Strengthening Essential Health Services Recovery Policy after the COVID-19 Pandemic. Evidence from the Mexican Institute of Social Security.

AIM: To evaluate the progress of the Mexican Institute of Social Security Recovery Policy (IMSS-RP) in addressing the decline in essential health services caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: We analyzed eleven indicators of essential health services from 35 IMSS state delegations. The assessment included ambulatory and hospital care indicators such as breast and cervical cancer screening, family medicine, dental and specialty visits, diabetes and hypertension visits and health outcomes, deliveries, and elective surgeries. We analyzed the period before (January 2018-March 2021) and during (April 2021-June 2023) the implementation of the IMSS-RP. Statistical analysis to determine the association of the policy with service indicators and the change in their trends included an interrupted time series analysis and Poisson Generalized Estimating Equation models. RESULTS: The volume of services showed substantial declines during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, reaching between 11 and 81% of pre-pandemic levels. All services increased significantly during the first 27 months of the IMSS-RP implementation; specialty visits, cervical and breast cancer screening, and diabetes control exceeded pre-pandemic levels (103%,112%,103%, and 138%, respectively). However, only deliveries and the percentage of patients with controlled diabetes and hypertension showed a stable increase following the IMSS-RP implementation, whereas the remaining services showed an initial increase but began to decrease over time. CONCLUSIONS: After 27 months of implementation, IMSS-RP achieved progress in increasing the volume of essential health services and improving chronic disease control. However, declining trends in several services signal the need to focalize the policy.

Design and evaluation of a digital health intervention with proactive follow-up by nurses to improve healthcare and outcomes for patients with breast cancer in Mexico: protocol for a randomised clinical trial.

INTRODUCTION: Nearly 30 000 Mexican women develop breast cancer annually, frequently presenting unmet supportive care needs. In high-income countries, incorporating electronic patient-reported outcomes (ePROs) into cancer care has demonstrated potential for increasing patient-centred care and reducing unmet needs. No such ePRO interventions have been implemented in Mexico. This paper presents the study protocol for designing and evaluating an ePRO digital health application combined with proactive follow-up by nurses. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: We designed a two-component intervention for women receiving breast cancer treatment: a responsive web application for monitoring ePROs and clinical algorithms guiding proactive follow-up by nurses. We will conduct a pilot test of the intervention with 50 patients with breast cancer for 6 weeks to assess feasibility and adjust the application. We will conduct a parallel arm randomised controlled trial assigning 205 patients each to intervention and control in one of Mexico's largest public oncology hospitals. The intervention will be provided for 6 months, with additional 3 months of post-intervention observation. The control group will receive usual healthcare and a list of breast cancer information sources. Women diagnosed with stages I, II or III breast cancer who initiate chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy will be invited to participate. The primary study outcome will be supportive care needs; secondary outcomes include global quality of life and breast symptoms. Information on the outcomes will be obtained through web-based self-administered questionnaires collected at baseline, 1, 3, 6 and 9 months. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The National Research and Ethics Committees of the Mexican Institute of Social Security approved the study (R-2021-785-059). Participants will sign an informed consent form prior to their inclusion. Findings will be disseminated through a policy brief to the local authorities, a webinar for patients, publications in peer-reviewed journals and presentations at national and international conferences. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT05925257.

Long-term outcomes of patients with conjunctival extranodal marginal zone lymphoma.

