Implication of Neighborhood Deprivation Index on Pelvic Organ Prolapse Management.

IMPORTANCE: Differences in the rate of diagnosis of POP have been described based on race and ethnicity; however, there are few data available on the management and treatment patterns of POP based on multiple factors of socioeconomic status and deprivation. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to investigate the association between pelvic organ prolapse (POP) management and the Neighborhood Deprivation Index (NDI), a standardized multidimensional measure of socioeconomic status. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study included female members of a large integrated health care delivery system who were 18 years or older and had ≥4 years of continuous health care membership from January 1, 2015, to December 31, 2019. Demographic, POP diagnosis, urogynecology consultation, and surgical treatment of POP were obtained from the electronic medical record. Neighborhood Deprivation Index data were extrapolated via zip code and were reported in quartiles, with higher quartiles reflecting greater deprivation. Descriptive, bivariate, and logistic regression analyses were conducted by NDI. RESULTS: Of 1,087,567 patients identified, 34,890 (3.2%) had a POP diagnosis. Q1, the least deprived group, had the highest prevalence of POP (26.3%). Most patients with POP identified as White (57.3%) and represented approximately a third of Q1. Black patients had the lowest rate of POP (5.8%) and comprised almost half of Q4, the most deprived quartile. A total of 13,730 patients (39.4%) had a urogynecology consultation, with rates ranging from 23.6% to 26.4% (P < 0.01). Less than half (12.8%) of patients with POP underwent surgical treatment, and the relative frequencies of procedure types were similar across NDI quartiles except for obliterative procedures (P = 0.01). When controlling for age, no clinically significant difference was demonstrated. CONCLUSIONS: Differences in urogynecology consultation, surgical treatment, and surgical procedure type performed for prolapse across NDI quartiles were not found to be clinically significant. Our findings suggest that equitable evaluation and treatment of prolapse can occur through a membership-based integrated health care system.

Mode of Detection of Second Breast Cancers in Patients Undergoing Surveillance After Treatment of Ductal Carcinoma in Situ.

BACKGROUND: For patients undergoing posttreatment surveillance after ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), the NCCN Guidelines for Breast Cancer recommend annual breast imaging and physical examination every 6 to 12 months for 5 years, and then annually. The aim of our study was to evaluate the modes of detection (imaging, patient reported, or physical examination) of second cancers in a cohort of patients undergoing surveillance after primary DCIS treatment to better inform surveillance recommendations. METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study of patients with DCIS treated between January 1, 2008, and December 31, 2011, within a large integrated health care system. Information on patient demographics, index DCIS treatment, tumor characteristics, and mode of detection of second breast cancer was obtained from the electronic health record or chart review. RESULTS: Our study cohort consisted of 1,550 women, with a median age of 59 years at diagnosis. Surgical treatment of DCIS included lumpectomy (75.0%; n=1,162), unilateral mastectomy (21.1%; n=327), or bilateral mastectomy (3.9%; n=61), with or without sentinel lymph node biopsy. Additionally, 44.4% (n=688) and 28.3% (n=438) received radiation and endocrine therapies, respectively. Median follow-up was 10 years, during which 179 (11.5%) women were diagnosed with a second breast cancer. Of the second cancers, 43.0% (n=77) were ipsilateral and 54.8% (n=98) contralateral, and 2.2% (n=4) presented with distant metastases; 61.5% (n=110) were invasive, 36.3% (n=65) were DCIS, and 2.2% (n=4) were Paget's disease. Second breast cancers were imaging-detected in 74.3% (n=133) of cases, patient-detected in 20.1% (n=36), physician-detected in 2.2% (n=4), and detected incidentally on imaging or pathology from procedures unrelated to oncologic care in 3.4% (n=6). CONCLUSIONS: In our cohort of patients undergoing surveillance following diagnosis and treatment of DCIS, 2% of second breast cancers were detected by a clinical breast examination. This suggests that survivorship care should prioritize mammography and patient education regarding breast self-examination and symptoms that warrant evaluation to detect second breast cancers.

Advance Directives for Patients With Breast Cancer: Applying the Right Info/Right Care/Right Patient/Right Time Oncology Model.

