Brian L. Egleston

Excise, Ablate or Observe: The Small Renal Mass Dilemma—A Meta-Analysis and Review

PURPOSE The incidence of renal cell carcinoma is increasing due to the incidental detection of small renal masses. Resection, predominantly by nephron sparing surgery, remains the standard of care due to its durable oncological outcomes. Active surveillance and ablative technologies have emerged as alternatives to surgery in select patients. We performed a meta-analysis of published data evaluating nephron sparing surgery, cryoablation, radio frequency ablation and observation for small renal masses to define the current data. MATERIALS AND METHODS A MEDLINE search was performed for clinically localized sporadic renal masses. Patient age, tumor size, duration of followup, available pathological data and oncological outcomes were evaluated. RESULTS A total of 99 studies representing 6,471 lesions were analyzed. Significant differences in mean patient age (p <0.001), tumor size (p <0.001) and followup duration (p <0.001) were detected among treatment modalities. The incidence of unknown/indeterminate pathological findings was significantly different among cryoablation, radio frequency ablation and observation (p = 0.003), and a significant difference in the rates of malignancy among lesions with known pathological results was detected (p = 0.001). Compared to nephron sparing surgery significantly increased local progression rates were calculated for cryoablation (RR = 7.45) and radio frequency ablation (RR = 18.23). However, no statistical differences were detected in the incidence of metastatic progression regardless of whether lesions were excised, ablated or observed. CONCLUSIONS Nephron sparing surgery, ablation and surveillance are viable strategies for small renal masses based on short-term and intermediate term oncological outcomes. However, a significant selection bias exists in the application of these techniques. While long-term data have demonstrated durable outcomes for nephron sparing surgery, extended oncological efficacy is lacking for ablation and surveillance strategies. The extent to which treatment alters the natural history of small renal masses is not yet established.

Small renal masses progressing to metastases under active surveillance: a systematic review and pooled analysis.

The authors systematically reviewed the literature and conducted a pooled analysis of studies on small renal masses who underwent active surveillance to identify the risk progression and the characteristics associated with metastases.

Association of Routine Pretreatment Magnetic Resonance Imaging with Time to Surgery, Mastectomy Rate, and Margin Status

BACKGROUND The benefit of breast MRI for newly diagnosed breast cancer patients is uncertain. This study characterizes those receiving MRI versus those who did not, and reports on their short-term surgical outcomes, including time to operation, margin status, and mastectomy rate. STUDY DESIGN All patients seen in a multidisciplinary breast cancer clinic from July 2004 to December 2006 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were evaluated by a radiologist, a pathologist, and surgical, radiation, and medical oncologists. RESULTS Among 577 patients, 130 had pretreatment MRIs. MRI use increased from 2004 (referent, 13%) versus 2005 (24%, p=0.014) and 2006 (27%, p=0.002). Patients having MRIs were younger (52.5 versus 59.0 years, p < 0.001), but its use was not associated with preoperative chemotherapy, family history of breast or ovarian cancer, presentation, or tumor features. MRI was associated with a 22.4-day delay in pretreatment evaluation (p=0.011). Breast conserving therapy (BCT) was attempted in 320 of 419 patients with complete surgical data. The odds ratio for mastectomy, controlling for T size and stage, was 1.80 after MRI versus no MRI (p=0.024). Patients having MRIs did not have fewer positive margins at lumpectomy (21.6% MRI versus 13.8% no MRI, p=0.20), or conversions from BCT to mastectomy (9.8% MRI versus 5.9% no MRI, p=0.35). CONCLUSIONS Breast MRI use was not confined to any particular patient group. MRI use was not associated with improved margin status or BCT attempts, but was associated with a treatment delay and increased mastectomy rate. Without evidence of improved oncologic outcomes as a result, our study does not support the routine use of MRI to select patients or facilitate the performance of BCT.

