Improving quality of life through the routine use of the patient concerns inventory for head and neck cancer patients: main results of a cluster preference randomised controlled trial.

PURPOSE: The patient concerns inventory (PCI) is a prompt list allowing head and neck cancer (HNC) patients to discuss issues that otherwise might be overlooked. This trial evaluated the effectiveness of using the PCI at routine outpatient clinics for one year after treatment on health-related QOL (HRQOL). METHODS: A pragmatic cluster preference randomised control trial with 15 consultants, 8 'using' and 7 'not using' the PCI intervention. Patients treated with curative intent (all sites, disease stages, treatments) were eligible. RESULTS: Consultants saw a median (inter-quartile range) 16 (13-26) patients, with 140 PCI and 148 control patients. Of the pre-specified outcomes, the 12-month results for the mean University of Washington Quality of Life (UW-QOLv4) social-emotional subscale score suggested a small clinical effect of intervention of 4.6 units (95% CI 0.2, 9.0), p = 0.04 after full adjustment for pre-stated case-mix. Results for UW-QOLv4 overall quality of life being less than good at 12 months (primary outcome) also favoured the PCI with a risk ratio of 0.83 (95% CI 0.66, 1.06) and absolute risk 4.8% (- 2.9%, 12.9%) but without achieving statistical significance. Other non-a-priori analyses, including all 12 UWQOL domains and at consultant level also suggested better HRQOL with PCI. Consultation times were unaffected and the number of items selected decreased over time. CONCLUSION: This novel trial supports the integration of the PCI approach into routine consultations as a simple low-cost means of benefiting HNC patients. It adds to a growing body of evidence supporting the use of patient prompt lists more generally.

Improving quality of life through the routine use of the patient concerns inventory for head and neck cancer patients: baseline results in a cluster preference randomised controlled trial.

PURPOSE: The main aim of this paper is to present baseline demographic and clinical characteristics and HRQOL in the two groups of the Patient Concerns Inventory (PCI) trial. The baseline PCI data will also be described. METHODS: This is a pragmatic cluster preference randomised control trial with 15 consultant clusters from two sites either 'using' (n = 8) or 'not using' (n = 7) the PCI at a clinic for all of their trial patients. The PCI is a 56-item prompt list that helps patients raise concerns that otherwise might be missed. Eligibility was head and neck cancer patients treated with curative intent (all sites, stage of disease, treatments). RESULTS: From 511 patients first identified as eligible when screening for the multi-disciplinary tumour board meetings, 288 attended a first routine outpatient baseline study clinic after completion of their treatment, median (IQR) of 103 (71-162) days. At baseline, the two trial groups were similar in demographic and clinical characteristics as well as in HRQOL measures apart from differences in tumour location, tumour staging and mode of treatment. These exceptions were cluster (consultant) related to Maxillofacial and ENT consultants seeing different types of cases. Consultation times were similar, with PCI group times taking about 1 min longer on average (95% CL for the difference between means was from - 0.7 to + 2.2 min). CONCLUSION: Using the PCI in routine post-treatment head and neck cancer clinics do not elongate consultations. Recruitment has finished but 12-month follow-up is still ongoing.

Our experience of a nurse-led oral and maxillofacial surgical clinic in a tertiary centre: two years on.

We describe our two-year experience of a nurse led clinic (NLC) in a tertiary centre oral and maxillofacial surgical (OMFS) department. The clinic is run by a specialist nurse, in parallel with a consultant's clinic and focuses on the management and review of non-malignant lesions. Increased clinical flexibility, reduced waiting times, and tailored educational resources have contributed to an improved experience for the patients.

Phenotypic variation among siblings with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy.

Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) is primarily a familial disease with autosomal dominant inheritance. Incomplete penetrance and variable expression are common, resulting in broad disease spectrum. Three patterns of phenotypic expression have been described: (1) "classic" subtype, with predominant right ventricle involvement, (2) "left dominant" subtype, with early and dominant left ventricle involvement, and (3) "biventricular" subtype, with both ventricles equally affected. Genotypephenotype associations have been described, but there are other genetic and non-genetic factors that can affect disease expression. We describe two different phenotypic expressions of ARVC in a family.

