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The field of cancer genetic testing has made great advances in correctly identifying patients at risk for hereditary cancer syndromes. These tests, used during a genetic consultation, promote earlier detection of cancer and potentially increase survival. Despite these advancements, a large number of persons at risk for BRCA1/2 mutations remain untested due to a shortage of genetic counselors and lack of clinician knowledge on how to properly screen, identify, and refer patients to genetic counseling. We suggest team-based practices that physician associates/assistants (PAs) and NPs can use in collaboration with genetic counselors. We also explore how PAs and NPs can alleviate the burden on genetic counselors by taking a comprehensive family history, providing elements of counseling, and ordering appropriate genetic tests. This approach maximizes the amount of time the patient spends receiving actual genetic counseling. By creating this collaborative relationship, PAs and NPs can help increase the number of qualifying patients who receive genetic testing and counseling for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer syndromes.

This retrospective chart review identified six patients with recurrent MG andFour patients were assessed for response. One patient had a partial response, two patients achieved stable disease and one was refractory. One patient with anOsimertinib had a tolerable safety profile in this heavily pretreated brain tumor population. Osimertinib may benefit select patients with recurrent MG containing

Background: EGFR alterations are commonly observed in malignant gliomas (MG). Osimertinib, an irreversible EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitor, effectively penetrates the blood brain barrier and achieves therapeutic concentrations in brain tissue. Materials and Methods: This retrospective chart review identified six patients with recurrent MG and EGFR alterations who received osimertinib. Results: Four patients were assessed for response. One patient had a partial response, two patients achieved stable disease and one was refractory. One patient with an EGFR vIII rearrangement remained on treatment for 236 days and a second patient with an EGFR vIII mutation remained on treatment for 294 days and continued on treatment at the time of analysis. Thrombocytopenia occurred in two patients, one patient developed grade 1 diarrhea and pneumonia, and another patient developed grade 1 mucositis. Conclusion: Osimertinib had a tolerable safety profile in this heavily pretreated brain tumor population. Osimertinib may benefit select patients with recurrent MG containing EGFR alterations.

Mortality from colorectal cancer has been declining over the past 20 years due to improvements in screening and treatment. Physical activity improves patient quality of life, slows functional decline, and reduces all-cause mortality. Although some patients may have difficulty participating in physical activity, clinicians should always try to incorporate exercise into a management plan for patients who have survived colorectal cancer.

Background: Physician Assistants (PA) and Nurse Practitioners (NP), referred to as Advanced Practice Providers (APPs), are an integral part of cancer care today in community oncology (ONC) and academic institutions across the country. It has been shown, a team approach using APPs can extend the ONC workforce (PMID: 25009939). The need for ONC services will increase with the rise in cancer incidence and prevalence. As the rise continues, studies have shown ONC services will dramatically increase due to the predicted shortages of oncologists. Increasing the use of APPs is a viable solution to this shortage (PMID: 21037868). PAs and NPs have validated their value by safely prescribing chemotherapy (CT) as they provide cancer care. This value has been key for both patient and physician colleagues. The Association of Physician Assistants in Oncology (APAO) pursued research to better understand CT prescribing practices of ONC PAs. The focus was on whether or not PAs were allowed to prescribe CT drugs in their day to day practice. Methods: A survey was used to collect data. The survey focused on APPs scope of practice to include prescribing CT independently (IND) or were there restrictions by the state or organizations they are employed by. For those allowed to prescribe CT, further questions regarding training programs and time periods to demonstrate competency were asked. The survey also viewed physician and employer attitudes towards APPs prescribing CT. The survey was sent in January 2021 to 1307 APAO members via email with a 30-day collection period. Eleven percent were returned (N=149). Results: Respondents (R) were PAs, 95%, NPs, 3% and other 1%. The majority of R worked in Hematology/Medical ONC, 87%, with fewer in Surgical ONC 6%, Radiation ONC 1%, other 6%. R came from 34 states with the largest number representing Texas, 13%, New York 12%, Pennsylvania, 8%, North Carolina,7%, Massachusetts 6% and Florida 5%. Most of the R had been in ONC for 1-8 years (y) (59%), followed by 9-16 y (21%), 17-24 y (16%), and 25+ y (3%). The survey was divided into two arms, those who could IND sign CT orders and those who could not IND sign CT orders. The survey demonstrated 44% of the R were able to IND sign CT orders and 56 % of the R could not. With regard to work setting, 60% of R in this arm worked in academic ONC centers and 35% worked in community ONC centers. Also in this arm, 23% were only allowed to sign existing CT plans that did not require modification and 77% were not. The majority of R could sign existing CT orders (89%) and fewer could initiate and sign new CT orders (35%). Most R were able to prescribe intravenous and oral medication (98%), while fewer could prescribe intrathecal 34%) and clinical trial medications (49%). Of the R in the second arm, 74% worked at academic ONC centers and 19% worked at community ONC practices. When asked if their state medical board prohibited prescribing CT, the majority (77%) reported this was not the case, then if their institution/facilities prohibited prescribing CT, the majority (69%) reported this was true. To explore physician/employer attitudes, a question was posed to ask the APP if their physicians believe that limiting CT to physicians is a safety measure. Responses were mixed, 36% reporting this is true, 33% reporting this was false and 31% as unsure. Next, the APPs were asked if their physicians believed experienced APPs should be allowed to prescribe CT. Again, responses were mixed, 44% agreeing, while 11% disagreeing. Finally, 44% were unsure. When asked if their employer believed limiting CT to physicians is an important safety measure, 47% of the R reported this is true, 19% R reported this is false and 34% were unsure. When asked if their employer believed experienced APPs should be allowed to prescribe CT, 30% of the R reported this is true, 20% R report this is false and 49% were unsure. Conclusion: CT prescribing privileges, are not universal for APPs and the reason for inconsistencies in prescribing CT is not clear. This survey provided insight to the wide range of prescribing practices throughout the US based on ONC settings, geographic regions, and experience of the APP. As APPs are valued team members in extending the ONC workforce, and prescribing CT is a common practice in cancer care which APPs participate in. This would seem worthy of further research to understand the reasons why such discrepancies exist. Disclosures Diaz Duque: Morphosys: Speakers Bureau; Hutchinson Pharmaceuticals: Research Funding; Incyte: Consultancy; Astra Zeneca: Research Funding; Epizyme: Consultancy; ADCT: Consultancy.

