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To report stage‐specific patterns of treatment and the influence of management and treatment type on survival rates for people newly diagnosed with small cell lung cancer (SCLC). Cross‐sectional patterns of care study; analysis of data prospectively collected for the Victorian Lung Cancer Registry (VLCR). All people diagnosed with SCLC in Victoria during 1 April 2011 – 18 December 2019. Stage‐specific management and treatment of people with SCLC; median survival time. During 2011–19, 1006 people were diagnosed with SCLC (10.5% of all lung cancer diagnoses in Victoria); their median age was 69 years (interquartile range [IQR], 62–77 years), 429 were women (43%), and 921 were current or former smokers (92%). Clinical stage was defined for 896 people (89%; TNM stages I–III, 268 [30%]; TNM stage IV, 628 [70%]) and ECOG performance status at diagnosis for 663 (66%; 0 or 1, 489 [49%]; 2–4, 174 [17%]). The cases of 552 patients had been discussed at multidisciplinary meetings (55%), 377 people had received supportive care screening (37%), and 388 had been referred for palliative care (39%). Active treatment was received by 891 people (89%): chemotherapy, 843 (84%); radiotherapy, 460 (46%); chemotherapy and radiotherapy, 419 (42%); surgery, 23 (2%). Treatment had commenced within fourteen days of diagnosis for 632 of 875 patients (72%). Overall median survival time from diagnosis was 8.9 months (IQR, 4.2–16 months; stage I–III: 16.3 [IQR, 9.3–30] months; stage IV: 7.2 [IQR, 3.3–12] months). Multidisciplinary meeting presentation (hazard ratio [HR], 0.66; 95% CI, 0.58–0.77), multimodality treatment (HR, 0.42; 95% CI, 0.36–0.49), and chemotherapy within fourteen days of diagnosis (HR, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.48–0.94) were each associated with lower mortality during follow‐up. Rates of supportive care screening, multidisciplinary meeting evaluation, and palliative care referral for people with SCLC could be improved. A national registry of SCLC‐specific management and outcomes data could improve the quality and safety of care.

School's just let out, and Jared's * on the move. Decked out in all oversized basketball jersey and baggy jeans, the 15 year-old is ready for some action. Shortly after, [...]

Hypermethylation of the 5' promoter region of the glutathione S-transferase [pi] gene (GSTP1) occurs at a very high frequency in prostate adenocarcinoma. We compared the results of blinded histologic review of sextant biopsy samples from 72 excised prostates with those obtained using a quantitative methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction assay (QMSP) for GSTP1. Formal surgical pathologic review of the resected prostates was used to determine the number of patients with (n = 61) and without (n = 11) prostate cancer. Histology alone detected prostate carcinoma with 64% sensitivity (95% confidence interval [CI] = 51% to 76%) and 100% specificity (95% CI = 72% to 100%), whereas the combination of histology and GSTP1 QMSP at an assay threshold greater than 10 detected prostate carcinoma with 75% sensitivity (95% CI = 63% to 86%) and 100% specificity (95% CI = 72% to 100%), an 11% improvement (95% CI = 5% to 22%) in sensitivity over histology alone. The combination of histology and GSTP1 QMSP at an assay threshold greater than 5 detected prostate adenocarcinoma with 79% sensitivity (95% CI = 68% to 89%), a 15% improvement (95% CI = 7% to 26%) over histology alone. Thus, GSTP1 QMSP improved the sensitivity of histologic review of random needle biopsies for prostate cancer diagnosis. Further studies should determine whether detection of GSTP1 hypermethylation in a biopsy sample with normal histology indicates the need for an early repeat biopsy at the same site.

BackgroundApproximately 15%–20% of all non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cases present with stage I disease. Surgical resection traditionally offers the best chance of a cure but some patients will not have this treatment due to older age, comorbidities or personal choice. Stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) has become an established curative intent treatment option for patients who are not selected for or do not choose surgery. The aim of this study is to compare survival at 90 days, 6 months, 1 year and 2 years for patients who received either lobectomy or SABR.MethodsWe used data from the 2015 National Lung Cancer Audit database and linked with Hospital Episode Statistics and the radiotherapy dataset to identify patients with NSCLC stage IA-IB and performance status (PS) 0–2 who underwent surgery or SABR treatment. We assessed the likelihood of death at 90 days, 6 months, 1 year and 2 year after diagnosis and procedure date to observe survival between two patient groups.ResultsWe identified 2373 patients in our cohort, 476 of whom had SABR. The median difference between date of diagnosis and date of treatment for surgery patients was 17 days while for SABR patients it was 73 days. Increasing age and worsening PS were associated with having SABR rather than surgery. Survival between the two treatment modalities was similar early on but by 1-year people who had surgery did better than those who had SABR (adjusted ORs 2.12, 95% CI 1.35 to 2.31). This difference persisted at 2 years and when the analysis was restricted to patients aged <80 years and with PS 0 or 1 and stage IA only.ConclusionOur analysis suggests that patients who have lobectomy have a better survival compared with SABR patients; however, we found considerable delays in patients receiving SABR which may contribute to poorer long-term outcomes with this treatment option. Reducing these delays should be a key focus in development and reorganisation of services.

We used phase-3 CONVERT trial data to investigate the impact of fludeoxyglucose F 18 (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) in SCLC.

