Results of VOICE: a global survey of disease-specific knowledge and perspectives of real-world patients with CLL.

The Virtual Opinions poll Independent Centered on CLL patients' Experience (VOICE) evaluated patients' knowledge about chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), their perspectives on diagnosis and treatment, and their unmet needs. Clinicians and patient advocacy group representatives developed and distributed the survey from March through December 2022 in 12 countries, and 377 patients with ≥1 line of previous CLL treatment responded from Europe, Latin America, the United States, Australia, Egypt, and Turkey. A majority of them (90%; 336/374) relied on their physicians for information regarding CLL and treatment. If at high risk, respondents prefer oral medications to intravenous (78%; 232/296), fixed duration treatment over treatment until progression (69%; 185/270), outpatient over inpatient treatments (91%; 257/283). Over three-fourths of respondents (78%; 286/368) wanted to be involved in treatment decisions, but a minority actually participated (44%; 138/313). COVID-19 vaccinations were widely available (97%; 273/281), but one-fifth (19%; 63/331) were unaware that CLL increases vulnerability to infections. Most patients' physicians explained their treatment options (84%; 297/355), and 90% (271/301) understood their treatment. Notably, >10% would continue treatment normally if they experienced cardiac problems or arrhythmias, whereas 23% would consider stopping treatment if they developed skin cancer. Treatment-associated side effects affected 27% to 43% of patients. These results in a global patient population highlight gaps in patients' knowledge of risk groups, their susceptibility to infections including COVID, and the side effects of common treatments. Such knowledge can guide the appropriate targeting of patient education initiatives by clinicians, advocates, and policymakers.

Prevalência do esôfago de Barrett na unidade de endoscopia digestiva de hospital de referência para a região central do Rio Grande do Sul / Prevalence of Barret's esophagus at the digestive endoscopy unit of a reference hospital in the central region of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

Introdução: Os dados internacionais sobre a prevalência do esôfago de Barrett(EB) são conflitantes e no Brasil esses dados são escassos. O objetivo deste estudo foi determinar a prevalência do EB no serviço de Endoscopia Digestiva do Hospital Universitário de Santa Maria, RS. Pacientes e métodos: No período de maio de 2002 a junho de 2003 foram estudados de forma consecutiva 1.276 pacientes submetidos à endoscopia digestiva alta. Os pacientes foram examinados atentamente em abusca de irregularidades da linha Z, com auxílio da cromoscopia com lugol, e as alterações sugestivas de EB foram biopsiadas. As secções histológicas foram coradas pelo metódo de HE e alcian-blue pH 2,5. O diagnóstico de EB foi definido pela presença de metaplasia intestinal com alcian-blue positivo. Resultados: Quatorze pacientes apresentaram alterações endoscópicas sugestivas de EB. Em quatro o aspecto era de segmento longo. A histologia confirmou o diagnóstico de metaplasia intestinal especializada em oito pacientes (três com segmento longo e cinco com segmento curto). Do total dos pacientes, 326 (26por cento) realizaram endoscopia por sintomas relacionados à doença do refluxo gastroesofágico (DRGE), a prevalência foi de 2,5 por cento