Citations

Abstract Background: Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) is the 6th most common cancer and the 2nd leading cause of cancer-related mortality in the world. Sub-Saharan Africa and Eastern Asia are regions endemic for viral hepatitis, accounting for 80% of all HCC cases worldwide. A recent hospital-based study assessing the frequency of hepatitis B (HBV), hepatitis C (HCV), and HCC among Somali immigrants seen at Mayo Clinic determined the adjusted frequency for HBsAg positivity was 10-fold higher and anti-HCV positivity was 3-fold higher as compared to non-Somali residents of Olmsted County, Minnesota. Furthermore, HCV infection was identified as the leading contributor to HCC development among Somalis. The overall goal of this study is to determine the risk factors, surveillance, treatment options, and outcomes of Somalis with HCC seen at Mayo Clinic. Methods: The Mayo Clinic Unified Data Platform Advanced Cohort Explorer (ACE) query tool was used to identify Somali patients seen at Mayo Clinic from March 1, 1998 to March 31, 2015. Clinical notes were searched in ACE using conjunction and disjunction combinations: the terms Somali, Somalia or Somalian were linked with the terms HCC, Hepatocellular Carcinoma or Liver Cancer. Diagnosis was validated using histopathology and/or imaging reports from the electronic medical record (EMR). To confirm the ethnicity of identified patients, names were screened by author HMA who is of Somali heritage. Variables abstracted from the EMR include demographics, etiology of HCC, diagnosis date, date of death or last contact, Child-Turcotte-Pugh class, Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage, comorbid conditions, initial and subsequent treatments, HCC surveillance, cirrhosis and other malignancies. Results: 54 Somali patients diagnosed with HCC were seen at Mayo Clinic from March 1, 1998 to March 31, 2015. The mean age was 63±16.3 and 36 (67%) individuals were male. Thirty-eight (70%) of the 54 HCC patients had HCV, 14 (26%) had HBV, 1 (2%) had non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), and 1 (2%) had unknown etiology for HCC. Of those with known HCV genotypes, the most common were genotype 4 (45%) and 3 (35%). At the time of HCC diagnosis, 16 (32%) presented with BCLC stage A, 5 (10%) with stage B, 17 (34%) with stage C, and 12 (24%) with stage D. Of the 54 patients, 43 (80%) had cirrhosis, 15 (28%) had vascular invasion, and 10 (19%) had metastatic HCC. Regarding treatment, 12 (22%) patients received curative treatment while 42 (78%) received palliative treatment. Orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) was received by 3 (6%) of Somali patients compared to 19% of non-Somali HCC patients seen at Mayo Clinic between 2007 and 2009. HCC was detected during surveillance in 11 (20%) Somali HCC patients; of the 11, 2 (4%) received semiannual surveillance. Conclusions: These findings provide a starting point to address liver cancer disparities among Somalis. HCV genotype 4 was most commonly associated with HCC development among the study population. Due to low surveillance rates, more Somalis presented with end-stage liver disease. Furthermore, advanced stage HCC was disproportionately found among Somalis compared to the general North American population. A recent study demonstrated that 11% of North American HCC patients seen at 4 major medical centers presented with stage D. By contrast, our study found 25% of Somalis had Stage D HCC. As a result, Somalis are more likely to receive palliative rather than curative treatments. Improving the identification of individuals with chronic HBV or HCV who are at increased risk for HCC and implementing more comprehensive HCC surveillance is likely to reduce the burden of HCC among this population. Citation Format: Hawa M. Ali, Nasra H. Giama, Hager Ahmed Mohammed, Essa A. Mohamed, Ju Dong Yang, Abdirashid M. Shire, Lewis R. Roberts. Hepatocellular carcinoma characteristics and outcomes among Somali immigrants. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Eighth AACR Conference on The Science of Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; Nov 13-16, 2015; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2016;25(3 Suppl):Abstract nr B64.

