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Kwong FLA, Kristunas C, Davenport C, Deeks J, Mallett S, Agarwal R, Kehoe S, Timmerman D, Bourne T, Stobart H, Neal R, Menon U, Gentry-Maharaj A, Brenton J, Rosenfeld N, Sturdy L, Ottridge R, Sundar SS. Symptom-triggered testing detects early stage and low volume resectable advanced stage ovarian cancer. Int J Gynecol Cancer 2024:ijgc-2024-005371. [PMID: 39138005 DOI: 10.1136/ijgc-2024-005371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/15/2024] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Symptom-triggered testing for ovarian cancer was introduced to the UK whereby symptomatic women undergo an ultrasound scan and serum CA125, and are referred to hospital within 2 weeks if these are abnormal. The potential value of symptom-triggered testing in the detection of early-stage disease or low tumor burden remains unclear in women with high grade serous ovarian cancer. In this descriptive study, we report on the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage, disease distribution, and complete cytoreduction rates in women presenting via the fast-track pathway and who were diagnosed with high grade serous ovarian cancer. METHODS We analyzed the dataset from Refining Ovarian Cancer Test accuracy Scores (ROCkeTS), a single-arm prospective diagnostic test accuracy study recruiting from 24 hospitals in the UK. The aim of ROCkeTS is to validate risk prediction models in symptomatic women. We undertook an opportunistic analysis for women recruited between June 2015 to July 2022 and who were diagnosed with high grade serous ovarian cancer via the fast-track pathway. Women presenting with symptoms suspicious for ovarian cancer receive a CA125 blood test and an ultrasound scan if the CA125 level is abnormal. If either of these is abnormal, women are referred to secondary care within 2 weeks. Histology details were available on all women who underwent surgery or biopsy within 3 months of recruitment. Women who did not undergo surgery or biopsy at 3 months were followed up for 12 months as per the national guidelines in the UK. In this descriptive study, we report on patient demographics (age and menopausal status), WHO performance status, FIGO stage at diagnosis, disease distribution (low/pelvic confined, moderate/extending to mid-abdomen, high/extending to upper abdomen) and complete cytoreduction rates in women who underwent surgery. RESULTS Of 1741 participants recruited via the fast-track pathway, 119 (6.8%) were diagnosed with high grade serous ovarian cancer. The median age was 63 years (range 32-89). Of these, 112 (94.1%) patients had a performance status of 0 and 1, 30 (25.2%) were diagnosed with stages I/II, and the disease distribution was low-to-moderate in 77 (64.7%). Complete and optimal cytoreduction were achieved in 73 (61.3%) and 18 (15.1%). The extent of disease was low in 43 of 119 (36.1%), moderate in 34 of 119 (28.6%), high in 32 of 119 (26.9%), and not available in 10 of 119 (8.4%). Nearly two thirds, that is 78 of 119 (65.5%) women with high grade serous ovarian cancer, underwent primary debulking surgery, 36 of 119 (30.3%) received neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by interval debulking surgery, and 5 of 119 (4.2%) women did not undergo surgery. CONCLUSION Our results demonstrate that one in four women identified with high grade serous ovarian cancer through the fast-track pathway following symptom-triggered testing was diagnosed with early-stage disease. Symptom-triggered testing may help identify women with a low disease burden, potentially contributing to high complete cytoreduction rates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fong Lien Audrey Kwong
- The Pan-Birmingham Gynaecological Cancer Centre, Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust, Birmingham, UK
- University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | | | | | - Jon Deeks
- University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | | | | | | | - Dirk Timmerman
- Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospital Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | | | | | | | - Usha Menon
- Institute of Clinical Trials and Methodology, MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL, London, London, UK
| | - Alex Gentry-Maharaj
- Institute of Clinical Trials and Methodology, MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL, London, London, UK
- University College London Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Institute for Women's Health, London, UK
