RESUMO
Introduction: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic disease with a peculiar (typical) HRCT pattern, but biopsy can demonstrate usual interstitial pneumonia in patients with atypical patterns. It is unknown how progression pattern varies among different radiographic presentations of IPF. We sought to investigate the longitudinal radiographic evolution and survival of typical and non-typical patterns. Materials and Methods: One-hundred-twenty-three patients diagnosed with IPF in 2 tertiary referral hospitals were included in the study. Longitudinal evolution of non-typical patterns was considered. The HRCT visual fibrosis score was used as a reliable evaluation tool of disease progression. HRCTs were scored by 2 senior chest radiologists with ILD expertise. The primary endpoint was the evolution of the presentation pattern to probable or typical. The secondary endpoint was lung transplant (LTx)-free survival from the time of diagnosis. Results: Average interval between HRCTs was 16±5 months; average follow-up after the 2nd HRCT was 17±11 months. Four out of 45 (8.9%) patients with probable pattern "evolved" to a typical pattern of IPF, while 5 out of 31 (16.1%) with indeterminate/alternative pattern "evolved" to probable pattern. An average HRCT fibrosis score increase of 9±11% was observed with typical (n=49), 6±5% with probable (n=43) and 7±8% (n=31) with indeterminate/alternative presentation pattern. LTx-free survival and lung function declines did not show any difference related to presentation HRCT patterns. Conclusions: The evolution of a non-typical UIP pattern to a typical one is infrequent. All presentation HRCT patterns of IPF evolve in similar way and are associated with comparable survival time.[/sc].
RESUMO
Non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) is categorized into high-risk and low-risk groups. Although, bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) is the recommended adjuvant therapy of high-risk bladder tumor, optimal schedule (induction versus maintenance) of this therapy is a subject of debate. The objective was to evaluate outcomes of induction BCG in high-risk NMIBC patients at Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital & Research Centre, Pakistan and retrospective cohort study conducted in the department of urology, Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital & Research Centre, Pakistan. Three-year disease-free survival and progression-free survival was the main outcome measure. Data of 68 high-risk (Ta and T1 with G3 or high-grade subtype) bladder cancer patients who underwent transurethral resection followed by six-weekly intravesical BCG instillation was included in the study. Recurrence was described as biopsy-proven bladder cancer; whereas the presence of muscle invasion was considered as progression. Disease-free survival and progression-free survival were defined as time intervals elapsed between the starting date of BCG instillation and recurrence or progression, respectively. Kaplan-Meier curve was employed to estimate the three-year study end-points. Disease-free survival at three years was observed to be 66.2% and progression-free survival at 86.8%. The use of induction BCG alone for high-risk patients of NMIBC is a viable option both in terms of effective disease-free and progression-free survival rates.