Background Advance directives (AD) are an important component of life care planning for patients undergoing treatment for cancer; however, there are few effective interventions to increase AD rates. In this quality improvement project, the authors integrated AD counseling into a novel right info/right care/right patient/right time (4R) sequence of care oncology delivery intervention for breast cancer patients in an integrated health care delivery system. Methods The authors studied two groups of patients with newly diagnosed breast cancer who attended a multidisciplinary clinic and underwent definitive surgery at a single facility. The usual care (UC) cohort (N = 139) received care from October 1, 2019 to September 30, 2020. The 4R cohort (N = 141) received care from October 1, 2020 to September 30, 2121 that included discussing AD completion with a health educator prior to surgery. The authors used bivariate analyses to assess whether the AD intervention increased AD completion rates and to identify factors influencing AD completion. Results The UC and 4R cohorts were similar in age, gender, race/ethnicity, interpreter need, Elixhauser comorbidity index, National Comprehensive Cancer Network distress score ≥ 5, surgery type, stage, histology, grade, and Estrogen receptor/Progesterone receptor/ human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (ER/PR/HER2) status. AD completion rates prior to surgery were significantly higher for the 4R vs UC cohort (73.8%, 95% confidence interval [CI] [66.5%-81.0%] vs 15.1%, 95% CI [9.2%-21.1%], p < .01) and did not significantly differ by age, race, need for interpreter, or distress scores. Conclusion Incorporation of a health educator discussion into a 4R care sequence plan significantly increased rates of time-sensitive AD completion.

Intraoperative Radiation Therapy: A Large Integrated Health Care System's Approach and Outcomes.

Introduction Intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT) may not be as effective in the community compared with clinical trials. Methods The authors reviewed data from the electronic health records of patients who received IORT between February 2014 and February 2020 at a single center within a large integrated health care system. The primary outcome was ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence. Results Of 5731 potentially eligible patients, 245 (4.3%) underwent IORT (mean age: 65.4 ± 0.4 years; median follow-up time: 3.5 years ± 2.2 months). According to the American Society for Radiation Oncology's accelerated partial breast irradiation guidelines based on final pathology, 51% of patients were suitable candidates for IORT, 38.4% were cautionary, and 10.6% were unsuitable. For adjuvant therapy, 6.5% had consolidative whole breast irradiation, and 66.4% received endocrine treatment. At the median follow-up time of 3.5 years, overall ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence was 3.7%. Recurrences tended to be more frequent in patients who refused or did not complete endocrine treatment than in those who received it (7.4% vs 1.9%, p = 0.07). The complication rate was 14.7%, with seroma being the most common (8.2%). Discussion The IORT ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence rate of 3.7% confirms a higher-than-expected rate compared to randomized clinical trials, possibly due to less compliance with endocrine therapy. Conclusion The authors subsequently revised their IORT protocol to require endocrine treatment as a part of the IORT treatment plan and to strongly recommend adjuvant whole breast irradiation for all patients deemed cautionary or unsuitable for IORT according to the American Society for Radiation Oncology's accelerated partial breast irradiation guidelines.

The Association of Chinese Ethnicity and Language Preference with Advance Directive Completion Among Older Patients in an Integrated Health System.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about possible differences in advance directive completion (ADC) based on ethnicity and language preference among Chinese Americans on a regional level. OBJECTIVE: To understand the association of ethnicity and language preference with ADC among Chinese Americans. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort analysis with direct standardization. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 31,498 Chinese and 502,991 non-Hispanic White members enrolled in Kaiser Permanente Northern California during the entire study period between 2013 and 2017 who were 55 or older as of January 1, 2018. MAIN MEASURES: We compared the proportion of ADC among non-Hispanic White and Chinese patients, and also analyzed the rates according to language preference within the Chinese population. We calculated ADC rates with direct standardization using covariates previously found in literature to be significant predictors of ADC such as age and utilization. KEY RESULTS: Among Chinese members, 60% preferred English, 16% preferred another language without needing an interpreter, and 23% needed an interpreter. After standardizing for age and utilization, non-Hispanic Whites were more than twice as likely to have ADC as Chinese members (20.6% (95% confidence interval (CI): 20.5-20.7%) vs. 10.0% (95% CI: 9.6-10.3%), respectively). Among Chinese members, there was an inverse association between preference for a language other than English and ADC (13.3% (95% CI: 12.8-13.8%) if preferring English, 6.1% (95% CI: 5.4-6.7%) if preferring non-English language but not needing an interpreter, and 5.1% (95% CI: 4.6-5.6%) if preferring non-English language and needing an interpreter). CONCLUSIONS: Chinese members are less likely to have ADC relative to non-Hispanic White members, and those preferring a language other than English are most affected. Further studies can assess reasons for lower ADC among Chinese members, differences in other Asian American populations, and interventions to reduce differences among Chinese members especially among those preferring a language other than English.