| | - James Brenton
- Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute; Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | | | | | | | - Sudha S Sundar
- The Pan-Birmingham Gynaecological Cancer Centre, Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust, Birmingham, UK
- University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
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Moss E, Taylor A, Andreou A, Ang C, Arora R, Attygalle A, Banerjee S, Bowen R, Buckley L, Burbos N, Coleridge S, Edmondson R, El-Bahrawy M, Fotopoulou C, Frost J, Ganesan R, George A, Hanna L, Kaur B, Manchanda R, Maxwell H, Michael A, Miles T, Newton C, Nicum S, Ratnavelu N, Ryan N, Sundar S, Vroobel K, Walther A, Wong J, Morrison J. British Gynaecological Cancer Society (BGCS) ovarian, tubal and primary peritoneal cancer guidelines: Recommendations for practice update 2024. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol 2024; 300:69-123. [PMID: 39002401 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejogrb.2024.06.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2024] [Accepted: 06/13/2024] [Indexed: 07/15/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Esther Moss
- College of Life Sciences, University of Leicester, University Road, Leicester, LE1 7RH, UK
| | | | - Adrian Andreou
- Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust, Combe Park, Bath BA1 3NG, UK
| | - Christine Ang
- Northern Gynaecological Oncology Centre, Gateshead, UK
| | - Rupali Arora
- Department of Cellular Pathology, University College London NHS Trust, 60 Whitfield Street, London W1T 4E, UK
| | | | | | - Rebecca Bowen
- Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust, Combe Park, Bath BA1 3NG, UK
| | - Lynn Buckley
- Beverley Counselling & Psychotherapy, 114 Holme Church Lane, Beverley, East Yorkshire HU17 0PY, UK
| | - Nikos Burbos
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital Colney Lane, Norwich NR4 7UY, UK
| | | | - Richard Edmondson
- Saint Mary's Hospital, Manchester and University of Manchester, M13 9WL, UK
| | - Mona El-Bahrawy
- Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital, Du Cane Road, London W12 0HS, UK
| | | | - Jonathan Frost
- Gynaecological Oncology, Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust, Combe Park, Bath, Bath BA1 3NG, UK; University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Raji Ganesan
- Department of Cellular Pathology, Birmingham Women's Hospital, Birmingham B15 2TG, UK
| | | | - Louise Hanna
- Department of Oncology, Velindre Cancer Centre, Whitchurch, Cardiff CF14 2TL, UK
| | - Baljeet Kaur
- North West London Pathology (NWLP), Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, Hammersmith Hospital, Du Cane Road, London W12 0HS, UK
| | - Ranjit Manchanda
- Wolfson Institute of Population Health, Cancer Research UK Barts Centre, Queen Mary University of London and Barts Health NHS Trust, UK
| | - Hillary Maxwell
- Dorset County Hospital, Williams Avenue, Dorchester, Dorset DT1 2JY, UK
| | - Agnieszka Michael
- Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust, Guildford GU2 7XX and University of Surrey, School of Biosciences, GU2 7WG, UK
| | - Tracey Miles
- Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust, Combe Park, Bath BA1 3NG, UK
| | - Claire Newton
- Gynaecology Oncology Department, St Michael's Hospital, University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, Bristol BS1 3NU, UK
| | - Shibani Nicum
- Department of Oncology, University College London Cancer Institute, London, UK
| | | | - Neil Ryan
- The Centre for Reproductive Health, Institute for Regeneration and Repair (IRR), 4-5 Little France Drive, Edinburgh BioQuarter City, Edinburgh EH16 4UU, UK
| | - Sudha Sundar
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, University of Birmingham and Pan Birmingham Gynaecological Cancer Centre, City Hospital, Birmingham B18 7QH, UK
| | - Katherine Vroobel
- Department of Cellular Pathology, Royal Marsden Foundation NHS Trust, London SW3 6JJ, UK
| | - Axel Walther
- Bristol Cancer Institute, University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust, UK
| | - Jason Wong
- Department of Histopathology, East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust, Ipswich Hospital, Heath Road, Ipswich IP4 5PD, UK
| | - Jo Morrison
- University of Exeter, Exeter, UK; Department of Gynaecological Oncology, GRACE Centre, Musgrove Park Hospital, Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, Taunton TA1 5DA, UK.
