Two-year outcomes of "treat and extend" intravitreal therapy for neovascular age-related macular degeneration

PURPOSE

To report 24-month outcomes of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) therapy for treatment-naïve eyes with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) using a treat and extend treatment regimen in routine clinical practice.

DESIGN

Database observational study.

PARTICIPANTS

We included treatment-naïve eyes receiving predominantly ranibizumab for nAMD in routine clinical practice treated using a treat and extend regimen that were tracked in the Fight Retinal Blindness observational registry.

METHODS

A cohort of eyes treated by practitioners using exclusively a treat and extend regimen was extracted from the Fight Retinal Blindness observational registry.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Change in visual acuity (VA) over 2 years and number of injections and visits.

RESULTS

Data from 1198 eyes from 1011 patients receiving anti-VEGF therapy using a treat and extend regimen for treatment-naïve nAMD between January 2007 and December 2012 and with 24-month follow-up were included in the analysis. Mean VA increased by +5.3 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution letters from 56.5 letters (20/80+1) at initial visit to 61.8 (20/60+2) letters at 24 months. Mean VA gains improved and number of injections increased with successive years from +2.7 letters for eyes commencing in 2007 after a mean of 9.7 injections in 2 years, to +7.8 letters for eyes commencing in 2012 after a mean of 14.2 injections over 2 years. The proportion of eyes with VA >20/40 increased from 27% when starting treatment to 45% after 24 months; the proportion with vision of <20/200 remained unchanged (13% initial, 11% at 24 months). Of the included eyes, 90.5% avoided a vision loss of ≥15 letters. There was an overall mean of 13.0 injections over the 24 months, 7.5 injections in the first year and 5.5 in the second year, with a mean of 14.8 clinic visits.

CONCLUSIONS

These data indicate that eyes managed in routine clinical practice with a treat and extend regimen can achieve good visual outcomes while decreasing the burden of treatments and clinic visits.

Outpatient advance care planning for patients with metastatic cancer: a pilot quality improvement initiative

BACKGROUND

Despite American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines recommending that oncologists discuss advance care planning (ACP) with patients with stage IV cancer early in treatment, in standard practice ACP remains a late step of a terminal illness. ACP preserves comfort and dignity at the end of life, ensuring patients receive the care that they desire.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

A feasibility study in patients with stage IV cancer was developed to test whether incorporating ACP immediately after a stage IV cancer diagnosis is feasible. Inclusion criteria were consecutive new gastrointestinal and thoracic oncology patients treated by one of two oncologists. The project included creation of new workflow; development of an ACP patient education guidebook; training seminars for oncology staff; and enhancements to the electronic health record (EHR) to improve ACP documentation.

RESULTS

The oncologists recorded 33 of 48 (69%) advance directive notes (ADNs) and 22 of 48 (46%) code status orders (CSOs) in the EHR of patients newly diagnosed with stage IV cancer by following ACP protocol during the 6-month trial period. Twenty-one of 33 ADNs were entered within 7 days of first consultation. The median time to ADN placement was 1 day after consultation. Twenty-two of 33 patients with ADNs had CSOs placed, of which 16 were do-not-resuscitate (DNR) and 6 were full code. One year prior to the feasibility study, only 1 of 75 deceased patients of the two oncologists had outpatient ADNs and CSOs.

CONCLUSIONS

Outpatient ACP is feasible early in the care of patients with stage IV cancer through systematic improvement in workflow and motivated providers. Education and infrastructure were pivotal to routine development of advance care plans.

