AB1258 THE VALUE OF THE SQUEEZE TEST FOR DETECTION OF SUBCLINICAL SYNOVITIS IN PATIENTS WITH ARTHRALGIA SUSPICIOUS FOR PROGRESSION TO RA

Background:The squeeze test (or compression test) is often used to quickly screen for arthritis in metacarpophalangeal (MCP)- and metatarsophalangeal (MTP)-joints. A positive test is traditionally assumed to indicate presence of synovitis. Previous studies in early arthritis indeed showed that a positive squeeze test was associated with presence of swollen MCP- and MTP-joints, as well as with local MRI-detected inflammation. The sensitivity of the test, with MRI-detected synovitis as reference, was 31-33%. The field is moving towards identifying patients at risk for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in the phase of arthralgia. However, it is unclear if the squeeze test in the phase of clinically suspect arthralgia (CSA) is associated with subclinical inflammation, which can be detected with MRI.Objectives:We aimed to assess if a positive squeeze test in patients with CSA is associated with MRI-detected subclinical inflammation, especially with subclinical synovitis and tenosynovitis (the latter is recently identified as a strong predictor for RA-development).Methods:315 patients with recent-onset (<1 year) arthralgia of small joints and a clinical suspicion for progression to RA were consecutively included in our CSA-cohort. At baseline the squeeze test (compression across the knuckles of MCP- and MTP-joints with the force of a firm handshake) and unilateral contrast-enhanced 1.5T MRI of MCP(2-5)- and MTP(1-5)-joints was performed and scored according to RAMRIS. MRI-scores were dichotomized with data from age-matched symptom-free controls as reference. Follow-up ended when patients developed clinically apparent inflammatory arthritis (IA), or else after 2 years. Associations of the squeeze test and MRI-data were studied with generalized estimating equations, associations with IA-development with cox regression.Results:51% of CSA-patients had a positive squeeze test in MCP- or MTP-joints. In univariable analyses a positive test was associated with MRI-detected subclinical synovitis (OR 2.10 (95%CI 1.30-3.40)) and tenosynovitis (OR 1.68 (1.05-2.68)). In multivariable analyses including both inflammatory features only synovitis remained significant (OR 1.90 (1.16-3.13)). Thus, a positive squeeze test is a measure of subclinical synovitis, with a sensitivity of 44% (95%CI 33-55) and specificity of 72% (68-76).A positive squeeze test in CSA was not associated with IA-development in cox regression adjusted for age, gender, CRP and ACPA-status (HR 1.57 (0.77-3.19). This was consistent with the finding that subclinical synovitis was not associated with IA-development in multivariable analysis adjusted for age, gender, CRP, ACPA-status and tenosynovitis (HR 1.40 (0.59-3.31), whilst tenosynovitis was associated (HR 4.94 (2.03-12.06).Conclusion:The squeeze test is a simple test that, when positive in CSA, doubles the probability of presence of subclinical synovitis.Disclosure of Interests:None declared

Download Full-text

POS0385 DURING DEVELOPMENT OF RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS, INTERMETATARSAL BURSITIS MAY OCCUR BEFORE CLINICAL JOINT SWELLING: A LARGE MRI STUDY IN PATIENTS WITH CLINICALLY SUSPECT ARTHRALGIA

Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases ◽

10.1136/annrheumdis-2021-eular.1710 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 80 (Suppl 1) ◽

pp. 422.2-423

Author(s):

B. van Dijk ◽

F. Wouters ◽

E. van Mulligen ◽

M. Reijnierse ◽

A. van der Helm - van Mil

Keyword(s):