EGFR alterations are commonly observed in malignant gliomas (MG), especially glioblastomas, making this pathway an appealing therapeutic target. Unlike other EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), osimertinib (osi), a third-generation, irreversible EGFR-TKI commonly used to treat EGFR-mutant lung cancer, is able to effectively penetrate the blood brain barrier (BBB) and achieve therapeutic concentrations in brain tissue. METHODS: A retrospective chart review identified six patients (pts) aged 46–74 years with recurrent MG and known EGFR alterations identified by next generation sequencing who received at least one dose of osi between 1/1/2018 and 5/26/2020. Patients received osi 80 mg by mouth once daily and continued treatment until disease progression, the development of unacceptable side effects, medical complications, or death. RESULTS: All patients had EGFR amplification. Other EGFR alterations identified included EGFRvIII (1 pt), deletion of introns 1–7 (3 pts) and deletion of introns 13–15 (2 pts). Four of the six patients were evaluable for response. Three patients (75.0%) had stable disease (SD) as best response and one patient (25.0%) was refractory to treatment. One patient with an EGFRvIII mutation achieved stable disease on osi and remained on treatment for 236 days. Thrombocytopenia developed in 2 patients (grade 2 (1), grade 3 (1) in patient also on concurrent bevacizumab) and 1 patient developed grade 1 diarrhea and pneumonia. Overall, this heavily pretreated patient population tolerated osi therapy and half of the patients had a best response of SD which lasted from 77 to 236 days. CONCLUSIONS: Osi has a tolerable safety profile in this heavily pretreated brain tumor population, and it may benefit selected patients with recurrent MG containing EGFR alterations. Further clinical investigations are needed, particularly in patients whose tumors express an EGFRvIII mutation, to identify which EGFR alterations may sensitize tumors to this BBB penetrant EGFR-TKI.

