Physicians' participatory decision-making and quality of diabetes care processes and outcomes: results from the triad study

OBJECTIVES

In participatory decision-making (PDM), physicians actively engage patients in treatment and other care decisions. Patients who report that their physicians engage in PDM have better disease self-management and health outcomes. We examined whether physicians' diabetes-specific treatment PDM preferences as well as their self-reported practices are associated with the quality of diabetes care their patients receive.

METHODS

2003 cross-sectional survey and medical record review of a random sample of diabetes patients (n=4198) in 10 US health plans across the country and their physicians (n=1217). We characterized physicians' diabetes care PDM preferences and practices as 'no patient involvement,' 'physician-dominant,' 'shared,' or 'patient-dominant' and conducted multivariate analyses examining their effects on the following: (1) three diabetes care processes (annual hemoglobin A1c test; lipid test; and dilated retinal exam); (2) patients'satisfaction with physician communication; and (3) whether patients' A1c, systolic blood pressure (SBP), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) were in control.

RESULTS

Most physicians preferred 'shared' PDM (58%) rather than 'no patient involvement' (9%), 'physician-dominant' (28%) or 'patient dominant' PDM (5%). However, most reported practicing 'physician-dominant' PDM (43%) with most of their patients, rather than 'no patient involvement' (13%), 'shared' (37%) or 'patient-dominant' PDM (7%). After adjusting for patient and physician-level characteristics and clustering by health plan, patients of physicians who preferred 'shared' PDM were more likely to receive A1c tests [90% vs. 82%, AOR: 2.05, 95% CI: 1.03-3.07] and patients of physicians who preferred 'patient-dominant' treatment decision-making were more likely to receive lipid tests [60% vs. 50%, AOR: 1.58, 95% CI: 1.04-2.39] than those of providers who preferred 'no patient involvement' in treatment decision-making. There were no differences in patients' satisfaction with their doctor's communication or control of A1c, SBP or LDL depending on their physicians' PDM preferences. Physicians' self-reported PDM practices were not associated with any of the examined aspects of diabetes care in multivariate analyses.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients whose physicians prefer more patient involvement in decision-making are more likely than patients whose physicians prefer more physician-directed styles to receive some recommended risk factor screening tests, an important first step toward improved diabetes outcomes. Involving patients in treatment decision-making alone, however, appears not to be sufficient to improve biomedical outcomes.

Association of RASGRP1 with type 1 diabetes is revealed by combined follow-up of two genome-wide studies

BACKGROUND

The two genome-wide association studies published by us and by the Wellcome Trust Case-Control Consortium (WTCCC) revealed a number of novel loci, but neither had the statistical power to elucidate all of the genetic components of type 1 diabetes risk, a task for which larger effective sample sizes are needed.

METHODS

We analysed data from two sources: (1) The previously published second stage of our study, with a total sample size of the two stages consisting of 1046 Canadian case-parent trios and 538 multiplex families with 929 affected offspring from the Type 1 Diabetes Genetics Consortium (T1DGC); (2) the Rapid Response 2 (RR2) project of the T1DGC, which genotyped 4417 individuals from 1062 non-overlapping families, including 2059 affected individuals (mostly sibling pairs) for the 1536 markers with the highest statistical significance for type 1 diabetes in the WTCCC results.

RESULTS

One locus, mapping to a linkage disequilibrium (LD) block at chr15q14, reached statistical significance by combining results from two markers (rs17574546 and rs7171171) in perfect LD with each other (r2 = 1). We obtained a joint p value of 1.3 x 10(-6), which exceeds by an order of magnitude the conservative threshold of 3.26 x 10(-5) obtained by correcting for the 1536 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) tested in our study. Meta-analysis with the original WTCCC genome-wide data produced a p value of 5.83 x 10(-9).

CONCLUSIONS

A novel type 1 diabetes locus was discovered. It involves RASGRP1, a gene known to play a crucial role in thymocyte differentiation and T cell receptor (TCR) signalling by activating the Ras signalling pathway.

