Caught Between a Radiation Oncology Case Rate (ROCR) and a Hard Place: Improving Proposed Radiation Oncology Alternative Payment Models.

PURPOSE: The Radiation Oncology Case Rate (ROCR) aims to shift radiation reimbursement from fee-for-service (FFS) to bundled payments, which would decouple fractionation from reimbursement in the United States. This study compares historical reimbursement rates from 3 large centers and a national Medicare sample with proposed base rates from ROCR. It also tests the impact of methodological inclusion of treatment and disease characteristics to determine if any variables are associated with greater rate differences that may lead to inequitable reimbursement. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Using Mayo Clinic electronic medical record data from 2017 to 2020 and part B claims from the Medicare 5% research identifiable files, episodic 90-day historical reimbursement rates for 15 cancer types were calculated per the ROCR payment methodology. Mayo Clinic reimbursement rates were stratified by disease and treatment characteristics and multiple linear regression was performed to assess the association of these variables on historical episode reimbursement rates. RESULTS: From Mayo Clinic, 3498 patient episodes were included and 480,526 from the research identifiable files. From both data sets, 25% of brain metastases and 13% of bone metastases episodes included ≥2 treatment courses with an average of 51 days between courses. Accounting for all 15 cancer types, ROCR base rates resulted in an average -2.4% and -2.9% reduction in rates for Mayo Clinic and the research identifiable files respectively compared with historical reimbursement. On multivariate analysis of Mayo Clinic data, treatment intent (curative vs palliative) was associated with higher historical reimbursement (+$477 to +$7417; P ≤.05) for 12 out of 12 applicable cancer types. Stage (III-IV vs I-II) was associated with higher historical reimbursement (+$1169 to +$3917; P ≤ .05) for 8 out of 12 applicable cancer types. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest ROCR base rates introduce an average ≤3% reimbursement rate decrease compared with historical FFS reimbursement per cancer type, which could produce the Medicare savings required for congressional approval of ROCR. Estimating comparisons with future FFS reimbursement would require consideration of additional factors such as the increased utilization of hypofractionation, proposed FFS rate cuts, and inflationary updates. A distinct rate and shortened episode duration (≤30 days) should be considered for palliative episodes. Applying a base rate modifier per cancer stage may mitigate disproportionate reductions in reimbursement for facilities with a higher volume of curative advanced-stage patients such as freestanding centers in rural settings.

A Practical Primer on Particle Therapy.

PURPOSE: Particle therapy is a promising treatment technique that is becoming more commonly used. Although proton beam therapy remains the most commonly used particle therapy, multiple other heavier ions have been used in the preclinical and clinical settings, each with its own unique properties. This practical review aims to summarize the differences between the studied particles, discussing their radiobiological and physical properties with additional review of the available clinical data. METHODS AND MATERIALS: A search was carried out on the PubMed databases with search terms related to each particle. Relevant radiobiology, physics, and clinical studies were included. The articles were summarized to provide a practical resource for practicing clinicians. RESULTS: A total of 113 articles and texts were included in our narrative review. Currently, proton beam therapy has the most data and is the most widely used, followed by carbon, helium, and neutrons. Although oxygen, neon, silicon, and argon have been used clinically, their future use will likely remain limited as monotherapy. CONCLUSIONS: This review summarizes the properties of each of the clinically relevant particles. Protons, helium, and carbon will likely remain the most commonly used, although multi-ion therapy is an emerging technique.

Consolidative Proton Radiotherapy for Pediatric Extramedullary Ocular Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

Purpose: Pediatric acute myeloid leukemia (AML) often involves extramedullary sites, which can be resistant to standard induction chemotherapy. Consolidative radiation therapy can be used in select cases to improve local control rates and help bridge patients to curative stem cell transplants. However, there is no previously published data to support the use of proton radiotherapy (PT) in this setting. We present radiographic findings and pathologic outcomes of the first reported patient with extramedullary ocular AML to be treated with PT. Patients and Methods: Details regarding diagnostic evaluation and treatment were obtained from the electronic medical records at the University of Florida Proton Therapy Institute, Nemours Children's Health, and St. Joseph's Children's Hospital. Results: This 7-month-old patient presented with biopsy-proven relapsed AML in the bilateral anterior chambers of the eyes, which did not resolve with induction chemotherapy. The patient then received PT to a dose of 24 cobalt gray equivalent to both eyes and was found to have no evidence of disease following treatment. Conclusion: This case provides further evidence that consolidative radiotherapy may be considered for select patients with extramedullary AML who have limited response to induction chemotherapy. Given the increased prevalence of extramedullary AML in pediatric patients, it is worth considering the utilization of PT to mitigate damage to nearby organs and the risk of secondary malignancies.