Rheumatoid Arthritis ◽

Cox Regression ◽

Clinical Expertise ◽

Synovial Lining ◽

Recent Onset ◽

Clinical Arthritis ◽

Joint Examination ◽

Using Data ◽

Mri Study ◽

Subclinical Synovitis

Background:Inflammation of the synovial lining is a hallmark of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). A synovial lining is not only present at synovial joints and tendon sheaths but also at bursae. Inflammation of the synovium-lined intermetatarsal bursae in the forefoot, intermetatarsal bursitis (IMB), was recently identified with MRI. It is specific for early RA and present in the majority of RA patients at diagnosis. During development of RA, MRI-detectable subclinical synovitis and tenosynovitis often occur before clinical arthritis presents. Whether IMB is also present in a pre-arthritis stage is unknown.Objectives:To assess the occurrence of IMB in patients with clinically suspect arthralgia (CSA) and its association with progression to clinical arthritis in a large MRI-study.Methods:We studied 524 consecutive patients presenting with CSA. CSA was defined as recent-onset arthralgia of small joints that is likely to progress to RA based on the clinical expertise of the rheumatologist. Participants underwent unilateral contrast-enhanced 1.5T MRI of the forefoot, metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joints and wrist at baseline. Thereafter patients were followed for detection of clinical arthritis, as identified at physical joint examination by the rheumatologist. Baseline MRIs were evaluated for IMB at all 4 intermetatarsal spaces. Also synovitis, tenosynovitis and osteitis were assessed in line with the RA MRI scoring system (summed as RAMRIS-inflammation). Both IMB and RAMRIS-inflammation were dichotomised into positive/negative using data from age-matched symptom-free controls as a reference. Cox regression analysed the association of IMB with progression to clinical arthritis; multivariable analyses were used to adjust for RAMRIS-inflammation which is known to associate with progression to clinical arthritis. Analyses were repeated stratified for ACPA-status, since ACPA-positive and ACPA-negative RA are considered separate entities with differences in pathophysiology.Results:The baseline MRIs showed ≥1 IMB in 35% of CSA-patients. Patients with IMB were more likely to also have synovitis (OR 2.5 (95%CI 1.2–4.9)) and tenosynovitis (8.9 (3.4–22.9)) on forefoot MRI, but not osteitis (0.9 (0.5–1.8)). Patients were followed for median 25 months (IQR 19–27). IMB-positive patients developed clinical arthritis more often than IMB-negative patients (HR 3.0 (1.9-4.8)). This association was independent of RAMRIS-inflammation (adjusted HR 2.2 (1.4–3.6)). In stratified analyses, IMB was more frequent in ACPA-positive than in ACPA-negative CSA (68% vs. 30%, p<0.001). Moreover IMB predicted clinical arthritis development in ACPA-positive CSA (HR 2.5 (1.1–5.7)) but not in ACPA-negative CSA patients (1.0 (0.5–2.2)).Conclusion:One-third of CSA patients have IMB. IMB is frequently present in conjunction with subclinical synovitis and tenosynovitis. It precedes the development of clinical arthritis, and in particular the development of ACPA-positive RA. These results reinforce the notion that not only intra- but also juxta-articular synovial inflammation is involved in the development of RA.Disclosure of Interests:None declared

Download Full-text

Clinical features and prognostic analysis of patients with Aspergillus isolation during acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

BMC Pulmonary Medicine ◽

10.1186/s12890-021-01427-4 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Yu Gu ◽

