Neighborhood Disadvantage and Breast Cancer-Specific Survival.

Importance: Neighborhood-level disadvantage is an important factor in the creation and persistence of underresourced neighborhoods with an undue burden of disparate breast cancer-specific survival outcomes. Although studies have evaluated neighborhood-level disadvantage and breast cancer-specific survival after accounting for individual-level socioeconomic status (SES) in large national cancer databases, these studies are limited by age, socioeconomic, and racial and ethnic diversity. Objective: To investigate neighborhood SES (using a validated comprehensive composite measure) and breast cancer-specific survival in a majority-minority population. Design, Setting, and Participants: This retrospective multi-institutional cohort study included patients with stage I to IV breast cancer treated at a National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center and sister safety-net hospital from January 10, 2007, to September 9, 2016. Mean (SD) follow-up time was 60.3 (41.4) months. Data analysis was performed from March 2022 to March 2023. Exposures: Neighborhood SES was measured using the Area Deprivation Index (tertiles), a validated comprehensive composite measure of neighborhood SES. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was breast cancer-specific survival. Random effects frailty models for breast cancer-specific survival were performed controlling for individual-level sociodemographic, comorbidity, breast cancer risk factor, access to care, tumor, and National Comprehensive Cancer Network guideline-concordant treatment characteristics. The Area Deprivation Index was calculated for each patient at the census block group level and categorized into tertiles (T1-T3). Results: A total of 5027 women with breast cancer were included: 55.8% were Hispanic, 17.5% were non-Hispanic Black, and 27.0% were non-Hispanic White. Mean (SD) age was 55.5 (11.7) years. Women living in the most disadvantaged neighborhoods (T3) had shorter breast cancer-specific survival compared with those living in the most advantaged neighborhoods (T1) after controlling for individual-level sociodemographic, comorbidity, breast cancer risk factor, access to care, tumor, and National Comprehensive Cancer Network guideline-concordant treatment characteristics (T3 vs T1: hazard ratio, 1.29; 95% CI, 1.01-1.65; P < .04). Conclusions and Relevance: In this cohort study, a shorter breast cancer-specific survival in women from disadvantaged neighborhoods compared with advantaged neighborhoods was identified, even after controlling for individual-level sociodemographic, comorbidity, breast cancer risk factor, access to care, tumor, and National Comprehensive Cancer Network guideline-concordant treatment characteristics. The findings suggest potential unaccounted mechanisms, including unmeasured social determinants of health and access to care measures. This study also lays the foundation for future research to evaluate whether social adversity from living in a disadvantaged neighborhood is associated with more aggressive tumor biologic factors, and ultimately shorter breast cancer-specific survival, through social genomic and/or epigenomic alterations.

A Novel Interdisciplinary Iterative Approach for Optimizing the Electronic Health Record to Improve Perioperative Efficiency.

OBJECTIVE: We present a holistic perioperative optimization approach led by a CI team with the goal to optimize the workflow within our EHR, improve operative room metrics and user satisfaction. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: The EHR has become integral to perioperative care. Many approaches are utilized to improve performance including systems-based approaches, process redesign, lean methodology, checklists, root cause analysis, and parallel processing. Although most reports describe strategies improving day or surgery productivity, few include perioperative interventions to improve efficiencies. METHODS: An interdisciplinary CI team consisting of clinicians, informatics specialists, and analysts spent 6 weeks assessing users and optimizing all perioperative areas (scheduling, day of surgery, postop discharge/admission). Elbow-to-elbow retraining and simultaneous content development was performed utilizing an Agile workflow process optimization with the Scrum framework. This iterative approach averaged 1 week from build to change implementation. Pre/post optimization surveys were sent. RESULTS: Two hundred forty-two perioperative enhancements were completed. While most impacted documentation, all areas were enhanced including billing, reporting, registration, device integration, scheduling, central supply, and so on. FCOTS improved from <70% to >85% and total delay was halved. These parameters were consistently sustained for over 1 year after the 6-week optimization. While only 5% of pre-optimization users agreed to proficiency in the EHR system, this improved to 70% post-optimization. Furthermore, EHR confidence and acceptance improved from 40% to 90%. CONCLUSIONS: To improve workflow efficiency, all who contribute to the perioperative process must be assessed. This IT driven initiative resulted in improved FCOTS, perioperative workflows, and user satisfaction.