IntroductionData from the National Lung Cancer Audit (NLCA) often show variation in outcomes between lung cancer units which are not entirely explained by case mix. We explore the association between the organisation of services and patient outcome.MethodsDetails of service provision were collected via an electronic survey in June 2017. An overall organisational score derived from eleven key service factors from national lung cancer commissioning guidance was calculated for each organisation. The results for each hospital were linked to their patient outcome results from the 2015 NLCA cases. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to link the organisational score to patient outcomes.ResultsLung cancer unit organisational audit scores varied from 0 to 11. Thirty-eight (29%) units had a score of 0–4, 64 (50%) had a score of 5–7 and 27 (21%) had a score of 8–11. Multivariate regression analysis revealed that, compared with an organisational score of 0–4, patients seen at units with a score of 8–11 had higher 1-year survival (adjusted OR (95% CI)=2.30 (1.04 to 5.08), p<0.001), higher curative-intent treatment rate (adjusted OR (95% CI)=1.62 (1.26 to 2.09), p<0.001) and greater likelihood of receiving treatment within 62 days (adjusted OR (95% CI)=1.49 (1.20 to 1.86), p<0.001).ConclusionNational variation in the provision of services and workforce remain. We provide evidence that adherence to the national lung commissioning guidance has the potential to improve patient outcomes within the current service structure.

ABSTRACTIn 2016, Levine Museum of the New South (LMNS) developed an innovative Sustained Dialogue program aimed at engaging and training a diverse group of Millennials in dialogue. University researchers partnered with museum staff in the program development, implementation, and evaluation. The program led to awareness and critical reflection at multiple scales: individual, group, and the broader community. Participants enhanced their cultural competence and their ability to facilitate conversations about difficult and pressing community issues. The program also helped participants identify solutions and actions to make their communities more inclusive. Participants realized the power of dialogue as a tool for introspection, interaction and social change. Millennials are attracted to programming that is informal, non-hierarchical, involves movement and (inter)activity, and builds skills and networks useful to everyday life. Millennials believe in grassroots efforts and incorporating technology as a way to share experiences, though face-to-face interactions are still viewed as meaningful.

Patients and clinicians are faced with uncertainty as to the optimal treatment strategy for potentially resectable NSCLC in which there is clinical evidence of involvement of the ipsilateral mediastinum. Randomized controlled trials and meta-analyses have failed to demonstrate superiority of one bimodality strategy over another (chemotherapy plus surgery versus chemotherapy plus radiotherapy). One trial of trimodality treatment with chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery demonstrated an improvement in progression-free, but not overall, survival versus chemotherapy and radiotherapy. There are a number of limitations to the data in this complex and heterogenous patient group. No randomized controlled trial has specifically studied patients with single-station N2 disease versus multistation N2 disease. When discussing treatment for fit patients with potentially resectable cN2 NSCLC, lung cancer teams should consider trimodality treatment with chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery or bimodality treatment with chemotherapy and either surgery or radiotherapy. We advocate that all patients see both a thoracic surgeon and the oncology team to discuss these different approaches.

To what degree can a museum impact cultural change in a community? Drawing from an evaluation of Levine Museum of the New South's Speaking of Changeprogram, this article – which is the outcome of a community engaged partnership between museum staff, urban social geographers, and urban education scholars – describes one museum's community practice in shaping receptivity toward newcomers in a new immigrant gateway. Specifically, we demonstrate how through its exhibit and dialogue programming, the museum deepened understanding of immigration in ways that led to a warmer welcome and proactive inclusion. This research illuminates the critical role of museums in guiding community receptivity towards immigrants in a way that provides counterbalance to reactive or hostile responses.

Presents advice to librarians on dealing with teenagers with behavioral problems in the U.S. Importance of respect in a relationship with teenagers; Significance of socializing to the development of teenagers; Ways of communicating with teenagers.

Hypermethylation of the glutathione S-transferase gene (GSTP1) is the most common (greater than 90%) reported epigenetic alteration in prostate cancer. It occurs early in cancer progression and it is a promising marker for detecting organ confined disease. To evaluate its use as a diagnostic tool for cancer we used quantitative GSTP1 methylation to test for the presence of cancer in 45 prostate needle biopsy samples.

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Optimal management of people with advanced NSCLC depends on accurate identification of predictive markers. Yet, real-world data in this setting are limited. We describe the impact, timeliness, and outcomes of molecular testing for patients with advanced NSCLC and good performance status in England.

The increasing prevalence of tuberculosis (TB) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), particularly in Africa and Asia, led us to investigate the prevalence of HIV infection in immigrants with pulmonary TB at the time of arrival in the UK. We performed anonymous HIV testing of stored sera from 39/65 immigrants referred to our unit between January 1991 and December 1994, who had culture-positive pulmonary TB. None of the 39 patients tested was positive for either HIV-1 or HIV-2, and the characteristics of the 26 patients for whom no serum was available were similar to those of the tested group. Despite the need to consider concomitant HIV infection in any patient with TB, particularly those from an area of HIV endemnicity, the present data do not suggest that recently arrived refugees, asylum seekers, immigrants or long-term visitors to the UK constitute a group in whom dual infection of HIV and Mycobacterium tuberculosis is common.