Abstract Background: The rising incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma in the US is partly due to increased immigration from sub-Saharan Africa. Viral hepatitis is prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa, resulting in ~20% of all hepatocellular carcinoma cases worldwide. Community-based education and screening efforts aimed at identifying viral hepatitis cases among African immigrants will likely reduce the burden of hepatocellular carcinoma. Aim: To determine the knowledge, attitudes and behaviors (KAB) of Liberian and Kenyan immigrants residing in Minnesota about hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus screening, vaccination, acquisition, and disease management. Methods: A community-engaged research framework was used for the development of this cross-sectional study. The team created a survey using validated items designed to assess the KAB of viral hepatitis measured on a 1 to 20 scale with 1 being low and 20 being high. Using community-engaged methodology, participants who were ≥18 years of age and self-identified either as Liberian and Kenyan were recruited from churches, community centers, and community events. The survey was administered between June 2014 and February 2015. Spearman's rho correlation was used to identify associations among scores while the Mann-Whitney U-test was used for comparisons between Liberians and Kenyans. Results: Of 80 distributed surveys, 73 were returned, achieving a response rate of 91%. Respondents were 50 (64%) Liberians and 23 (29%) Kenyans; 42 (54%) were female; the mean age was 42 years (range 18-90); most were college educated (57%) and had health insurance (83%). 55% reported previous screening for hepatitis B, 51% had completed hepatitis B vaccination and 38% reported being screened for hepatitis C. Mean scores ± SD were 4.6±2.8 for knowledge, 4.7±1.0 for attitude, and 4.2±1.9 for behavior, resulting in poor knowledge and adequate attitude and behavioral levels. Significant and positive linear correlation was observed between attitude and behavior (r=.385, p<.001), while there were no significant correlations between knowledge and attitude (r=-.115, p=.33) or knowledge and behavior (r=-.11, p=.36). When Liberians and Kenyans were compared, knowledge was higher in Liberians (6.2±1.9 vs1.5±1.0; p<.001); there were no significant differences observed in attitude or behavior scores (p>.05 for both). Conclusions: There is lack of awareness among African immigrants of the health risks associated with viral hepatitis which contributes to disparities in healthcare seeking behaviors. It is important to implement comprehensive education and screening programs on viral hepatitis in these communities in order to reduce the burden of viral hepatitis and hepatocellular carcinoma development. Citation Format: Hassan M. Shaleh, Nasra H. Giama, Essa A. Mohamed, Hager F. Ahmed Mohammed, Linda M. Kerandi, Abdul M. Oseini, Abdiwahab O. Ali, Ibrahim A. Waaeys, Jonggi Choi, Henry M. Kerandi, Safra A. Mohamed, Hamdi A. Ali, Hawa M. Ali, Joyce E. Balls-Berry, Lewis R. Roberts. A cross-sectional assessment of knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors about viral hepatitis and hepatocellular carcinoma among Kenyan and Liberian immigrants living in Minnesota. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Eighth AACR Conference on The Science of Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; Nov 13-16, 2015; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2016;25(3 Suppl):Abstract nr A46.

Study Design. Prospective cohort study. Objective. To characterize the accuracy of patient recollection of preoperative symptoms after lumbar spine surgery. Summary of Background Data. Although patient-reported outcomes have become important in the evaluation of spine surgery patients, the accuracy of patient recall remains unknown. Methods. Patients undergoing lumbar decompression with or without fusion were enrolled. Back and leg Numeric Pain Scores and Oswestry Disability Indices were recorded preoperatively. Patients were asked to recall their preoperative status at a minimum of 1 year after surgery. Actual and recalled scores were compared using paired t tests and relations were quantified using Pearson correlation coefficients. Multivariable linear regression was used to identify factors that affected recollection. Results. Sixty-two patients with a mean age of 66.1 years were included. Compared to their preoperative scores, patients showed significant improvement in back pain (mean difference [MD] = −3.2, 95% CI −4.0 to −2.4), leg pain (MD −3.3, 95% CI −4.3 to −2.2), and disability (MD −25.0%, 95% CI −28.7 to −19.6). Patient recollection of preoperative status was significantly more severe than actual for back pain (MD +2.3, 95% CI 1.5–3.2), leg pain (MD +1.8, 95% CI 0.9–2.7), and disability (MD +9.6%, 95% CI 5.6–14.0). No significant correlation between actual and recalled scores with regards to back (r = 0.18) or leg (r = 0.24) pain and only moderate correlation with disability (r = 0.44) were seen. This was maintained across age, sex, and time between date of surgery and recollection. More than 40% of patients switched their predominant symptom from back pain to leg pain or leg pain to back pain on recall. Conclusion. Relying on patient recollection does not provide an accurate measure of preoperative status after lumbar spine surgery. Recall bias indicates the importance of obtaining true baseline scores and patient-reported outcomes prospectively and not retrospectively. Level of Evidence: 2

Background: Fractures of the proximal pole of the scaphoid can be difficult to heal because of its limited vascular supply. Furthermore, nonunion with avascular necrosis and secondary fragmentation makes surgical reconstruction a challenging procedure. Method: We describe a technique and report the outcome of a proximal hamate autograft to treat a proximal pole scaphoid nonunion with avascular necrosis. Results: At 3.5 years post reconstruction, the patient remains asymptomatic with union of his scaphoid reconstruction without any evidence of scapholunate instability. Conclusion: Proximal hamate autograft is a useful technique for addressing proximal pole scaphoid nonunions with avascular necrosis.

