Growth Kinetics of Small Renal Masses on Active Surveillance: Variability and Results from the DISSRM Registry.

PURPOSE: Active surveillance is emerging as a safe and effective strategy for the management of small renal masses (4 cm or less). We characterized the growth rate and its pertinence to clinical outcomes in a prospective multi-institutional study of patients with small renal masses. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Since 2009, the DISSRM (Delayed Intervention and Surveillance for Small Renal Masses) prospective, multi-institutional registry of patients with small renal masses has enrolled patients who elect primary intervention or active surveillance. Patients who elect active surveillance received regularly scheduled imaging and those with 3 or more followup images were included in the current study to evaluate growth rates. RESULTS: We evaluated 318 patients who elected active surveillance, of whom 271 (85.2%) had 3 or more followup images available with a median imaging followup of 1.83 years. The overall mean ± SD small renal mass growth rate was 0.09 ± 1.51 cm per year (median 0.09) with no variables demonstrating statistically significant associations. The growth rate and variability decreased with longer followup (0.54 and 0.07 cm per year at less than 6 months and greater than 1 year, respectively). No patients had metastatic disease or died of kidney cancer. No statistically significant difference was noted in the growth rate in patients with biopsy demonstrated renal cell carcinoma or in those who died. CONCLUSIONS: Small renal mass growth kinetics are highly variable early on active surveillance with growth rates and variability decreasing with time. Early in active surveillance, especially during the initial 6 to 12 months, the growth rate is variable and does not reliably predict death or adverse pathological features in the patient subset with available pathology findings. An elevated growth rate may indicate the need for further assessment with imaging or consideration of biopsy prior to progressing to treatment. Additional followup will inform the best clinical pathway for elevated growth rates.

Multiple growth periods predict unfavourable pathology in patients with small renal masses.

OBJECTIVE: To use the number of positive growth periods as a characterization of the growth of small renal masses in order to determine potential predictors of malignancy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients who underwent axial imaging at multiple time points prior to surgical resection for a small renal mass were queried. Patients were categorized based on their pathological tumour grade and stage: favourable (benign, chromophobe and low-grade pT1-2 renal cell carcinoma [RCC]) vs unfavourable (high-grade of any stage and low-grade pT3-4 RCC). A positive growth period was counted each time the difference in greatest tumour diameters between two images was positive. The Cochran-Armitage trend test and Somers' D association were used to determine if the number of positive growth periods was correlated with unfavourable pathology. RESULTS: Of the 124 patients, 86 (69.4%) had favourable pathology and 38 (30.6%) had unfavourable pathology. Those who had favourable pathology were younger than those who had unfavourable pathology: median (interquartile range [IQR]) 61.0 (52.2-66.0) vs 68.5 (61.5-77.0); P < 0.001. The overall growth rate was higher in the unfavourable group, but was not statistically significant: mean (sd) 0.7 (1.7) vs 1.6 (2.8) cm/year; P = 0.07. There was a significant trend difference in the number of positive growth periods between favourability groups (P = 0.02). An association between increased number of positive growth periods and unfavourable pathology was observed: 0.15 (95% confidence interval 0.02, 0.29). The ratios of favourable to unfavourable pathology were 1.8, 1.0, 0.66, 0.59 and 0 as the number of positive growth periods increased from 0 to 4, respectively. CONCLUSION: While overall growth rate was not predictive of pathology favourability, there was a positive association between the number of positive growth periods and unfavourable pathology. The number of positive growth periods may be a potential parameter for malignant potential in patients undergoing active surveillance for small renal masses.

The Effect of Sporting Events on Medical Transport Time at a Level 1 Trauma Center: a Retrospective Cohort Study.