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3
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Scott SE, Thompson MJ. "Notification! You May Have Cancer." Could Smartphones and Wearables Help Detect Cancer Early? JMIR Cancer 2024; 10:e52577. [PMID: 38767941 PMCID: PMC11148520 DOI: 10.2196/52577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2023] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 05/22/2024] Open
Abstract
This viewpoint paper considers the authors' perspectives on the potential role of smartphones, wearables, and other technologies in the diagnosis of cancer. We believe that these technologies could be valuable additions in the pursuit of early cancer diagnosis, as they offer solutions to the timely detection of signals or symptoms and monitoring of subtle changes in behavior that may otherwise be missed. In addition to signal detection, technologies could assist symptom interpretation and guide and facilitate access to health care. This paper aims to provide an overview of the scientific rationale as to why these technologies could be valuable for early cancer detection, as well as outline the next steps for research and development to drive investigation into the potential for smartphones and wearables in this context and optimize implementation. We draw attention to potential barriers to successful implementation, including the difficulty of the development of signals and sensors with sufficient utility and accuracy through robust research with the target group. There are regulatory challenges; the potential for innovations to exacerbate inequalities; and questions surrounding acceptability, uptake, and correct use by the intended target group and health care practitioners. Finally, there is potential for unintended consequences on individuals and health care services including unnecessary anxiety, increased symptom burden, overinvestigation, and inappropriate use of health care resources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suzanne E Scott
- Centre for Cancer Screening, Prevention and Early Diagnosis, Wolfson Institute of Population Health, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Matthew J Thompson
- Department of Family Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
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Bradley SH, Jones D, Wood S, Rafiq M, Bradley C, Hamilton WT. Diagnosing cancer in English community pharmacies. BMJ 2024; 385:e077087. [PMID: 38740425 DOI: 10.1136/bmj-2023-077087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2024]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Daniel Jones
- Academic Unit of Primary Care, University of Leeds, UK
- North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust, Carlisle, UK
| | - Su Wood
- Academic Unit of Primary Care, University of Leeds, UK
| | - Meena Rafiq
- Centre for Cancer Research and Department of General Practice, University of Melbourne, Australia
- Epidemiology of Cancer and Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO) group, University College London, UK
| | | | - William T Hamilton
- Department of Health and Community Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Exeter, UK
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Barcroft JF, Yom-Tov E, Lampos V, Ellis LB, Guzman D, Ponce-López V, Bourne T, Cox IJ, Saso S. Using online search activity for earlier detection of gynaecological malignancy. BMC Public Health 2024; 24:608. [PMID: 38462622 PMCID: PMC10926628 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-024-17673-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2023] [Accepted: 01/04/2024] [Indexed: 03/12/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Ovarian cancer is the most lethal and endometrial cancer the most common gynaecological cancer in the UK, yet neither have a screening program in place to facilitate early disease detection. The aim is to evaluate whether online search data can be used to differentiate between individuals with malignant and benign gynaecological diagnoses. METHODS This is a prospective cohort study evaluating online search data in symptomatic individuals (Google user) referred from primary care (GP) with a suspected cancer to a London Hospital (UK) between December 2020 and June 2022. Informed written consent was obtained and online search data was extracted via Google takeout and anonymised. A health filter was applied to extract health-related terms for 24 months prior to GP referral. A predictive model (outcome: malignancy) was developed using (1) search queries (terms model) and (2) categorised search queries (categories model). Area under the ROC curve (AUC) was used to evaluate model performance. 844 women were approached, 652 were eligible to participate and 392 were recruited. Of those recruited, 108 did not complete enrollment, 12 withdrew and 37 were excluded as they did not track Google searches or had an empty search history, leaving a cohort of 235. RESULTS The cohort had a median age of 53 years old (range 20-81) and a malignancy rate of 26.0%. There was a difference in online search data between those with a benign and malignant diagnosis, noted as early as 360 days in advance of GP referral, when search queries were used directly, but only 60 days in advance, when queries were divided into health categories. A model using online search data from patients (n = 153) who performed health-related search and corrected for sample size, achieved its highest sample-corrected AUC of 0.82, 60 days prior to GP referral. CONCLUSIONS Online search data appears to be different between individuals with malignant and benign gynaecological conditions, with a signal observed in advance of GP referral date. Online search data needs to be evaluated in a larger dataset to determine its value as an early disease detection tool and whether its use leads to improved clinical outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer F Barcroft
- Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0HS, UK
| | | | - Vasileios Lampos
- Department of Computer Science, University College London, London, UK
| | - Laura Burney Ellis
- Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0HS, UK
| | - David Guzman
- Department of Computer Science, University College London, London, UK
| | | | - Tom Bourne
- Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0HS, UK
| | - Ingemar J Cox
- Department of Computer Science, University College London, London, UK
- Computer Science, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Srdjan Saso
- Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0HS, UK.