Centralization of Cancer Surgery: Implications for Patient Access to Optimal Care

PURPOSE The volume-outcomes relationship has led many to advocate centralization of cancer procedures at high volume hospitals (HVH). We hypothesized that in response cancer surgery has become increasingly centralized and that this centralization has resulted in increased travel burden for patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS Using 1996 to 2006 discharge data from NY, NJ, PA, all patients > or = 18 years old treated with extirpative surgery for colorectal, esophageal, or pancreatic cancer were examined. Patients and hospitals were geocoded. Annual hospital procedure volume for each tumor site was examined, and multiple quantile and logistic regressions were used to compare changes in centralization and distance traveled. RESULTS Five thousand two hundred seventy-three esophageal, 13,472 pancreatic, 202,879 colon, and 51,262 rectal procedures were included. A shift to HVH occurred to varying degrees for all tumor types. The odds of surgery at a low volume hospital decreased for esophagus, pancreas and colon: per year odds ratios (ORs) were 0.87 (95% CI, 0.85 to 0.90), 0.85 (95% CI, 0.84 to 0.87), and 0.97 (95% CI, 0.97 to 0.98). Median travel distance increased for all sites: esophagus 72%, pancreas 40%, colon 17%, and rectum 28% (P < .0001). Travel distance was proportional to procedure volume (P < .0001). The majority of the increase in distance was attributable to centralization. CONCLUSION There has been extensive centralization of complex cancer surgery over the past decade. While this process should result in population-level improvements in cancer outcomes, centralization is increasing patient travel. For some subsets of the population, increasing travel requirements may pose a significant barrier to access to quality cancer care.

Efficacy of motivational interviewing for smoking cessation: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective A systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate the efficacy of interventions incorporating motivational interviewing for smoking cessation and identify correlates of treatment effects Data sources Medline/PubMed, PsycInfo and other sources including grey literature Study selection Title/abstract search terms were motivational interview* OR motivational enhancement AND smok*, cigarette*, tobacco, OR nicotine. Randomised trials reporting number of smokers abstinent at follow up were eligible. Data extraction Data were independently coded by the first and third authors. We coded for a variety of study, participant, and intervention related variables. Data synthesis A random effects logistic regression with both a random intercept and a random slope for the treatment effect. Results 31 smoking cessation research trials were selected for the study: eight comprised adolescent samples, eight comprised adults with chronic physical or mental illness, five comprised pregnant/postpartum women and 10 comprised other adult samples. Analysis of the trials (9485 individual participants) showed an overall OR comparing likelihood of abstinence in the motivational interviewing (MI) versus control condition of OR 1.45 (95% CI 1.14 to 1.83). Additional potential correlates of treatment effects such as study, sample, and intervention characteristics were examined. Conclusions This is the most comprehensive review of MI for smoking cessation conducted to date. These findings suggest that current MI smoking cessation approaches can be effective for adolescents and adults. However, comparative efficacy trials could be useful.

Evaluating Overall Survival and Competing Risks of Death in Patients With Localized Renal Cell Carcinoma Using a Comprehensive Nomogram

PURPOSE Many patients with localized node-negative renal cell carcinoma (RCC) are elderly with competing comorbidities. Their overall survival benefit after surgical treatment is unknown. We reviewed cases in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database to evaluate the impact of kidney cancer versus competing causes of death in patients with localized RCC and develop a comprehensive nomogram to quantitate survival differences. METHODS We identified individuals with localized, surgically treated clear-cell, papillary, or chromophobe RCC in SEER (1988 through 2003). We used Fine and Gray competing risks proportional hazards regressions to predict 5-year probabilities of three competing mortality outcomes: kidney cancer death, other cancer death, and noncancer death. RESULTS We identified 30,801 cases of localized RCC (median age, 62 years; median tumor size, 4.5 cm). Five-year probabilities of kidney cancer death, other cancer death, and noncancer death were 4%, 7%, and 11%, respectively. Age was strongly predictive of mortality and most predictive of nonkidney cancer deaths (P < .001). Increasing tumor size was related to death from RCC and inversely related to noncancer deaths (P < .001). Racial differences in outcomes were most pronounced for nonkidney cancer deaths (P < .001). Men were more likely to die than women from all causes (P < .002). This nomogram integrates commonly available factors into a useful tool for comparing competing risks of death. CONCLUSION Management of localized RCC must consider competing causes of mortality, particularly in elderly populations. Effective decision making requires treatment trade-off calculations. We present a tool to quantitate competing causes of mortality in patients with localized RCC.

