Higher Rates of Inadequate Adjuvant Radiation Dose Among Older Adults with Head and Neck Cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the rate of inadequate radiotherapy and identify risk factors associated with inadequate adjuvant radiotherapy for head and neck cancer among older adults. METHODS: A retrospective review of the National Cancer Database (NCDB) was performed to identify patients diagnosed with squamous cell cancer of the head and neck between 2004 and 2017. Patients with a single malignancy, negative surgical margins, no extranodal extension, and receipt of adjuvant radiation without systemic therapy were included in the study cohort. The main outcome of interest was the adjuvant radiation dose received. Participant data were compared using univariable, multivariable, and correlation analyses to evaluate risk factors for inadequate radiation therapy (RT) dosing. RESULTS: Among 7608 patients, 1010 patients (13.3%) received an inadequate radiation dose and 6598 (86.7%) received an adequate dose. Patients living in a higher income zip-code, younger age, and those who received intensity-modulated RT (IMRT) were more likely to receive an adequate radiation dose (p < 0.05). Patients older than 70 and 80 years old had a greater likelihood of receiving an inadequate radiation dose (≥70 vs. <70: 16.9% vs. 12.5%; p < 0.05 and ≥80 vs. <80: 20.6% vs. 13.0%%; p < 0.05). Similarly, increasing age was negatively correlated with radiation dose (correlation coefficient: -0.05; p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: A substantial proportion of older patients receiving adjuvant radiation do not complete the full treatment. Older age, year of diagnosis, non-IMRT, and living in a lower-income zip code were associated with early termination of RT. Future studies should examine strategies to improve tolerance of adjuvant RT so that more patients complete the full treatment. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3; Cohort Study Laryngoscope, 134:2206-2211, 2024.

Additive risk of surgical site infection from more than one risk factor following craniotomy for tumor.

PURPOSE: This study seeks to expound upon risk factor etiologies for surgical site infection (SSI) and investigate their combinatorial effects on infection rate following craniotomy for neuro-oncologic pathology. METHODS: Patients who underwent neuro-oncologic craniotomy between 2006 and 2020 were included. Medical records were reviewed to identify the occurrence of wound infection at ≤ 3 months postoperatively. Potential risk factors for infection included tumor pathology, location, anesthesia type, indication, ventricular entry, foreign body, brachytherapy, lumbar drain, prior operation, prior cranial radiation, prior infection, bevacizumab, and medical comorbidities (hypertension, obesity, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, other cancer, cirrhosis). Logistic regression was implemented to determine risk factors for SSI. Chi-square tests were used to assess whether the number of risk factors (e.g., 0, ≥ 1, ≥2, ≥ 3, ≥4) increases the risk of SSI compared to patients with fewer risk factors. The relative increase with each additional risk factor was also evaluated. RESULTS: A total of 1209 patients were included. SSI occurred in 42 patients (3.5%) by 90 days after surgery. Significant risk factors on multivariate logistic regression were bevacizumab (OR 40.84; p < 0.001), cirrhosis (OR 14.20, p = 0.03), foreign body placement (OR 4.06; P < 0.0001), prior radiation (OR 2.20; p = 0.03), and prior operation (OR 1.92; p = 0.04). Infection rates in the combinatorial analysis were as follows: ≥1 risk factor = 5.9% (OR 2.74; p = 0.001), ≥ 2 = 6.7% (OR 2.28; p = 0.01), ≥ 3 = 19.0% (OR 6.5; p < 0.0001), ≥ 4 = 100% (OR 30.2; p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Risk factors in aggregate incrementally increase the risk of postoperative SSI after craniotomy for tumor.

Combined use of vancomycin powder and betadine irrigation lowers the incidence of postcraniotomy wound infection in low-risk cases: a single-center risk-stratified cohort analysis.

PURPOSE: Postoperative surgical site infections (SSIs) constitute a significant source of morbidity for neurosurgical patients. Protocols that minimize postoperative wound infections are integral to improving outcomes and curtailing expenditures. The present study seeks to identify risk factors for infection and assess the efficacy of prophylactic betadine irrigation and vancomycin powder in addition to standard antibiotic irrigation. METHODS: We reviewed craniotomies performed by THS at Weill Cornell/New York Presbyterian Hospital to treat neuro-oncologic pathology. Patients were divided into three groups: group 1 - antibiotic irrigation, group 2 - antibiotic irrigation and betadine irrigation, group 3 - antibiotic irrigation, betadine irrigation, and vancomycin powder. SSI was confirmed with bacterial culture. Risk factor identification and assessment of treatment paradigms was performed using chi-square tests and univariate logistic regression. RESULTS: Among 1209 total patients, the 30- and 90-day SSI rates were 1.7% and 3.5%, respectively. Significant predictors of SSI included preoperative use of bevacizumab (OR 40.84; p < 0.0001), foreign body (OR 4.06; p < 0.0001), prior radiation (OR 2.20; p = 0.03), and prior operation/biopsy (OR 1.92; p = 0.04). Risk of infection was 2.1% in low-risk cases and 6.9% in high-risk cases. A significant, incremental decrement in SSIs was identified between the prophylaxis groups, although only among low-risk cases: group 1: 4.53%, group 2: 1.39%, group 3: 0.42% (p = 0.02). Neither vancomycin powder nor betadine significantly reduced the risk of SSI in patients with one or more risk factors. CONCLUSION: Vancomycin powder with betadine irrigation decreased SSI rates following neuro-oncologic cranial procedures in patients at low risk of infection (i.e., no preoperative risk factors).

Health Status, Persistent Symptoms, and Effort Intolerance One Year After Acute COVID-19 Infection.