EMR optimized oral chemotherapy monitoring program: Adherence and ADR outcomes

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Background: Utilization of oral anticancer agents (OAA) has drastically increased over the past decade, accounting for more than 70% of new oncology agents approved in 2013. There are many challenges associated with OAA, including monitoring of adverse drug reactions (ADR) and adherence. While few studies estimate adherence of OAA, it is known that a multidisciplinary approach with intensive pharmacist counseling may improve outcomes. Currently, the electronic medical record (EMR) at our institution has many limitations on tracking OAA. In 2007, 1,872 OAA prescriptions were written. The 2014 annualized OAA prescriptions will surpass 5,510, demonstrating a growth of 194%. The purpose of this project is to establish an OAA monitoring program to allow consistent documentation, closer monitoring, and timely management of ADR. Methods: American Society of Clinical Oncology’s Quality Oncology Practice Initiative criteria were utilized to develop a unique monitoring tool, specific for OAA, which was employed via EMR. The monitoring tool assesses the current regimen, ADR, labs, adherence, and drug interactions. The initial analysis focused on testing the tools on two of the most commonly prescribed OAA agents within our institution. New start patients were identified through utilization of an OAA pharmacist verification queue. The pharmacist provided education, intensive follow up, and communicated treatment complications to other healthcare team members. Results: Follow-up calls were placed for 24 capecitabine patients and four erlotinib patients. Over half of the patients required an intervention. For capecitabine, there were seven patients with barriers to adherence. There were two patients who were non-adherent and one patient who was lost to follow-up; therefore, overall adherence rate was 91%. For erlotinib, adherence rate was 100% with no barriers to adherence. Symptom management and education were provided to 16 patients with grade 1 toxicities, and four drug interactions were identified. Conclusions: Oral chemotherapy should be treated with the same intensive monitoring as IV chemotherapy. A multidisciplinary pharmacist driven OAA monitoring program may improve adherence and allow more timely management of ADR.

Dose-response associations between cycling activity and risk of hypertension in regular cyclists: The UK Cycling for Health Study

Most population studies on physical activity and health have involved largely inactive men and women, thus making it difficult to infer if health benefits occur at exercise levels above the current minimum guidelines. The aim was to examine associations between cycling volume and classical cardiovascular risk markers, including hypertension and hypercholesterolemia, in a population sample of habitual cyclists. A nationwide sample comprising 6949 men and women (aged 47.6 years on average) completed questions about their cycling levels, demographics and health. Nearly the entire sample (96.3%) achieved the current minimum physical activity recommendation through cycling alone. There was a dose–response association between cycling volume and risk of diagnosed hypertension (P-trend =0.001), with odds ratios of 0.98 (95% confidence interval (CI), 0.80–1.21), 0.86 (0.70, 1.06), 0.67 (95% CI, 0.53–0.83) across categories of 23–40, 40–61 and >61 metabolic equivalent hours/week (MET-h/week) compared with <23 MET-h/week. These associations persisted in models adjusted for age, sex, smoking, alcohol, body mass index (BMI) and other moderatevigorous physical activities. We also observed inverse associations between cycling volume and other risk factors including BMI and hypercholesterolemia. In summary, results from a population sample of cyclists suggest that additional cardiovascular health benefits can be achieved beyond the current minimum physical activity recommendation.

Evaluation of oral chemotherapy prescribing at an outpatient oncology clinic

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Background: Oral chemotherapy’s exponentially increasing role in the treatment of malignancies continues to pose unique challenges to oncology. The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) drafted measures in the Chemotherapy Administration Safety Standards that help address some of these issues concerning oral chemotherapy. There is a lack of data describing the prescribing process for oral chemotherapy. In a retrospective chart review, prescriptions at a hospital-based outpatient oncology center were evaluated for completeness of prescribing and follow up measures. Methods: A retrospective chart review of ten oral chemotherapy medications from May 2012 to July 2012 was conducted. The primary outcome measure was compliance with ASCO and ONS Chemotherapy Administration Safety Standards. A secondary outcome was frequency of pharmacist interventions on oral chemotherapy prescriptions. Results: 412 prescriptions were evaluated. Prescriptions were graded on a scale from 1 to 8. One point was given for inclusion of each of the following: prescribing physician, patient name, drug name, dose, dosing methodology, quantity, refills, and accurate directions. Of all the prescriptions, 23% contained all aspects of a complete prescription. The most common reasons for point deductions were contradictory or unclear directions and allowing refills for oral chemotherapy which should not be refillable. Four percent of prescriptions had a documented pharmacist intervention. Conclusions: This study revealed areas for improvement in the prescribing process of oral chemotherapy. Targeting directions and refill fields within prescription templates will improve compliance with ASCO and ONS standards. This can be accomplished by implementing customized oral chemotherapy prescription templates within treatment plans in the electronic medical record system. Unlike chemotherapy administered in the clinic setting, oral chemotherapy prescriptions are not generally reviewed by oncology trained pharmacists. With the collaboration of medical and nursing staff, a new work flow was implemented which includes pharmacist review of electronic oral chemotherapy prescriptions.

