Multi-pilot implementation experiences of patient-centered pathology reports: lessons learned for the advancement of patient-centered tools for cancer decision-making.

PURPOSE: New federal legislation in the United States grants patients expanded access to their medical records, making it critical that medical records information is understandable to patients. Provision of informational summaries significantly increase patient perceptions of patient-centered care and reduce feelings of uncertainty, yet their use for cancer pathology is limited. METHODS: Our team developed and piloted patient-centered versions of pathology reports (PCPRs) for four cancer organ sites: prostate, bladder, breast, and colorectal polyp. The objective of this analysis was to identify common barriers and facilitators to support dissemination of PCPRs in care delivery settings. We analyzed quantitative and qualitative data from pilot PCPR implementations, guided by the RE-AIM framework to explore constructs of reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, and maintenance. RESULTS: We present two case studies of PCPR implementation - breast cancer and colorectal polyps-that showcase diverse workflows for pathology reporting. Cross-pilot learnings emphasize the potential for PCPRs to improve patient satisfaction, knowledge, quality of shared decision-making activities, yet several barriers to dissemination exist. CONCLUSION: While there is promise in expanding patient-centered cancer communication tools, more work is needed to expand the technological capacity for PCPRs and connect PCPRs to opportunities to reduce costs, improve quality, and reduce waste in care delivery systems.

Risk factors for the presence of residual disease in women after partial mastectomy for invasive breast cancer: A single institution experience.

BACKGROUND: We hypothesize that in addition to specimen margin widths other clinical variables may help predict the presence of residual disease in the lumpectomy bed. METHODS: Patients with Stage I-III invasive breast cancer (BC) who underwent partial mastectomy (PM) and re-excision from July 2010-June 2015 were retrospectively reviewed. Bivariate analyses were conducted using two-sample t-tests for continuous variables and Fisher's Exact tests for categorical variables. A multivariate logistic regression was then performed on significant bivariate analyses variables. RESULTS: ne-hundred and eighty-four patients were included in our analysis; 47% had residual disease on re-excision, while 53% had no residual disease. Tumor and nodal stage, operation type, type of disease present at margin, and number of positive margins were significantly associated with residual disease. On multivariate logistic regression, DCIS alone at the margin (p = 0.02), operation type (PM with cavity margins) (p = 0.003), and number of positive margins (3 or more) (p < 0.001) remained predictive of residual disease at re-excision. CONCLUSION: Based on a more comprehensive review of the initial pathology, there are additional factors that can help predict the likelihood of finding residual disease and help guide the surgeon in the decision for re-excision.

Quality of life and sexual well-being after nipple sparing mastectomy: A matched comparison of patients using the breast Q.

BACKGROUND: Nipple sparing mastectomy (NSM) is considered safe for select patients. Our objective was to examine quality of life (QOL) and satisfaction for NSM compared with skin sparing mastectomy (SSM). We aimed to evaluate these using the BREAST-Q. METHODS: After IRB approval, we analyzed patients who underwent NSM and reconstruction between July 2010-June 2015. NSM patients were matched with those after SSM based on age, race, and body mass index. Telephone interviews were prospectively conducted using the BREAST-Q Mastectomy Postoperative Module. Bivariate analysis and a paired samples t-test were performed. RESULTS: We identified 43 patients meeting our inclusion criteria with a response rate 60% (N = 26). NSM and SSM patients were matched well in age (P = 1.00), race (P = 1.00), and Body Mass Index (P = 0.99). There were no significant differences in stage, estrogen and progesterone status, HER2 expression, reconstruction type and radiation. Mean BREAST-Q scores did not vary between NSM and SSM in regards to satisfaction with breasts (P = 0.604), psychosocial well-being (P = 0.146), physical well-being (P = 0.121), and satisfaction with surgeon (P = 0.170). Sexual well-being was significantly higher in NSM patients (P = 0.011). CONCLUSION: NSM provides patients with favorable results in psychosocial, sexual, and physical well-being and overall satisfaction. Sexual well-being showed significant improvement for NSM.

Evaluating the Risk of Upstaging HER2-Positive DCIS to Invasive Breast Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Overexpression of human epidermal growth factor 2 (HER2) in invasive breast cancer (IBC) is an independent poor prognostic factor. However, the significance of HER2 overexpression in ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is not well defined. The current study assessed the correlation of HER2+ DCIS with the rate of upstaging to IBC on the final pathology. METHODS: The study retrospectively analyzed patients with the diagnosis of DCIS on core needle biopsy (CNB) at the authors' institution from 2009 to 2016. Data were analyzed using two-sample t tests. Multivariate analysis was performed using logistic regression. RESULTS: The study found that HER2+ DCIS had significantly higher rates of upstaging to IBC than HER2- DCIS (odds ratio [OR] 1.89; p = 0.012). In addition, triple-positive disease was more than two times more likely to be upstaged (OR 2.5; p = 0.01), whereas patients with estrogen (ER)-positive, progesterone (PR)-positive, and HER2- diseases were half as likely to be upstaged (OR 0.5; p = 0.04). Upstaging did not differ for patients with triple-negative disease (OR 0.89; p = 0.8). Additionally, patients with HER2+ DCIS were significantly younger regardless of ER/PR status (p = 0.03). The overexpression of HER2 in patients with an initial diagnosis of DCIS on CNB were twice as likely to have IBC on the final pathology as those who did not. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that overexpression of HER2 may serve as a biomarker for risk stratification of patients with DCIS and may help to guide treatment strategies in the future. For institutions in which HER2 testing may be performed on DCIS, patients should be counseled appropriately about the risk of upgrade to IBC.