OBJECTIVE: We investigate how West Virginia University football games affect transport to Ruby Memorial Hospital, which shares a parking lot with Milan Puskar Football Stadium. METHODS: A retrospective chart review of a trauma registry from a level 1-trauma center was conducted from 2007 to 2011 for all home and away football games. Home games served as time period of interest and away games served as a control time period. Patient charts were collected for a 36-hour time window surrounding the game. 250 patient charts were complete for home games and 185 patient charts for away games. Data analyzed were time from scene to arrival at hospital, use of air transport, transport time in relation to kick-off, and comparison between demographic and emergency department disposition of patients arriving during home games vs. patients arriving during away games. RESULTS: No statistically significant differences were found for demographic data or emergency department disposition between groups. For ground transport directly from scene, the average time to arrival at the hospital was 44.9 minutes for home games and 45.1 minutes for away games. For air transport directly from the scene, the average time to arrival at the hospital was 44.9 minutes for home games and 44.0 minutes for away games. For ground transfer from another facility, the average time to arrival at the hospital was 76.4 minutes for home games and 52.9 minutes for away games. For air transport from another facility, the average time to arrival at the hospital was 37.4 minutes for home games and 24.0 minutes for away games. Air transportation utilization was increased in inter-facility transfers during home games (5/16, 31.3% vs. 4/20, 22.2%), and helicopters traveled a further distance (avg. 66.6 vs. 50.25 air miles). For patients coming from the scene during a home game, if the start of the game occurred after the trauma but before arrival to the trauma center, the average time of ground transport increased from 44.9 minutes to 120 minutes (p<0.0001). CONCLUSION: A mass gathering in close proximity to a rural trauma center does affect transport patterns and transport times for trauma patients. Further investigation is warranted in order to improve patient care during mass gathering events.

A Prospective, Comparative Study of Quality of Life among Patients with Small Renal Masses Choosing Active Surveillance and Primary Intervention.

PURPOSE: To our knowledge quality of life has not been evaluated in rigorous fashion in patients undergoing active surveillance for small renal masses. The prospective, multi-institutional DISSRM (Delayed Intervention and Surveillance for Small Renal Masses) Registry was opened on January 1, 2009, enrolling patients with cT1a (4.0 cm or less) small renal masses who elected primary intervention or active surveillance. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients were enrolled following a choice of active surveillance or primary intervention. The active surveillance protocol includes imaging every 4 to 6 months for 2 years and every 6 to 12 months thereafter. The SF12® quality of life questionnaire was completed at study enrollment, at 6 and 12 months, and annually thereafter. MCS (Mental Component Summary), PCS (Physical Component Summary) and overall score were evaluated among the groups and with time using ANOVA and linear regression mixed modeling. RESULTS: At 82 months among 3 institutions 539 patients were enrolled with a mean ± SD followup of 1.8 ± 1.7 years. Of the patients 254 were on active surveillance, 285 were on primary intervention and 21 were on active surveillance but crossed over to delayed intervention. A total of 1,497 questionnaires were completed. Total and PCS quality of life scores were better for primary intervention at enrollment through 5 years. There were generally no differences in MCS scores among the groups and there was a trend of improving scores with time. CONCLUSIONS: In a prospective registry of patients undergoing active surveillance or primary intervention for small renal masses those undergoing primary intervention had higher quality of life scores at baseline. This was due to a perceived benefit in the physical health domain, which persisted throughout followup. Mental health, which includes the domains of depression and anxiety, was not adversely affected while on active surveillance, and it improved with time after selecting a management strategy.

Characterizing the Increase in Artificial Intelligence Content Detection in Oncology Scientific Abstracts From 2021 to 2023.

