Embracing the Practical Aspects of Theranostics With Prostate-Specific Membrane Antigen-Targeted Lutetium-177.

Treatment options for men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer are rapidly changing. In addition to novel anti-androgens and taxane-based chemotherapy, radiopharmaceuticals are having an increasing role. Although calcium-mimetic theranostics have been in use for years, newer approaches use molecularly targeted radiation therapy by conjugating isotopes to prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) and in so doing directly target prostate cancer cells; 177Lutetium-PSMA-617 is perhaps the best-known member of this new class. Expanding our capacity to deliver targeted beta-emitters requires additional planning and equipment. Having delivered close to 200 doses of 177Lutetium-PSMA-617 at our center, we offer practical advice about patient selection, radiation safety, treatment administration, and toxicity monitoring. Although this blueprint is not the only way to expand a theranostics program beyond Radium-223, we offer our institutional experience with 177Lutetium-PSMA-617 as an example to programs seeking to expand their radiopharmaceutical programs. We must rise to meet the patient-driven demand for these innovative and effective therapies.

Nonautistic motor stereotypies: clinical features and longitudinal follow-up.

To characterize further the clinical features and long-term outcomes among children with motor stereotypies who do not manifest mental retardation or pervasive developmental disorders, a review of clinical records and semistructured telephone interviews were undertaken. The identified clinical cohort consisted of 100 typically developing children with motor stereotypies. The mean length of follow-up was 6.8 +/- 4.6 years. At most recent follow-up, movements had continued in 94% of the sample (62% for >5 years). Only six children reported complete cessation of movements, with four (3 of 4 with head nodding) doing so >1 year after their initial diagnosis. Thus the course of motor stereotypies, especially in children with arm/hand movements, appears chronic. Nearly half the children in this cohort exhibit other comorbidities, including attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder (30%), tics (18%), and obsessive-compulsive behaviors/obsessive-compulsive disorder (10%). Twenty-five percent of children with motor stereotypies reported positive family histories of motor stereotypies, suggesting an underlying genetic abnormality. Finally, evidence is emerging that the clinical course of children who exhibit head nodding may differ from those whose motor stereotypy predominantly involves the hands and arms.

Physician attitudes and practices related to voluntary error and near-miss reporting.

PURPOSE: Incident learning systems are important tools to improve patient safety in radiation oncology, but physician participation in these systems is poor. To understand reporting practices and attitudes, a survey was sent to staff members of four large academic radiation oncology centers, all of which have in-house reporting systems. METHODS: Institutional review board approval was obtained to send a survey to employees including physicians, dosimetrists, nurses, physicists, and radiation therapists. The survey evaluated barriers to reporting, perceptions of errors, and reporting practices. The responses of physicians were compared with those of other professional groups. RESULTS: There were 274 respondents to the survey, with a response rate of 81.3%. Physicians and other staff agreed that errors and near-misses were happening in their clinics (93.8% v 88.7%, respectively) and that they have a responsibility to report (97% overall). Physicians were significantly less likely to report minor near-misses (P = .001) and minor errors (P = .024) than other groups. Physicians were significantly more concerned about getting colleagues in trouble (P = .015), liability (P = .009), effect on departmental reputation (P = .006), and embarrassment (P < .001) than their colleagues. Regression analysis identified embarrassment among physicians as a critical barrier. If not embarrassed, participants were 2.5 and 4.5 times more likely to report minor errors and major near-miss events, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: All members of the radiation oncology team observe errors and near-misses. Physicians, however, are significantly less likely to report events than other colleagues. There are important, specific barriers to physician reporting that need to be addressed to encourage reporting and create a fair culture around reporting.

An evaluation of departmental radiation oncology incident reports: anticipating a national reporting system.

PURPOSE: Systems to ensure patient safety are of critical importance. The electronic incident reporting systems (IRS) of 2 large academic radiation oncology departments were evaluated for events that may be suitable for submission to a national reporting system (NRS). METHODS AND MATERIALS: All events recorded in the combined IRS were evaluated from 2007 through 2010. Incidents were graded for potential severity using the validated French Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN) 5-point scale. These incidents were categorized into 7 groups: (1) human error, (2) software error, (3) hardware error, (4) error in communication between 2 humans, (5) error at the human-software interface, (6) error at the software-hardware interface, and (7) error at the human-hardware interface. RESULTS: Between the 2 systems, 4407 incidents were reported. Of these events, 1507 (34%) were considered to have the potential for clinical consequences. Of these 1507 events, 149 (10%) were rated as having a potential severity of ≥2. Of these 149 events, the committee determined that 79 (53%) of these events would be submittable to a NRS of which the majority was related to human error or to the human-software interface. CONCLUSIONS: A significant number of incidents were identified in this analysis. The majority of events in this study were related to human error and to the human-software interface, further supporting the need for a NRS to facilitate field-wide learning and system improvement.