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Stoffel ST, Law JH, Kerrison R, Brewer HR, Flanagan JM, Hirst Y. Testing Behavioral Messages to Increase Recruitment to Health Research When Embedded Within Social Media Campaigns on Twitter: Web-Based Experimental Study. JMIR Form Res 2024; 8:e48538. [PMID: 38315543 PMCID: PMC10877493 DOI: 10.2196/48538] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2023] [Revised: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 02/07/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Social media is rapidly becoming the primary source to disseminate invitations to the public to consider taking part in research studies. There is, however, little information on how the contents of the advertisement can be communicated to facilitate engagement and subsequently promote intentions to participate in research. OBJECTIVE This paper describes an experimental study that tested different behavioral messages for recruiting study participants for a real-life observational case-control study. METHODS We included 1060 women in a web-based experiment and randomized them to 1 of 3 experimental conditions: standard advertisement (n=360), patient endorsement advertisement (n=345), and social norms advertisement (n=355). After seeing 1 of the 3 advertisements, participants were asked to state (1) their intention to take part in the advertised case-control study, (2) the ease of understanding the message and study aims, and (3) their willingness to be redirected to the website of the case-control study after completing the survey. Individuals were further asked to suggest ways to improve the messages. Intentions were compared between groups using ordinal logistic regression, reported in percentages, adjusted odds ratio (aOR), and 95% CIs. RESULTS Those who were in the patient endorsement and social norms-based advertisement groups had significantly lower intentions to take part in the advertised study compared with those in the standard advertisement group (aOR 0.73, 95% CI 0.55-0.97; P=.03 and aOR 0.69, 95% CI 0.52-0.92; P=.009, respectively). The patient endorsement advertisement was perceived to be more difficult to understand (aOR 0.65, 95% CI 0.48-0.87; P=.004) and to communicate the study aims less clearly (aOR 0.72, 95% CI 0.55-0.95; P=.01). While the patient endorsement advertisement had no impact on intention to visit the main study website, the social norms advertisement decreased willingness compared with the standard advertisement group (157/355, 44.2% vs 191/360, 53.1%; aOR 0.74, 95% CI 0.54-0.99; P=.02). The majority of participants (395/609, 64.8%) stated that the messages did not require changes, but some preferred clearer (75/609, 12.3%) and shorter (59/609, 9.7%) messages. CONCLUSIONS The results of this study indicate that adding normative behavioral messages to simulated tweets decreased participant intention to take part in our web-based case-control study, as this made the tweet harder to understand. This suggests that simple messages should be used for participant recruitment through Twitter (subsequently rebranded X).