Xianping Ye ◽

Yu Wang ◽

Kunlu Shen ◽

Jinjin Zhong ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease ◽

Pulmonary Disease ◽

Acute Exacerbation ◽

Clinical Features ◽

Antifungal Therapy ◽

Cox Regression ◽

Multivariable Analysis ◽

Positive Culture ◽

Chronic Obstructive ◽

Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Abstract Background Lower respiratory tract (LRT) specimen culture is widely performed for the identification of Aspergillus. We investigated the clinical features and prognosis of patients with Aspergillus isolation from LRT specimens during acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD). Methods This is a 6-year single-center, real-world study. 75 cases out of 1131 hospitalized AECOPD patients were positive for Aspergillus. These patients were carefully evaluated and finally diagnosed of pulmonary aspergillosis (PA, 60 cases, 80%) or colonization (15 cases, 20%). Comparisons of clinical data were performed between these two groups. A cox regression model was used to confirm prognostic factors of Aspergillus infection. Results The PA group had worse lung function and higher rates of systemic corticosteroid use and broad-spectrum antibiotic use before admission than the colonization group. The PA group had significantly higher in-hospital mortality and 180-day mortality than the colonization group (45% (27/60) vs. 0% (0/15), p = 0.001, and 52.5% (31/59) vs. 6.7% (1/15), p < 0.001, respectively). By multivariable analysis among Aspergillus infection patients, antifungal therapy (HR 0.383, 95% CI 0.163–0.899, p = 0.027) was associated with improved survival, whereas accumulated dose of systemic steroids > 700 mg (HR 2.452, 95% CI 1.134–5.300, p = 0.023) and respiratory failure at admission (HR 5.983, 95% CI 2.487–14.397, p < 0.001) were independently associated with increased mortality. Significant survival differential was observed among PA patients without antifungals and antifungals initiated before and after Aspergillus positive culture (p = 0.001). Conclusions Aspergillus isolation in hospitalized AECOPD patients largely indicated PA. AECOPD patients with PA had worse prognosis than those with Aspergillus colonization. Empirical antifungal therapy is warranted to improve the prognosis for Aspergillus infection.

Download Full-text

Cornell voltage left ventricular hypertrophy predicts all-cause mortality better than Sokolow-Lyon voltage in patients with and without diabetes – data from 183,749 primary care ECGs

European Heart Journal ◽

10.1093/ehjci/ehaa946.3042 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 41 (Supplement_2) ◽

Author(s):

S Haxha ◽

U Pedersen-Bjergaard ◽

J.B Nielsen ◽

J Pallisgaard ◽

R.B Devereux ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Primary Care ◽

Left Ventricular Hypertrophy ◽

Predictive Value ◽

Ventricular Hypertrophy ◽

Strong Predictor ◽

Multivariable Analysis ◽

Left Ventricular ◽

Type I ◽

All Cause Mortality ◽

Cornell Voltage

Abstract Background Cornell voltage criteria (CL) and Sokolow-Lyon criteria (SL) for electrocardiographic left ventricular hypertrophy (ECG-LVH) are well known predictors of cardiovascular outcome. However, their predictive value may differ according to patient type and remains to be further tested in diabetic mellitus (DM) patients. Purpose The present study aims to determine the prevalence of each ECG-LVH criteria and their respective predictive value in DM patients. Method A retrospective cohort study of individuals age >40 years with digital ECGs from primary care were collected during 2001 to 2011. Data on medication, comorbidity, and outcomes were collected from Danish nationwide registries. DM was defined if individuals were prescribed oral antidiabetics or insulin, if they were diagnosed with DM type I or II, or had a HbA1c>48 mmol/l. Cox multivariable analysis was used for estimating hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for all-cause mortality during follow-up of up to 17 years. Results Included were 183,749 individuals with a digital ECG collected in primary care. A total of 13,003 (7.1%) individuals had DM, they were older (65.8 vs. 61.3 years), had more myocardial infarction (16.1% vs. 5.2%), stroke (14.4% vs. 6.2%), hypertension (35.1% vs. 13.2%), CL LVH (8.0% vs. 5.6%) and more were males (53.3% vs. 45.3%) compared to the non-DM individuals (all p<0.001). CL identified a larger percentage of LVH in DM compared to non-DM individuals (8.0% vs. 5.6%, p<0.001), whereas SL identified similar percentage LVH in DM and non-DM individuals (8.5% vs. 8.1%, p=0.068). In multivariable adjusted analysis CL LVH remained strongly associated with all-cause mortality [HR 1.45 (95% CI: 1.42–1.48)] compared to SL LVH which found only a modest association [HR 1.06 (95% CI: 1.03–1.10)] (Figure 1). Of note, the association of CL LVH and all-cause mortality was even stronger than DM per se. There was no interaction with DM and either ECG LVH criteria (p>0.45). Conclusion Cornell Voltage Left Ventricular Hypertrophy is a strong predictor of mortality in patients with and without diabetes and an independent risk factor compared to hypertension and diabetes. The predictive value was substantially stronger than Sokolow-Lyon Voltage criteria for hypertrophy. Figure 1. LVH and all-cause mortality Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding source: None