Radiation Oncology Workforce: Supply and Demand.

Since 2017, the specialty of radiation oncology has experienced its fifth consecutive year of decline in residency applicants, resulting in a high number of unmatched positions. The cause of this precipitous decline is multifactorial. Factors cited include concerns about future job opportunities, the decreased pass rate in the ABR radiation biology and physics boards examinations in 2018, and the continued lack of formal exposure to radiation oncology during medical school training. We summarize the issues facing the field of radiation oncology and discuss how we could learn from similar experiences in diagnostic radiology and other specialties to address these concerns. We propose potential solutions to ensure an adequate and diverse number of residency applicants to serve the future workforce needs in radiation oncology.

Prompt Pain Relief From Bone Metastases: The Virtual Simulation Program.

Purpose: Rapid pain relief for patients with bone metastases can be a challenge due to the lengthy and complex radiation therapy workflow. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the time (in days) between initial radiation oncology consultation and start of palliative radiation treatment after implementing an alternative virtual simulation palliative workflow. Methods and Materials: Patients meeting strict criteria were selected for virtual simulation, which included only those with painful bone metastases who were recommended palliative radiation therapy using standard anterior-posterior/posterior-anterior or opposed lateral fields. A recent (within 30 days) diagnostic computed tomography (CT) scan clearly visualizing the target volume was required for treatment planning. For comparison, a reference group of 40 consecutive patients with bone metastases who underwent in-person CT simulation before virtual simulation implementation was reviewed. Results: Forty-five patients were treated for painful bone metastases as part of the virtual simulation program from May 2021 to October 2022. Regarding travel distance, 23 patients lived locally (<50 miles from the treatment center) and 22 patients were distant (≥50 miles from the treatment center). Average time from consultation to treatment for all patients undergoing virtual simulation was 3.7 days, compared with 7.5 days for patients undergoing in-person CT simulation (3.8 days sooner, on average; P ≤ .001). Before full implementation of the virtual simulation program, 5 eligible patients participated in a virtual simulation pilot from April 2021 to May 2021, in which each patient was contoured and planned on both a pre-existing diagnostic CT scan and a standard CT simulation scan. For virtual simulation-based plans, the average V90, V95, and V99 were 99.99%, 99.87%, and 96.70%. No significant planning target volume (PTV) coverage difference was found on subsequent in-person CT simulation scans. Conclusions: The virtual simulation program decreased the time from consultation to start of treatment by more than 50% for patients recommended palliative radiation therapy for painful bone metastases. This benefit was most significant for outpatients traveling ≥50 miles for treatment. Virtual simulation-based planning can be considered for patients anxious to proceed with radiation therapy quickly or in underserved settings with limited transportation options to regional treatment centers.

Teaming beyond the clinical environment - building collective commitment across graduate medical education.

This commentary provides evidence and expert opinion on effective relationships and communication strategies for trainee and graduate medical education leaders. The authors also argue that consistent communication and alignment of goals between trainee leadership and graduate medical education leadership are essential components of a successful collaboration that promotes trainee well-being.

Exploring the Biological and Physical Basis of Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) as a Promising Treatment Frontier in Breast Cancer.

