Time Differences From Abnormal Cervical Cancer Screening to Colposcopy Between Insurance Statuses.

OBJECTIVE: Screening and diagnostic follow-up to prevent cervical cancer are influenced by socioeconomic and systemic factors. This study sought to characterize intervals from abnormal cervical cancer screening to colposcopy between practices differing by insurance status at a large, urban academic center. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective cohort study included patients aged 21-65 who presented for colposcopy between January 1, 2021, and January 1, 2022, at the resident and faculty gynecology practices of a single large urban academic medical center. Patient characteristics were compared using t tests or Wilcoxon rank sum tests for continuous measures and χ2 or Fisher exact tests for categorical measures. Intervals from abnormal cervical cancer screening to colposcopy were compared using the Wilcoxon rank sum test and linear regression analysis with multivariable models adjusted for age, cervical cytology result, human papillomavirus result, and HIV status. RESULTS: Resident practice patients were publicly insured and more likely to be Black or Hispanic (p < .0001); rates of high-risk human papillomavirus and smoking were similar. Resident practice patients had longer intervals from abnormal cervical cancer screening to colposcopy compared with faculty practice patients (median 79.5 vs 34 d, p < .0001). On adjusted analysis, resident practice patients faced a 95% longer interval (p < .0001). CONCLUSIONS: Publicly insured patients of a resident-based practice faced significantly longer intervals from abnormal cervical cancer screening to colposcopy than faculty practice patients at a single urban academic center. Effort to address these differences may be an area of focus in improving health disparities.

Adoption of Complete Bilateral Salpingectomy for Permanent Contraception at Time of Cesarean Delivery in Rhode Island.

OBJECTIVE: Complete bilateral salpingectomy (CBS) can decrease the risk of developing ovarian cancer, although adoption of CBS at cesarean delivery (CD) for permanent contraception has been low. The primary objective was to measure the annual rates of CBS at CD before and after an educational initiative. The secondary objective was to assess rates of providers who offer CBS at CD and their comfort level with the procedure. METHODS: We performed an observational study of OBGYN physicians who perform CD at a single institution. We compared the annual rates of CBS among CD with permanent contraception procedures from the year before and the year after an in-person OBGYN Grand Rounds presentation on December 5, 2019 reviewing the latest research on opportunistic CBS at the time of CD. To evaluate the secondary objectives, anonymous surveys were administered to physicians in-person the month before the presentation. The statistical analysis included chi-square, Fisher's exact test, T-test, ANOVA, and the Cochran-Armitage trend test. RESULTS: After our educational intervention, annual rates of CBS at CD increased from 5.1% [12/05/2018-12/04/2019] to 31.8% [12/5/2019-12/4/2020] (p<0.001), and up to 52% in the last study quarter (p<0.001). Surgical outcomes were similar between tubal ligation and CBS, except for a 5-minute increased total operative time for CBS (p=0.005). Fifty physicians completed the survey prior to the presentation (93% response rate). All physicians offered CBS at time of hysterectomy and interval sterilization, while only 36% offered CBS at time of CD. More physicians felt comfortable performing a CBS with bipolar electrocautery (90%) than suture ligation (56%). CONCLUSION: Our presentation-based educational initiative was associated with a significant increase in performance of CBS at the time of CD.

Missing a chance to prevent: disparities in completion of genetic evaluation in high-risk patients with endometrial cancer.

OBJECTIVE: The primary goal of this study is to examine disparities in high-risk endometrial cancer (EC) patients in relation to rates of genetic referrals (GR), testing (GT), and counseling (GC). METHODS: This is a retrospective analysis of patients with newly diagnosed EC between January 1, 2014 and September 1, 2020 at a single institution. Patients were defined as high-risk EC patients when they were 1) diagnosed at 50 years or younger, 2) had a positive family history for cancer or 3) had evidence of loss of mismatch repair protein expression on tumor immunohistochemistry. Rates of GR, GT and GC were analyzed based on race, ethnicity, primary language and insurance status. RESULTS: During the study period, 674 patients were diagnosed with EC and 249 (36.9%) were considered high-risk EC patients. Among high-risk patients, 128 (51.2%) were referred to GT and GC. Of those referred, 103 (80.5%) underwent GT and 85 (66.4%) completed GC. Out of all high-risk patients, 20 (18.4%) were positive for LS on GT and 29 (28.2%) had VUS results. In multivariate analysis, the odds of GT and GC referral were lower among patients who identified as Hispanic (OR=0.40; 95% CI=0.19-0.87; p=0.020). Patients who identified as black were less likely to receive GC when compared to patients of other races (p=0.030). CONCLUSION: It is our hope that through this data we will increase awareness around existing disparities in genetic evaluation for patients with EC and ultimately create strategies to improve equitable access to care for all patients.

Metastatic ovarian carcinosarcoma in a patient undergoing in-vitro fertilization: A case report.

INTRODUCTION AND IMPORTANCE: Ovarian carcinosarcomas (OCS) are highly aggressive tumors containing both carcinomatous and sarcomatous elements. Patients are typically older postmenopausal women who present with advanced disease, however rarely young women can be affected. CASE PRESENTATION: A 41-year-old woman undergoing fertility treatment was found to have a new 9-10 cm pelvic mass on routine transvaginal ultrasound (TVUS) 16 days after embryo transfer. Diagnostic laparoscopy revealed a mass in the posterior cul-de-sac that was surgically excised and sent to pathology for evaluation. Pathology was consistent with carcinosarcoma of gynecologic origin. Further work-up revealed advanced disease with apparent rapid progression. Patient underwent interval debulking surgery after four cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy with carboplatin and paclitaxel with final pathology consistent with primary ovarian carcinosarcoma and complete gross resection of disease. CLINICAL DISCUSSION: In the setting of advanced disease neoadjuvant chemotherapy with a platinum-based chemotherapy regimen followed by cytoreductive surgery is a standard approach to treatment of OCS. Given the rarity of disease, most data regarding treatment has been extrapolated from other forms of epithelial ovarian cancer. Specific risk factors for disease development of OCS including the long-term effects of assisted reproductive technology remain understudied. CONCLUSION: While OCS are rare highly aggressive biphasic tumors that primarily affect older postmenopausal woman, we present a unique case of OCS incidentally found in a young woman undergoing fertility treatment via in-vitro fertilization.