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandro T Stoffel
- Department of Behavioural Science and Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Medicine, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Jing Hui Law
- Wolfson Institute of Population Health, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Robert Kerrison
- School of Health Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, United Kingdom
| | - Hannah R Brewer
- Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - James M Flanagan
- Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Yasemin Hirst
- Department of Behavioural Science and Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- Lancaster Medical School, Lancaster University, Lancaster, United Kingdom
- Applied Health Research Hub, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, United Kingdom
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7
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Dilley J, Gentry-Maharaj A, Ryan A, Burnell M, Manchanda R, Kalsi J, Singh N, Woolas R, Sharma A, Williamson K, Mould T, Fallowfield L, Campbell S, Skates SJ, McGuire A, Parmar M, Jacobs I, Menon U. Ovarian cancer symptoms in pre-clinical invasive epithelial ovarian cancer - An exploratory analysis nested within the UK Collaborative Trial of Ovarian Cancer Screening (UKCTOCS). Gynecol Oncol 2023; 179:123-130. [PMID: 37980767 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygyno.2023.11.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2023] [Revised: 11/02/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 11/21/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE UKCTOCS provides an opportunity to explore symptoms in preclinical invasive epithelial ovarian cancer (iEOC). We report on symptoms in women with pre-clinical (screen-detected) cancers (PC) compared to clinically diagnosed (CD) cancers. METHODS In UKCTOCS, 202638 postmenopausal women, aged 50-74 were randomly allocated (April 17, 2001-September 29, 2005) 2:1:1 to no screening or annual screening till Dec 31,2011, using a multimodal or ultrasound strategy. Follow-up was through national registries. An outcomes committee adjudicated on OC diagnosis, histotype, stage. Eligible women were those diagnosed with iEOC at primary censorship (Dec 31, 2014). Symptom details were extracted from trial clinical-assessment forms and medical records. Descriptive statistics were used to compare symptoms in PC versus CD women with early (I/II) and advanced (III/IV/unable to stage) stage high-grade-serous (HGSC) cancer. ISRCTN-22488978; ClinicalTrials.gov-NCT00058032. RESULTS 1133 (286PC; 847CD) women developed iEOC. Median age (years) at diagnosis was earlier in PC compared to CD (66.8PC, 68.7CD, p = 0.0001) group. In the PC group, 48% (112/234; 90%, 660/730CD) reported symptoms when questioned. Half PC (50%, 13/26PC; 36%, 29/80CD; p = 0.213) women with symptomatic HGSC had >1symptom, with abdominal symptoms most common, both in early (62%, 16/26, PC; 53% 42/80, CD; p = 0.421) and advanced (57%, 49/86, PC; 74%, 431/580, CD; p = 0.001) stages. In symptomatic early-stage HGSC, compared to CD, PC women reported more gastrointestinal (change in bowel habits and dyspepsia) (35%, 9/26PC; 9%, 7/80CD; p = 0.001) and systemic (mostly lethargy/tiredness) (27%, 7/26PC; 9%, 7/80CD; p = 0.017) symptoms. CONCLUSIONS Our findings, add to the growing evidence, that we should reconsider what constitutes alert symptoms for early tubo-ovarian cancer. We need a more nuanced complex of key symptoms which is then evaluated and refined in a prospective trial.
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Affiliation(s)
- James Dilley
- Department of Gynaecological Oncology, Barts Health NHS Trust, London, UK
| | - Aleksandra Gentry-Maharaj
- MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL, Institute of Clinical Trials & Methodology, University College London, London, UK; Department of Women's Cancer, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Institute for Women's Health, University College London, London, UK
| | - Andy Ryan
- MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL, Institute of Clinical Trials & Methodology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Matthew Burnell
- MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL, Institute of Clinical Trials & Methodology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Ranjit Manchanda
- Department of Gynaecological Oncology, Barts Health NHS Trust, London, UK; Wolfson Institute of Population Health, CRUK Barts Cancer Centre, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | - Jatinderpal Kalsi
- Department of Women's Cancer, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Institute for Women's Health, University College London, London, UK
| | - Naveena Singh
- Department of Cellular Pathology, Barts Health NHS Trust, London, UK
| | - Robert Woolas
- Department of Gynaecological Oncology, Queen Alexandra Hospital, Portsmouth, UK
| | - Aarti Sharma
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, UK
| | - Karin Williamson
- Department of Gynaecological Oncology, Nottingham University Hospitals, Nottingham, UK
| | - Tim Mould
- Department of Gynaecological Oncology, University College London Hospitals NHS Trust, London, UK
| | - Lesley Fallowfield
- Sussex Health Outcomes Research and Education in Cancer (SHORE-C), Brighton and Sussex Medical School, University of Sussex, Sussex, UK
| | | | - Steven J Skates
- Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Harvard, MA, USA
| | | | - Mahesh Parmar
- MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL, Institute of Clinical Trials & Methodology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Ian Jacobs
- Department of Women's Cancer, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Institute for Women's Health, University College London, London, UK
| | - Usha Menon
- MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL, Institute of Clinical Trials & Methodology, University College London, London, UK.