BNCT is a high LET radiation therapy modality that allows for biologically targeted radiation delivery to tumors while reducing normal tissue impacts. Although the clinical use of BNCT has largely been limited to phase I/II trials and has primarily focused on difficult-to-treat malignancies such as recurrent head and neck cancer and recurrent gliomas, recently there has been a renewed interest in expanding the use of BNCT to other disease sites, including breast cancer. Given its high LET characteristics, its biologically targeted and tumor specific nature, as well as its potential for use in complex treatment settings including reirradiation and widespread metastatic disease, BNCT offers several unique advantages over traditional external beam radiation therapy. The two main boron compounds investigated to date in BNCT clinical trials are BSH and BPA. Of these, BPA in particular shows promise in breast cancer given that is taken up by the LAT-1 amino acid transporter that is highly overexpressed in breast cancer cells. As the efficacy of BNCT is directly dependent on the extent of boron accumulation in tumors, extensive preclinical efforts to develop novel boron delivery agents have been undertaken in recent years. Preclinical studies have shown promise in antibody linked boron compounds targeting ER/HER2 receptors, boron encapsulating liposomes, and nanoparticle-based boron delivery systems. This review aims to summarize the physical and biological basis of BNCT, the preclinical and limited clinical data available to date, and discuss its potential to be utilized for the successful treatment of various breast cancer disease states.

Dosimetric predictors of pneumonitis in locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer patients treated with chemoradiation followed by durvalumab.

OBJECTIVES: The incidence and predictors of pneumonitis for patients with unresectable, locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in the era of consolidation durvalumab have yet to be fully elucidated. In this large single institution analysis, we report the incidence of and factors associated with grade 2 + pneumonitis in NSCLC patients treated with the PACIFIC regimen. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We identified all patients treated at our institution with definitive CRT followed by durvalumab from 2018 to 2021. Clinical documentation and imaging studies were reviewed to determine grade 2 + pneumonitis events, which required the following: 1) pulmonary symptoms warranting prolonged steroid taper, oxygen dependence, and/or hospital admission and 2) radiographic findings consistent with pneumonitis. RESULTS: One-hundred ninety patients were included. The majority received 60 Gray (Gy) in 30 fractions with concurrent carboplatin and paclitaxel. Median number of durvalumab cycles received was 12 (IQR: 4-22). At a median follow-up of 14.8 months, 50 (26.3%) patients experienced grade 2 + pneumonitis with a 1-year cumulative incidence of 27.8% (95% CI: 21.9-35.4). Seventeen (8.9%) patients experienced grade 3 + pneumonitis and 4 grade 5 (2.1%). Dosimetric predictors of pneumonitis included ipsilateral and total lung volume receiving 5 Gy or greater (V5Gy), V10Gy, V20Gy, V40Gy, and mean dose and contralateral V40Gy. Heart V5Gy, V10Gy, and mean dose were also significant variables. Overall survival estimates at 1 and 3 years were 87.4% (95% CI: 82.4-92.8) and 60.3% (95% CI: 47.9-74.4), respectively. CONCLUSION: We report a risk of pneumonitis higher than that seen on RTOG 0617 and comparable to the PACIFIC study. Multiple lung and heart dosimetric factors were predictive of pneumonitis.

Managing Thrombosis and Hemorrhage in a Man with Myocardial Infarction and Traumatic Hemopericardium with Cardiac Tamponade.

A 79-year-old man had an out-of-hospital acute ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction with cardiac arrest. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation performed by a bystander resulted in traumatic hemopericardium. We discuss the patient's case, highlight the challenges of managing simultaneously life-threatening thrombosis and hemorrhage, and present our conclusions regarding the patient's eventual death.

Mask-based immobilization in Gamma Knife stereotactic radiosurgery.

The Gamma Knife Icon (Elekta AB, Stockholm) is a cobalt-based stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) unit to support the use of a thermoplastic mask in lieu of a rigid frame, using an onboard cone-beam CT (CBCT) and an intrafraction motion management system (IFMM). We retrospectively reviewed 124 patients treated with Gamma Knife SRS from January 2018 to December 2019 at our institution using a mask-based immobilization system. Patient and treatment characteristics were collected and summarized as well as interfraction shifts and treatment-related outcomes. This dataset includes 124 patients with an associated 358 intracranial tumors. Twenty-four patients presented with primary brain tumors, which included 14 meningiomas and 10 other histologies, with 100 patients having brain metastases. Sixty tumors were post-operative, while 298 were intact. The median dose for primary tumors was 25 Gy in 5 fractions. Median doses to metastases were 20 Gy in 1 fraction, 27 Gy in 3 fractions, and 25 Gy in 5 fractions. Median interfraction CBCT shifts were submillimeter. Median patient follow-up was 6.28 months. 91% of patients with metastases maintained local control. Our early clinical experience has demonstrated limited toxicity profiles and high patient tolerance, which suggests that mask-based Gamma Knife SRS provides a safe alternative option for frameless SRS. Patients with large target volumes where fractionation is preferred or with small target volumes in non-eloquent areas can be considered for this approach. Response rates are encouraging, and continued follow-up is necessary to investigate long-term control and survival.