Comprehensive information on clinical features and long-term outcomes of primary conjunctival extranodal marginal zone lymphoma (PCEMZL) is scarce. We present a large single-institution retrospective study of 72 patients. The median age was 64 years, and 63.9% were female. Stage I was present in 87.5%. Radiation therapy (RT) alone was the most common treatment (70.8%). Complete response (CR) was 87.5%, and 100% in RT-treated patients. With a median follow-up of 6.7 years, relapse/progression and death occurred in 19.4% each, with one relapse within the RT field. The 10-year progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were 68.4% (95% CI 52.8%-79.8%) and 89.4% (95% CI 77.4%-95.2%), respectively. The 10-year rate for time to progression from diagnosis was 22.5% (95% CI 11.6%-35.7%). The 10-year PFS and OS of MALT-IPI 0 versus 1-2 were 83.3% versus 51.3%, (p = .022) and 97.6% versus 76.6%, (p = .0052), respectively. The following characteristics were associated with shorter survival: age > 60 years (PFS: HR = 2.93, 95% CI 1.08-7.95; p = .035, OS: HR = 9.07, 95% CI 1.17-70.26; p = .035) and MALT-IPI 1-2 (PFS: HR = 2.67, 95% CI 1.12-6.31; p = .027, OS: HR = 6.64, 95% CI 1.45-30.37; p = .015). CR following frontline therapy was associated with longer PFS (HR = 0.13, 95% CI 0.04-0.45; p = .001), but not OS. Using the Fine and Gray regression model with death without relapse/progression as a competing risk, RT and CR after frontline therapy were associated with lower risk of relapse (SHR = 0.34, 95% CI 0.12-0.96 p = .041 and SHR = 0.11, 95% CI 0.03-0.36; p < .001, respectively). Patients with PCEMZL treated with frontline RT exhibit excellent long-term survival, and the MALT-IPI score appropriately identifies patients at risk for treatment failure.

Telemonitoring System Oriented towards High-Risk Pregnant Women.

A high-risk pregnancy is one in which pathological problems or abnormal conditions are latent during pregnancy and childbirth, increasing dangers to the mother's or the infant's health. Based on international standards and studies, most of the harms and risks to both the mother and the infant can be detected, treated, and prevented through proper pregnancy monitoring, as well as through appropriate and timely diagnosis. In this paper, we present the analysis, design, development, and usability assessment of a telemonitoring system focused on the remote monitoring and control of pregnancy in women suffering from hypertension, diabetes, or high-risk pregnancy. Our system is composed of two mobile web applications. One of these is designed for the medical area, allowing remote monitoring of the patient's pregnancy, and the other one is directed towards the patient, who enters the alarm symptom data, hypertension data, diabetes data, and clinical analyses, allowing the detection of a risk situation on time. Furthermore, we performed a usability assessment of our system based on a laboratory study with seven doctors and seven patients to evaluate the users' satisfaction. Our telemonitoring system shows a satisfactory/favorable opinion from the users' perspectives based on the obtained results.

[Factors associated with a lack of postnatal care]. / Factores asociados a la falta de control posnatal materno.

Background: Postnatal care is essential to identify and treat at the appropriate time adverse health events in the puerperium. In Mexico, the factors that affect postnatal care have not been documented. Objective: To identify the factors associated with the lack of postnatal care. Material and methods: Cross-sectional study of 202 women of reproductive age affiliated with six primary care clinics of the Mexican Institute for Social Security. We analyzed these factors: (1) sociodemographic: age, education, schooling, distance between home and clinic; (2) psychosocial: social support; (3) obstetric and gynecologic: number of pregnancies, type of delivery, presence of comorbidity and suspected depression, and (4) health services: deficient prenatal control and incomplete postpartum hospital care. We performed multiple Poisson regression with a robust variance. Results: 49.5% of women had postnatal control. Factors associated with a higher probability of lack of postnatal control were: distance ≥ 5 km between home and clinic (adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR] 1.48, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.16-1.88, p = 0.001), poor prenatal care (aPR 1.21, 95% CI 1.001-1.46, p = 0.049), and incomplete postpartum care (aPR 1.42, 95% CI 1.23-1.63, p < 0.001). Conclusions: The low attendance of postnatal care in primary care clinics highlights the need to seek and implement feasible healthcare alternatives, such as home care or telemedicine, to women who cannot attend to postnatal consultations.

