Extranodal Head and Neck Mantle Cell Lymphoma: Characteristics, Treatment, and Survival.

OBJECTIVES: To describe disease characteristics and treatment and to analyze survival and mortality for extranodal mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) of the head and neck. METHODS: Patients with extranodal MCL-excluding primary sites in the salivary glands, eye, and adnexa-were identified from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) 18 Registries (2000-2015). Overall survival (OS) and cumulative incidence of MCL and non-MCL mortality were calculated. Factors associated with MCL and non-MCL mortality were analyzed with cause-specific hazard models. RESULTS: Five hundred nine patients met criteria for descriptive analysis and 294 patients met criteria for survival analysis, with a median follow-up of 58 months. The most common sites for MCL were the oropharynx (66.0%), nasopharynx (19.1%), and oral cavity (8.4%). The most common treatment received was chemotherapy alone (48.9%), followed by chemoradiation therapy (16.9%), and radiation therapy alone (10.4%). The proportion of cases diagnosed as early-stage disease ranged from 31% of sinonasal MCLs to 83% of laryngeal MCLs. At 5 years, OS was 63% (95% CI: 57%-69%). There was no significant difference in OS (P = .79), cumulative incidence of MCL mortality (P = .76), or cumulative incidence of non-MCL mortality (P = .98) by anatomic site. Comparing early-stage to late-stage disease, there was no significant difference in OS (P = .38), cumulative incidence of MCL mortality (P = .07), or cumulative incidence of non-MCL mortality (P = .14). Multivariate analysis showed increased hazard of MCL mortality for patients that were older or that presented with stage III or stage IV disease. CONCLUSION: The oropharynx is the most common subsite of head and neck MCLs, followed by the nasopharynx. Primary head and neck MCLs appear to present at an earlier stage than MCLs of other regions. In particular, laryngeal and hypopharyngeal MCLs may present as stage I or II disease.

An Analysis of Otolaryngology Medical Malpractice Payments From the National Practitioner Data Bank.

OBJECTIVE: To describe malpractice payments made on behalf of otolaryngologists, analyze trends over time, and test the association of payment amount with severity of alleged malpractice and patient age. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cross-sectional analysis. SETTING: National Practitioner Data Bank. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This study comprised all payments made on behalf of otolaryngologists from 1991 to 2018 that were reported to the National Practitioner Data Bank. Descriptive statistics were calculated within and across years. Trends in payments were analyzed with the Mann-Kendall test. Generalized linear regression was utilized to test for association of payment amount with severity of the alleged injury and patient age. RESULTS: From 1991 to 2018, there was a significant decrease in the number of payments (272 to 81) and number of otolaryngologists on whose behalf payments were made (250 to 77). Mean and median payments increased significantly from $248,848 to $420,386 and from $96,813 to $275,000, respectively. By severity of alleged injury, mean payments ranged from $39,755 (95% CI, $20,957-$75,412) for insignificant injury to $754,349 (95% CI, $624,847-$910,692) for patients who were left quadriplegic, sustained brain damage, or required lifelong care. By patient age, mean payments for patients ≥60 years old were $191,465 (95% CI, $159,880-$229,292) versus $247,878 (95% CI, $209,416-$293,402) for patients aged 20 to 39 years and $232,225 (95% CI, $197,691-$272,793) for patients aged 40 to 59 years. CONCLUSION: The annual number and total value of malpractice payments decreased, while the annual mean and median payments increased. Payment amount was associated with severity of alleged malpractice and patient age.

Changes in Population-Level and Institutional-Level Prescribing Habits of Radioiodine Therapy for Papillary Thyroid Cancer.

Background: In the past two decades, new evidence and guidelines have emerged to refine recommendations for the use of radioactive iodine (RAI) therapy after thyroidectomy for cancer. We aim to describe national trends in RAI utilization, assess the impact of individual hospitals on RAI utilization, and examine whether variation in prescribing habits has declined over time. Methods: The National Cancer Database (NCDB) was queried from 2004 to 2016 for patients with papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) who received total thyroidectomy. Trends were analyzed using Joinpoint analysis. Hospital-specific effects and variation in prescribing habits were assessed through a hierarchical, mixed regression model. Results: RAI utilization declined from 61.0% in 2004 to 43.9% in 2016. RAI use declined most profoundly in patients with T1a, N0/X, M0 PTC without extrathyroidal extension (34.8% in 2004 to 9.5% in 2015), but continues to be used commonly in patients with advanced disease for whom it is routinely recommended (73.4% in 2004 to 72.0% in 2015). Furthermore, ∼80% of hospitals in 2016 utilized at or below the median utilization rate in 2006. Variation in RAI utilization across hospitals decreased by ∼50% from 2004 to 2016 (Levene's test p < 0.001), with a significant decline (p = 0.002) in the variation after 2012 (confidence interval: 2010 to 2014). Conclusions: Recommendations for whom to prescribe RAI appear to have impacted both the number of patients receiving RAI and the variation in prescribing habits across hospitals. Hospital selection has contributed less to the probability of receiving RAI over time.

