Banksbauer1941
could be clinically useful to guide a treatment break due to side effects or patient decisions. Our data should be confirmed by larger and prospective trials.Cancer impacts not only the patient but also the family members who share the distressing trajectory of the patient. The literature indicates that caregivers have many unmet information needs while providing care and support to the cancer patients, and caregivers have to resort to seeking information to supplement their information needs. This study aims to establish the prevalence of health-information-seeking behaviours among caregivers of cancer patients as a means of ascertaining if their information needs have been met and their information source and resource preference. Data were obtained via a self-reported questionnaire from caregivers of cancer patients at the National Cancer Centre Singapore between 10 September and 7 December 2018. A total of 986 caregivers responded of which 180 (18%) caregivers did not undertake information search and the common reasons were 'trust healthcare professionals' (HCPs) more than other sources (64%), and 'HCPs provide enough information' (59%). Among the 795 caregivers who have searched for cancer information, about half of these caregivers (54%) have searched information on the Internet and another 15% have obtained their information from HCPs in their most recent search. A total of 371 (47%) caregivers have used their preferred source of information to conduct their most recent information search. The top three most commonly sought information was treatment (35.6%), disease (35.6%) and side effects (26.5%). Almost half (46%) of these caregivers was concerned about the quality of information they have found on the Internet. Our study supports that information-seeking is prevalent amongst caregivers of cancer patients and reveals the prevalence of Internet use and the concerns associated with its use. Patterns of information-seeking revealed a discrepancy between preferred and actual source. The results also suggest that HCPs play a significant role in the information-seeking behaviours of caregivers of cancer patients.The COVID-19 pandemic sweeping across the world has caused major disruptions in healthcare delivery and practice. A survey was conducted to assess the changes in the care of gynaecologic oncology patients in India.
An online survey enquiring about the patient volumes and surgical load, and changes in practice protocols for endometrial, ovarian, cervical and vulval cancers was conducted in May, 2020.
The total number of responses received was 153. Barring duplicates, 148 were analysed. There was a significant drop in gynaecologic oncology patients attending government hospitals as compared to the non-government sector. The drop was not significantly different in areas having low versus high COVID-19 case volumes. The treatment of endometrial cancers remained the same although there was a marked shift from minimal access surgery to conventional surgery. Advanced ovarian cancer was mostly managed by neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Cervical and vulval cancer management remained the same, but radiotherapy protocols were modified by most.
Based on clinician responses, it appears that most practices across India have suffered a fall in patient volumes. The responses from government sectors point towards a bigger hit in this segment of practice. While the management of endometrial cancers and cervical cancers was mostly unchanged, most cases of advanced ovarian cancer received neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Cervical cancer, when managed by chemoradiation, was likely to have altered radiation schedules.
Based on clinician responses, it appears that most practices across India have suffered a fall in patient volumes. The responses from government sectors point towards a bigger hit in this segment of practice. While the management of endometrial cancers and cervical cancers was mostly unchanged, most cases of advanced ovarian cancer received neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Cervical cancer, when managed by chemoradiation, was likely to have altered radiation schedules.COVID-19 has abruptly and radically changed the landscape of cancer care delivery throughout the world, including the Philippines. The Philippine General Hospital is the academic hospital of the University of the Philippines. Its cancer centre is a primary referral centre that takes care of Filipinos-many resource-constrained-that are burdened by malignancy. As the global pandemic challenges healthcare delivery, centres are forced to rethink how to care for their patients. This paper discusses how a national, academic, referral cancer institute in a low-middle income country is trying to meet the challenges of COVID-19.Machine learning is a set of techniques that promise to greatly enhance our data-processing capability. In the field of oncology, ML presents itself with a wealth of possible applications to the research and the clinical context, such as automated diagnosis and precise treatment modulation. In this paper, we will review the principal applications of ML techniques in oncology and explore in detail how they work. This will allow us to discuss the issues and challenges that ML faces in this field, and ultimately gain a greater understanding of ML techniques and how they can improve oncological research and practice.Mortality data obtained from the mortality information system (SIM) identified a total of 103,094 women with cervical cancer in Brazil. However, associations between mortality and sociodemographic variables in these patients are not fully understood. Therefore, this study aimed to analyse the sociodemographic factors (geographic region, age, race and marital status) that predict cervical cancer mortality in Brazil between 1996 and 2017. A descriptive, analytic and retrospective study was carried out using secondary data on deaths from cervical cancer recorded in the SIM-DATASUS. Deaths reported between 1996 and 2017 in the health information system and classified by the International Classification of Diseases-10 were included. Sociodemographic factors (geographic regions, age, sex and race) were subjected to inferential analysis for a relation with mortality. Mortality increases during the aging process after the third decade of life. However, single women who die are usually diagnosed with cancer in the early stage of the disease. The mortality rate is higher in Black women and women living in the North, South and Southeast regions of Brazil. Yellow women have a lower mortality in the country. Besides, each region has specific characteristics in relation to race and marital status. White women who died had some form of stable union during life, whereas the other races were more associated with single marital status. Thus, the sociodemographic factors that predict mortality in women with cervical cancer in Brazil were identified and can be used to guide the public health policies.