Download Full-text

High disease activity is associated with higher blood pressure in recent onset rheumatoid arthritis patients, post-hoc analyses of IMPROVED study

European Journal of Preventive Cardiology ◽

10.1093/eurjpc/zwab061.388 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 28 (Supplement_1) ◽

Author(s):

M Gegenava ◽

SA Bergstra ◽

H Maassen ◽

CF Allaart

Keyword(s):

Rheumatoid Arthritis ◽

Blood Pressure ◽

Disease Activity ◽

Classification Criteria ◽

Recent Onset ◽

American College Of Rheumatology ◽

Cardiovascular Morbidity And Mortality ◽

The Difference ◽

Post Hoc ◽

Acpa Status

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: None. Background Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease with a high prevalence of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Purpose: purpose of our project was to investigate the association between disease activity and systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP, DBP) in patients with recent-onset rheumatoid arthritis (RA 2010 criteria) or undifferentiated arthritis (UA) who were treated to target disease activity score (DAS)<1.6 in the IMPROVED study. Methods: The associations between disease activity and SBP/DBP were tested for 610 patients (364 RA, 246 UA), cross-sectionally and over time. GEE analyses were performed with both SBP and DBP as outcome measures and disease activity categories (DAS<1.6;>1.6 but ≤2.4; >2.4), CRP level, treatment arms or the number of visits on a certain drug as potential predictors in separate analyses. Separate analyses tested potential contributions of gender, anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies (ACPA) status, and fulfilling the 2010 ACR/EULAR (American college of rheumatology/ European league against rheumatism) classification criteria. In addition association of BP with various levels of disease activity was tested with T-test. Results: At the baseline mean (SD) SBP was 133 (20) and DBP mean (SD) was 80 (10). SBP > 140mm Hg was observed in 40% of patients and DBP > 90 mm Hg in 21% of patients. SBP and DBP statistically significantly decreased during 5 years follow up (mainly during year 1), but the difference in mm Hg was small. Estimates from GEE analysis showed that patients with high DAS >2.4 (HDAS) had a statistically significantly higher SBP (average 3 mm Hg higher, 95% CI 1.7; 4.2, p < 0.01), than the patients in with DAS ≤2.4. ANOVA analyses showed a statistically significant association between SBP and DAS. In addition, post hoc analyses showed that patients with HDAS had a statistically significantly higher SBP (mean (SD) 132 (19) than the patients with DAS < 1.6 (remission) (mean (SD) 129 (20), p < 0.01), and patients in LDAS but DAS≥1.6 had a statistically significantly higher SBP (mean (SD) 131 (19) than the patients in remission (mean (SD) 129 (20), p = 0.02) (Figure 1), whereas no association was found between DAS category and DBP. Gender, ACPA status or fulfilling the 2010 classification criteria did not influence the relation between DAS and blood pressure. Conclusions: In patients with RA or UA, a higher DAS is associated with higher blood pressure, but the clinical impact is unclear. Abstract Figure 1

Download Full-text

Impact of Cardiovascular Failure in Intensive CareUnit-Acquired Pneumonia: A Single-Center, Prospective Study

Antibiotics ◽

10.3390/antibiotics10070798 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (7) ◽

pp. 798

Author(s):

Ignacio Martin-Loeches ◽

Adrian Ceccato ◽

Marco Carbonara ◽

Gianluigi li Bassi ◽

Pierluigi di Natale ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cox Regression ◽