PURPOSE: Artificial intelligence (AI) models can generate scientific abstracts that are difficult to distinguish from the work of human authors. The use of AI in scientific writing and performance of AI detection tools are poorly characterized. METHODS: We extracted text from published scientific abstracts from the ASCO 2021-2023 Annual Meetings. Likelihood of AI content was evaluated by three detectors: GPTZero, Originality.ai, and Sapling. Optimal thresholds for AI content detection were selected using 100 abstracts from before 2020 as negative controls, and 100 produced by OpenAI's GPT-3 and GPT-4 models as positive controls. Logistic regression was used to evaluate the association of predicted AI content with submission year and abstract characteristics, and adjusted odds ratios (aORs) were computed. RESULTS: Fifteen thousand five hundred and fifty-three abstracts met inclusion criteria. Across detectors, abstracts submitted in 2023 were significantly more likely to contain AI content than those in 2021 (aOR range from 1.79 with Originality to 2.37 with Sapling). Online-only publication and lack of clinical trial number were consistently associated with AI content. With optimal thresholds, 99.5%, 96%, and 97% of GPT-3/4-generated abstracts were identified by GPTZero, Originality, and Sapling respectively, and no sampled abstracts from before 2020 were classified as AI generated by the GPTZero and Originality detectors. Correlation between detectors was low to moderate, with Spearman correlation coefficient ranging from 0.14 for Originality and Sapling to 0.47 for Sapling and GPTZero. CONCLUSION: There is an increasing signal of AI content in ASCO abstracts, coinciding with the growing popularity of generative AI models.

Incidence of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 and Subsequent Mortality in a Multisite Cohort of Patients With Cancer in the CancerLinQ Discovery Database.

PURPOSE: Understanding risks for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and subsequent mortality among patients with cancer may help inform treatment decisions during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: CancerLinQ is an electronic health record database from US oncology practices. We identified a cohort of patients with malignancy and 2+ encounters at CancerLinQ practices in the 12 months before the study period (January 1, 2020-January 31, 2021). We identified a SARS-CoV-2 subcohort as having a positive SARS-CoV-2 test or International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, code. We examined predictors of SARS-CoV-2 infection and mortality including sex, race, ethnicity, age, malignancy type, and prior therapy. Unadjusted and adjusted incidence rate ratios (aIRRs) and 95% CIs were estimated from Poisson regression models for SARS-CoV-2 infections and mortality. RESULTS: The cancer cohort included 629,128 patients, and the SARS-CoV-2 subcohort included 12,300 patients. Higher incidence of SARS-CoV-2 was seen among patients who were male (incidence rate ratio [IRR], 1.14; 95% CI, 1.10 to 1.18), Black (IRR, 1.48; 95% CI, 1.41 to 1.56), Hispanic (IRR, 2.02; 95% CI, 1.91 to 2.14), age < 50 years (IRR, 1.34; 95% CI, 1.26 to 1.42), with hematologic malignancies (IRR, 1.07; 95% CI, 1.02 to 1.12), and with recent chemotherapy (IRR, 1.30, 95% CI, 1.22 to 1.40). In the adjusted analysis, higher incidence was seen in patients who were male (aIRR, 1.17; 95% CI, 1.13 to 1.21), Hispanic (aIRR, 2.01; 95% CI, 1.88 to 2.14), and with recent chemotherapy (aIRR, 1.17; 95% CI, 1.09 to 1.25). There were 182 all-cause deaths within the SARS-CoV-2 subcohort. Higher mortality was seen among patients who were male (IRR, 1.39; 95% CI, 1.04 to 1.86), unknown race (IRR, 2.64; 95% CI, 1.42 to 4.91), other/unknown ethnicity (IRR, 1.99; 95% CI, 1.20 to 3.29), age 60-69 years (IRR, 2.76; 95% CI, 1.23 to 6.19), age 70-79 years (IRR, 5.28; 95% CI, 2.42 to 11.5), age 80+ years (IRR, 7.31; 95% CI, 3.31 to 16.1), or with recent chemotherapy (IRR, 1.52, 95% CI, 1.01 to 2.29). In the adjusted analysis, higher mortality was seen with increased age and receipt of chemotherapy. CONCLUSION: Patients with increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection must balance the competing risks of their cancer diagnosis/treatment and SARS-CoV-2 infection.