BACKGROUND Social determinants of health (SDH) are modifiable factors that contribute to health outcomes. Despite studies linking SDHs with cervical, ovarian, and prostate cancer outcomes, few studies have explored SDHs in glioma patients. We conducted a cross-sectional survey to characterize and contextualize SDHs in glioma patients by community income, rural/urban residence, and treatment status. METHODS Two validated instruments: PRAPARE (Protocol for responding to and assessing patents’ assets risks and experiences) and AHC (accountable health communities instrument) quantified SDHs; along with study-specific supplemental questions. Risk scores were calculated and combined into an overall and domain-specific (economic, education, neighborhood environment, social context, and healthcare) SDH risk, with a higher score being indicative of higher SDH risk. Scores were compared between low-income (LIC) vs high-income (HIC) communities (defined by median household income), urban vs rural (defined by zip code), and active treatment vs surveillance (determined by patient medical record) using Wilcoxon rank-sum test. RESULTS 100 glioma patients were enrolled: mean age 53 years (range: 22–78); 49% male; 18% oligodendroglioma, 34% diffuse astrocytoma, 38% glioblastoma, 10% other glioma; 68% resided in LICs, 27% in rural zip codes, and 51% were on active treatment. Overall, SDH risk scores were low (mean= 4.43-out-of-38). Scores in the healthcare domain were the highest. Compared to patients from LICs, patients from HICs had higher healthcare risk scores (p< 0.05). Surveillance patients had higher overall SDH risk on the AHC than patients in active treatment (p< 0.05), with age being a confounder. In multivariable analysis, younger age, and astrocytoma histology were associated with higher social health risk. CONCLUSION Glioma patients report relatively few SDH risk factors on standardized instruments designed for general clinic populations. The higher health risk observed in patients in HICs and higher AHC risk for those in surveillance will be further explored in planned qualitative analysis.

Patient compliance with routine monitoring for self-administered chemotherapy is problematic. We sought to assess monitoring lapses and incidents of myelosuppression in patients undergoing self-administered chemotherapy for glioblastoma, as well as test software designed to detect and alert clinicians to lapses in monitoring.A retrospective analysis was conducted to identify patients (N=117) who received standard oral temozolomide for glioblastoma at our institution from 2003 to 2010. Gaps in monitoring were classified as minor (10 to 12 days) or major (13 to 28 days), and adverse events were graded using standard criteria. During the prospective portion of the study, we tested a software-based system that alerted clinicians of monitoring lapses and adverse events among patients receiving self-administered temozolomide for glioblastoma (n=37).Our retrospective review found that 34 of 117 patients experienced monitoring gaps during treatment. No association between gaps and risk of myelosuppression were found. Patients with gaps were more likely to be male (P=.04). Patients monitored prospectively with the software experienced no major gaps in monitoring (P=.007 compared with retrospective patients).Our retrospective review demonstrated that monitoring nonadherence was occurring at a substantial rate. Our computerized system eliminated major gaps in monitoring in the prospective portion of our study. Although there is no association between monitoring gaps and the occurrence of adverse events, when they do coincide, continuing oral chemotherapy during an unrecognized adverse event may worsen the patient's condition. Automated systems are justified and serve a function not currently being addressed.

Novel therapeutic options for patients with recurrent primary central nervous system lymphoma (RPCNSL) are needed. Bendamustine, a bifunctional purine analog/alkylating agent, is approved for use in patients with progressive systemic indolent non-Hodgkin's B-cell lymphomas. Limited data suggests that bendamustine may partition into the brain in the setting of a disrupted blood-brain barrier. This report describes the first known experience of patients with RPCNSL treated with bendamustine. Therapy was well-tolerated and best response was noted as stable disease after eight cycles of bendamustine followed by a subsequent local systemic recurrence found at five months follow-up. CNS involvement in this patient remained stable 20 + months post-bendamustine treatment. Based on our observations, further neuropharmacokinetic and efficacy studies with bendamustine may be warranted in this patient population.

The nature of chromium rich carbides which precipitate at grain boundaries in steels is still not perfectly understood. We performed a multitechnique approach on model chromium carbide and chromium–iron carbide samples: Auger Electron Spectroscopy (AES), X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), and High Energy Electron Diffraction (HEED) were used to characterise the samples. Significant chemical shifts were observed for the Cr, Fe and C XPS peaks in the M 7 C 3 compound (M stands for metal), indicating unambiguously that the compound formed is a mixed iron–chromium carbide.

This paper presents the synthesis and the characterisation of various chromium carbide compounds. Thin Cr 23 C 6 films were deposited by reactive sputtering while Cr 7 C 3 films were formed by the carburisation of chromium films in a CH 4 /H 2 atmosphere. Cr x C y powders were synthesised from various precursors (Cr, CrN, Cr 2 O 3 ) by reaction with CH 4 /H 2 at high temperature. The samples were characterised by AES, XRD and electron diffraction. The effects of the experimental parameters (gas composition, temperature, reaction time) on the purity, the phase formed and the composition of the product of reaction are examined and discussed.