Advance Directive Completion Among Black Adults Within a Community-Based Integrated Health Care System.

ObjectivesThe study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of advance directive (AD) completion among Black adults vs non-Hispanic White adults within Kaiser Permanente Northern California integrated health system that includes access to outpatient advance care planning (ACP) specialists and to identify medical services utilization patterns and societal factors that could influence ACP engagement. DesignThe study was carried out through retrospective analysis of electronic health record data of active Kaiser Permanente Northern California members from January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2017, who were age 55 and older, and represented 572,466 active members, of which 11.7% were Black adults. The primary objective was AD completion comparing Black adults to non-Hispanic White adults. Demographic data included age, sex, comorbidities (Charlson comorbidity score ≥ 3) and medical services utilization (inpatient, outpatient, and emergency department [ED] use). Sociodemographic data derived from census data that include census block demographics and head of household educational attainment were utilized. ResultsBlack adults were younger, but had a higher burden of comorbidities (Charlson comorbidity score ≥ 3, 25.3% vs 19.3%) and were more likely to have multiple ED visits (6.7% vs 3.3%) compared to non-Hispanic White adults. The crude AD completion rate was lower among Black adults (10.0% vs 20.3%), and after adjusting for age and health system service area, the difference remained largely unchanged (11.7% vs 20.3%) compared to non-Hispanic White adults. ConclusionsAmong Kaiser Permanente Northern California members with access to outpatient ACP specialists, Black adults were only half as likely to complete an AD. This disparity was only slightly attenuated when standardized for age and health system service area. In addition, Black adults were also less likely to use outpatient services and more likely to use ED services.

Telehealth for Preoperative Evaluation of Patients With Breast Cancer During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic drove rapid, widespread adoption of telehealth (TH). We evaluated surgical telehealth utilization and outcomes for newly diagnosed breast cancer patients during the initial pandemic period. Methods We identified patients with breast cancer diagnosed March 17, 2020 through May 17, 2020 who underwent surgery as the initial treatment. Clinicodemographic characteristics were collected. Initial consultation types (office, telephone, or video) were categorized. Outcomes included time to consultation, surgeon touchpoints, time to surgery, surgery types, and reexcision rates. Continuous variables were compared using Mann-Whitney tests or t-tests, and categorical variables were compared using χ2 or Fisher's exact tests. Results Of 158 patients, 56% had initial telehealth consultations (21% telephone, 35% video) and 42% did not have a preoperative physical examination. Age, race/ethnicity, and stage distributions were similar between initial visit types. Median time to consultation was lower in the initial telehealth group than the office group (6 days vs 9 days, p = 0.01). Other outcomes (surgeon touchpoints, time to surgery, surgery type, reconstruction) were similar between visit types. We observed higher reexcision rates in patients with initial telehealth visits (20% telehealth vs 4% office, p = 0.01), but evaluation was limited by small numbers. The reexcision rate was 13% for patients with telehealth visits and no preoperative physical exam. Discussion During the initial pandemic period, the majority of new breast cancer patients had an initial telehealth surgical consultation. Office and telehealth consultation visits had comparable numbers of postconsultation surgeon touchpoints and most outcomes. Our findings suggest that telehealth consultations may be feasible for preoperative breast cancer consultations.

Economic Impact of Reducing Reexcision Rates after Breast-Conserving Surgery in a Large, Integrated Health System.