University Hospital ◽

Single Center ◽

Cox Regression Analysis ◽

Cardiovascular Failure ◽

Icu Length Of Stay ◽

Patients At Risk ◽

Surgical Icus ◽

Pulmonary Superinfection ◽

The Impact

Background: Cardiovascular failure (CVF) may complicate intensive care unit-acquired pneumonia (ICUAP) and radically alters the empirical treatment of this condition. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of CVF on outcome in patients with ICUAP. Methods: A prospective, single-center, observational study was conducted in six medical and surgical ICUs at a University Hospital. CVS was defined as a score of 3 or more on the cardiovascular component of the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score. At the onset of ICUAP, CVF was reported as absent, transient (if lasting ≤ 3 days) or persistent (>3 days). The primary outcome was 90-day mortality modelled through a Cox regression analysis. Secondary outcomes were 28-day mortality, hospital mortality, ICU length of stay (LOS) and hospital LOS. Results: 358 patients were enrolled: 203 (57%) without CVF, 82 (23%) with transient CVF, and 73 (20%) with persistent CVF. Patients with transient and persistent CVF were more severely ill and presented higher inflammatory response than those without CVF. Despite having similar severity and aetiology, the persistent CVF group more frequently received inadequate initial antibiotic treatment and presented more treatment failures than the transient CVF group. In the persistent CVF group, at day 3, a bacterial superinfection was more frequently detected. The 90-day mortality was significantly higher in the persistent CVF group (62%). The 28-day mortality rates for patients without CVF, with transient and with persistent CVF were 19, 35 and 41% respectively and ICU mortality was 60, 38 and 19% respectively. In the multivariate analysis chronic pulmonary conditions, lack of Pa02/FiO2 improvement at day 3, pulmonary superinfection at day 3 and persistent CVF were independently associated with 90-day mortality in ICUAP patients. Conclusions: Persistent CVF has a significant impact on the outcome of patients with ICUAP. Patients at risk from persistent CVF should be promptly recognized to optimize treatment and outcomes.

Download Full-text

Long-term success of flexible endoscopic septal division with the stag beetle knife for Zenker’s diverticulum: a tertiary center study

Diseases of the Esophagus ◽

10.1093/dote/doaa019 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 33 (11) ◽

Author(s):

Sauid Ishaq ◽

Keith Siau ◽

Minhong Lee ◽

Haleema Sultan ◽

Shalmani H Mohaghegh ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cox Regression ◽

Multivariable Analysis ◽

Zenker’S Diverticulum ◽

Long Term Outcome ◽

Zenker's Diverticulum ◽

Tertiary Center ◽

Symptom Remission ◽

Treatment Naïve ◽

Symptom Recurrence

Summary Objectives Flexible endoscopic septum division is an established treatment for Zenker’s diverticulum (ZD); however, long-term outcome data are lacking. We aimed to evaluate the long-term efficacy of flexible endoscopic septal division (FESD) using the stag beetle knife for ZD and identify predictors of symptom recurrence. Methods Patients undergoing the procedure between 2013 and 2018 were prospectively enrolled. Procedures were performed by a single operator. Symptom severity pre- and postprocedure was recorded using the dysphagia, regurgitation, and complications scale. Symptom recurrence was defined as a total score > 1 after the index procedure. Time-to-event analyses were performed using Kaplan–Meier plots, with multivariable analyses performed using Cox regression models. Results Altogether, 65 patients (mean age 74.0 years, 60% male) were included. Previous stapling had been performed in 44.6% of patients. Over the mean posttreatment follow-up period of 19 months, 5.6% of the treatment naïve group and 34.5% of the recurrent group underwent repeated FESD (P = 0.003), with rates of symptom remission and improvement of 75.4% and 92.7%, respectively. Recurrence at 48 months was higher in patients with recurrent ZD (84.7%) than in treatment-naïve patients (10.7%). On multivariable analysis, recurrent disease (hazard ratio [HR] 20.8, P = 0.005) and younger age (HR 0.96/year, P = 0.047) were associated with symptom recurrence. Conclusions In patients with treatment-naïve ZD, flexible endoscopic septal division is safe and provides durable symptom remission. However, in patients with poststapling recurrence, the risk of recurrence is high and time-dependent.

