Purpose The purpose of this guideline is to provide a clinical framework for follow-up of clinically localized renal neoplasms undergoing active surveillance, or following definitive therapy. ...Materials and Methods A systematic literature review identified published articles in the English literature between January 1999 and 2011 relevant to key questions specified by the Panel related to kidney neoplasms and their follow-up (imaging, renal function, markers, biopsy, prognosis). Study designs consisting of clinical trials (randomized or not), observational studies (cohort, case-control, case series) and systematic reviews were included. Results Guideline statements provided guidance for ongoing evaluation of renal function, usefulness of renal biopsy, timing/type of radiographic imaging and formulation of future research initiatives. A lack of studies precluded risk stratification beyond tumor staging; therefore, for the purposes of postoperative surveillance guidelines, patients with localized renal cancers were grouped into strata of low- and moderate- to high-risk for disease recurrence based on pathological tumor stage. Conclusions Evaluation for patients on active surveillance and following definitive therapy for renal neoplasms should include physical examination, renal function, serum studies and imaging and should be tailored according to recurrence risk, comorbidities and monitoring for treatment sequelae. Expert opinion determined a judicious course of monitoring/surveillance that may change in intensity as surgical/ablative therapies evolve, renal biopsy accuracy improves and more long-term follow-up data are collected. The beneficial impact of careful follow-up will also need critical evaluation as further study is completed.
Sleep disruption is an emergent military health issue, but remarkably little is known of its prevalence or comorbidities in the combat zone. This study was designed to quantify the prevalence and ...mental health correlates of sleep disruption among military personnel serving within a ground combat zone during Operation Enduring Freedom. This was a large, cross-sectional survey of active duty and reserve U.S. Navy personnel (N = 3,175). Self-reported sleep measures included total hours of sleep per day, total hours of sleep required to feel well-rested, difficulty falling asleep, and difficulty staying asleep. The survey also measured mental health symptoms, including post-traumatic stress symptoms, anxiety, and depression. Participants reported an average of 5.9 hours of sleep per day despite requiring on average 6.8 hours to feel well rested. More than half (56%) were classified as sleep deficient, and 67% reported 6 or fewer hours of sleep per day. Adjusted for covariates, individuals endorsing sleep disruption were at substantially elevated risk of meeting criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and major depressive disorder. This study documents the prevalence of sleep disruption in a very large and difficult-to-access sample of military members serving in a combat zone, and details robust associations with mental health.
Modern radiologic imaging is an aid to treatment planning for localized renal cancer, enabling characterization of mass lesions. For patients who present with advanced renal cancer, new imaging ...techniques enable a functional assessment of treatment response not possible using anatomic measurements alone. Multidetector CT urography permits simultaneous assessment of the kidneys and urinary tract for patients with unexplained hematuria. Both CT and MRI play a significant role in staging and follow up of patients treated for urothelial cancer. Newer imaging methods such as diffusion-weighted MRI have shown promising results for improving accuracy of staging and follow up of urothelial cancer.
Contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) has long been observed in both experimental and clinical studies. However, recent observational studies have questioned the prevalence and severity of CIN following ...intravenous contrast exposure. Initial studies of acute kidney injury following intravenous contrast were limited by the absence of control groups or contained control groups that did not adjust for additional acute kidney injury risk factors, including prevalent chronic kidney disease, as well as accepted prophylactic strategies. More contemporary use of propensity score–adjusted models have attempted to minimize the risk for selection bias, although bias cannot be completely eliminated without a prospective randomized trial. Based on existing data, we recommend the following CIN risk classification: patients with estimated glomerular filtration rates (eGFRs) ≥ 45mL/min/1.73m2 are at negligible risk for CIN, while patients with eGFRs<30mL/min/1.73m2 are at high risk for CIN. Patients with eGFRs between 30 and 44mL/min/1.73m2 are at an intermediate risk for CIN unless diabetes mellitus is present, which would further increase the risk. In all patients at any increased risk for CIN, the risk for CIN needs to be balanced by the risk of not performing an intravenous contrast-enhanced study.