Medical informatics: Documenting quality of end-of-life oncologic care

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Background: NorthShore University HealthSystem has created, via the Electronic Health Record (EHR), quarterly reports to measure quality of care for patients who die of cancer during the reporting time frame. Specific reports for 22 oncology providers and measurements across the population will be derived. Reports are automated with seamless data retrieval based on algorithms designed through the use of discrete, searchable entry fields. Goals include establishing a pre-report baseline, educating oncologists about their terminally ill patients’ outcomes and documenting improvements in end-of-life care through educational initiatives for patients and providers. Methods: To standardize reporting, a cohort of terminally ill patients was created based on QOPI definitions (Denominator). A set of quality end points to describe cancer utilization near the end of life was added as Numerator Values, to establish rates of potential inappropriate use of resources. Results: The OP, oncology EHR was changed to allow ADN/CSO placement that carry over to the IP EHR (hyperlink in patient header). The average time between a patient’s first OP, oncology visit and when the oncologist placed ADN/CSO will be calculated. ADN/CSO reports will be stratified by a patient’s age, race and oncologist. Each separate report will be validated prior to the “go live” phase. Conclusions: These metrics allow routine hypothesis generating queries of end-of-life care to assess compliance with quality measures. [Table: see text]

Kidney, pancreas and liver allocation and distribution in the United States

Kidney transplant and liver transplant are the treatments of choice for patients with end-stage renal disease and end-stage liver disease, respectively. Pancreas transplant is most commonly performed along with kidney transplant in diabetic end-stage renal disease patients. Despite a steady increase in the numbers of kidney and liver transplants performed each year in the United States, a significant shortage of kidneys and livers available for transplant remains. Organ allocation is the process the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) uses to determine which candidates are offered which deceased donor organs. OPTN is charged with ensuring the effectiveness, efficiency and equity of organ sharing in the national system of organ allocation. The policy has changed incrementally over time in efforts to optimize allocation to meet these often competing goals. This review describes the history, current status and future direction of policies regarding the allocation of abdominal organs for transplant, namely the kidney, liver and pancreas, in the United States.

Incidence and management of arthralgias in breast cancer patients treated with aromatase inhibitors in an outpatient oncology clinic

Purpose:

Aromatase inhibitors (AIs) are routinely used as first-line adjuvant treatment of breast cancer in postmenopausal women with hormone receptor positive tumors. The current recommended length of treatment with an AI is 5 years. Arthralgias have been frequently cited as the primary reason for discontinuation of AI therapy. Various treatment strategies are proposed in literature, but a standardized treatment algorithm has not been established. The initial purpose of this study was to describe the incidence and management of AI-induced arthralgias in patients treated at Kellogg Cancer Center (KCC). Further evaluation led to the development and the implementation of a treatment algorithm and electronic medical record (EMR) documentation tools.

Methods:

The retrospective chart review included 206 adult patients with hormone receptor positive breast cancer who were receiving adjuvant therapy with an AI. A multidisciplinary treatment team consisting of pharmacists, collaborative practice nurses, and physicians met to develop a standardized treatment algorithm and corresponding EMR documentation tool. The treatment algorithm and documentation tool were developed after the study to better monitor and proactively treat patients with AI-induced arthralgias.

Results/conclusions:

The overall incidence of arthralgias at KCC was 48% ( n = 98/206). Of these patients, 32% were documented as having arthralgias within the first 6 months of therapy initiation. Patients who reported AI-induced arthralgias were younger than patients who did not report AI-induced arthralgias (61 vs. 65 years, p = 0.002). There was no statistical difference in the incidence of arthralgias in patients with a history of chemotherapy (including taxane therapy) compared to those who did not receive chemotherapy ( p = 0.352). Of patients presenting with AI-induced arthralgias, 41% did not have physician-managed treatment documented in the EMR. A standardized treatment algorithm and electronic chart documentation tools were then developed by the multidisciplinary team.