Introducción: el control posnatal es esencial para identificar y tratar oportunamente las afecciones de salud de la mujer en el puerperio. En México no se han documentado los factores que limitan la atención posnatal. Objetivo: identificar los factores asociados a la falta de control posnatal. Material y métodos: estudio transversal con 202 mujeres en edad reproductiva adscritas a seis clínicas de atención primaria del Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social. Analizamos los siguientes factores: (1) sociodemográficos: edad, escolaridad, distancia entre domicilio y clínica de atención; (2) psicosociales: apoyo social; (3) ginecoobstétricos: número de embarazos, tipo de parto, presencia de comorbilidad y sospecha de depresión; (4) servicios de salud: control prenatal deficiente y atención hospitalaria posparto incompleta. El análisis incluyó regresión múltiple de Poisson con varianza robusta. Resultados: 49.5% de las mujeres acudieron a control posnatal. Los factores asociados con mayor probabilidad de falta de control prenatal fueron: distancia ≥ 5 km entre domicilio y clínica de atención (razones de prevalencia ajustadas [RPa] 1.48, intervalo de confianza del 95% [IC 95%] 1.16-1.88, p = 0.001), control prenatal deficiente (RPa 1.21, IC 95% 1.001-1.46, p = 0.049) y atención posparto incompleta (RPa 1.42, IC 95% 1.23-1.63, p < 0.001). Conclusiones: la baja asistencia a control posnatal en las clínicas de atención primaria destaca la necesidad de buscar e implementar alternativas factibles, como teleasistencia y consultas a domicilio, para facilitar que las mujeres que viven lejos de su clínica de atención primaria reciban atención posnatal.

A single-center analysis of patients with extranodal marginal zone lymphoma of the breast.

Breast extranodal marginal zone lymphoma (EMZL) is a rare malignancy. We performed the largest published to date single-center retrospective analysis of 13 patients with breast EMZL focusing on clinical characteristics and treatment-related outcomes. The rarity of this disease at our center was concordant with the prevalence reported in the literature, with breast EMZL comprising 2% of 654 MZL cases. Most patients presented with stage I-II disease however four (30.8%) patients had stage IV disease mostly due to occult bone marrow (BM) involvement. Interestingly, EMZL was frequently non-FDG avid (66.7%) on staging PET/CT. With a median follow-up of 3.1 years (range 5 months to 10.2 years), the 3-year progression free survival was 68.7% (95%CI 30.2%-88.9%) and overall survival 80.2% (95%CI 40.3%-94.8%). No patient experienced higher-grade transformation. Herein we show that localized breast EMZL can be effectively treated with radiation therapy providing long term disease control.

Marginal zone lymphoma of the colon: case series from a single center and SEER data review.

Colon extranodal marginal zone lymphoma (EMZL) is poorly characterized in the literature. We performed a retrospective review of patients with colon EMZL at our institution and from the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database. Eight patients were identified in our institution with majority (88%) presenting with stage-I disease. Initial management included active surveillance, polypectomy followed by surveillance, and surgical resection followed by chemotherapy. One patient with concurrent prostate carcinoma received radiation to the rectum. Initial therapy led to complete remission in five out of six treated patients with four of them maintaining remission at 88 months. SEER database identified 361 patients with stage-I colon EMZL. Overall survival for this cohort was 73.9% at 10 years with no significant difference in outcomes between treatment groups. Our single institution experience and the SEER data analysis emphasize indolent nature of colon EMZL and need for non-aggressive therapeutic approaches.

Factores asociados a la falta de control posnatal materno / Factors associated with a lack of postnatal care

Introducción: el control posnatal es esencial para identificar y tratar oportunamente las afecciones de salud de la mujer en el puerperio. En México no se han documentado los factores que limitan la atención posnatal. Objetivo: identificar los factores asociados a la falta de control posnatal. Material y métodos: estudio transversal con 202 mujeres en edad reproductiva adscritas a seis clínicas de atención primaria del Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social. Analizamos los siguientes factores: (1) sociodemográficos: edad, escolaridad, distancia entre domicilio y clínica de atención; (2) psicosociales: apoyo social; (3) ginecoobstétricos: número de embarazos, tipo de parto, presencia de comorbilidad y sospecha de depresión; (4) servicios de salud: control prenatal deficiente y atención hospitalaria posparto incompleta. El análisis incluyó regresión múltiple de Poisson con varianza robusta. Resultados: 49.5% de las mujeres acudieron a control posnatal. Los factores asociados con mayor probabilidad de falta de control prenatal fueron: distancia ≥ 5 km entre domicilio y clínica de atención (razones de prevalencia ajustadas [RPa] 1.48, intervalo de confianza del 95% [IC 95%] 1.16-1.88, p = 0.001), control prenatal deficiente (RPa 1.21, IC 95% 1.001-1.46, p = 0.049) y atención posparto incompleta (RPa 1.42, IC 95% 1.23-1.63, p < 0.001). Conclusiones: la baja asistencia a control posnatal en las clínicas de atención primaria destaca la necesidad de buscar e implementar alternativas factibles, como teleasistencia y consultas a domicilio, para facilitar que las mujeres que viven lejos de su clínica de atención primaria reciban atención posnatal