Loss of appetite in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is associated with weight loss and decreased calorie consumption independent of dysphagia.

BACKGROUND: Loss of appetite has been reported to affect up to half of people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and to be associated with weight loss. We wished to test whether loss of appetite correlates with reduced dietary intake independent of dysphagia. METHODS: Appetite was measured repeatedly using the Council on Nutrition Appetite Questionnaire (CNAQ) in participants in the Electronic health Application To Measure Outcomes REmotely study. Dietary intake and weight were compared to appetite, ALS Functional Rating Scale-Revised total and bulbar scores (dysphagia). RESULTS: The average baseline CNAQ score was 30.4 (n = 61; SD = 3.9) with 18.0% scoring <28 points (severe loss of appetite). Lower CNAQ scores correlated with greater weight loss since diagnosis (Pearson correlation coefficient, r = -0.34; P = 0.009) and lower baseline energy intake (P = 0.007), independent of dysphagia. CONCLUSIONS: Our results support an association between loss of appetite and decreased calorie intake and weight in ALS which is independent of dysphagia.

Nutritional counseling with or without mobile health technology: a randomized open-label standard-of-care-controlled trial in ALS.

BACKGROUND: Nutritional status is an important prognostic factor in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). We wished to study the safety, tolerability and efficacy of nutritional counseling with or without an mHealth application to maintain or increase body weight in ALS, compared to standard care. METHODS: In this randomized open-label, standard-of-care-controlled, single-center clinical trial, we randomly assigned adults with ALS to one of three nutritional interventions: counseling by their physician or nurse ("standard care"), counseling by a registered dietitian (RD) ("in-person"), or counseling supported by a mHealth app ("mHealth"). Both intervention arms received tailored nutrition recommendations and recorded dietary intake and weight biweekly (mHealth) or monthly (in-person). The primary outcome of weight and secondary and tertiary outcomes of calorie intake, ALSFRS-R, and quality of life (QOL) were recorded at each clinic visit and analyzed in an ITT mixed model analysis. RESULTS: A total of 88 participants were enrolled of whom 78 were included in this analysis. The three arms were well-balanced except for excess males in the mHealth arm and greater weight lost at baseline in the in-person arm. Participants in the mHealth arm increased their calorie intake at month 3 to an average of 94% (95% CI: 85, 103) of recommended calories, compared to 81% (95% CI: 72, 91, p = 0.06 vs. mHealth) in the standard care arm. After 6 months, calorie intake was not different among the three arms. Overall weight was stable across all three groups. QOL scores in the mHealth arm were stable over 3 months (0.3 points, 95% CI: - 1.7, 2.2) compared to worsening in standard care (- 2.1 points, 95% CI: - 4.0, - 0.2, p = 0.09 vs. mHealth), but all scores declined by 6 months. ALSFRS-R total scores declined by an average of - 2.6 points (95% CI: - 5.1, - 0.1) over 6 months in the mHealth arm (p = 0.13 vs. standard care) compared to - 5.8 points (95% CI: - 8.2, - 3.4, p = 0.74 vs. standard care) in the in-person and - 5.2 points (95% CI: - 7.6, - 2.9) in the standard care arm. CONCLUSIONS: Nutritional counseling by a registered dietitian (with or without support by an mHealth app) is safe but did not maintain weight significantly better than standard care in ALS patients. TRIAL REGISTRATION: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ identifier NCT02418546. Registered April 16, 2015.

Buprenorphine Supply, Access, and Quality: Where We Have Come and the Path Forward.

Buprenorphine is a form of opioid agonist treatment that has been demonstrated to be an effective medication for opioid addiction. It is available in different formulations and marketed under various trade names, including commonly as a buprenorphine/naloxone combination. This paper provides an overview of existing literature on the supply of buprenorphine treatment, the ability of people to access treatment with buprenorphine, and the quality of treatment received. We argue that better data for each of these aspects of treatment could inform policy to expand effective treatment with buprenorphine, and we suggest steps to obtain and act on such data.