Recognizing both the medical and operational costs of tobacco use, the Department of Defense has made tobacco cessation a top health promotion priority. Military tobacco rates remain high, however, ...especially among younger personnel and, particularly, in the Marine Corps. Tobacco is prohibited during basic training, but relapse is common following boot camp graduation. The objective of this study was to determine patterns and prevalence of tobacco use among Marine Corps recruits before entering basic training. Over a period of 14 months, 15,689 graduating male recruits completed a survey of their preservice tobacco use. Approximately 81% reported having tried tobacco at least once and 57% were classified as at-risk users. Compared to their civilian peers, more recruits were daily users and many more used smokeless tobacco. Approximately 67% of users evidenced at least one indicator of dependence. There is a clear need for additional tobacco cessation efforts to target this high-risk population.
An Unusual Cause of Abdominal Pain Nephew, Lauren; Hilton, Susan; Falk, Gary W
Gastroenterology (New York, N.Y. 1943),
09/2015, Letnik:
149, Številka:
3
Journal Article
•Residual retroperitoneal mass size guides post-chemo management of NSGCT patients.•Surveillance is reasonable when the RRM <1 cm in the transaxial short axis.•Recurrence did not occur more often ...when RRM was ≥1 cm in the long or craniocaudal axis.
Approximately 70% to 80% of patients with metastatic nonseminomatous germ cell tumor (NSGCT) treated with cisplatin-based chemotherapy achieve a complete response, defined as normalization of serum tumor markers and either no residual retroperitoneal mass (RRM) or an RRM <1.0 cm. While there is universal agreement that patients with an RRM ≥1.0 cm should undergo retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (RPLND), many institutions including ours recommend surveillance for patients who achieve a complete response. However, studies have not defined which axis of the RRM should be considered when deciding between surveillance and RPLND.
Good-risk metastatic NSGCT patients treated with cisplatin-based chemotherapy who achieved a complete response and underwent surveillance were identified using our institution's electronic medical records. A post-hoc review was performed by a blinded radiologist. The RRM dimensions in the transaxial short axis (TSA), transaxial long axis (TLA), and craniocaudal axis (CCA) were recorded. Differences in the frequency of recurrence between groups with an RRM <1.0 cm and ≥1.0 cm in the TLA and CCA were assessed using the Fisher exact test.
Thirty-nine patients who met study criteria were included. At a median follow-up of 63.8 months, 2 patients (5.1%) recurred. Both were successfully treated with salvage chemotherapy and RPLND. Thirteen (33%) and 27 (69%) patients had an RRM ≥1.0 cm in the TLA and CCA, respectively. There were no statistically significant differences in the risk of recurrence between patients with an RRM <1.0 cm and ≥1.0 cm in the TLA (P = 0.54) or CCA (P = 0.53).
Surveillance is an effective strategy in good-risk NSGCT patients with a postchemotherapy RRM <1.0 cm in the TSA. Our study suggests referencing the TSA and not the TLA or CCA may avoid unnecessary postchemotherapy RPLNDs.
This phase I trial sought to evaluate the toxicity of and determine the maximum-tolerated dose (MTD) for the two-drug regimen doxorubicin and gemcitabine (AG) followed by the three-drug regimen of ...ifosfamide, paclitaxel, and cisplatin (ITP) in patients with unresectable or metastatic transitional-cell carcinoma.
Patients received AG every other week for six cycles followed by ITP every 3 weeks for four cycles. Five AG dose levels were investigated, up to doxorubicin 50 mg/m(2) and gemcitabine 2, 000 mg/m(2), to determine the MTD of the regimen. The dose and schedule of ITP were constant: ifosfamide 1,500 mg/m(2) (days 1 to 3); paclitaxel 200 mg/m(2) (day 1); and cisplatin 70 mg/m(2) (day 1). Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor was given between all cycles of therapy.
Fifteen patients enrolled onto this phase I trial. AG was well tolerated at all dose levels, with no grade 3 or 4 myelosuppression. Toxicity experienced with ITP included grade 3 and 4 granulocytopenia in four patients and grade 3 nausea/vomiting in three patients. No grade 3 and 4 neurotoxicity was observed. Eight of 14 assessable patients experienced a major response to AG, including five of six patients treated at the two highest AG dose levels. After completion of AG-ITP, nine of 14 assessable patients had a major response (three complete responses and six partial responses).
AG is a well-tolerated and active regimen. Sequential chemotherapy with AG-ITP is also well tolerated, and phase II investigation at the highest dose level is ongoing.