Background: Postnatal care is essential to identify and treat at the appropriate time adverse health events in the puerperium. In Mexico, the factors that affect postnatal care have not been documented. Objective: To identify the factors associated with the lack of postnatal care. Material and methods: Cross-sectional study of 202 women of reproductive age affiliated with six primary care clinics of the Mexican Institute for Social Security. We analyzed these factors: (1) sociodemographic: age, education, schooling, distance between home and clinic; (2) psychosocial: social support; (3) obstetric and gynecologic: number of pregnancies, type of delivery, presence of comorbidity and suspected depression, and (4) health services: deficient prenatal control and incomplete postpartum hospital care. We performed multiple Poisson regression with a robust variance. Results: 49.5% of women had postnatal control. Factors associated with a higher probability of lack of postnatal control were: distance ≥ 5 km between home and clinic (adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR] 1.48, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.16-1.88, p = 0.001), poor prenatal care (aPR 1.21, 95% CI 1.001-1.46, p = 0.049), and incomplete postpartum care (aPR 1.42, 95% CI 1.23-1.63, p < 0.001). Conclusions: The low attendance of postnatal care in primary care clinics highlights the need to seek and implement feasible healthcare alternatives, such as home care or telemedicine, to women who cannot attend to postnatal consultations

A nonrandom association of breast implants and the formation of desmoid tumors.

BACKGROUND: Studies suggest that surgical breast augmentation with implants is a risk factor for breast desmoid tumors. The statistical strength of this correlation is unknown, as evidence is limited to anecdotal reports. METHODS: Patients with breast desmoid tumors and a history of breast implants seen at a single center between 2000 and 2021 were identified via radiology, breast, and sarcoma databases. The standardized incidence ratio (SIR) was calculated to assess the correlation between breast desmoid tumors and breast implants. The cases were pooled with published cases for analyses. Progression-free survival curves and hazard ratios were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional-hazards modeling. RESULTS: Fourteen patients from one institution and 66 cases in the literature were identified. All patients were female, and the mean age was 38 years old (range 20-66). 63 patients (82%) underwent resection, 9 (12%) received chemotherapy, 3 (4%) received sorafenib, 11 (14%) received hormonal therapy, and 3 (4%) underwent active surveillance. After resection, the 2-year recurrence-free survival rate was 77% (95% CI 65%-89%). The recurrence risk was lower for resection with no residual tumor (R0) compared to microscopic (R1) or macroscopic (R2) residual tumor (HR: 0.15; 95% CI 0.02-0.8; p < 0.05). The SIR was 482 (95% CI 259-775) to 823 (95% CI 442-1322), suggesting a 482-823 times higher risk of developing a breast desmoid tumor after breast augmentation than the general population. CONCLUSION: We present a nonrandom association between breast implants and desmoid tumors. Whether the tumors arise from the surgical trauma or the implant's biomaterial is unknown. When surgery is indicated, negative margins reduce the risk of recurrence.

Comparative Efficacy and Safety of Programmed Death-1 Pathway Inhibitors in Advanced Gastroesophageal Cancers: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis of Phase III Clinical Trials.