The objective of this study was to compare the CAPRA-S score (based on clinicopathological findings) and the subtypes of minimal residual disease (MRD) (based on the biological properties of cancer cells) to predict biochemical failure (BF) after prostatectomy radical.
This was a prospective single-centre study of men who underwent radical prostatectomy. One month after surgery, the blood and bone marrow were taken for circulating prostate cell (CPC) and micrometastasis detection, identified using anti-PSA immunocytochemistry and defined as positive or negative. Patients were classified as Group A CPC and micrometastasis negative, Group B micrometastasis positive and CPC negative and Group C CPC positive. CAPRA-S scores were classified as low, intermediate and high risk. Kaplan-Meier curves for biochemical failure-free survival (BFFS) and restricted mean survival time (RMST) to biochemical failure were determined and compared for up to 10 years.
347 men participated with a median follow-up of 7 years, BFFS decreased proportionally with increasing CAPRA-S score and HR 1.13 and 1.65 for intermediate and high risk, respectively. After 10 years, the BFFS and RMST were 68%, 47% and 16% and 9, 7 and 6 years, respectively. The BFFS curves for MRD were not proportional; Group A and B BFFSs were similar up to 5 years, and then, there was an increasing failure in Group B patients After 10 years, the BFFS and RMST were 95%, 57% and 27% and 10, 9 and 6 years respectively. The CAPRA-S score failed to distinguish between Groups A and B, and one-third of high-risk Group C had low-risk CAPRA-S scores. MRD hazard ratios were Group B 1.76 and Group C 4.03.
The MRD prognostic classification was superior to the CAPRA-S score in predicting BFFS and differentiated between early and late BF. The results need to be confirmed in larger studies.
The MRD prognostic classification was superior to the CAPRA-S score in predicting BFFS and differentiated between early and late BF. The results need to be confirmed in larger studies.The three-dimensional automated breast ultrasound system (3D ABUS) is a new device which represents a huge innovation in the breast ultrasound field, with several application scenarios of great interest. ABUS's aim is to solve some of the main defects of traditional ultrasound, such as lack of standardization, high level of skill non-reproducibility, small field of view and high commitment of physician time. ABUS has proven to be an excellent non-ionising alternative to other supplemental screening options for women with dense breast tissue; also, it has appeared to be very promising in daily clinical practice. The purpose of this paper is to present a summary of current applications of ABUS, focusing on clinical applications and future perspectives as ABUS is particularly promising for studies involving artificial intelligence, radiomics and evaluation of breast molecular subtypes.Background Nerve root tethering upon dorsal spinal cord (SC) migration has been proposed as a potential mechanism for postoperative C5 palsy (C5P). To our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate this relationship by anatomically comparing C5-C6 nerve root translation before and after root untethering by cutting the cervical foraminal ligaments (FL). Objective The aim of this study is to determine if C5 root untethering through FL cutting results in increased root translation. Methods Six cadaveric dissections were performed. Nerve roots were exposed via C4-C6 corpectomies and supraclavicular brachial plexus exposure. Pins were inserted into the C5-C6 roots and adjacent foraminal tubercle. Translation was measured as the distance between pins after the SC was dorsally displaced 5 mm before and after FL cutting. Clinical feasibility of FL release was examined by comparing root translation between standard and extended (complete foraminal decompression) foraminotomies. Translation of root levels before and after FL cutting was compared by two-way repeated measures analysis of variance. Statistical significance was set at 0.05. learn more Results Significantly more nerve root translation was observed if the FL was cut versus not-cut, p = 0.001; no difference was seen between levels, p = 0.33. Performing an extended cervical foraminotomy was technically feasible allowing complete FL release and root untethering, whereas a standard foraminotomy did not. Conclusion FL tether upper cervical nerve roots in their foramina; cutting these ligaments untethers the root and increases translation suggesting they could be harmful in the context of C5P. Further investigation is required examining the value of root untethering in the context of C5P.