Parental attitudes to myopia: a key agent of change for myopia control?

PURPOSE: With the increasing prevalence in myopia there is growing interest in active myopia prevention. This study aims to increase our understanding of parental attitudes to myopia development and control, as a means to inform future health planning and policy. It evaluates, for the first time, the attitude of parents to myopia and its associated risks, as well as assessing the exposure of Irish children to environmental factors that may influence their risk profile for myopia development. METHODS: Parents of 8-13 year old children in eight participating schools completed a questionnaire designed to assess their knowledge of and attitudes towards myopia and its risk factors. A structured diary was also used to capture daily activities of children in relation to myopia risk factors. RESULTS: Of 329 parents, just 46% considered that myopia presented a health risk to their children, while an identical number (46%) regarded it as an optical inconvenience. Myopia was also, but less frequently, considered an expense (31% of parents), a cosmetic inconvenience (14% of parents) and, by some, as a sign of intelligence (4% of parents) 76% of parents recognised the potential of digital technology to impact the eye, particularly as a cause of eyestrain and need for spectacles. Only 14% of parents expressed concern should their child be diagnosed with myopia. Compared to non myopic parents, myopic parents viewed myopia as more of an optical inconvenience (p < 0.001), an expense (p < 0.005) and a cosmetic inconvenience (p < 0.001). There was a trend for myopic parents to limit screen time use in their household more than non-myopic parents (p = 0.05). Parents who considered myopia a health risk sought to limit screen time more than parents who did not regard myopia as a health risk to their child (p = 0.01). Children spent significantly longer performing indoor proximal tasks (255 min) compared to time spent outdoors (180 min; p < 0.0001) daily. Older (p = 0.001), urban (p = 0.0005) myopic (=0.04) children spent significantly more time at digital screens compared to younger non-myopic children from a rural background. CONCLUSION: Parental attitudes to myopia were typically nonchalant in relation to health risk. This is of particular concern given the impact parents have on children's behaviour and choices with respect to such risk factors, demonstrating an acute need for societal sensitisation to the public health importance of myopia.

Influence of radial versus femoral access site on coronary angiography and intervention outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials (RCT) to compare procedural outcomes between radial access (RA) and femoral access (FA). BACKGROUND: Recent RCTs suggest RA for coronary angiography and percutaneous coronary intervention reduces bleeding complications, but controversy exists regarding other benefits and risks relative to FA. METHODS: Searches of MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL, LILACS, and major conference abstracts identified relevant studies published from 1985-2016. We qualitatively evaluated study methodology and risk of bias. Quantitative data were abstracted relevant to the primary endpoints of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and major bleeding (MB), and secondary outcomes including vascular complications and procedural failure. RESULTS: We identified 2,098 titles, from which 48 studies with 29,446 patients met inclusion criteria for our analysis. We found there was a significant reduction of MACE with RA versus FA (RR 0.86, 95% CI 0.77-0.95, I2 = 0%), driven by a reduction in death, but not MI or stroke. MB occurred less frequently with RA (RR 0.54, 95% CI 0.44-0.67, I2 = 4%). Vascular complications were also reduced with RA (RR 0.39, 95% CI 0.25-0.59, I2 = 75%), while procedural failure was more common (RR 2.15, 95% CI 1.65-2.82, I2 = 53%), although there was significant statistical heterogeneity for both of these outcomes. Most studies demonstrated low risk of selection and attrition biases, but high risk of detection bias. CONCLUSIONS: Radial access reduces the risk of death, major bleeding, and vascular complications as compared to femoral access but increases the risk of procedural failure. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Associations of Preimplant Red Blood Cell Distribution Width with Clinical Outcomes Among Individuals with Left Ventricular Assist Devices.