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8
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Yan P, Li F, Nicholas S, Maitland E, Tan J, Chen C, Wang J. Impact of pension income on healthcare utilization of older adults in rural China. Int J Equity Health 2023; 22:166. [PMID: 37633941 PMCID: PMC10463592 DOI: 10.1186/s12939-023-01985-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Accepted: 08/10/2023] [Indexed: 08/28/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE In China, rural residents experience poorer health conditions and a higher disease burden compared to urban residents but have lower healthcare services utilization. Rather than an insurance focus on enhanced healthcare services utilization, we aim to examine that whether an income shock, in the form of China's New Rural Pension Scheme (NRPS), will affect outpatient, inpatient and discretionary over-the-counter drug utilization by over 60-year-old rural NRPS residents. METHODS Providing a monthly pension of around RMB88 (USD12.97), NRPS covered all rural residents over 60 years old. Fuzzy regression discontinuity design (FRDD) was employed to explore the NRPS causal effect on healthcare services utilization, measured by outpatient and inpatient visits and discretionary over-the-counter drug purchases. The nationwide China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) 2018 provided the data. RESULTS Without significant changes in health status and medication needs, 60-plus-year-old NRPS recipients significantly increased the probability of discretionary OTC drug purchases by 33 percentage points. NRPS had no significant effect on the utilization of outpatient and inpatient utilization. The increase in the probability of discretionary OTC drug purchases from the NRPS income shock was concentrated in healthier and low-income rural residents. Robustness tests confirmed that FRDD was a robust estimation method and our results are robust. CONCLUSION NRPS was an exogenous income shock that significantly increased the probability of discretionary over-the-counter drug purchases among over 60-year-old rural residents, but not the utilization of inpatient or outpatient healthcare services. Income remains an important constraint for rural residents to improve their health. We recommend policymakers consider including commonly used over-the-counter drugs in basic health insurance reimbursements for rural residents; provide health advice for rural residents to make discretionary over-the-counter drug purchases; and to mount an information campaign on over-the-counter drug purchasing in order to increase the health awareness of rural residents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peizhe Yan
- Dong Fureng Institute of Economic and Social Development, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei Province, China
| | - Fenghang Li
- Dong Fureng Institute of Economic and Social Development, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei Province, China
| | - Stephen Nicholas
- Australian National Institute of Management and Commerce, Australian Technology Park, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Newcastle Business School, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW, Australia
| | | | - Jialong Tan
- Dong Fureng Institute of Economic and Social Development, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei Province, China
| | - Chen Chen
- Department of Global Health, School of Public Health, Wuhan University, Hubei Province, 115 Donghu Road, Wuhan, 430079, China.
| | - Jian Wang
- Dong Fureng Institute of Economic and Social Development, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei Province, China.
- Center for Health Economics and Management at the School of Economics and Management, Wuhan University, Hubei Province, Room A201, Wuhan, 430079, China.