Background: The use of checkpoint inhibitors has changed the treatment landscape for gastroesophageal cancer in the third-line setting. However, success rates in earlier treatment lines are highly variable across trials. Herein, we compare the efficacy and safety of the different anti-PD-1/PD-L1 regimens with or without chemotherapy; Methods: We performed a network meta-analysis (NMA) of anti-PD-1/PD-L1 monotherapy or combined with chemotherapy (chemoimmunotherapy) for gastroesophageal cancers without ERBB2 overexpression; Results: The first-line NMA included four trials (N = 3817), showing that chemoimmunotherapy improved OS and PFS without significant safety difference: Nivolumab-chemotherapy, OS (HR: 0.83 [95% CI, 0.75-0.92]), PFS (HR 0.68 [95% CI, 0.57-0.81]), Pembrolizumab-chemotherapy: OS (HR 0.77 [95% CI, 0.67-0.88]), PFS (HR: 0.72 [95% CI, 0.60-0.85]. Pembrolizumab monotherapy was the safest first-line treatment, SAE (OR 0.02 [95% CI, 0.00-0.2]) but showed no survival benefit. The second-line NMA encompassed four trials (N = 2087), showing that anti-PD-1 significantly improved safety but not survival: camrelizumab, SAE (OR 0.37; [95% CI, 0.24-0.56]); nivolumab, SAE (OR 0.13, [95% CI, 0.08-0.2]) pembrolizumab, SAE (OR 0.4; [95% CI, 0.30-0.53]); Conclusions: chemoimmunotherapy improves OS and PFS in previously untreated gastroesophageal cancers. Anti-PD-1 monotherapies improve safety in refractory disease, with no significant survival benefit.

Prevalence of Targetable Mutations in Black Patients With Lung Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

PURPOSE: Inferior outcomes of Black patients with lung cancer compared with other racial groups are often linked to socioeconomic factors. It is crucial to determine whether a varying prevalence of targetable mutations limits treatments and contributes to disparities. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a meta-analysis on the prevalence of lung cancer EGFR, ALK, ROS-1, and BRAF mutations in Black patients compared with White, Hispanic, and Asian patients. We searched PubMed/MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, CENTRAL, Google Scholar, and clinicaltrials.gov databases. We selected studies reporting the prevalence of at least one mutation in the Black population. We calculated the pooled prevalence of mutations using fixed effects, exact binomial distributions, and Freeman-Turkey double arcsine transformation to stabilize the variances. RESULTS: Twenty studies with 11,867 patients were included. In Black patients, EGFR was the most prevalent mutation (6%; 95% CI, 5 to 7), followed by BRAF (1%; 95% CI, 0 to 2), ALK (1%; 95% CI, 0 to 2), and ROS-1 (0%; 95% CI, 0 to 1). Black patients had a lower prevalence of EGFR mutations than White, Hispanic, and Asian patients (P < .01). BRAF mutations were less prevalent in Black compared with White patients (P < .05), and ALK mutations were less prevalent when compared with Hispanic patients (P < .05). CONCLUSION: EGFR is the most frequent mutation found in Black patients, although its prevalence is lower than that in other races. Black patients have a low overall prevalence of ALK, ROS-1, and BRAF mutations. Given that disproportional eligibility for targeted therapies may be contributing to inferior outcomes, research focused on the Black population is needed to evaluate specific tumor characteristics and therapeutic strategies.

R-MACLO-IVAM regimen followed by maintenance therapy induces durable remissions in untreated mantle cell lymphoma - Long term follow up results.

We present long-term combined results of two clinical trials implementing R-MACLO-IVAM induction followed by thalidomide or rituximab maintenance in 44 patients with untreated mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). The first 22 patients (UM-MCL1 ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT00450801) received maintenance with thalidomide (200 mg daily until relapse/intolerable toxicity) and a subsequent cohort of 22 patients (UM-MCL2 ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT00878254) received rituximab (375 mg/m2 IV weekly × 4, repeated every 6 months for 3 years). Considering all 44 patients, 41 (93.2%) achieved complete response (CR), two (4.5%) partial response (PR), and one (2.3%) was not evaluated for response. With a median follow up of 7.2 years (range < 1 month to 16 years), the 5-year progression-free survival (PFS) was 55.6% (95% CI: 38.9%-69.4%) and median PFS 7.9 years (95% CI: 3.7-11 years). The 5-year OS was 83.3% (95% CI: 68.1%-91.7%) and median OS was not reached. Patients with blastic variant (n = 6) had a 5-year PFS and OS of 20.8% and 60%, respectively. Myelosuppression was the most common adverse event during immunochemotherapy. Long-term treatment-related mortality was 6.8%. Note, R-MACLO-IVAM followed by maintenance therapy is an effective regimen to induce long-term remission in MCL without need for consolidation with ASCT.