Intensity of follow-up after pancreatic cancer resection.

The prognosis of patients diagnosed with pancreatic adenocarcinoma remains dismal. Of the 15-20 % of patients who are candidates for potentially curative resection, 66-92 % will develop recurrent disease. Although guidelines for surveillance in the postoperative setting exist, they are not evidence based, and there is wide variability of strategies utilized. Current surveillance guidelines as suggested by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) include routine history and physical, measurement of serum cancer-associated antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) levels, and computed tomographic imaging at 3- to 6-month intervals for the first 2 years, and annually thereafter. However, the lack of prospective clinical data examining the efficacy of different surveillance strategies has led to a variability of the intensity of follow-up and a lack of consensus on its necessity and efficacy. Recent therapeutic advances may have the potential to significantly alter survival after recurrence, but a careful consideration of current surveillance strategies should be undertaken to optimize existing approaches in the face of high recurrence and low survival rates.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma radiology reporting template: consensus statement of the society of abdominal radiology and the american pancreatic association.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is an aggressive malignancy with a high mortality rate. Proper determination of the extent of disease on imaging studies at the time of staging is one of the most important steps in optimal patient management. Given the variability in expertise and definition of disease extent among different practitioners as well as frequent lack of complete reporting of pertinent imaging findings at radiologic examinations, adoption of a standardized template for radiology reporting, using universally accepted and agreed on terminology for solid pancreatic neoplasms, is needed. A consensus statement describing a standardized reporting template authored by a multi-institutional group of experts in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma that included radiologists, gastroenterologists, and hepatopancreatobiliary surgeons was developed under the joint sponsorship of the Society of Abdominal Radiologists and the American Pancreatic Association. Adoption of this standardized imaging reporting template should improve the decision-making process for the management of patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma by providing a complete, pertinent, and accurate reporting of disease staging to optimize treatment recommendations that can be offered to the patient. Standardization can also help to facilitate research and clinical trial design by using appropriate and consistent staging by means of resectability status, thus allowing for comparison of results among different institutions.

Vein involvement during pancreaticoduodenectomy: is there a need for redefinition of "borderline resectable disease"?

INTRODUCTION: Current National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines recommend neoadjuvant therapy for borderline resectable pancreatic adenocarcinoma to increase the likelihood of achieving R0 resection. A consensus has not been reached on the degree of venous involvement that constitutes borderline resectability. This study compares the outcome of patients who underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy with or without vein resection without neoadjuvant therapy. METHODS: A multi-institutional database of patients who underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy was reviewed. Patients who required vein resection due to gross vein involvement by tumor were compared to those without evidence of vein involvement. RESULTS: Of 492 patients undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomy, 70 (14 %) had vein resection and 422 (86 %) did not. There was no difference in R0 resection (66 vs. 75 %, p = NS). On multivariate analysis, vein involvement was not predictive of disease-free or overall survival. CONCLUSION: This is the largest modern series examining patients with or without isolated vein involvement by pancreas cancer, none of whom received neoadjuvant therapy. Oncological outcome was not different between the two groups. These data suggest that up-front surgical resection is an appropriate option and call into question the inclusion of isolated vein involvement in the definition of "borderline resectable disease."

Administration of oxaliplatin to a pregnant woman with rectal cancer.

PURPOSE: The platinum agent oxaliplatin could be useful in treatment of cancer in pregnant women, but it is fetotoxic in rats and its effect on the human fetus is unknown. METHODS: Oxaliplatin was administered to a 25-year-old pregnant woman with metastatic rectal cancer from 20 to 30 weeks gestational age as part of the mFOLFOX-6 regimen. RESULTS: The patient gave birth to a healthy girl at 33 weeks gestational age. At follow-up, the 3-year-old child had achieved all appropriate growth and developmental milestones. DISCUSSION: Oxaliplatin is a component of several modern chemotherapy regimens. This report demonstrates the administration of oxaliplatin in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy without apparent fetal harm.