BACKGROUND: Reexcision after breast-conserving surgery (BCS) is costly for patients, but few studies have captured the economic burden to a healthcare system. We quantified operating room (OR) charges as well as OR time and then modeled expected savings of a reexcision reduction initiative. METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort review of all breast cancer patients with BCS between January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2020. Operating room charges of disposable supplies and implants as well as operative time were calculated. RESULTS: During the 5-year period, the 8804 patients who underwent BCS, 1628 (18.5%) required reexcision. The reexcision cohort was younger (61 vs. 64 years, p < 0.001), more likely to have ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) (23.7% vs. 15.2%, p < 0.001), and had larger tumors (T1+T2 73.2% vs. 83.1%, p < 0.001). Reexcision costs represented 39% of total costs, the cost per patient for surgery was fourfold higher for reexcision patients. Reexcision operations comprised 14% of total operating room (OR) time (1848 of 13,030 hours). The reexcision rate for 54 surgeons varied from 7.2-39.0% with 46% (n = 25) having a reexcision rate >20%. A model simulating reducing reexcision rates to 20% or below for all surgeons reduced the reexcision rate to 16.2% overall. Using per procedure data, the model predicted a decrease in reexcision operations by 18% (327 operations), OR costs by 14% ($287,534), and OR time by 11% (204 hours). CONCLUSIONS: Reexcision after BCS represents 39% of direct OR costs and 14% of OR time in our healthcare system. Modest improvements in surgeon reexcision rates may lead to significant economic and OR time savings.

Addressing Transverse Plane Instability in the Modified Lapidus Arthrodesis: A Comparative Study of Screw Versus Suture and Button Fixation Device Technique.

The Lapidus arthrodesis is a powerful procedure for the correction of hallux valgus with metatarsus primus varus. Yet, first ray instability may persist despite correction of the primary deformity with 2 crossed screw fixation. A third screw is often utilized as the additional point of fixation for noteworthy residual transverse plane motion, but it is not without potential complications. The suture and button fixation device may be an appropriate alternative to the third screw construct. This retrospective cohort study identified clinical / radiographic outcomes and complication rates following a third point of fixation with either a screw or suture and button fixation device in patients undergoing a modified Lapidus arthrodesis. One surgeon performed all of the Lapidus procedure with a third screw while the other surgeon performed all with a suture and button fixation device. Of 136 consecutive patients who underwent a modified Lapidus arthrodesis, 83 (61%) patients required a third point of fixation for satisfactory stabilization of the first ray. Surgical technique was similar between the 2 surgeons; however, one utilized the suture and button fixation device method (n = 36), while the other used a third screw for fixation (n = 47). Many of the clinical outcomes, radiographic results, and the union rate were similar between the 2 methods. Nineteen (40%) complications occurred in the third screw group compared to 6 (17%) in the suture and button fixation device group. However, the third screw group demonstrated 100% maintenance of deformity correction at 1 year versus 95% in the suture and button fixation device group. Although fixation with a suture and button fixation device was associated with fewer complications, a larger study is necessary to determine if these variations are statistically significant.

Future of Teleoncology: Trends and Disparities in Telehealth and Secure Message Utilization in the COVID-19 Era.