Adult Comorbidity Evaluation-27 as a predictor of postoperative complications, two-year mortality, duration of hospital stay, and readmission within 30 days in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.

The Adult Comorbidity Evaluation (ACE)-27 is a validated scoring system for comorbid conditions. We have evaluated the correlation between it and the duration of hospital stay, readmission within 30 days, complications, and two-year survival in patients having primary surgical treatment for squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the head and neck. We studied patients with SCC who had selective neck dissection, resection of the tumour, and reconstruction between 2007 and 2013. Patients who had palliative procedures were excluded. We studied the casenotes of 231 patients and recorded the following outcome measures: TNM staging, ACE-27 score, number of days spent in hospital, readmission within 30 days, complications, and mortality at two years.The relation between the ACE-27 score and duration of hospital stay was significant (p=0.000001). The relations between complications and ACE-27 score, and complications and tumour stage, were also significant (p<0.002, and p<0.008, respectively). Two year mortality is significantly related to stage of tumour and ACE-27 score (p=0.001 and p=0.000246 respectively). We conclude that ACE-27 is a validated, relevant, scoring system for patients being operated on for SCC of the head and neck. It is a better prognostic indicator of two-year mortality than TNM stage, and is a good reflection of complications. We therefore suggest that it is used when discussing surgical outcomes, taking consent from newly-diagnosed patients, and when calculating the costs of head and neck oncological surgery.

Margins and survival in oral cancer.

In the surgical management of oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) we aim to resect the tumour with clear margins in all planes. The aim of this study was to identify and compare overall survival in a group of 591 patients who had resections, and to relate this to the clearance of margins at the tumour bed. We used life tables to calculate survival at one, two, three, five, and 10 years after diagnosis by margin (clear=5mm or more; close=2-5mm; and involved=less than 2mm). Kaplan-Meier curves were produced for the margins alone, which were defined as clear in 480 patients (81%), close in 63 (11%), and involved in 48 (8%). Five-year survival was 81%, 75%, and 54% for clear, close, and involved margins, respectively, which highlights the importance of clear margins for survival. There is a significant prognostic implication associated with close, and particularly with involved, margins.

Early experience of a nurse-led clinic in a tertiary centre.

A busy head and neck or oral and maxillofacial (OMFS) National Health Service (NHS) clinic treats patients with many different conditions. A large proportion will have cancer of the head and neck, and they will be at different stages of their treatment. Their clinical needs may be different from a larger group of patients who have been referred through the "two-week wait" referral pathway, and who are present in the same clinic for their biopsy results. We present our early experience of "fast-track" referrals and their potential effect on the overall volume of work. They are only a small number of the patients who are typically seen in a nurse-led clinic.

Genomic analysis to assess disease progression and recurrence in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma: - a preliminary study.

We studied the progression from dysplasia to invasive carcinoma and subsequent second primaries or locoregional recurrences in 11 patients with recurrent squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Between one and six samples were sequenced/patient. DNA samples were prepared, and libraries multiplexed to between 40 and 80 samples/lane of an Illumina HiSeq 3000 and sequenced with 2×100bp paired end sequencing. Copy number data were generated by CNAnorm (Bioconductor package). Samples of recurrent SCC showed unique patterns of descent when compared with earlier samples from the primary tumour, and three main patterns emerged. In four patients there was convincing evidence that the later lesion was descended directly from cells from the first, and in a further four there were no detectable genomic events between the two lesions. Three patients had some shared events between the early and later lesions, but although there were enough differences to deduce that the two lesions had a shared ancestor, they were not directly descended from each other. We present the patients' characteristics in detail, including the overall survival in each group. There was a distinct genomic pattern after a second episode of SCC in all the groups. A larger study that uses similar methods and a longer duration could provide reliable conclusions with respect to survival. With the use of new techniques, genomic data can be available to clinical teams during the planning of treatment.

Chronic Traumatic Sagittal Band Injury with Extensor Tendon Dislocation: Report of a Case and New Surgical Technique.