Download Full-text

Preoperative clinical and tumor genomic features associated with pathologic lymph node metastasis in clinical stage I and II lung adenocarcinoma

npj Precision Oncology ◽

10.1038/s41698-021-00210-2 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Raul Caso ◽

James G. Connolly ◽

Jian Zhou ◽

Kay See Tan ◽

James J. Choi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Lung Adenocarcinoma ◽

Clinical Stage ◽

Multivariable Analysis ◽

Multivariable Logistic Regression Model ◽

Genomic Features ◽

Genome Doubling ◽

Whole Genome Doubling ◽

Metastatic Lung ◽

Treatment Naïve ◽

Patients At Risk

AbstractWhile next-generation sequencing (NGS) is used to guide therapy in patients with metastatic lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD), use of NGS to determine pathologic LN metastasis prior to surgery has not been assessed. To bridge this knowledge gap, we performed NGS using MSK-IMPACT in 426 treatment-naive patients with clinical N2-negative LUAD. A multivariable logistic regression model that considered preoperative clinical and genomic variables was constructed. Most patients had cN0 disease (85%) with pN0, pN1, and pN2 rates of 80%, 11%, and 9%, respectively. Genes altered at higher rates in pN-positive than in pN-negative tumors were STK11 (p = 0.024), SMARCA4 (p = 0.006), and SMAD4 (p = 0.011). Fraction of genome altered (p = 0.037), copy number amplifications (p = 0.001), and whole-genome doubling (p = 0.028) were higher in pN-positive tumors. Multivariable analysis revealed solid tumor morphology, tumor SUVmax, clinical stage, SMARCA4 and SMAD4 alterations were independently associated with pathologic LN metastasis. Incorporation of clinical and tumor genomic features can identify patients at risk of pathologic LN metastasis; this may guide therapy decisions before surgical resection.

Download Full-text

Clinical relevance of kallikrein-related peptidase 6 (KLK6) and 8 (KLK8) mRNA expression in advanced serous ovarian cancer

Biological Chemistry ◽

10.1515/hsz-2016-0177 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 397 (12) ◽

pp. 1265-1276 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Nancy Ahmed ◽

Julia Dorn ◽

Rudolf Napieralski ◽

Enken Drecoll ◽

Matthias Kotzsch ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ovarian Cancer ◽

Mrna Expression ◽

Cox Regression ◽

Multivariable Analysis ◽

Progression Free Survival ◽

Predictive Marker ◽

Residual Tumor ◽

Mrna Levels ◽

Serous Ovarian Cancer ◽

Cox Regression Analysis

Abstract Most members of the kallikrein-related peptidase family have been demonstrated to be dysregulated in ovarian cancer and modulate tumor growth, migration, invasion, and resistance to chemotherapy. In the present study, we assessed the mRNA expression levels of KLK6 and KLK8 by quantitative PCR in 100 patients with advanced serous ovarian cancer FIGO stage III/IV. A pronounced correlation between KLK6 and KLK8 mRNA expression (rs = 0.636, p < 0.001) was observed, indicating coordinate expression of both peptidases. No significant associations of clinical parameters with KLK6, KLK8, and a combined score KLK6+KLK8 were found. In univariate Cox regression analysis, elevated mRNA levels of KLK6 were significantly linked with shortened overall survival (OS) (hazard ratio [HR] = 2.07, p = 0.007). While KLK8 values were not associated with patients’ outcome, high KLK6+KLK8 values were significantly associated with shorter progression-free survival (HR = 1.82, p = 0.047) and showed a trend towards significance in the case of OS (HR = 1.82, p = 0.053). Strikingly, in multivariable analysis, elevated KLK6 mRNA values, apart from residual tumor mass, remained an independent predictive marker for poor OS (HR = 2.33, p = 0.005). As KLK6 mRNA and protein levels correlate, KLK6 may represent an attractive therapeutic target for potent and specific inhibitors of its enzymatic activity.

Download Full-text

Patterns of Care and Survival of Cutaneous Angiosarcoma of the Head and Neck

Otolaryngology ◽

10.1177/0194599820905495 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 162 (6) ◽

pp. 881-887 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Clifford Chang ◽

S. Peter Wu ◽

Kenneth Hu ◽

Zujun Li ◽

David Schreiber ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Head And Neck ◽