An early regional experience with expansion of Milan Criteria for liver transplant recipients

The Milan Criteria (MC) showed that orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) was an effective treatment for patients with nonresectable, nonmetastatic HCC. There is growing evidence that expanding the MC does not adversely affect patient or allograft survival following OLT. The adult OLT programs in UNOS Region 4 reached an agreement allowing lesions outside MC (one lesion <6 cm, ≤3 lesions, none >5 cm and total diameter <9 cm-[R4 T3]) to receive the same exception points as MC lesions. Kaplan-Meier curves and log-rank tests were used to compare survival data. Chi-squared and Mann-Whitney U tests were used to compare patient data. A p-value of <0.05 was considered significant. All statistical analyses were performed on SPSS 15 (SPSS, Chicago, IL). Four hundred and forty-five patients were transplanted for HCC (363-MC and 82-R4 T3). Patient demographics were found to be similar between the two groups. Three year patient, allograft and recurrence free survival between MC and R4 T3 were found to be 72.9% and 77.1%, 71% and 70.2% and 90.5% and 86.9%, respectively (all p > 0.05). We report the first regionalized multicenter, prospective study showing benefit of OLT in patients exceeding MC based on preoperative imaging.

Hepatocellular carcinoma patients are advantaged in the current liver transplant allocation system

Patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) within Milan criteria receive priority on the liver transplant waiting list (WL) and compete with non-HCC patients. Dropout from the WL is an indirect measure of transplant access. Competing risks (CR) evaluation of dropout for HCC and non-HCC patients has not previously been reported. Patients listed between 16 March 2005 and 30 June 2008 were included. Probability of dropout was estimated using a CR technique as well as a Cox model for time to dropout. Overall, non-HCC patients had a higher dropout rate from the WL than HCC patients (p < 0.0001). This was reproducible throughout all regions. In Cox regression, tumor size, model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score and alpha fetoprotein (AFP) were associated with increased dropout risk. Multivariable analysis with CR showed that MELD score and AFP, were most influential in predicting dropout for HCC patients. The index of concordance for predicting dropout with the CR was 0.70. HCC patients appear to be advantaged in the current allocation scheme based on lower dropout rates without regard to geography. A continuous score incorporating MELD, AFP and tumor size may help to prioritize HCC patients to better equate dropout rates with non-HCC patients and equalize access.

Incidence and management of bevacizumab associated hypertension in outpatient oncology clinic

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Background: Bevacizumab, a vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) inhibitor is utilized to treat a wide range of cancers. However, clinical trials of bevacizumab reported the incidence of hypertension (HTN) up to 36%. A national guideline has not been established to manage bevacizumab-induced HTN. The incidence and management of bevacizumab associated HTN were evaluated in an outpatient oncology clinic. Methods: A randomized, retrospective chart review of 100 patients who received at least one dose of bevacizumab from 1/1/07 to 12/31/07 was conducted. The overall incidence and management of hypertension were evaluated. Other bevacizumab associated toxicities were compared in patients with or without hypertension. Results: The overall incidence of bevacizumab-induced HTN was 31% (95%CI: 22%-40%) with CTC (v 3.0) grade 3 HTN rate of 10%. The number of patients with a history of HTN or uncontrolled BP prior to bevacizumab therapy was significantly different across the four HTN grade groups (p= 0.0019). Out of 31 patients who had grade 1–3 HTN, 8 patients (26%) were managed by the oncologists, 8 patients (26%) by the primary care physicians, and 15 patients (48%) had no management. Bevacizumab was held in 3 patients due to high blood pressure (BP) resulting in one patient discontinuing bevacizumab therapy. The odds of other bevacizumab associated adverse events in patients with grades 1–3 HTN was 2.776 times than that of patients with grade 0 HTN (p=0.0201). Conclusions: Bevacizumab was associated with HTN in 31% of patients. Patients with history of HTN or uncontrolled BP prior to initiating bevacizumab were at an increased risk to develop a higher grade of HTN. Management of bevacizumab-induced HTN could be improved since BP of 63% of patients with grades 2 and 3 HTN was not adequately controlled.

No significant financial relationships to disclose.