IFN-γ signature in the plasma proteome distinguishes pediatric hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis from sepsis and SIRS.

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a syndrome characterized by pathologic immune activation in which prompt recognition and initiation of immune suppression is essential for survival. Children with HLH have many overlapping clinical features with critically ill children with sepsis and systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) in whom alternative therapies are indicated. To determine whether plasma biomarkers could differentiate HLH from other inflammatory conditions and to better define a core inflammatory signature of HLH, concentrations of inflammatory plasma proteins were compared in 40 patients with HLH to 47 pediatric patients with severe sepsis or SIRS. Fifteen of 135 analytes were significantly different in HLH plasma compared with SIRS/sepsis, including increased interferon-γ (IFN-γ)-regulated chemokines CXCL9, CXCL10, and CXCL11. Furthermore, a 2-analyte plasma protein classifier including CXCL9 and interleukin-6 was able to differentiate HLH from SIRS/sepsis. Gene expression in CD8+ T cells and activated monocytes from blood were also enriched for IFN-γ pathway signatures in peripheral blood cells from patients with HLH compared with SIRS/sepsis. This study identifies differential expression of inflammatory proteins as a diagnostic strategy to identify critically ill children with HLH, and comprehensive unbiased analysis of inflammatory plasma proteins and global gene expression demonstrates that IFN-γ signaling is uniquely elevated in HLH. In addition to demonstrating the ability of diagnostic criteria for HLH and sepsis or SIRS to identify groups with distinct inflammatory patterns, results from this study support the potential for prospective evaluation of inflammatory biomarkers to aid in diagnosis of and optimizing therapeutic strategies for children with distinctive hyperinflammatory syndromes.

Esporotricosis: una enfermedad ocupacional y desatendida / Sporotrichosis: an occupational and neglected disease

Las enfermedades infecciosas desatendidas afectan a poblaciones socioeconómicas pobres que viven en condiciones aisladas y que por su naturaleza crónica y silenciosa es común en comunidades con voz política débil, lo que refleja mínimas acciones de prevención, vigilancia y control de parte del Estado. Existe subregistro de la enfermedad y carencia de métodos de diagnósticos oportunos a pesar de que más de mil millones de personas las padecen en el mundo.1 En ese contexto quisiéramos discutir acerca de la esporotricosis, una micosis ocupacional y desatendida que pone en riesgo a la salud. La esporotricosis, es una micosis subcutánea de curso crónico producido por diferentes especies del genero Sporothrix entre ellas, Sporothrix brasiliensis, Sporothrix schenckii, Sporothrix globosa, Sporothrix mexicana y Sporothrix luriei.2 La infección se adquiere por implantación traumática de estructura fúngicas, que se encuentra ampliamente distribuidas en la naturaleza, especialmente en el suelo, espinas de plantas, vegetales en descomposición pero también por arañazo o mordedura de gatos.3,4 Esta enfermedad tiene una distribución mundial debido a su alta prevalencia especialmente en áreas de países tropicales y subtropicales donde sudamérica presenta una incidencia estimada anual de 48 a 60 casos por 100 000 habitantes.5 Mientras que en Perú, la mayor frecuencia se produce en zonas endémicas de regiones andinas de Cajamarca, Cusco, La Libertad, Ayacucho y Abancay, este último es hiperendémico con reportes de incidencia anual de 98 casos por cada 100 000 habitantes.3 En tal escenario, vivir en una zona endémica es ya un factor de infección. Los pacientes con esporotricosis presentan diferentes formas clínicas que varía de acuerdo a su estado inmunológico, carga fúngica, profundidad del inóculo y virulencia del hongo.3 Las manifestaciones más comunes son la forma linfocutánea en 75 por ciento y la cutánea fija en el 20 por ciento; la primera de ellas se caracteriza por afectación linfática acompañado de aparición de nódulos subcutáneos y la segunda está focalizada en el sitio de infección.6 Independientemente del tipo de especie, esta micosis afecta con mayor frecuencia a regiones más expuestas como la cara, extremidades superiores y extremidades inferiores3 de personas que viven en zonas endémicas entre ellos campesinos que en el ejercicio de su actividad adquieren la infección, razón por la cual esta micosis es considerada también una enfermedad ocupacional.5 Hemos observado en la práctica clínica, casos de adultos y niños con antecedente de haber recibido tratamiento completo para leishmaniasis cutánea sin evolución clínica y al ser referido al Hospital regional Lambayeque se diagnosticaron como esporotricosis por cultivo, lo que orientó iniciar tratamiento con itraconazol a dosis de 100 mg/día con mejoría clínica y cicatrización de lesiones a partir de 20 días, por lo que continuaron su tratamiento con sus respectivos controles hasta 6 meses, en que recibieron el alta. Por lo expuesto consideramos que la accidentada geografía del Perú determina variados problemas de salud pública entre ellas la esporotricosis, una enfermedad de reporte no obligatorio a pesar de ser endémico en diferentes lugares y más aun sabiendo que la población afectada...(AU)