Electromagnetic (EM) field measurements were conducted near a 15 mm square-bore railgun accelerating a metal armature. Under shorted rail conditions, the EM environment is quasi-static and directly related to the rail current distribution. Under operational conditions the EM environment is more complex and can include nonlinear effects such as muzzle arcing. Electric and magnetic field measurements were designed to characterize the transient EM environment external to a capacitor-based railgun. Selected data are presented to demonstrate the time history and the spatial variation of the measured EM environment. Analytical results, assuming a quasi-static armature acceleration, are included for comparison. Good agreement in amplitude, waveform, and spatial variation is obtained with a filament current model. >

Eleven patients (with 12 supracondylar femur fractures) with knee extension contractures were followed for an average of 24.8 months (range 12-45) after Judet quadricepsplasty. An increase in motion of 53 degrees with active postoperative flexion of 91 degrees was noted. There was an average loss of 14 degrees of flexion from maximum intraoperative correction. One patient had an extensor lag of 30 degrees, which did not improve after quadricepsplasty, but no other patients developed an extensor lag, infection, or skin breakdown after the procedure.

Doctorat en Sciences, info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

Thin films of carbides and nitrides of Group 6 metals were synthesized by reaction of a metal film with a reactive gas at high temperature and by reactive sputtering. The phases obtained depended on the experimental conditions. High temperatures metastable phases (β-WC1−x and δ-MoC1−x ) were obtained by reactive sputter deposition of films. The carbon concentration in such films depended on the temperature of the substrate and on the pressure. In some cases ordered sublattices of carbon and nitrogen were observed and epitaxial relationships between the deposit and the substrate were studied.

296 Background: Protracted outpatient oral chemotherapy regimens have created new challenges for monitoring patients for toxicity. Unlike IV chemotherapy which guarantees clinician access to the patient before proceeding with therapy, oral agents can continue to be taken despite missed follow-up visits and lab draws. After observing patients return from unrecognized lapses in monitoring with severe myelosuppression, we sought to retrospectively measure risks and to prospectively test a software-based monitoring system designed to flag and notify team members of missed lab monitoring. Methods: We evaluated 117 patients who had received a standard 42-day continuous course of oral temozolomide as therapy for newly diagnosed primary malignant brain tumors to assess monitoring compliance, as well as adverse events. Standard practice is to obtain a weekly CBC with differential and platelets during the 6 weeks of concurrent chemoradiation. Grade 3 or higher hematologic events were observed in 9 (7.7%) patients. Gaps in monitoring were defined as no testing for 10 days or more, and were classified as minor (10-12 days) and major (13-27 days). Results: 34 (29.1%) patients had one or more gaps during treatment; 19 (16.2%) had majors and 18 (15.4%) had minors. 2 of the patients with gaps in coverage exhibited grade 3 or 4 myelosuppression upon their return to monitoring. We have currently monitored 36 patients prospectively with prototype software designed to email staff whenever a patient was not monitored for 7 days or had scheduled visits too far in the future. The software uses data downloaded from the electronic medical record (12,889 labs, [908 pertinent], 441 visits) and was effective in finding patients that missed labs or did not get properly scheduled visits. Five such mistakes were detected and 4 were corrected based on the system flag. Problems encountered were mainly false positives associated with entry of chemotherapy stop dates. Conclusions: Monitoring failures pose risks to patients receiving oral chemotherapy and traditional medical information systems make detection of missing data difficult. Systems such as ours are simple to build and could be integrated with most EMR systems.

Osteosynthesis with an anterior plate is indicated for stabilization of the cervical spine. It is used for reconstruction of the vertebral body following corpectomy and for cervical instability due to fractures, fracturedislocations, and post-laminectomy. In these situations, a well-keyed anterior graft or posterior fusion alone may be inadequate to attain stability. The authors retrospectively review 25 cases of osteosynthesis Of the cervical spine using the AO H-plate. All the patients were stable enough postoperatively to allow early mobilization with a cervicothoracic orthosis. Average follow up was 31.2 months. All the grafts fused; however, complications occurred in 36% of the cases. The majority of these complications did not affect the long-term clinical result. This method involves potential risks to the spinal cord, esophagus, carotid structures, and laryngeal nerve. It should therefore be used in carefully selected cases.

Helmholtz coils are used to develop uniform magnetic fields for a variety of research applications. Helmholtz coils can be easily constructed, and the fields easily calculated. This makes them especially useful in calibrating sensors and numerous other low frequency magnetic field testing applications. This particular report will discuss the calculation and measurement of Helmholtz coil fields to be used for testing of composite materials to low frequency magnetic fields. Testing, Helmholtz coils, Composite, Magnetic field