Blood pressure control and awareness among patients with diabetes and hypertension attending a tertiary ophthalmic clinic

AIMS

To assess the proportion of patients who had diabetes and hypertension with optimal blood pressure (BP) control and to describe patients' awareness of the importance of BP control.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey of out-patients with diabetes who attended the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital (Melbourne, Australia) was conducted between October 2006 and February 2007. Of 245 patients invited, 220 (90%) participated. Optimal BP control was defined as BP < 130/80 mmHg recorded at the latest visit; proportions of patients with awareness of BP control were defined non-exclusively by: (i) ability to recall a previous BP record and rate the appropriateness of that BP level; (ii) ability to recall the recommended optimal BP control level by current diabetes management guidelines; (iii) knowledge that optimal BP control is important to diabetes management; and (iv) knowledge that optimal BP control is important to eye health.

RESULTS

Of the 220 patients, 176 had both diabetes and hypertension. Of these, 49 of 176 (28%) had BP controlled optimally, and 30 of 176 (17%) recalled and rated a previous recorded BP level appropriately. Fewer than one in four (22%) acknowledged the recommended optimum BP level of < 130/80 mmHg, fewer than one in two (48%) rated BP as important to diabetes management, and one in three (35%) rated BP control as important to eye health.

CONCLUSIONS

In this sample of patients with diabetes and hypertension, fewer than one-third achieved the BP level recommended by clinical guidelines, and fewer than half were aware of the importance of BP control.

Crystal structures of the methylene chloride disolvates of tetrakis(3,5- dimethoxyphenyl)porphyrin and its isotypic copper(II) and nickel(II) complexes, C52H46N4O8 · 2CH2Cl2, Cu(C52H44N4O8) · 2CH2Cl2, Ni(C52H44N4O8) · 2CH2Cl2

C54H50Cl4N4O8, triclinic, P1̅ (no. 2), a = 11.295(1) Å, b = 11.255(1) Å, c = 11.797(1) Å, α = 108.904(2)°, β = 101.091(2)°, γ = 110.992(2)°, V = 1241.4 Å3, Z = 1, Rgt(F) = 0.056, wRref(F2) = 0.135, T = 100 K.

C54H48Cl4CuN4O8, triclinic, P1̅ (no. 2), a = 11.2204(5) Å, b = 11.3499(6) Å, c = 11.7610(6) Å, α = 109.187(1)°, β = 100.830(1)°, γ = 110.681(1)°, V = 1242.7 Å3, Z = 1, Rgt(F) = 0.033, wRref(F2) = 0.092, T = 100 K.

C54H48Cl4N4NiO8, triclinic, P1̅ (no. 2), a = 11.196(1) Å, b = 11.329(1) Å, c = 11.785(1) Å, α = 109.486(2)°, β = 101.230(2)°, γ = 110.607(2)°, V = 1233.8 Å3, Z = 1, Rgt(F) = 0.040, wRref(F2) = 0.110, T = 100 K.

Patient satisfaction with antihypertensive therapy

The objective of the study was to assess factors associated with treatment satisfaction among patients receiving antihypertensive therapy. A weighted cross-sectional online survey was conducted with hypertensive patients participating in a chronic disease panel in the US. Patients on monotherapy with medications from the following classes were identified: ACE inhibitors (ACEIs), angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), beta blockers (BBs), calcium channel blockers (CCBs), and diuretics. The control group included patients without treatment. Pairwise comparisons between groups were conducted for factors that may affect patients' satisfaction. The study population had a mean age of 54.7+/-14.2 years and was 56.7% female. Participants with blood pressure (BP) controlled to JNC 7 guidelines were more satisfied with their medication than those with uncontrolled BP (90.3 vs 71.5%, P<0.05). Patients who had not experienced adverse events had higher satisfaction than patients experiencing adverse events (90.9 vs 75.8%, P<0.05). The most frequently self-reported adverse events were frequent urination, sexual dysfunction, and fatigue ranging from 7.0 to 9.6% across classes. The adverse event rates differed by class and were lowest among the ARBs. Patients on ARBs were the most likely to have switched from a previous antihypertensive class as compared to other classes (57.1% ARBs vs 49.8% ACEIs, 38.7% diuretics, 36.3% CCBs, and 31.7% BBs). Physician recommendation was the most common reason for switching. In conclusion, the ability to effectively treat hypertension depends upon a patient's satisfaction with antihypertensive therapy, which may be improved by achieving BP control and minimizing the occurrence of adverse events.