Phase II study of CKD602, a camptothecin analog, in combination with carboplatin for the treatment of recurrent ovarian cancer

5554

Background: Belotecan (Camtobell, Chong Keun Dang Corp, Seoul, Korea; CKD602) is a camptothecin derivative with anti-tumor properties recently developed. This phase II study was designed to evaluate the toxicity and efficacy of belotecan combined with carboplatin in patients with recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). Methods: Belotecan 0.3 mg/m2/day (days 1–5) and carboplatin AUC 5 (day 5) were administered every 3 weeks for 6 cycles. Eligible patients had recurrent EOC, peritoneal serous cancer, or fallopian tube cancer. The primary objective was to determine response rate defined by Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors and CA-125 response; other end points included toxicities and progression free survival (PFS). Results: Until this preliminary analysis, sixteen patients had received the treatment and 13 patients were evaluable for response. Eight patients had platinum-sensitive disease (minimum treatment free interval≥6 months) and 6 had platinum-resistant disease (minimum treatment free interval <6 months). Overall response rate was 53.9%; there were 3 complete responses (23.1%), 4 partial responses (30.8%), 4 patients with stable disease (30.8%), and two patients with progressive disease (15.4%). Grade 3 and 4 hematologic toxicities included neutropenia (38%), thrombocytopenia (25%), and anemia (15%); there was one episode of febrile neutropenia. None of the patients experienced grades 3 and 4 gastrointestinal toxicities, including nausea, vomiting, and anorexia. Conclusions: The newly developed topoisomerase I inhibitor, belotecan (CKD-602), combined with carboplatin is a well-tolerated regimen with activity in recurrent EOC; further testing of this regimen is warranted.

No significant financial relationships to disclose.

The usefulness of interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization at diagnosis of myeloma in addition to metaphase cytogenetics

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Background: Multiple myeloma is characterized by the accumulation of malignant plasma cells within the bone marrow and regarded as incurable, but remissions may be induced with steroids, chemotherapy, thalidomide and stem cell transplants. The clinical heterogeneity of myeloma is dictated by the cytogenetic aberrations present in the clonal plasma cells. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) overcomes the limitations of standard cytogenetics and allows for the detection of numerical and structural chromosomal abnormalities in both metaphase spreads and interphase nuclei. Methods: We evaluated the chromosome abnormalities in 34 MM patients using conventional cytogenetics and interphase FISH with 6 probes such as IGH/CCND1, IGH/FGFR3, IGH/MAF, DS13S319/LAMP1, IGH/BAP, and p53/CEP17. Results: Cytogenetic abnormalities were found in 24 (70.6%) of the 28 MM patients. 10 (35.7%) patients had abnormal metaphases by conventional cytogenetics. Interphase FISH results were abnormal in 21 (61.8%) patients and 11 (52.3%) patients had abnormal interphase FISH but normal metaphases. The evidence of the loss of D13S319 with or without loss of LAMP1 was found in 6 (21.4%) patients, and loss of p53±CEP17 for 2 patients, IGH-BAP for 9 (26.5%) patients, IGH/FGFR3 for 2 patients, and IGH/CCND1 for 7 (20.6%) patients, respectively. However, there were none positive for IGH/MAF. Chromosome 13 abnormalities and IGH rearrangement is correlated with poor clinical outcome. Conclusions: Interphase FISH can provide useful information to evaluate the presence of prognostic chromosome abnormalities in addition to metaphase cytogenetics. And it should be used in the routine evaluation of multiple myeloma.

No significant financial relationships to disclose.

Long-term survival of patients with metastatic melanoma (MM) treated with dacarbazine (DTIC) or temozolomide (TMZ)