PURPOSE: The COVID-19 pandemic created an imperative to re-examine the role of telehealth in oncology. We studied trends and disparities in utilization of telehealth (video and telephone visits) and secure messaging (SM; ie, e-mail via portal/app), before and during the pandemic. METHODS: Retrospective cohort study of hematology/oncology patient visits (telephone/video/office) and SM between January 1, 2019, and September 30, 2020, at Kaiser Permanente Northern California. RESULTS: Among 334,666 visits and 1,161,239 SM, monthly average office visits decreased from 10,562 prepandemic to 1,769 during pandemic, telephone visits increased from 5,114 to 8,663, and video visits increased from 40 to 4,666. Monthly average SM increased from 50,788 to 64,315 since the pandemic began. Video visits were a significantly higher fraction of all visits (P < .01) in (1) younger patients (Generation Z 48%, Millennials 46%; Generation X 40%; Baby Boomers 34.4%; Silent Generation 24.5%); (2) patients with commercial insurance (39%) compared with Medicaid (32.7%) or Medicare (28.1%); (3) English speakers (33.7%) compared with those requiring an interpreter (24.5%); (4) patients who are Asian (35%) and non-Hispanic White (33.7%) compared with Black (30.1%) and Hispanic White (27.5%); (5) married/domestic partner patients (35%) compared with single/divorced/widowed (29.9%); (6) Charlson comorbidity index ≤ 3 (36.2%) compared with > 3 (31.3%); and (7) males (34.6%) compared with females (32.3%). Similar statistically significant SM utilization patterns were also seen. CONCLUSION: In the pandemic era, hematology/oncology telehealth and SM use rapidly increased in a manner that is feasible and sustained. Possible disparities existed in video visit and SM use by age, insurance plan, language, race, ethnicity, marital status, comorbidities, and sex.

Care in the time of COVID-19: impact on the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer in a large, integrated health care system.

PURPOSES: To delineate operational changes in Kaiser Permanente Northern California breast care and evaluate the impact of these changes during the initial COVID-19 Shelter-in-Place period (SiP, 3/17/20-5/17/20). METHODS: By extracting data from institutional databases and reviewing electronic medical charts, we compared clinical and treatment characteristics of breast cancer patients diagnosed 3/17/20-5/17/20 to those diagnosed 3/17/19-5/17/2019. Outcomes included time from biopsy to consultation and treatment. Comparisons were made using Chi-square or Wilcoxon rank-sum tests. RESULTS: Fewer new breast cancers were diagnosed in 2020 during the SiP period than during a similar period in 2019 (n = 247 vs n = 703). A higher percentage presented with symptomatic disease in 2020 than 2019 (78% vs 37%, p < 0.001). Higher percentages of 2020 patients presented with grade 3 (37% vs 25%, p = 0.004) and triple-negative tumors (16% vs 10%, p = 0.04). A smaller percentage underwent surgery first in 2020 (71% vs 83%, p < 0.001) and a larger percentage had neoadjuvant chemotherapy (16% vs 11%, p < 0.001). Telehealth utilization increased from 0.8% in 2019 to 70.0% in 2020. Times to surgery and neoadjuvant chemotherapy were shorter in 2020 than 2019 (19 vs 26 days, p < 0.001, and 23 vs 28 days, p = 0.03, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: During SiP, fewer breast cancers were diagnosed than during a similar period in 2019, and a higher proportion presented with symptomatic disease. Early-stage breast cancer diagnoses decreased, while metastatic cancer diagnoses remained similar. Telehealth increased significantly, and times to treatment were shorter in 2020 than 2019. Our system continued to provide timely breast cancer treatment despite significant pandemic-driven disruption.

Attitudes and Perceptions of Multidisciplinary Cancer Care Clinicians Toward Telehealth and Secure Messages.