Gaps between supply and demand of acute myocardial infarction treatment in Mexico / Brechas entre la oferta y la demanda del tratamiento de infarto agudo al miocardio en México

Abstract Objective: To analyze acute myocardial infarction (AMI) admissions and in-hospital mortality rates and evaluate the competence of the Ministry of Health (MOH) hospitals to provide AMI treatment. Materials and methods: We used a mixed-methods approach: 1) Joinpoint analysis of hospitalizations and in-hospital mortality trends between 2005 and 2017; 2) a nation-wide cross-sectional MOH hospital survey. Results: AMI hospitalizations are increasing among men and patients aged >60 years; women have higher mortality rates. The survey included 527 hospitals (2nd level =471; 3rd level =56). We identified insufficient competence to diagnose AMI (2nd level 37%, 3rd level 51%), perform pharmacological perfusion (2nd level 8.7%, 3rd level 26.8%), and mechanical reperfusion (2nd level 2.8%, 3rd level 17.9%). Conclusions: There are wide disparities in demand, supply, and health outcomes of AMI in Mexico. It is advisable to build up the competence with gender and age perspectives in order to diagnose and manage AMI and reduce AMI mortality effectively.

Resumen Objetivo: Analizar las tendencias de admisiones y mortalidad hospitalaria por infarto agudo al miocardio (IAM) y evaluar la competencia hospitalaria de la Secretaría de Salud (SS) para tratarlo. Material y métodos. Enfoque de métodos mixtos: Jointpoint análisis de tendencias de hospitalizaciones y mortalidad hospitalaria entre 2005 y 2017, y encuesta en hospitales de la SS. Resultados: Las hospitalizaciones por IAM están aumentando entre hombres y pacientes >60 años. Las mujeres tienen mayor mortalidad. La encuesta incluyó 527 hospitales (2º nivel =471, 3er nivel =56). Los hospitales tienen competencias insuficientes para diagnosticar IAM (2º nivel 37%, 3er nivel 51%), realizar perfusión farmacológica (2º nivel 8.7%, 3er nivel 26.8%) y reperfusión mecánica (2º nivel 2.8%, 3er nivel 17.9%). Conclusiones: Existen disparidades en demanda, oferta y resultados en salud del IAM. Es aconsejable fortalecer las competencias, con perspectivas de género y edad, para diagnosticar y tratar IAM, y reducir su mortalidad efectivamente.

Gaps between supply and demand of acute myocardial infarction treatment in Mexico.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze acute myocardial infarction (AMI) admissions and in-hospital mortality rates and evaluate the competence of the Ministry of Health (MOH) hospitals to provide AMI treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We used a mixed-methods approach: 1) Joinpoint analysis of hos-pitalizations and in-hospital mortality trends between 2005 and 2017; 2) a nation-wide cross-sectional MOH hospital survey. RESULTS: AMI hospitalizations are increasing among men and patients aged >60 years; women have higher mortal-ity rates. The survey included 527 hospitals (2nd level =471; 3rdlevel =56). We identified insufficient competence to diagnose AMI (2nd level 37%, 3rd level 51%), perform pharmacological perfusion (2nd level 8.7%, 3rd level 26.8%), and mechanical reperfusion (2nd level 2.8%, 3rd level 17.9%). CONCLUSIONS: There are wide disparities in demand, supply, and health outcomes of AMI in Mexico. It is advisable to build up the competence with gender and age perspectives in order to di-agnose and manage AMI and reduce AMI mortality effectively.