9054

Background: Patients with metastatic melanoma (MM) generally have a poor prognosis, with a median survival of 6 to 9 months. There is a small proportion of patients who achieve long term survival (LTS), however, it is unclear whether LTS reflects sensitivity to systemic therapy, indolent tumor biology or host immune factors. Dacarbazine (DTIC) is the only approved chemotherapy for the treatment of MM, although temozolomide (TMZ) has similar efficacy. There is limited information as to the frequency of complete response (CR) following DTIC or TMZ, duration of response and whether LTS occurs only in patients who achieve a CR. We sought to identify all patients with MM treated with either DTIC (alone or in combinations) or TMZ at the BC Cancer Agency (BCCA) who achieved LTS defined as survival ≥ 18 months from the time of administration of chemotherapy. Methods: All patients with MM treated with either DTIC or TMZ from January 1, 1988 to February 1, 2006 were identified in the BCCA pharmacy database. The BCCA surveillance and outcomes unit (SAO) was utilized to identify cases of LTS. CR was defined as disappearance of all disease by diagnostic imaging. Given the retrospective nature of the analysis, progressive disease (PD) was defined as any tumor growth, and partial response or stable disease (PR/SD) were combined. Results: In the 18-year period reviewed, 397 patients with MM were treated with DTIC (n= 349) or TMZ (n=48). Of these, 45 patients met the criterion of LTS and had the following characteristics: median age 53 (range 22–86); male 67 %; ocular primary 7%; non-pulmonary visceral metastases 38%; DTIC 11.7% (41/349), TMZ 8.3% (4/48). The best response to DTIC or TMZ documented was: CR 18%, PR/SD 67%, PD 13%. The 5-year overall and progression-free survival rates were 33% and 12%, respectively. Eleven patients survived > 5 years (range 5–27.5), and 6 patients remain in remission (5 CR, 1 PR). Disease progression occurred in 5 patients in < 1 year however, they remain alive for at least 5 years (range 5.2–17.9). Conclusions: LTS occurs in patients with MM treated with either DTIC or TMZ. However, a minority have a sustained response following chemotherapy, and most cases of LTS are likely the result of indolent disease or host biology.

No significant financial relationships to disclose.

Phase I dose-finding study of sorafenib in combination with capecitabine and cisplatin as a first-line treatment in patients with advanced gastric cancer

4559

Background: We conducted a phase I dose-finding study of sorafenib (S) in combination with capecitabine (X) and cisplatin (P) in patients with previously untreated metastatic or inoperable advanced gastric cancer. Methods: Four dose levels of S, X, and P combination were tested. The doses of S (p.o. daily), X (p.o. on days 1–14), and P (i.v. on day 1) were escalated at the following schedule; level 1: S 400 mg/d, X 1,600 mg/m2/d, P 80 mg/m2; level 2: S 800 mg/d, X 1,600 mg/m2/d, P 80 mg/m2; level 3: S 800 mg/d, X 2,000 mg/m2/d, P 80 mg/m2; level 1A: S 800 mg/d, X 1,600 mg/m2/d, P 60 mg/m2. The cycle was repeated every 3 weeks. Dose limiting toxicities (DLTs) were evaluated only in the first cycles and a standard 3+3 dose escalation design was implemented. Results: A total 21 pts were enrolled in the study. No DLTs were observed at dose level 1 (n=3). One DLT (grade 3 diarrhea) was noted at dose level 2 (n=6), and 2 DLTs (two grade 4 neutropenias longer than 5 days in duration) were observed at dose level 3 (n=6), which made the level 3 dose the maximum tolerated dose (MTD). However, at cycle 2 and thereafter at dose level 2, the relative dose intensity (RDI) of S and X could not be maintained (mostly below 80%) due to the frequent dose reductions and cycle delays. So, we explored a new dose level (1A) between dose level 1 and 2. Since no DLTs were found in 6 patients at level 1A with RDI mostly above 80% throughout the treatment period, level 1A was determined as recommended dose (RD). Most frequent grade 3 and 4 hematologic toxicities were neutropenia (25.0% of cycles), and most frequent grade 2 and 3 non-hematologic toxicities were hand-foot syndrome (9.4%), asthenia (7.0%), and anorexia (5.5%). The objective responses were confirmed in 10 out of 16 patients with measurable lesions (62.5%; 95% CI, 38.8–86.2%). With a median follow-up of 8.1 months, estimated median progression-free survival was 10.0 months (95% CI, 1.6–18.4 months) and median overall survival has not been reached. Conclusions: Diarrhea and neutropenia were DLTs in this S, X, and P combination. The dose schedule of sorafenib 400 mg po bid daily with capecitabine 800 mg/m2 po bid on days 1–14, and cisplatin 60 mg/m2 iv on day 1 in every 3 weeks is recommended for further development in AGC.