Importance: Telehealth use including secure messages has rapidly expanded since the COVID-19 pandemic, including for multidisciplinary aspects of cancer care. Recent reports described rapid uptake and various benefits for patients and clinicians, suggesting that telehealth may be in standard use after the pandemic. Objective: To examine attitudes and perceptions of multidisciplinary cancer care clinicians toward telehealth and secure messages. Design, Setting, and Participants: Cross-sectional specialty-specific survey (ie, some questions appear only for relevant specialties) among multidisciplinary cancer care clinicians, collected from April 29, 2020, to June 5, 2020. Participants were all 285 clinicians in the fields of medical oncology, radiation oncology, surgical oncology, survivorship, and oncology navigation from all 21 community cancer centers of Kaiser Permanente Northern California. Main Outcomes and Measures: Clinician satisfaction, perceived benefits and challenges of telehealth, perceived quality of telehealth and secure messaging, preferred visit and communication types for different clinical activities, and preferences regarding postpandemic telehealth use. Results: A total of 202 clinicians (71%) responded (104 of 128 medical oncologists, 34 of 37 radiation oncologists, 16 of 62 breast surgeons, 18 of 28 navigators, and 30 of 30 survivorship experts; 57% (116 of 202) were women; 73% [147 of 202] between ages 36-55 years). Seventy-six percent (n = 154) were satisfied with telehealth without statistically significant variations based on clinician characteristics. In-person visits were thought to promote a strong patient-clinician connection by 99% (n = 137) of respondents compared with 77% (n = 106) for video visits, 43% (n = 59) for telephone, and 14% (n = 19) for secure messages. The most commonly cited benefits of telehealth to clinicians included reduced commute (79%; n = 160), working from home (74%; n = 149), and staying on time (65%; n = 132); the most commonly cited negative factors included internet connection (84%; n = 170) or equipment problems (72%; n = 146), or physical examination needed (64%; n = 131). Most respondents (59%; n = 120) thought that video is adequate to manage the greater part of patient care in general; and most deemed various telehealth modalities suitable for any of the queried types of patient-clinician activities. For some specific activities, less than half of respondents thought that only an in-person visit is acceptable (eg, 49%; n = 66 for end-of-life discussion, 35%; n = 58 for new diagnosis). Most clinicians (82%; n = 166) preferred to maintain or increase use of telehealth after the pandemic. Conclusions and Relevance: In this survey of multidisciplinary cancer care clinicians in the COVID-19 era, telehealth was well received and often preferred by most cancer care clinicians, who deemed it appropriate to manage most aspects of cancer care. As telehealth use becomes routine in some cancer care settings, video and telephone visits and use of asynchronous secure messaging with patients in cancer care has clear potential to extend beyond the pandemic period.

Implementation of Intraoperative Ultrasound Localization for Breast-Conserving Surgery in a Large, Integrated Health Care System is Feasible and Effective.

BACKGROUND: Intraoperative ultrasound (IUS) localization for breast cancer is a noninvasive localization technique. In 2015, an IUS program for breast-conserving surgery (BCS) was initiated in a large, integrated health care system. This study evaluated the clinical results of IUS implementation. METHODS: The study identified breast cancer patients with BCS from 1 January to 31 October 2015 and from 1 January to 31 October 2019. Clinicopathologic characteristics were collected, and localization types were categorized. Clinical outcomes were analyzed, including localization use, surgeon adoption of IUS, day-of-surgery intervals, and re-excision rates. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate predictors of re-excision. RESULTS: The number of BCS procedures increased 23%, from 1815 procedures in 2015 to 2226 procedures in 2019. The IUS rate increased from 4% of lumpectomies (n = 79) in 2015 to 28% of lumpectomies (n = 632) in 2019 (p < 0.001). Surgeons using IUS increased from 6% (5 of 88 surgeons) in 2015 to 70% (42 of 60 surgeons) in 2019. In 2019, 76% of IUS surgeons performed at least 25% of lumpectomies with IUS. The mean time from admission to incision was shorter with IUS or seed localization than with wire localization (202 min with IUS, 201 with seed localization, 262 with wire localization in 2019; p < 0.001). The IUS re-excision rates were lower than for other localization techniques (13.6%, vs 19.6% for seed localization and 24.7% for wire localization in 2019; p = 0.006), and IUS predicted lower re-excision rates in a multivariable model (odds ratio [OR], 0.59). CONCLUSIONS: In a high-volume integrated health system, IUS was adopted for BCS by a majority of surgeons. The use of IUS decreased the time from admission to incision compared with wire localization, and decreased re-excision rates compared with other localization techniques.

Patients Older 65 Years With Early Breast Cancer Prefer Intraoperative Radiation as a Locoregional Treatment Choice.