Purpose To develop a system prognostic of outcome in those undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo HCT) for myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). Patients and Methods We examined 2,133 patients with MDS undergoing HLA-matched (n = 1,728) or -mismatched (n = 405) allo HCT from 2000 to 2012. We used a Cox multivariable model to identify factors prognostic of mortality in a training subset (n = 1,151) of the HLA-matched cohort. A weighted score using these factors was assigned to the remaining patients undergoing HLA-matched allo HCT (validation cohort; n = 577) as well as to patients undergoing HLA-mismatched allo HCT. Results Blood blasts greater than 3% (hazard ratio [HR], 1.41; 95% CI, 1.08 to 1.85), platelets 50 × 109/L or less at transplantation (HR, 1.37; 95% CI, 1.18 to 1.61), Karnofsky performance status less than 90% (HR, 1.25; 95% CI, 1.06 to 1.28), comprehensive cytogenetic risk score of poor or very poor (HR, 1.43; 95% CI, 1.14 to 1.80), and age 30 to 49 years (HR, 1.60; 95% CI, 1.09 to 2.35) were associated with increased hazard of death and assigned 1 point in the scoring system. Monosomal karyotype (HR, 2.01; 95% CI, 1.65 to 2.45) and age 50 years or older (HR, 1.93; 95% CI, 1.36 to 2.83) were assigned 2 points. The 3-year overall survival after transplantation in patients with low (0 to 1 points), intermediate (2 to 3), high (4 to 5) and very high (≥ 6) scores was 71% (95% CI, 58% to 85%), 49% (95% CI, 42% to 56%), 41% (95% CI, 31% to 51%), and 25% (95% CI, 4% to 46%), respectively (P < .001). Increasing score was predictive of increased relapse (P < .001) and treatment-related mortality (P < .001) in the HLA-matched set and relapse (P < .001) in the HLA-mismatched cohort. Conclusion The proposed system is prognostic of outcome in patients undergoing HLA-matched and -mismatched allo HCT for MDS.

Large sample sizes are required in randomized clinical trials designed to meet typical one‐sided 2.5% α‐level and 80% power. This may not be achievable when the disease is rare. We simulated a series of two‐arm superiority trials over a 15‐year period. The design parameters examined were the α‐level and the number of trials conducted over the 15‐year period (thus, trial sample size). Different disease severities and accrual rates were considered. The future treatment effect was characterized by its associated hazard rate; different hypotheses of how treatments improve over time were considered. We defined the total survival benefit as the relative difference of the hazard rates at year 15 versus year 0. The optimal design was defined by maximizing the expected total survival benefit, provided that the risk of selecting at year 15 a treatment inferior to the initial control treatment remains below 1%. Compared with two larger trials with typical one‐sided 2.5% α‐level, performing a series of small trials with relaxed α‐levels leads on average to larger survival benefits over a 15‐year research horizon, but also to higher risk of selecting a worse treatment at the end of the research period. Under reasonably optimistic assumptions regarding the future treatment effects, optimal designs outperform traditional ones when the disease is severe (baseline median survival ≤ 1 year) and the accrual is ≥100 patients per year, whereas no major improvement is observed in diseases with better prognosis. Trial designs aiming to maximize survival gain over a long research horizon across a series of trials are worth discussing in the context of rare diseases. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Summary For diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma ( DLBCL ) patients progressing after autologous haematopoietic cell transplantation (auto HCT ), allogeneic HCT (allo HCT ) is often considered, although limited information is available to guide patient selection. Using the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research ( CIBMTR ) database, we identified 503 patients who underwent allo HCT after disease progression/relapse following a prior auto HCT . The 3‐year probabilities of non‐relapse mortality, progression/relapse, progression‐free survival ( PFS ) and overall survival ( OS ) were 30, 38, 31 and 37% respectively. Factors associated with inferior PFS on multivariate analysis included Karnofsky performance status ( KPS ) <80, chemoresistance, auto HCT to allo HCT interval <1‐year and myeloablative conditioning. Factors associated with worse OS on multivariate analysis included KPS <80, chemoresistance and myeloablative conditioning. Three adverse prognostic factors were used to construct a prognostic model for PFS , including KPS <80 (4 points), auto HCT to allo HCT interval <1‐year (2 points) and chemoresistant disease at allo HCT (5 points). This CIBMTR prognostic model classified patients into four groups: low‐risk (0 points), intermediate‐risk (2‐5 points), high‐risk (6‐9 points) or very high‐risk (11 points), predicting 3‐year PFS of 40, 32, 11 and 6%, respectively, with 3‐year OS probabilities of 43, 39, 19 and 11% respectively. In conclusion, the CIBMTR prognostic model identifies a subgroup of DLBCL patients experiencing long‐term survival with allo HCT after a failed prior auto HCT .