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Prognostic factors in metastatic melanoma patients treated with biochemotherapy and maintenance immunotherapy

9051

Background: Patients with stage IV metastatic melanoma are usually felt to be incurable with a median survival of 6.4 months and a 5-year survival of only 2%. Biochemotherapy has shown promise with long-term survival in selected patients. We felt the study of prognostic factors would determine which patients might benefit the most from this intensive therapy. Methods: 135 consecutive patients with stage IV melanoma treated with decrescendo biochemotherapy followed by maintenance immunotherapy at one melanoma treatment center were studied to determine the most important prognostic factors; these factors were then validated by analysis of 133 patients treated in a multi-center trial at other institutions. Patients were treated using the inpatient regimen of O'Day (JCO23:710s,2005 abstract). Results: Median overall survival (OS) was 16.6 months with 1-year survival of 70% and 5-year survival of 28%. Median progression-free survival (PFS) was 7.6 months with 15% progression-free at 5 years. PFS curves showed no relapses after 30 months, so remissions were durable. For OS performance status 0, normal LDH, stage M1a, and non-visceral sites of metastases were favorable prognostic factors. For PFS performance status 0, normal LDH, female sex, age <50 and stage M1a were favorable prognostic factors Multivariate analysis demonstrated two important prognostic factors for survival: normal serum LDH and the presence of either skin or nodes as one of the sites of metastatic disease. The group with normal LDH and skin or node metastases had a relatively good prognosis with median survival of 44 months and a 5-year survival of 38%. Conversely patients with elevated LDH without any skin or nodal metastases had a poor prognosis, with no long-term survivors. Conclusions: Metastatic melanoma patients treated with biochemotherapy and maintenance immunotherapy that have either a normal LDH or skin or nodes as one of their metastatic sites may have durable remissions of their disease, and this therapy should be studied further in these groups.

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S-1 monotherapy for the treatment of elderly patients with advanced gastric cancer

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Background: Elderly patients have often been excluded from clinical trials and only limited data are available regarding treatment of these patients. The efficacy of S-1 chemotherapy for elderly patients with advanced gastric cancer (AGC) is not well investigated. The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of S-1 monotherapy in elderly patients with AGC to whom conventional chemotherapy is difficult to deliver. Methods: From January 1, 2007 to August 31, 2008, a total of seventeen patients older than 70 were given S1 monotherapy. They received S-1 at a dose of 40mg/m2 BID either every 3 weeks (2 weeks on, 1 week off) or every 6 weeks (4 weeks on, 2 weeks off). Response was assessed according to RECIST criteria. Results: The patients consisted of 11 men and 6 women whose median age was 77 years (range: 71–83) with their performance status in 1 to 2. Five patients had recurrent AGC and the other 12 patients metastatic AGC at the time of diagnosis. Total 89 cycles of S-1 chemotherapy were given (median 4 cycles, range 2–12). Fifteen patients were evaluable for response because of early death in 2 patients. Response rate was 17.6% (95% Condifence Interval, 0 to 35.7); Complete remission in 0, partial remission in 3 (17.6%) and stable disease in 5 patients (29.4%). At a median follow up of 9.7 months (range: 8–11.4), median progression free survival was 5.1 months (range: 3.5–6.7) and overall survival was 9.5 months (range: 5.6–15.5). Most of the adverse effects of S1 monotherapy did not extend beyond grade 3. Grade 3 or 4 non- hematologic toxicities were not frequent and were easily manageable except in two, one of whom died of neutropenic sepsis and the other who died of subdural hemorrhage in grade 4 thrombocytopenia. Conclusions: S1 chemotherapy showed modest efficacy in elderly patients with AGC. The hematologic toxicity should be cautiously monitored in these elderly patients to avoid fatal events. Further studies are warranted for optimal management of elderly patients with metastatic or recurrent AGC.

No significant financial relationships to disclose.

Expression of excision repair cross-complementation group 1 protein and outcome in patients with nasopharyngeal cancer