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9
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Brewer HR, Chadeau-Hyam M, Johnson E, Sundar S, Flanagan J, Hirst Y. Cancer Loyalty Card Study (CLOCS): feasibility outcomes for an observational case-control study focusing on the patient interval in ovarian cancer. BMJ Open 2023; 13:e066022. [PMID: 37316316 PMCID: PMC10277047 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2022-066022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2022] [Accepted: 05/07/2023] [Indexed: 06/16/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Ovarian cancer symptoms are often non-specific and can be normalised before patients seek medical help. The Cancer Loyalty Card Study investigated self-management behaviours of patients with ovarian cancer prior to their diagnosis using loyalty card data collected by two UK-based high street retailers. Here, we discuss the feasibility outcomes for this novel research. DESIGN Observational case-control study. SETTING Control participants were invited to the study using social media and other sources from the general public. Once consented, control participants were required to submit proof of identification (ID) for their loyalty card data to be shared. Cases were identified using unique National Health Service (NHS) numbers (a proxy for ID) and were recruited through 12 NHS tertiary care clinics. PARTICIPANTS Women in the UK, 18 years or older, with at least one of the participating high street retailers' loyalty cards. Those with an ovarian cancer diagnosis within 2 years of recruitment were considered cases, and those without an ovarian cancer diagnosis were considered controls. PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES Recruitment rates, demographics of participants and identification of any barriers to recruitment. RESULTS In total, 182 cases and 427 controls were recruited with significant differences by age, number of people in participants' households and the geographical region in the UK. However, only 37% (n=160/427) of control participants provided sufficient ID details and 81% (n=130/160) matched retailers' records. The majority of the participants provided complete responses to the 24-Item Ovarian Risk Questionnaire. CONCLUSIONS Our findings show that recruitment to a study aiming to understand self-care behaviours using loyalty card data is challenging but feasible. The general public were willing to share their data for health research. Barriers in data sharing mechanisms need to be addressed to maximise participant retention. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER ISRCTN14897082, CPMS 43323, NCT03994653.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah R Brewer
- Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Marc Chadeau-Hyam
- MRC Centre for Environment and Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Eric Johnson
- School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Sudha Sundar
- Cancer Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - James Flanagan
- Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Yasemin Hirst
- Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, London, UK
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Optimizing Clinical Workflow Using Precision Medicine and Advanced Data Analytics. Processes (Basel) 2023. [DOI: 10.3390/pr11030939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Precision medicine—of which precision prescribing is a core component—is becoming a new frontier in today’s healthcare. Both artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) have the potential to enhance our understanding of data and therefore our ability to accurately diagnose and treat patients. By leveraging these technologies and processes, we can uncover associations between a person’s genomic makeup and their health, identify biomarkers associated with diseases, fine-tune patient selection for clinical trials, reduce costs, and accelerate drug discovery and vaccine development. Although real-world data pose challenges in terms of collection, representation, and missing or inaccurate data sets, the integration of precision medicine into healthcare is critical. Clearly, precision medicine can benefit from health information innovations that empower decision-making at the patient level. Healthcare fusion is an example of an innovative framework and process [K Zhai et al., 2022, pp. 179–192] [K Zhai et al. ECKM 2022, 20(3), pp. 179–192]. Data science and process improvement are also expected to play a role in resource planning and operational efficiency for optimal patient-centered care. Driving this transformation are advances in ‘omics’ technologies, digital devices, and imaging capabilities, along with an arsenal of powerful analytics tools working across a multitude of institutions and stakeholders. Encompassing this entire ecosystem, medicine will be evidence-based and driven by three key components: (1) Data curation through clinical diagnostics and behavioral apps that capture health and disease states; (2) Individualized solutions driven by advanced data analytics and personalized therapies; and (3) Business models that deliver value and incentivize growth. The aim of this paper is to present a novel conceptual framework to leverage AI and enhance information flow to serve the patient as per components one and two.
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Torjesen I. Ovarian cancer: Loyalty card data could help identify cases sooner. BMJ 2023; 380:227. [PMID: 36717132 DOI: 10.1136/bmj.p227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
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