Left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) are increasingly used for end-stage heart failure. However, post-LVAD complications are potentially devastating and remain unpredictable. The red blood cell distribution width (RDW) is a predictor of adverse events in patients with heart failure but has not been studied in the LVAD population. We reviewed laboratory results and clinical outcomes for all continuous flow LVADs implanted from 2004 to June 2014 (N = 188). Cox proportional hazards models adjusted for demographic, cardiovascular, and laboratory variables were used to assess association of preimplant RDW tertiles with mortality, gastrointestinal bleed, infection, pump thrombosis, and stroke more than 1 year of follow-up. Compared with the lowest tertile (RDW < 15.7%), the higher two tertiles (RDW 15.7-18% and RDW >18.1%) had significantly higher risks of mortality (hazard ratio (HR) 6.95 [confidence interval: 2.67-18.10] and HR 4.61 [1.74-12.21], respectively) after full adjustment. Preimplant RDW was not statistically associated with our secondary outcomes. In conclusion, higher preimplant RDW is independently associated with an increased risk of postimplant mortality and infection. Future studies are needed to understand the prognostic ability of RDW and to understand the biologic mechanism underlying this association.

Stratifying cardiovascular risk in diabetes: The role of diabetes-related clinical characteristics and imaging.

Diabetes is a major coronary heart disease (CHD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factor and has traditionally been classified as a CHD risk equivalent. CVD risk, however, is heterogeneous among diabetic patients and thus further evaluation is warranted before initiating or titrating preventive pharmacotherapy. Prognostic clinical characteristics of diabetes such as age of onset, duration, and severity of diabetes, as well as concomitant cardiometabolic factors account for much of the variability in CHD and CVD risk. This heterogeneity can also be evaluated directly using non-invasive imaging, which allows for a more individualized risk assessment in order to minimize both under and overtreatment. In this paper, we review guideline recommendations for atherosclerotic CVD risk assessment driving the use of statins or aspirin for certain subgroups of patients with diabetes. We further discuss imaging techniques, such as stress myocardial perfusion imaging, coronary computed tomography angiography, and coronary artery calcium (CAC) scoring that can guide the decision to treat high-risk patients. Among imaging tests, current guidelines consider CAC scoring the most appropriate risk stratification tool for asymptomatic individuals with diabetes that can guide initiating/intensifying or withholding the most aggressive pharmacological therapies among high-risk (CAC>100) or low-risk (CAC=0) individuals, respectively.

Association between serum uric acid and atrial fibrillation: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is mediated by oxidative stress, neurohormonal activation, and inflammatory activation. Serum uric acid (SUA) is a surrogate marker of oxidative stress. Xanthine oxidase produces SUA and is upregulated by inflammation and neurohormones. OBJECTIVE: To perform a meta-analysis to evaluate the evidence supporting an association between AF and SUA. METHODS: We searched the MEDLINE database (1966 to 2013) supplemented by manual searches of bibliographies of key relevant articles. We selected all cross-sectional and cohort studies in which SUA was measured and AF was reported. In cross-sectional studies, we calculated the pooled standardized mean difference of SUA between those with AF and those without AF. In cohort studies, we calculated the pooled relative risk with the corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) for incident AF by using the random effects method. RESULTS: The search strategy yielded 40 studies, of which only 9 met our eligibility criteria. The 6 cross-sectional studies comprised 7930 evaluable patients with a median prevalence of heart failure of 4% (IQR 0%-100%). The standardized mean difference of SUA for those with AF was 0.42 (95% CI 0.27-0.58) compared with those without AF. The 3 cohort studies evaluated 138,306 individuals without AF. The relative risk of having AF for those with high SUA was 1.67 (95% CI 1.23-2.27) compared with those with normal SUA. CONCLUSION: High SUA is associated with AF in both cross-sectional and cohort studies. It is unclear whether SUA represents a disease marker or a treatment target.