Disparities in survival after trimodality therapy for esophageal adenocarcinoma

Trimodality therapy with neoadjuvant chemoradiation followed by surgery has emerged as the standard of care for the treatment of locally advanced esophageal cancer. Yet, there is considerable variation in survival within this population. We sought to analyze factors associated with survival after trimodality therapy in esophageal adenocarcinoma. We identified 4,679 patients from the National Cancer Database (NCDB) of the American College of Surgeons who received chemotherapy and radiation prior to surgery for esophageal adenocarcinoma from 2006 to 2013. We excluded patients with stage IV disease and unknown pathological nodal status. We performed regression analyses using a Cox proportional hazards model to identify independent predictors of overall survival. On multivariate analysis, pathologic characteristics associated with decreased overall survival included stage, lymphovascular invasion, and positive surgical margins. Insurance status, age, and comorbidity index were also associated with decreased survival. We found that pathologically node-positive patients who received additional adjuvant chemotherapy were associated with improved survival. Compared to private insurance, Medicaid (HR 1.45, CI 1.22-1.73, P < 0.0001), Medicare (HR 1.17, CI 1.04-1.31, P = 0.0082), or having no insurance (HR 1.50, CI 1.17-1.92, P = 0.0012) were all negative predictors of overall survival. In patients with esophageal adenocarcinoma who have undergone trimodality therapy, a number of different factors are associated with overall survival. In particular, socioeconomic factors relating to access to care are independent predictors of survival. Despite receiving the standard of care, treatment disparities persist in this population of patients.

Hepatitis B and Hepatocellular Carcinoma Screening Practices in Chinese and African Immigrant-Rich Neighborhoods in New York City

BACKGROUND

Immigrants from China and Africa have high rates of hepatitis B virus infection (HBV) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC); however, primary care physician (PCP) adherence to screening guidelines in at-risk communities is not well understood.

METHODS

The New York City (NYC) neighborhood tabulation areas with the 25 greatest Chinese and African immigrant populations were determined based on US census data. The American Medical Association database was used to identify PCPs practicing in these neighborhoods. A Web-based survey designed to assess HBV and HCC knowledge and screening practices was distributed via e-mail to PCPs in these target areas.

RESULTS

A total of 2072 physicians were contacted, and 109 responded to the survey, for a response rate of 5.3 %. Among responding physicians, 73 % report routinely testing immigrant patients for HBV. However, if a patient tests positive for HBV, only 68 % of providers recommend screening for HCC. Over a quarter of PCPs (27 %), failed to correctly state that antiviral therapy can lower the risk of developing HCC, and only 56 % correctly replied that screening for liver cancer improves survival. Of responders, only 54 % answered correctly that a 25-year-old patient from Africa with HBV should be screened for HCC, whereas 53 % answered incorrectly that a 25-year-old patient from China with HBV should be screened, demonstrating a lack of awareness of the different age of onset of liver cancer in the two groups. The most commonly reported barrier to offering both HBV testing and HCC screening was a "lack of clear guidelines." Neither HBV nor HCC was among the top 3 health concerns of patients, as perceived by their physicians. There were no significant differences between provider responses in Chinese and African immigrant neighborhoods.

CONCLUSIONS

Providers serving Chinese and African immigrants in NYC often fail to recommend appropriate HBV and HCC screening. This appears to be due to significant gaps in provider knowledge and a lack of awareness of established screening guidelines. This study suggests the need for better distribution of existing guidelines to physicians serving immigrant-rich communities in order to improve HBV and HCC screening in high-risk individuals.

The OA Trial Bank: meta-analysis of individual patient data from knee and hip osteoarthritis trials show that patients with severe pain exhibit greater benefit from intra-articular glucocorticoids

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the efficacy of intra-articular (IA) glucocorticoids for knee or hip osteoarthritis (OA) in specific subgroups of patients with severe pain and inflammatory signs using individual patient data (IPD) from existing trials.

DESIGN

Randomized trials evaluating one or more IA glucocorticoid preparation in patients with knee or hip OA, published from 1995 up to June 2012 were selected from the literature. IPD obtained from original trials included patient and disease characteristics and outcomes measured. The primary outcome was pain severity at short-term follow-up (up to 4 weeks). The subgroup factors assessed included severe pain (≥70 points, 0-100 scale) and signs of inflammation (dichotomized in present or not) at baseline. Multilevel regression analyses were applied to estimate the magnitude of the effects in the subgroups with the individuals nested within each study.

RESULTS

Seven out of 43 published randomized clinical trials (n = 620) were included. Patients with severe baseline pain had a significantly larger reduction in short-term pain, but not in mid- and long-term pain, compared to those with less severe pain at baseline (Mean Difference 13.91; 95% Confidence Interval 1.50-26.31) when receiving IA glucocorticoid injection compared to placebo. No statistical significant interaction effects were found between inflammatory signs and IA glucocorticoid injections compared to placebo and to tidal irrigation at all follow-up points.

CONCLUSIONS

This IPD meta-analysis demonstrates that patients with severe knee pain at baseline derive more benefit from IA glucocorticoid injection at short-term follow-up than those with less severe pain at baseline.

Single-molecule imaging of DNA polymerase I (Klenow fragment) activity by atomic force microscopy

We report a DNA origami-facilitated single-molecule platform that exploits atomic force microscopy to study DNA replication. We imaged several functional activities of the Klenow fragment of E. coli DNA polymerase I (KF) including binding, moving, and dissociation from the template DNA. Upon completion of these actions, a double-stranded DNA molecule was formed. Furthermore, the direction of KF activities was captured and then confirmed by shifting the KF binding sites on the template DNA.