BACKGROUND: The long-term prevalence and risk factors for post-acute COVID-19 sequelae (PASC) are not well described and may have important implications for unvaccinated populations and policy makers. OBJECTIVE: To assess health status, persistent symptoms, and effort tolerance approximately 1 year after COVID-19 infection DESIGN: Retrospective observational cohort study using surveys and clinical data PARTICIPANTS: Survey respondents who were survivors of acute COVID-19 infection requiring Emergency Department presentation or hospitalization between March 3 and May 15, 2020. MAIN MEASURE(S): Self-reported health status, persistent symptoms, and effort tolerance KEY RESULTS: The 530 respondents (median time between hospital presentation and survey 332 days [IQR 325-344]) had mean age 59.2±16.3 years, 44.5% were female and 70.8% were non-White. Of these, 41.5% reported worse health compared to a year prior, 44.2% reported persistent symptoms, 36.2% reported limitations in lifting/carrying groceries, 35.5% reported limitations climbing one flight of stairs, 38.1% reported limitations bending/kneeling/stooping, and 22.1% reported limitations walking one block. Even those without high-risk comorbid conditions and those seen only in the Emergency Department (but not hospitalized) experienced significant deterioration in health, persistent symptoms, and limitations in effort tolerance. Women (adjusted relative risk ratio [aRRR] 1.26, 95% CI 1.01-1.56), those requiring mechanical ventilation (aRRR 1.48, 1.02-2.14), and people with HIV (aRRR 1.75, 1.14-2.69) were significantly more likely to report persistent symptoms. Age and other risk factors for more severe COVID-19 illness were not associated with increased risk of PASC. CONCLUSIONS: PASC may be extraordinarily common 1 year after COVID-19, and these symptoms are sufficiently severe to impact the daily exercise tolerance of patients. PASC symptoms are broadly distributed, are not limited to one specific patient group, and appear to be unrelated to age. These data have implications for vaccine hesitant individuals, policy makers, and physicians managing the emerging longer-term yet unknown impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Visual deterioration after endonasal endoscopic skull base surgery: causes, treatments, and outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: Visual deterioration after endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal surgery (EETS) for sellar and parasellar masses is a rare but serious complication caused by either compressive or ischemic mechanisms. Timely diagnosis and intervention may restore vision if instituted appropriately. The associated risk factors and their relation to the success of intervention are not well understood. METHODS: The authors examined a series of 1200 consecutive EETS cases performed by the senior author at Weill Cornell/NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital from 2010 to 2020. Cases with postoperative visual deterioration were identified. Pre- and postoperative clinical data, mechanism of visual decline, latency to intervention, and long-term visual outcome were retrospectively collected and analyzed with appropriate statistical methods. RESULTS: Twenty-one patients (1.75%) complained of early postoperative visual deterioration. The most common pathology associated with postoperative visual loss was craniopharyngioma (7.69%), followed by meningioma (5.43%) and then pituitary adenoma (1.94%). Timely intervention restored vision in 81% of patients for a 0.33% rate of permanent visual deterioration. Average time to visual deterioration was 28.8 hours, and over 70% of patients experienced vision loss within the first 13 hours. Compressive etiology (n = 11), consisting of either hematoma (n = 8) or graft displacement (n = 3), occurred 7.3 hours and 70.3 hours after surgery, respectively, and was more common in adenomas. Acute postoperative visual deterioration was more common in firm closures (4.78%) compared with soft closures (1.03%; p = 0.0006). Ischemic etiology (n = 10) occurred 10.3 hours after surgery and was more common with craniopharyngiomas and meningiomas (p = 0.08). Sixteen patients (76.2%) underwent early reoperation to explore and decompress the optic apparatus. Vision was restored to baseline after reoperation in all 11 compressive cases, whereas 6/10 ischemic cases improved with supplemental oxygen and hypervolemic hypertensive therapy (p = 0.02). Fluid expansion from 8 to 16 hours (p = 0.034) and systolic blood pressure elevation from 32 to 48 hours (p = 0.05) after surgery were significantly higher in those ischemic patients who recovered some vision compared with those with persistent visual deficits. CONCLUSIONS: Visual deterioration after EETS is a rare event but can be effectively treated if acted upon appropriately and in a timely fashion. Compressive etiology is reversible with early reoperation. Ischemic etiology can be successfully treated in roughly half of cases with supplemental oxygen and hypertensive hypervolemic therapy but may result in permanent visual deterioration if not instituted appropriately or if delayed with unnecessary exploratory surgery.

Public access to protocols of contemporary cancer randomized clinical trials.

Access to randomized clinical trial (RCT) protocols is necessary for the interpretation and reproducibility of the study results, but protocol availability has been lacking. We determined the prevalence of protocol availability for all published cancer RCTs in January 2020. We found that only 36.1% (48/133) of RCTs had an accessible protocol and only 11.3% of RCTs (15/133) had a publicly accessible protocol that was not behind a paywall. Only 18.0% (24/133) of RCTs were published in conjunction with the protocol on the journal website. In conclusion, few cancer RCTs have an accessible research protocol. Journals should require publication of RCT protocols along with manuscripts to improve research transparency.

Endoscopic endonasal approach for craniopharyngiomas.

The operative management of craniopharyngiomas has evolved over the last two decades. Traditional transcranial microsurgical approaches were the only option until the advent of the endoscopic endonasal approach. It has given surgeons the ability to tackle a challenging entity from a new perspective with comparable if not superior results. In this review we outline the advancements in endoscopic endonasal approach for craniopharyngiomas, address controversies and review the current literature.