Quevedo, Fernando J

In 2013, the American Society of Hematology (ASH) published recommendations with Choosing Wisely to limit surveillance imaging in aggressive lymphoma. We studied surveillance imaging practice patterns for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) before and after the ASH Choosing Wisely campaign. We used OptumLabs Data Warehouse, a national insurance claims database, to retrospectively study imaging frequency in survivors of DLBCL from 2008 to 2016. Three time periods were defined: Period 1 (2008 to 2010), Period 2 (2011 to 2013), and Period 3 (2014 to 2016). One thousand four hundred seventy-two patients were included. Median follow up was approximately 2 years. During the first and second years of surveillance, imaging remained stable between Period 1 (years 1 and 2: 199 [91%] and 137 [83%], respectively) and Period 2 (years 1 and 2: 257 [88%] and 172 [77%], respectively; P = .38), but decreased in Period 3 (years 1 and 2: 315 [78%] and 83 [61%], respectively; P < .01). In a multivariable logistic regression, year after 2012 was a significant predictor of decreased overuse (more than two scans per year in the first year of surveillance; [odds ratio, 0.49 for 2013 v 2008; P = .02]). Our study demonstrated the rate of surveillance scans—both computed tomography and positron emission tomography imaging—in DLBCL decreased after the ASH Choosing Wisely campaign. Multiple factors, such as changes in recommendations, reimbursement, and provider knowledge base, may have all contributed and should be studied further.

Objective To investigate the association between smoking status and pathological response to cisplatin‐based neoadjuvant chemotherapy ( NAC ) and survival outcomes in patients with muscle‐invasive bladder cancer ( MIBC ) treated with radical cystectomy ( RC ). Patients and Methods We reviewed 201 patients treated with NAC and RC for cT 2– cT 4N0M0 BC between 01/1999 and 01/2015. Smoking status was categorised as: ‘never', ‘former', and ‘current' smoker. Pathological response to NAC was defined as: complete (ypT0N0), partial (ypTis/Ta/T1, N0), and no response (ypT2–4 or ypN+). Clinicopathological characteristics were analysed according to smoking status. Logistic regression analyses tested the association between smoking status and pathological response to NAC . Cox regression analyses tested risk factors associated with recurrence, overall ( OM ) and cancer‐specific mortality ( CSM ). Results Overall, there were 58 (28.9%) never smokers, 87 (43.3%) former smokers, and 56 (27.9%) current smokers. No response to NAC was more frequently noted in current smokers (73.2%; P = 0.007). Former smoker ( odds ratio [OR] 2.28; P = 0.024) and current smoker statuses ( OR 4.52; P < 0.001) were significantly associated with no response to NAC , after adjusting for age, gender, Charlson Comorbidity Index, and clinical stage. Similarly, current smoking status ( hazard ratio [HR] 2.14; P = 0.03) and extravesical pathological tumour stage ( HR 3.31; P < 0.001) were independently associated with an increased risk of recurrence after RC . Conclusion Cigarette smoking was significantly associated with adverse pathological response to cisplatin‐based NAC in patients with MIBC treated with RC . Current smokers were at significantly higher risk of disease recurrence as compared to former and never smokers.

The Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) prognostic score is based on clinical parameters. We analyzed whole blood mRNA expression in metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma (mCCRCC) patients and compared it to the MSKCC score for predicting overall survival. In a discovery set of 19 patients with mRCC, we performed whole transcriptome RNA sequencing and selected eighteen candidate genes for further evaluation based on associations with overall survival and statistical significance. In an independent validation of set of 47 patients with mCCRCC, transcript expression of the 18 candidate genes were quantified using a customized NanoString probeset. Cox regression multivariate analysis confirmed that two of the candidate genes were significantly associated with overall survival. Higher expression of BAG1 [hazard ratio (HR) of 0.14, p < 0.0001, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.04–0.36] and NOP56 (HR 0.13, p < 0.0001, 95% CI 0.05–0.34) were associated with better prognosis. A prognostic model incorporating expression of BAG1 and NOP56 into the MSKCC score improved prognostication significantly over a model using the MSKCC prognostic score only (p < 0.0001). Prognostic value of using whole blood mRNA gene profiling in mCCRCC is feasible and should be prospectively confirmed in larger studies.