Chronic sagittal band injury with tendon dislocation of the extensor digitorum communis in the hand often requires operative stabilization. Various surgical techniques have been reported to repair and reconstruct the sagittal band. Nonetheless, most of the techniques are technically demanding and require donor graft. In this case report, we report a novel surgical technique to centralize and stabilize the tendon by reattaching the radial sagittal band with anchor sutures. The advantages of this new technique are simple, no donor morbidity and stable repair to restore the normal biomechanics of the tendon. The patient was able to return to work in three months and no recurrent dislocation was noted at review two years after surgery.

Survival after surgery for oral cancer: a 30-year experience.

Oral squamous cell carcinoma is the most common intraoral malignancy, for which we advocate radical primary resection with adjuvant treatment where indicated. The main aims of this paper are to identify the overall survival of a consecutive series of patients and to relate survival to clinical and pathological factors. Kaplan-Meier curves were produced for site, sex, TNM status, and use of postoperative radiotherapy. The data were analysed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows and probabilities of less than 0.05 were accepted as significant. A total of 921 patients were recorded in the database with a diagnosis of oral squamous cell carcinoma out of a total of 1958 with salivary gland conditions or other cancers of the head and neck (43.1%). The earliest date of diagnosis was 1973, and the data were censored at 31 March 2016. The database comprised 340 women (36.9%) and 581 men (63.1%). A total of 339 patients died (34.5%): 117 women (33.7%) and 222 men (65.5%). The mean (range) age at death was 73.4 (31.4-97.5) years for women and 68.7 (33.3-95.5) years for men (t (337)=3.28, p=0.001). Our overall survival was somewhat better than the 56% five-year survival reported for oral cancer in England in 2010, which may be a reflection of the treatment. This work supports the view that aggressive management may improve overall survival.

Carotid intima media thickness and high sensitivity C-reactive protein as markers of cardiovascular risk in a malaysian population.

INTRODUCTION: Carotid intima media thickness (CIMT) being a cost effective and easily performed technique is useful in the detection of subclinical atherosclerosis and has been shown to be a prognosticator of cardiovascular events. The primary objective of this study was to obtain the distribution of CIMT measurements, highly sensitive C reactive protein (hs-CRP) and assessing health awareness and attitudes of the Malaysian population at cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk and not receiving lipid lowering agents. Secondarily the study sought to assess the significance of the relationship between these measurements against various patient characteristics. METHODS: Measurements of CIMT are obtained by ultrasonography of 12 sites within the common carotid artery was recorded for 123 subjects from a single centre tertiary hospital of Malaysia who had two or more CVD risk factors but were not receiving lipid lowering therapy. CVD risk factors and lipid and glucose profiles were analyzed with respect to distribution of CIMT and high-sensitivity Creactive protein (hs-CRP) values. RESULTS: The mean-max CIMT was 0.916±0.129mm (minimum 0.630mm, maximum 1.28mm) and the mean-mean CIMT was 0.743±0.110mm (minimum 0.482mm, maximum 1.050mm) and mean hs-CRP was 0.191mg/dL (minimum 0.030mg/dL, maximum 5.440mg/dL). Multivariate analyses confirmed a significant association between increasing CIMT and increasing age, total and low density lipoprotein cholesterol while log-transformed hs-CRP levels showed significant association with increasing body mass index, waist circumference, high blood glucose and triglyceride levels. Our patients had good health awareness on CVD. CONCLUSION: Newly defined CIMT measurements and hs-CRP levels may be useful adjunctive tools to screen for atherosclerosis in the Malaysian population. It may help in refining risk stratification on top of traditional clinical assessment.

The configuration of clinics and the use of biopsy and photography in oral premalignancy: a survey of consultants of the British Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons.

Oral dysplastic lesions may have an increased chance of becoming oral squamous cell carcinoma, but to date their management remains controversial. The aim of this survey was to explore the current practical aspects of the management of patients with dysplasia by oral and maxillofacial consultants in the UK. In the survey we asked consultants about the numbers of patients they see with oral premalignant lesions, the frequency and specialty of designated hospital clinics, their use of photographs and biopsy, factors that influence their decision whether to biopsy a lesion at the first appointment, the procedure for treatment and follow-up and their use (if any) of chemopreventive agents. We found a wide variation in the practical aspects of managing patients with dysplasia, and the lack of consistency among clinicians supports the idea of an initiative to establish more robust national guidelines to use as a gold standard in the future.

