional strategy group, all recorded AEs were relatively mild. A higher body mass index (BMI) was significantly associated with withdrawal due to MTX-related AEs in the multiple regression analyses (odds ratio=1.207, 95% confidence interval 1.02 to 1.44, p=0.033). There was a trend towards an association between diminished creatinine clearance and MTX withdrawal. For liver toxicity, increased serum liver enzymes at baseline were associated with liver toxicity during follow-up. CONCLUSION: Although the occurrence of AEs in the intensive strategy group was higher than in the conventional strategy group, the previously observed clinical efficacy of an intensive treatment strategy seems to outweigh the observed toxicity profiles. When starting MTX, attention should be given to patients with a high BMI and those with increased levels of liver enzymes and decreased renal function.

Tight control in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis: efficacy and feasibility.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the available evidence on the efficacy and feasibility of the new concept of tight control in randomised trials in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Tight control is a treatment strategy tailored to the individual patient with RA, which aims to achieve a predefined level of low disease activity or remission within a certain period of time. METHODS: The literature database PubMed was searched and yielded four trials: the FIN-RACo trial, the TICORA study, the BeSt study and the CAMERA study. RESULTS: Tight control resulted in greater improvement and a higher percentage of patients meeting the preset aim of low disease activity or remission when compared to the control intervention. In the FIN-RACo trial, analysing the subset of patients completing the study, 68% in the tight control group achieved remission (DAS28<2.6) verus 41% in the contrast group [corrected] In the TICORA study, 65% of patients in the tight control group versus 16% of the contrast group achieved remission, based on DAS<1.6 (p<0.0001). In the CAMERA study, 50% of patients in the tight control group using a computer decision model achieved remission, versus 37% in the contrast group (p = 0.029). The BeSt study consisted of only tight control groups aimed at a DAS<1.6; remission was achieved in 38-46% of patients. This is higher than the range of remission in earlier trials of 13-36%. CONCLUSION: Tight control aiming for low disease activity or even better still, remission, seems a promising option in treating patients with RA in clinical trials and probably also in daily practice.