International assessment and validation of the prognostic role of lymph node ratio in patients with resected pancreatic head ductal adenocarcinoma.

Background: Lymph node ratio (LNR; positive/harvested lymph nodes) was identified as overall survival predictor in several cancers, including pancreatic adenocarcinoma. It remains unclear if LNR is predictive of overall survival in pancreatic adenocarcinoma patients staged pN2. This study assessed the prognostic overall survival role of LNR in pancreatic adenocarcinoma patients in relation with lymph node involvement. Methods: A retrospective international study in six different centers (Europe and United States) was performed. Pancreatic adenocarcinoma patients who underwent pancreatoduodenectomy from 2000 to 2017 were included. Patients with neoadjuvant treatment, metastases, R2 resections, or missing data regarding nodal status were excluded. Survival curves were calculated using Kaplan-Meier method and compared using log-rank test. Multivariable Cox regressions were performed to find independent overall survival predictors adjusted for potential confounders. Results: A total of 1,327 patients were included. Lymph node involvement (pN+) was found in 1,026 patients (77%), 561 pN1 (55%) and 465 pN2 (45%). Median LNR in pN+ patients was 0.214 [interquartile range (IQR): 0.105-0.364]. On multivariable analysis, LNR was the strongest overall survival predictor in the entire cohort [hazard ratio (HR) =5.5; 95% confidence interval (CI): 3.1-9.9; P<0.001] and pN+ patients (HR =3.8; 95% CI: 2.2-6.6; P<0.001). Median overall survival was better in patients with LNR <0.225 compared to patients with LNR ≥0.225 in the entire cohort and pN+ patients. Similar results were found in pN2 patients (worse overall survival when LNR ≥0.225). Conclusions: LNR appeared as an important prognostic factor in patients undergoing surgery for pancreatic adenocarcinoma and permitted to stratify overall survival in pN2 patients. LNR should be routinely used in complement to tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage to better predict patient prognosis.

Clinically Meaningful Laboratory Protocols Reduce Hospital Charges Based on Institutional and ACS-NSQIP® Risk Calculators in Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery.

Postoperative laboratory testing is an underrecognized but substantial contributor to health-care costs. We aimed to develop and validate a clinically meaningful laboratory (CML) protocol with individual risk stratification using generalizable and institution-specific predictive analytics to reduce laboratory testing and maximize cost savings for low-risk patients. An institutionally based risk model was developed for pancreaticoduodenectomy and hepatectomy, and an ACS-NSQIP®-based model was developed for distal pancreatectomy. Patients were stratified in each model to the CML by individual risk of major complications, readmission, or death. Clinical outcomes and estimated cost savings were compared with those of a historical cohort with standard of care. Over 34 months, 394 patients stratified to the CML for pancreaticoduodenectomy or hepatectomy saved an estimated $803,391 (44.4%). Over 13 months, 52 patients stratified to the CML for distal pancreatectomy saved an estimated $81,259 (30.5%). Clinical outcomes for 30-day major complications, readmission, and mortality were unchanged after implementation of either model. Predictive analytics can target low-risk patients to reduce laboratory testing and improve cost savings, regardless of whether an institutional or a generalized risk model is implemented. Broader application is important in patient-centered health care and should transition from predictive to prescriptive analytics to guide individual care in real time.

Health Care Disparities Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behaviors in Resident Physicians.

PURPOSE: Health care disparities are an important but sometimes underrepresented topic in graduate medical education. In this study we measured the impact of educational and behavioral interventions on resident knowledge about and attitudes toward health care disparities. METHODS: Faculty from 6 residency programs designed and presented an hour-long educational intervention to emphasize the importance of and increase resident knowledge about health care disparities. Selected residents then helped design a month-long behavioral intervention to engage their peers in conversations about disparities with patients. Surveys were administered pre- and post-educational intervention as well as post-behavioral intervention in order to measure the impact each intervention had on resident knowledge and attitudes. RESULTS: Paired-samples t-tests showed that residents were more knowledgeable about health care disparities issues following didactic teaching (P<0.001) and felt such issues were more important (P<0.001). Furthermore, presence of these feelings significantly predicted the frequency of engaging in the behavioral intervention (r=0.44, P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Two brief, simple interventions produced significant changes in resident knowledge, attitudes and behaviors regarding health care disparities. The educational intervention was most effective at increasing knowledge of disparities in general and encouraging participation in the behavioral intervention, while the behavioral intervention was useful in increasing knowledge of specific patients' barriers to care.