Acquired factor VIII deficiency presenting as a floor of the mouth swelling.

The authors report the case of a patient with previously undiagnosed acquired haemophilia A who presented to the accident and emergency department with a swollen tongue and difficulty in swallowing. There were no signs of trauma or obvious dental infection. She was admitted onto a high dependency unit for observation. Over the course of the day, the floor of her mouth and neck became increasingly swollen to the extent that she developed breathing difficulties. She was transferred to an intensive care unit, where she was intubated to protect her airway from further compromise. Acquired factor VIII deficiency was diagnosed and appropriate treatment commenced. Despite intervention, her respiratory and cardiovascular functions deteriorated. Following discussions between the medical specialities involved in her care and her family, the decision was made to withdraw support. The patient passed away 96 h after admission.

Subclinical coronary artery disease in Asian rheumatoid arthritis patients who were in remission: a pilot study.

INTRODUCTION: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients who have active disease with longer disease duration have been reported to have increased risk of cardiovascular events compared to the normal population. OBJECTIVE: The primary aim of our study is to ascertain the prevalence of significant asymptomatic coronary artery disease (CAD) in Asian RA patients who are in remission using multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT). The secondary aims of our study are the usage of pulse wave velocity and the biomarkers N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and high-senstivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) to detect subclinical atherosclerosis in RA patients. METHODS: We performed a comparative cross-sectional study of 47 RA patients who were in remission with a control group of non-RA patients with a history of atypical chest pain in Sarawak General Hospital from November 2008 to February 2009. All patients underwent 64-slice MDCT, assessment of arterial stiffness using the SphygmoCor test and blood analysis for NT-proBNP and hsCRP. RESULTS: There were 94 patients in our study with a mean age of 50 +/- 8.8 years. The RA and control patients in each group were matched in terms of traditional CV risk factors. Our RA patients had a median disease duration of 3 years (IQR 5.5). MDCT showed evidence of CAD in nine (19.1%) RA patients and three (6.4%) control patients (P = 0.06). There was no significant association between pulse wave velocity (PWV) and presence of CAD in our RA group. There was no significant correlation between PWV with levels of proBNP or hsCRP in our RA patients. CONCLUSIONS: In our current pilot study with the limitation of small sample size, RA was not associated with an increased risk of CAD in our RA patients who were in remission. Larger studies of CAD in Asian RA patients are needed to confirm our current finding.

Biopsy examination of squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue: source of significant prognostic information?

Histological analysis of tumour resection for squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the tongue yields prognostic information. We analysed histological slides of biopsy and tumour resection specimens using an adapted malignancy grading score and analysed variables of neck dissections. There was moderate correlation between biopsy and tumour resection using malignancy grading scores (correlation coefficient 0.45); good agreement of tumour grade (79%), tumour depth (76%), and type of invasive front (80%), but correlation was only fair to moderate (κ=0.38, κ=0.51, and κ=0.41, respectively). Correlation of the biopsy grading score and invaded nodes in the neck, extra capsular spread, and soft tissue disease was not significant.

Duplex in the assessment of the free radial forearm flaps: Is it time to change practice?

Radial forearm free flaps (RFFFs) are safe, but critical ischaemia of the hand has been described and is catastrophic. Every effort should therefore be made to improve the safety margin even further. Colour flow duplex ultrasound (US) is a simple, non-invasive and effective assessment tool. We compared it with Allen's test to identify serious vascular anomalies. We studied 121 patients who were listed to have a RFFF harvested, all of whom had both duplex US assessment and Allen's testing of the selected arm. The significance of differences in proportions was assessed using McNemar's test. Five of the 121 patients had an alternative flap selected as a consequence of the duplex assessment. A single flap failed. There were no ischaemic vascular complications that affected the hand.