6085

Background: We evaluated the prognostic significance of thymidylate synthase (TS), and Excision Repair Cross-Complementation Group 1 protein (ERCC1) in patients (pts) with nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT). Methods: Pretreatment tumor biopsy specimens from 41 pts with locally advanced NPC were analyzed for TS and ERCC1 expression by immunohistochemistry. All patients were treated with 1 cycle of induction chemotherapy (5-fluorouracil 1,000 mg/m2/day and cisplatin 20 mg/m2/day, days 1–4) followed by CCRT starting on day 22. CCRT consisted of radiotherapy (70Gy/35 fractions for 7 weeks) with cisplatin 20mg/m2/day for 4 days on weeks 1, 4, 7 of radiotherapy. Results: Complete response and partial response were achieved in 34 pts (83%) and 6 pts (15%), respectively. Within median follow up duration of 101 months (26–147months) in survivors, 5-years overall survival (OS) of all pts was 50%. High expression of TS and ERCC1 was observed in 21 (51%) and 25 (60%) pts, respectively. High expression of ERCC1 was associated with WHO type 1 or 2 histology (p = 0.045). In univariate analysis, high expression of ERCC1 was associated with poor OS (5-year: 73% versus 35%; p = 0.005), while high expression of TS was not correlated with pts outcome (p = 0.867). In multivariate analysis, high expression of ERCC1 was a significant independent predictor of poor OS (p = 0.041) along with WHO type 1 or 2 histology (p = 0.004). Conclusions: High expression of ERCC1 protein may be useful for prediction of poor outcome in pts with NPC treated with CCRT.

No significant financial relationships to disclose.

Correlation of levels of Akt phosphorylation at Ser473 with benefit from paclitaxel chemotherapy in NSABP B-28 patients with node-positive breast cancer

537

Background: We investigated the levels of tumor phospho-Akt(Ser473) (pAkt) and treatment outcome of patients with node-positive breast cancer after adjuvant treatment with doxorubicin/cyclophosphamide (AC) followed by four cycles of paclitaxel (PTX) (AC→PTX) compared with AC chemotherapy alone in the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP) B-28 trial. Methods: The primary tumors on B-28 tissue microarray were available from 1581 of 3060 patients enrolled. pAkt status was examined by immunohistochemistry with the antibody to pAkt(Ser473) (Cell Signaling Technology) at the National Cancer Institute. Levels of pAkt were quantitatively scored with the assistance of an Automated Digital Imaging System blinded to clinical outcome, and categorized by the staining index (intensity X % of staining /100) of > 2 (high) and ≤ 2 (low). The association between tumor pAkt level and clinical outcome at 10 years was assessed using multivariate Cox modeling adjusting for age, tumor size, number of positive nodes, tumor grade, estrogen receptor and HER2 status. Results: Among patients with low tumor pAkt levels (n = 975), there was no DFS difference between those treated with or without PTX (adjusted HR = 1.02, p = 0.81). However, among patients with high tumor pAkt levels (n = 606), those treated with AC→PTX had a 26% reduction in DFS event rate compared to those treated with AC only (adjusted HR = 0.74, p = 0.02). There was no OS difference between treatment groups for those with low pAkt cancer (HR = 0.97, p = 0.80). In patients with high pAkt cancer, those treated with AC→PTX had a 20% reduction in death rate compared to those treated with AC only but this difference did not reach statistical significance (adjusted HR = 0.80, p = 0.17). Conclusions: High levels of Akt phosphorylation at Ser473 independently predict a DFS benefit from the sequential addition of paclitaxel to adjuvant doxorubicin plus cyclophosphamide in node-positive breast cancer. Patients with low levels of pAkt breast cancer may not benefit from the sequential addition of PTX to doxorubicin plus cyclophosphamide.

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Lentiviruses with trastuzumab bound to their envelopes can target and kill prostate cancer cells

In this study, we took advantage of the overexpression of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2) in prostate cancers to design lentiviruses with modified envelope proteins that bind antibodies to specific cell-surface antigens. When bound to trastuzumab (Herceptin, Genentech, CA), lentiviruses were able to selectively infect androgen-sensitive LNCaP and castration-resistant C4-2 human prostate cancer cell lines, both of which express high levels of HER-2. To test for a therapeutic effect, we engineered our antibody-binding lentiviruses to express thymidine kinase, which can convert the non-toxic pro-drug ganciclovir (GCV) into a cytotoxic form. LNCaP and C4-2 cells infected by these viruses were sensitive to GCV killing. In vivo, C4-2 xenograft tumors treated either intratumorally or i.v. with trastuzumab-bound lentivirus expressed luciferase, although the latter route was less tumor specific. When a prostate-specific promoter for governing luciferase expression was combined with trastuzumab-mediated delivery, there was a further enrichment in targeting viral gene expression in prostate tumors. In conclusion, we found that although prostate cancers that express high levels of HER-2 are resistant to the killing effects of trastuzumab, they can be targeted for selective gene expression and destruction by viruses with envelope proteins engineered to bind this antibody.