Incidence and clinical relevance of paraneoplastic syndromes in patients with renal cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Paraneoplastic syndromes (PNS) are defined as the signs and symptoms attributed to cytokines or hormones released from a tumor or a patient's immune system. PNS have been reported with many cancers for decades and data supporting their relevance in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) are largely historical. The widespread use of electronic medical record (EMR) systems provides a more robust method to capture data. The objective of this study was to establish contemporary data regarding the incidence and relevance of PNS in patients undergoing nephrectomy for suspected RCC. METHODS: In this retrospective single-institution study, 851 patients undergoing nephrectomy for suspected RCC between 2011 and 2018 were assessed for the presence or absence of PNS as defined by laboratory abnormalities. Factors associated with PNS and with all-cause mortality were examined. RESULTS: The incidence of PNS was 33.1% among 851 patients prior to nephrectomy. The most prevalent PNS were anemia (22.4%), thrombocytosis (7.5%), and elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) (7.4%). PNS were more common in women (39.2% vs. 29.4%, p = 0.0032) and higher stage RCC (31.1% of stage I vs. 54.2% of stage IV, p = 0.0036). Factors associated with the presence of PNS in multivariable analysis included female gender, high comorbidity, and stage IV RCC. Prenephrectomy PNS were associated with poorer survival in multivariable analysis (HR: 2.12, p = 0.0002). Resolution of PNS occurred in 52.1% of patients after nephrectomy, including 55.2% with stage I to III and 38.5% with stage IV RCC (p = 0.10). CONCLUSIONS: Using EMR data, laboratory evidence of PNS was present in one-third of a contemporary cohort of patients undergoing nephrectomy, with >50% of PNS resolving after surgery. Consistent with prior reports, PNS are more common in higher-stage RCC and are associated with poorer survival in RCC patients.

A Statewide Quality Improvement Collaborative's Adherence to the 2017 American Urological Association Guidelines Regarding Initial Evaluation of Patients With Clinical T1 Renal Masses.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate MUSIC-KIDNEY's adherence to the American Urological Association (AUA) guidelines regarding the initial evaluation of patient's with clinical T1 (cT1) renal masses. METHODS: We reviewed MUSIC-KIDNEY registry data for patients with newly diagnosed cT1 renal masses to assess for adherence with the 2017 AUA guideline statements regarding recommendations to obtain (1) CMP, (2) CBC, (3) UA, (4) abdominal cross-sectional imaging, and (5) chest imaging. An evaluation consisting of all 5 guideline measures was considered "complete compliance." Variation with guideline adherence was assessed by contributing practice, management strategy, and renal mass size. RESULTS: We identified 1808 patients with cT1 renal masses in the MUSIC-KIDNEY registry, of which 30% met the definition of complete compliance. Most patients received care that was compliant with recommendations to obtain laboratory testing with 1448 (80%), 1545 (85%), and 1472 (81%) patients obtaining a CMP, CBC, and UA respectively. Only 862 (48%) patients underwent chest imaging. Significant variation exists in complete guideline compliance for contributing practices, ranging from 0% to 45% as well as for patients which underwent immediate intervention compared with initial observation (37% vs 23%) and patients with cT1b masses compared with cT1a masses (36% vs 28%). CONCLUSION: Complete guideline compliance in the initial evaluation of patients with cT1 renal masses is poor, which is mainly driven by omission of chest imaging. Significant variation in guideline adherence is seen across practices, as well as patients undergoing an intervention vs observation, and cT1a vs cT1b masses. There are ample quality improvement opportunities to increase adherence and decrease variability with guideline recommendations.

Quality of Care for Renal Masses: The Michigan Urological Surgery Improvement Collaborative-Kidney Mass: Identifying & Defining Necessary Evaluation & Therapy (MUSIC-KIDNEY).

INTRODUCTION: We describe the establishment of the Michigan Urological Surgery Improvement Collaborative-Kidney mass: Identifying and Defining Necessary Evaluation and therapY (MUSIC-KIDNEY) to improve the quality of care that patients in Michigan receive for localized, 7 cm or smaller (T1) renal masses. METHODS: The MUSIC-KIDNEY collaborative is comprised of 45 urologists from 8 group practices. From June 2017 to November 2018 surgeons collected data for 821 patients with newly diagnosed T1 renal masses. Goals are to reduce the overall burden of treatment for T1 renal masses specifically by avoiding treatment when a noninterventional approach is appropriate, reducing the treatment of benign renal masses, preventing radical nephrectomy when a kidney sparing approach is appropriate, and decreasing length of hospitalization and readmission rates. RESULTS: Median age at diagnosis was 66 years, 56.8% of patients were male and 83.8% were Caucasian. The patient populations differed across practice sites for age (p <0.001), tumor size (p=0.002), race (p <0.001), Charlson comorbidity index and insurance type (p <0.001). Tumor complexity was infrequently reported (35.1%). Initial management included surveillance/repeat imaging (45.1%), biopsy (15.4%), intervention (39.1%) and second opinion (0.6%). No treatment at initial presentation (0% to 74.5%) and nephron sparing treatment (0% to 100%) varied significantly among practices (p <0.001). Of 133 patients with T1 renal masses who underwent radical nephrectomy (39.8%) 53 had tumors smaller than 4 cm and/or surgical findings without malignancy. Readmission or emergency department visit within 30 days after renal surgery occurred in 7.6%. CONCLUSIONS: Initial findings of MUSIC-KIDNEY indicate practice level variation and several quality improvement opportunities. Focusing on these goals may optimize practice patterns and surgical outcomes across Michigan.

A Pilot Study Examining the Effects of Educational Setting and Stress on Multitasking Among Medical Students.

This study examines multitasking with media and technology among medical students across four learning contexts (lecture, lab, team-based learning, and homework) and whether stress moderates the relationship between multitasking and academic performance. The proliferation of technology simultaneously used for learning, entertainment, and socialization facilitates multitasking in learning environments. There is comparatively little research on multitasking behavior among medical students. Data were collected using a survey distributed online to four cohorts of an allopathic medical school to examine the relationship of multitasking and academic performance using both descriptive and correlational analyses of multitasking behavior in each of the four learning contexts. A moderation analysis was used to investigate the role of stress in this relationship. Lower multitasking was reported as learning contexts became more active (e.g., lecture versus lab). Some respondents, however, appeared resilient to the changing environment, maintaining high levels of multitasking. In the low multitasking environment of lab, respondents with high levels of stress, who multitasked heavily, reported better academic performance. Approaches to multitasking must account for learning environments and the individual propensities of students. Additionally, some forms of multitasking may not be counterproductive to learning, but the boundaries between productive and counterproductive multitasking are difficult to distinguish.