An Epidemiologic Examination of Perpetrators of Fatal Child Maltreatment Using the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS).

Fatal child maltreatment in the United States increased 12.9% from 2013 to 2016. Parents are the predominant perpetrators, underscoring the need to examine risk factors associated with this class of offenders. This study examined the relationship between three primary forms of fatal child maltreatment (neonaticide, infanticide, and filicide) and perpetrator characteristics. Using the National Violent Death Reporting System, we employed a retrospective observational study to examine fatal child maltreatment in decedents aged 10 years and below from 2011 to 2015. Multinomial logistic regression of 1,023 maltreatment-related deaths was used to evaluate perpetrator characteristics. Perpetrators were most often male (58%) and the parent of the child victim (53%). Intimate partners represented 22% of perpetrators. The odds of fatal maltreatment were modified by perpetrator age, sex, and relationship to the victim. Results underscore a need for male-focused interventions and research examining the etiology of violence against children perpetrated by the intimate partner of a parent.

Summary of the 12 Most Common Cancers in the CancerLinQ Discovery (CLQD) Database.

PURPOSE: In 2014, the ASCO developed CancerLinQ (CLQ), a health technology platform for oncology. The CLQ Discovery (CLQD) database was created to make data available for research and this paper provides a summary of this database. METHODS: This study described the clinical and demographic characteristics of the 12 most common cancers in the CLQD database. We included patients with a new malignant tumor diagnosis between January 1, 2013, and December 31, 2018, of the following cancers: breast, lung and bronchus, prostate, colon and rectum, melanoma of the skin, bladder, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, kidney and renal pelvis, uterus, leukemia, pancreas, and thyroid. Patients with an in-situ diagnosis were excluded. Summary statistics and Kaplan-Meier survival estimates were calculated for each tumor. RESULTS: From 2013 to 2018, 491,360 patients were diagnosed with the study tumors. Breast cancer (139,506) was the most common, followed by lung and bronchus (70,959), prostate (63,303), and colon and rectum (53,504). The median age at diagnosis (years) was 61, 68, 68, and 64 in breast, lung and bronchus, prostate, and colon and rectum cohorts, respectively. Compared to the SEER 5-year overall survival estimates for several tumor types were higher in the CLQD database, possibly because of incomplete mortality capture in electronic health records. CONCLUSION: This paper presents the first description of the CLQD database since its inception. CLQ will continue to evolve over time, and the breadth and depth of this data asset will continue to grow. ASCO and CLQ's long-term goal is to improve the quality of patient care and create a sustainable database for oncology researchers. These results demonstrate that CLQ built a scalable database that can be used for oncology research.

The Impact of a Prenatal Education Video on Rates of Breastfeeding Initiation and Exclusivity during the Newborn Hospital Stay in a Low-income Population.

BACKGROUND: Guidelines recommend prenatal education to improve breastfeeding rates; however, effective educational interventions targeted at low-income, minority populations are needed as they remain less likely to breastfeed. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether a low-cost prenatal education video improves hospital rates of breastfeeding initiation and exclusivity in a low-income population. METHODS: A total of 522 low-income women were randomized during a prenatal care visit occurring in the third trimester to view an educational video on either breastfeeding or prenatal nutrition and exercise. Using multivariable analyses, breastfeeding initiation rates and exclusivity during the hospital stay were compared. RESULTS: Exposure to the intervention did not affect breastfeeding initiation rates or duration during the hospital stay. The lack of an effect on breastfeeding initiation persisted even after controlling for partner, parent, or other living at home and infant complications (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 1.05, 95% CI, 0.70-1.56). In addition, breastfeeding exclusivity rates during the hospital stay did not differ between the groups (P = .87). CONCLUSION: This study suggests that an educational breastfeeding video alone is ineffective in improving the hospital breastfeeding practices of low-income women. Increasing breastfeeding rates in this at-risk population likely requires a multipronged effort begun early in pregnancy or preconception.