OBJETIVO: Analizar las tendencias de admisiones y mortali-dad hospitalaria por infarto agudo al miocardio (IAM) y eva-luar la competencia hospitalaria de la Secretaría de Salud (SS) para tratarlo. MATERIAL Y MÉTODOS: Enfoque de métodos mixtos: Jointpoint análisis de tendencias de hospitalizaciones y mortalidad hospitalaria entre 2005 y 2017, y encuesta en hospitales de la SS. RESULTADOS: Las hospitalizaciones por IAM están aumentando entre hombres y pacientes >60 años. Las mujeres tienen mayor mortalidad. La encuesta incluyó 527 hospitales (2º nivel =471, 3er nivel =56). Los hospitales tienen competencias insuficientes para diagnosticar IAM (2º nivel 37%, 3er nivel 51%), realizar perfusión farmacológica (2º nivel 8.7%, 3er nivel 26.8%) y reperfusión mecánica (2º nivel 2.8%, 3er nivel 17.9%). CONCLUSIONES: Existen disparidades en demanda, oferta y resultados en salud del IAM. Es aconsejable fortalecer las competencias, con perspectivas de género y edad, para diagnosticar y tratar IAM, y reducir su mortalidad efectivamente.

The challenges of implementing low-dose computed tomography for lung cancer screening in low- and middle-income countries.

Lung cancer accounts for an alarming human and economic burden in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Recent landmark trials from high-income countries (HICs) by demonstrating that low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) screening effectively reduces lung cancer mortality have engendered enthusiasm for this approach. Here we examine the effectiveness and affordability of LDCT screening from the viewpoint of LMICs. We consider resource-restricted perspectives and discuss implementation challenges and strategies to enhance the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of LDCT screening in LMICs.

Adult Lymphoma-Associated Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis: A Clinical Case Series in a Predominantly Hispanic Cohort.

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a systemic inflammation disorder secondary to immune dysregulation. Patients may present with fevers, splenomegaly, bone marrow failure and hemophagocytosis, among other clinical and laboratory findings. Lymphoma-associated HLH (LA-HLH) is a puzzling diagnosis given both conditions overlapping presentation. There are currently no established treatment guidelines for LA-HLH. We conducted a retrospective search of the tumor registry and pathology database at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital using Pathology Laboratory Information System (LIS) and natural language search. We identified adult patients with a combined diagnosis of lymphoma and HLH between January 2008 and July 2018. Data from nine LA-HLH patients were identified and reviewed. The median age was 53 years (range 19 - 73), with 78% of cases of Hispanic origin. Lymphoma subtypes consisted of six T-cell/NK-cell neoplasms: two peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL), not otherwise specified (NOS); two Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)+ extranodal NK-/T-cell lymphomas; one EBV+, CD8+, PTCL, NOS; one EBV+, post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder-anaplastic large cell lymphoma, anaplastic lymphoma kinase negative (PTLD ALCL ALK-); and three B-cell neoplasms: one EBV+ diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL); two DLBCL, NOS. HLH and lymphoma were diagnosed simultaneously in six out of nine cases. Hemophagocytosis phenomena were demonstrated in seven out of nine cases. Treatment consisted of combined HLH and lymphoma therapies in four cases, while lymphoma-directed therapy was applied to four patients; another case was treated with a modified version of the HLH-1994 protocol. Overall, a total of five cases were exposed to HLH-directed regimens (HLH-1994/2004). Three patients had refractory LA-HLH and entered hospice care, whereas another three cases succumbed to treatment-related complications. Of the seven cases that were evaluable for lymphoma response, four cases (57%) achieved complete response (CR), and three of them (43%) were alive with no evidence of recurrence at 10, 16 and 52 months as of the last contact. Herein, we describe our unique experience of an LA-HLH case series in a predominantly Hispanic population in South Florida. The diagnosis is challenging, often delayed, and the prognosis is dismal in refractory cases despite currently available rescue therapies. Furthermore, we describe for the first time the association between HLH and PTLD ALCL.