Anatomic Features of Enhancing Renal Masses Predict Malignant and High-Grade Pathology: A Preoperative Nomogram Using the RENAL Nephrometry Score

BACKGROUND Counseling patients with enhancing renal mass currently occurs in the context of significant uncertainty regarding tumor pathology. OBJECTIVE We evaluated whether radiographic features of renal masses could predict tumor pathology and developed a comprehensive nomogram to quantitate the likelihood of malignancy and high-grade pathology based on these features. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS We retrospectively queried Fox Chase Cancer Centers prospectively maintained database for consecutive renal masses where a Nephrometry score was available. INTERVENTION All patients in the cohort underwent either partial or radical nephrectomy. MEASUREMENTS The individual components of Nephrometry were compared with histology and grade of resected tumors. We used multiple logistic regression to develop nomograms predicting the malignancy of tumors and likelihood of high-grade disease among malignant tumors. RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS Nephrometry score was available for 525 of 1750 renal masses. Nephrometry score correlated with both tumor grade (p < 0.0001) and histology (p < 0.0001), such that small endophytic nonhilar tumors were more likely to represent benign pathology. Conversely, large interpolar and hilar tumors more often represented high-grade cancers. The resulting nomogram from these data offers a useful tool for the preoperative prediction of tumor histology (area under the curve [AUC]: 0.76) and grade (AUC: 0.73). The model was subjected to out-of-sample cross-validation; however, lack of external validation is a limitation of the study. CONCLUSIONS The current study is the first to objectify the relationship between tumor anatomy and pathology. Using the Nephrometry score, we developed a tool to quantitate the preoperative likelihood of malignant and high-grade pathology of an enhancing renal mass.

Longitudinal Data with Follow-up Truncated by Death: Match the Analysis Method to Research Aims

Diverse analysis approaches have been proposed to distinguish data missing due to death from nonresponse, and to summarize trajectories of longitudinal data truncated by death. We demonstrate how these analysis approaches arise from factorizations of the distribution of longitudinal data and survival information. Models are illustrated using cognitive functioning data for older adults. For unconditional models, deaths do not occur, deaths are independent of the longitudinal response, or the unconditional longitudinal response is averaged over the survival distribution. Unconditional models, such as random effects models fit to unbalanced data, may implicitly impute data beyond the time of death. Fully conditional models stratify the longitudinal response trajectory by time of death. Fully conditional models are effective for describing individual trajectories, in terms of either aging (age, or years from baseline) or dying (years from death). Causal models (principal stratification) as currently applied are fully conditional models, since group differences at one timepoint are described for a cohort that will survive past a later timepoint. Partly conditional models summarize the longitudinal response in the dynamic cohort of survivors. Partly conditional models are serial cross-sectional snapshots of the response, reflecting the average response in survivors at a given timepoint rather than individual trajectories. Joint models of survival and longitudinal response describe the evolving health status of the entire cohort. Researchers using longitudinal data should consider which method of accommodating deaths is consistent with research aims, and use analysis methods accordingly.

Trends in radical prostatectomy: centralization, robotics, and access to urologic cancer care†

Robotic surgery has been widely adopted for radical prostatectomy. We hypothesized that this change is rapidly shifting procedures away from hospitals that do not offer robotics and consequently increasing patient travel.

The impact of an intensivist-model ICU on trauma-related mortality

Objective:To evaluate the effect of an intensivist-model of critical care delivery on the risk of death following injury. Summary Background Data:An intensivist-model of ICU care is associated with improved outcomes and less resource utilization in mixed medical and surgical ICUs. The process of trauma center verification assures a relatively high standard of care and quality assurance; thus, it is unclear what the effect of a specific model of ICU care delivery might have on trauma-related mortality. Methods:Using data from a large multicenter (68 centers) prospective cohort study, we evaluated the relationship between the model of ICU care (open vs. intensivist-model) and in-hospital mortality following severe injury. An intensivist-model was defined as an ICU where critically ill trauma patients were either on a distinct ICU service (led by an intensivist) or were comanaged with an intensivist (a physician board-certified in critical care). Results:After adjusting for differences in baseline characteristics, the relative risk of death in intensivist-model ICUs was 0.78 (0.58–1.04) compared with an open ICU model. The effect was greatest in the elderly [RR, 0.55 (0.39–0.77)], in units led by surgical intensivists [RR, 0.67 (0.50–0.90)], and in designated trauma centers 0.64 (0.46–0.88). Conclusions:Care in an intensivist-model ICU is associated with a large reduction in in-hospital mortality following trauma, particularly in elderly patients who might have limited physiologic reserve and extensive comorbidity. That the effect is greatest in trauma centers and in units led by surgical intensivists suggests the importance of content expertise in the care of the critically injured. Injured patients are best cared for using an intensivist-model of dedicated critical care delivery, a criterion that should be considered in the verification of trauma centers.