BACKGROUND: Patients 65 years old or older with early endocrine-responsive breast cancer have many treatment options, including no radiation. This study aimed to evaluate treatment preference when intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT) is offered in this population. METHODS: The study reviewed patients 65 years old or older with a diagnosis of early-stage endocrine-responsive breast cancer in 2016-2019 at a single hospital in a large integrated health care system. Electronic medical records of multidisciplinary breast tumor board discussion, treatment options documented by the treatment team, and final treatment offered were reviewed. Variables including age at biopsy, language, endocrine treatment, and comorbidities were collected. Regression analysis was used to evaluate for variables associated with patients' choice regarding radiation treatment. RESULTS: The institutional IORT guidelines were met by 63 patients in the described age group who had a documented offer of all radiation treatment options. The median age of the patients was 70 years (interquartile range 63-77 years). Overall, 74.6% of the patients chose IORT, and 14.3% opted for whole-breast irradiation. Only 4.8% chose to omit radiation after breast-conserving surgery, and 6.3% chose mastectomy. The patients who chose IORT were more likely to receive endocrine treatment (odds ratio 3.70; p = 0.03). Age, race, language, and comorbidities were not associated with preference for IORT (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Patients 65 years old or older with early-stage endocrine-responsive breast cancer preferred to have IORT despite counsel about the lack of survival benefit. This study suggests that local cancer control with the convenient radiation delivery method is important to the described patient population.

The Association of Spanish Language Preference with Advance Directive Completion.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Hispanics have lower advance directive (AD) completion than non-Hispanic Whites. Few studies have assessed the role of language preference in end-of-life planning. We investigated whether language preference and needing an interpreter affected AD completion among older adults in an integrated health system. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort investigation of electronic medical records. SETTING: Northern California integrated health system. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 620,948 Hispanic and non-Hispanic White patients, aged 55 years and older, between January 1, 2013, and December 31, 2017. MEASUREMENTS: Descriptive statistics and bivariate analysis were performed to compare AD completion among non-Hispanic Whites, Hispanics, and Hispanic subgroups by language preference (English speaking, Spanish speaking, and needed interpreter). We conducted multivariable logistic regression to determine the relationship between language preference and having an AD while controlling for demographic, clinical, and utilization factors. RESULTS: We found 20.3% of non-Hispanic Whites (n = 512,577) and 10.9% of Hispanics (n = 108,371) had completed an AD. Among Hispanics, after controlling for demographic, clinical, and utilization factors, compared with Spanish speakers requiring an interpreter, English speakers had nearly two-fold increased odds of completing an AD (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 2.6; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 2.4-2.9), whereas Spanish speakers not requiring an interpreter had 20% increased odds (aOR = 1.2; 95% CI = 1.1-1.3). Additional predictors of successful AD completion were being female, being older, having more comorbidities, having more hospital and emergency department visits, and having higher socioeconomic status. There were no differences associated with primary care provider characteristics. CONCLUSION: These findings indicate the need for a tailored outreach to Hispanics, particularly among those subgroups who require the need of an interpreter, to reduce AD completion disparities.

Risk of Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer in Connective Tissue Disease and The Impact of Immunosuppressive Therapy.

The risk of skin cancer in connective tissue disease and the impact of immunosuppressive therapy on this risk has not been well studied. The objective of this study is to investigate the risk of non-melanoma skin cancer in patients with connective tissue disease and to assess the impact of immunosuppressive therapy on this risk. This is a retrospective case control cohort study of 8281 patients with connective tissue disease (systemic lupus erythematosus, Sjogren’s disease and scleroderma) and 8281 age, race, and gender matched controls followed for a 5-year period between 2002-2012, who obtained their care from a large integrated multispecialty group practice in Northern California. The odds ratio for developing squamous cell skin cancer among patients with connective tissue disease was 1.47 (95% CI, 1.14-1.90) (P=0.003) while the odds ratio for developing all non-melanoma skin cancer was 1.26 (95% CI, 1.08-1.49) (P=0.005). Patients on immunosuppressive medication for at least one year had an OR of 1.69 (95% CI, 1.16-2.45) of developing non-melanoma skin cancer (P=0.006) when controlled for age, race, gender, type of connective tissue disease, smoking status, and health care utilization. Our study shows an increased risk of non-melanoma skin cancer among patients with connective tissue disease. We also note that patients on immunosuppressive therapy for at least one year had an increased incidence of non-melanoma skin cancer. Further studies are needed to confirm these findings. J Drugs Dermatol. 2020;19(5):  doi:10.36849/JDD.2020.4781.

Microorganisms Associated With Osteomyelitis of the Foot and Ankle.