Cox Regression ◽

Multivariable Analysis ◽

Multimodality Treatment ◽

The Elderly ◽

Hazard Ratio ◽

Patterns Of Care ◽

Definitive Treatment ◽

National Cancer Database ◽

Curative Intent

Objective To analyze the patterns of care and survival of cutaneous angiosarcomas of the head and neck. Study Design Retrospective cohort study. Setting National Cancer Database. Methods The National Cancer Database was queried to select patients with cutaneous angiosarcoma of the head and neck between 2004 and 2015. For survival analysis, patients were included only if they received definitive treatment and complete data. Prognostic factors were analyzed by univariate and multivariable Cox regression. Results We identified 693 patients diagnosed with head and neck angiosarcomas during the study period. The majority were male (n = 489, 70.6%) and elderly (median, 77 years). A total of 421 patients (60.8%) met the criteria for survival analyses. These patients were treated with surgery and radiation (n = 178, 42.3%), surgery alone (n = 138, 32.8%), triple-modality therapy (n = 48, 11.4%), surgery and chemotherapy (n = 29, 6.9%), and chemoradiation (n = 28, 6.7%). With a median follow-up of 29 months, the 3-year survival was 50.1%. Patients undergoing surgery had better median survival than those who did not (38.1 vs 21.0 months, P = .04). Age, comorbidity, tumor size, and surgical margins were significant factors in univariate analyses. On multivariable analysis, age ≥75 years (hazard ratio, 2.65; 95% CI, 1.80-3.88; P < .001) and positive margins (hazard ratio, 1.91; 95% CI, 1.44-2.51; P < .001) predicted worse overall survival. Conclusion Angiosarcoma of head and neck is a rare malignancy that affects the elderly. Surgical treatment with negative margins is associated with improved survival. Even with curative-intent multimodality treatment, the survival of patients aged ≥75 years is limited.

Download Full-text

Laser Atherectomy Combined With Drug-Coated Balloon Angioplasty Is Associated With Improved 1-Year Outcomes for Treatment of Femoropopliteal In-Stent Restenosis

Journal of Endovascular Therapy ◽

10.1177/1526602817745668 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 25 (1) ◽

pp. 81-88 ◽

Cited By ~ 21

Author(s):

Damianos G. Kokkinidis ◽

Prio Hossain ◽

Omar Jawaid ◽

Bejan Alvandi ◽

T. Raymond Foley ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Balloon Angioplasty ◽

Cox Regression ◽

Multivariable Analysis ◽

Limb Ischemia ◽

Target Lesion ◽

Lesion Length ◽

Stent Restenosis ◽

Kaplan Meier ◽

Laser Atherectomy ◽

In Stent Restenosis

Purpose: To examine whether laser atherectomy combined with drug-coated balloons (laser + DCB) can improve the outcomes of femoropopliteal (FP) in-stent restenosis (ISR). Methods: A dual-center retrospective study was conducted of 112 consecutive patients (mean age 70.3±10.6 years; 86 men) with Tosaka class II (n=29; diffuse stenosis) or III (n=83; occlusion) FP-ISR lesions. Sixty-two patients (mean age 68.5±10 years; 51 men) underwent laser + DCB while the other 50 patients (mean age 72.5±10.8 years; 35 men) had laser atherectomy plus balloon angioplasty (laser + BA). Critical limb ischemia was the indication in 33% of the interventions. The average lesion length was 247 mm. A Cox regression hazard model was developed to examine the association between laser + DCB vs laser + BA; the results are presented as the hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). One-year target lesion revascularization (TLR) and reocclusion were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Results: Overall procedure success was 98% and was similar between groups. Bailout stenting was less often required in the laser + DCB group (31.7% vs 58%, p=0.006). The combination of laser + DCB was associated with improved 12-month estimates for freedom from TLR (72.5% vs 50.5%, p=0.043) and freedom from reocclusion (86.7% vs 56.9%, p=0.003). Among patients with Tosaka III FP-ISR, combination therapy with laser + DCB was also associated with increased freedom from reocclusion (87.1% vs 57.1%, p=0. 028). On multivariable analysis, treatment with laser + DCB was associated with a significantly reduced risk of reocclusion (HR 0.08, 95% CI 0.17 to 0.38; p=0.002). Conclusion: When used for treatment of complex FP-ISR lesions, DCB angioplasty combined with laser atherectomy is associated with significantly reduced 1-year TLR and reocclusion rates.

Download Full-text