Osteomyelitis of the foot and ankle is a challenge to treat and creates a significant demand on both the patient and the healthcare system. The purposes of this study were to determine the microorganisms associated with foot and ankle osteomyelitis, to evaluate the change in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) between 2005 and 2010, and to determine the relationship between these infecting organisms and patient comorbidities. The medical records for 302 patients diagnosed with osteomyelitis of the foot and ankle, 151 in 2005 and 151 in 2010, were randomly selected and evaluated. The authors reviewed the demographics, comorbidities, microorganism(s) confirmed with bone biopsy and culture, location, and use of antibiotics before bone biopsy. Gram-positive bacteria were the most prevalent, composing 81.9% of the isolates in 2005 and 59.6% in 2010. Methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus was the most common in both cohorts. Conversely, the incidence of MRSA statistically decreased from 28.3% to 10.6% from 2005 to 2010 (p < .0001). Gram-negative bacteria were found in 39.5% of the 2005 isolates and 31.8% of those from 2010. Pseudomonas sp. was the most common gram-negative bacteria. Patients with peripheral vascular disease had a significantly higher incidence of gram-negative bacteria (odds ratio 2.1, 95% confidence interval, 1.3 to 3.6, p = .003). The results of this study reveal that MSSA was the most common bacteria, incidence of MRSA decreased between the 2005 to 2010, and patients with peripheral vascular disease have a significantly higher incidence of gram-negative bacteria.

Histologic Grade Is Predictive of Incidence of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Mutations in Metastatic Lung Adenocarcinoma.

Activating epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations in metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are associated with a high response rate to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI). The current guidelines recommend routine EGFR mutational analysis prior to initiating first line systemic therapy. The clinical characteristics including smoking status, histologic type, sex and ethnicity are known to be associated with the incidence of EGFR mutations. We retrospectively analyzed 277 patients with metastatic NSCLC within Kaiser Permanente Northern California (KPNC); among these patients, 83 were positive for EGFR mutations. We performed both univariate and multivariable logistic regressions to identify predictors of EGFR mutations. We found that histologic grade was significantly associated with the incidence of EGFR mutation, regardless of ethnicity, sex and smoking status. In grade I (well differentiated) and II (moderately differentiated), histology was associated with significantly higher incidence of EGFR mutations compared to grade II-III (moderate-to-poorly differentiated) and III (poorly differentiated). Ever-smokers with grade III lung adenocarcinoma had 1.8% incidence of EGFR mutations. This study indicates that histologic grade is a predictive factor for the incidence of EGFR mutations and suggests that for patients with grade II-III or III lung adenocarcinoma, prompt initiation of first-line chemotherapy or immunotherapy is appropriate while awaiting results of EGFR mutational analysis, particularly for patients with history of smoking.

Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Glioblastoma Multiforme-Assessing Risk and Survival: Results of a Large Retrospective Study and Systematic Review of the Literature.

OBJECTIVE: Despite studies showing a positive correlation between type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2), a modifiable risk factor, and various cancer types, the link remains controversial in the setting of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). In this study, we assessed whether DM2 and DM2-associated factors were associated with a higher risk of developing GBM and also determined if DM2 affected the survival of patients with GBM. METHODS: A cross-sectional case-control study of 1144 GBM cases diagnosed between 2000 and 2013 of which 969 patients matched for age and sex was performed to assess the association between DM2, hyperlipidemia, and obesity with the incidence of GBM. A longitudinal study of the patients with GBM was also performed to assess the association between the effect of DM2 and GBM survival. RESULTS: No association was seen between DM2, hyperlipidemia, obesity, and GBM. DM2 was associated with poorer survival in univariate testing yet not in multivariate testing. Diabetic patients with GBM had good glycemic control. Older patients had poorer survival and overall survival improved over years of study. CONCLUSIONS: DM2, hyperlipidemia, and obesity were not associated with increased risk of developing GBM, and DM2 itself does not seem to influence survival among these patients. This finding might be related to good glycemic control in this cohort. Survey of the literature consistently shows that hyperglycemia is associated with poorer survival. Our findings suggest that rather than the presence or absence of DM2, glycemic control seems to be more important in the survival of patients with GBM, which warrants future investigation.