Citations

1564 Background: Enrollment in clinical trials has declined during the COVID-19 pandemic. Simultaneously, breast cancer patients have reported heightened anxiety. We assessed whether breast cancer patients’ anxiety about the pandemic affects their willingness to participate in trials. Methods: English or Spanish-speaking US residents with breast cancer were eligible to complete the online REDCap survey 8/6/21 – 9/30/21. Respondents rated their anxiety about the pandemic on an 11-point scale from 0 (no anxiety) to 10 (worst anxiety possible). Anxiety scores were categorized as no/mild (0-3), moderate (4-6) or severe (7-10). Knowledge about trials was assessed with 11 true/false items and attitudes toward trials with the Attitudes Toward Cancer Trials Scales - Cancer Treatment Subscale (ATCTS-CTS). Respondents rated their willingness to participate in a breast cancer clinical trial before and during the pandemic on 5-point scales from 0 (not at all willing) to 4 (definitely willing). Trial participants were considered “definitely willing.” Change in willingness to participate in trials during the pandemic compared to prior was defined as a binary outcome, "less willing" vs "no less willing." Means were compared via t-test and mean difference was tested via paired t-test. Multivariable logistic regression was used to model the association of anxiety and other factors with being less willing to participate in trials during compared to prior to the pandemic. Results: Among 385 respondents, median age was 52 (range 25-85), 271 (70%) were non-Hispanic White and 202 (53%) had metastatic disease. 154 (40%) received care at academic centers and 37 (10%) were current trial participants. Most rated their anxiety as moderate (43%) or severe (38%). Mean willingness to participate in a trial was lower during compared to prior to the pandemic (2.97 vs 3.10; p < 0.0001). Fifty (13%) respondents were less willing to participate in a trial during the pandemic compared to prior. After controlling for covariates, those with severe anxiety had 5.07 times odds of being less willing to participate during the pandemic compared to prior than those with no/mild anxiety (p = 0.01). For every 1-point increase in ATCTS-CTS score (indicating better attitude toward trials) there was a 3% decrease in the odds of being less willing to participate during the pandemic (p = 0.006). For every 1-point increase in the clinical trials knowledge score (indicating more knowledge) there was a 15% decrease in the odds of being less willing to participate during the pandemic (p = 0.02). Conclusions: Pandemic-related anxiety is common in breast cancer patients and is associated with being less willing to participate in trials during the pandemic compared to prior. Education about trials, including safety modifications implemented during the pandemic, may mitigate anxiety and improve willingness to participate.

Summary: The multiple myeloma treatment landscape has changed dramatically. This change, paralleled by an increase in scientific knowledge, has resulted in significant improvement in survival. However, heterogeneity remains in clinical outcomes, with a proportion of patients not benefiting from current approaches and continuing to have a poor prognosis. A significant proportion of the variability in outcome can be predicted on the basis of clinical and biochemical parameters and tumor-acquired genetic variants, allowing for risk stratification and a more personalized approach to therapy. This article discusses the principles that can enable the rational and effective development of therapeutic approaches for high-risk multiple myeloma.

Abstract Introduction Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is characterized by recurrent, partial or complete obstructive respiratory events accompanied by interruptions in sleep with frequent arousals, deoxygenation, and/or sleep disturbance. The present study profiled the largest array of plasma proteins, to date, to contribute to the identification of proteomic biomarkers associated with the presence and severity of OSA. Methods The SomaScan highly multiplexed aptamer assay was used to profile 5,000 proteins in 24–48-hour old EDTA plasma samples from the Stanford Technology Analytics and Genomics in Sleep (STAGES) study. The apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) was derived from overnight polysomnography and all participants provided a blood sample. OSA severity was classified as moderate-to-severe (AHI&gt;15) and controls/mild OSA (AHI&lt;15). Univariate linear regression analyses included log2-normalized relative protein expression as the dependent variable, AHI/OSA as the independent variable, and important covariates such as age, gender, BMI, BMI2, age x gender x BMI, sample storage time, and blood draw period. False discovery rate (FDR) to control for multiple testing was applied with an a-priori p-value of 0.05 for identifying significance. Results Univariate analyses identified 101 (65 upregulated, 36 downregulated) differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) between moderate-to-severe OSA and controls/mild OSA and 120 proteins (69 positive, 51 negative) associated with AHI as a continuous outcome with 70 proteins consistent in both models. Upregulated proteins involved pathways related to complement and coagulation cascades and metabolic processes and downregulated proteins involved pathways related to regulation of insulin-like growth factor, fibrin clot formation, and MAPK signaling. An OSA machine learning classifier (AHI&gt;15 vs AHI&lt;15) trained on relative protein expression performed robustly, achieving 72% accuracy in a validation dataset. Significant contributing features of the classifier included age, BMI, and 134 proteins, including 22 DEPs identified in univariate analyses for OSA categories. Conclusion The present study identified differential protein expression patters associated with OSA and AHI, thereby supporting the potential of proteomic biomarkers in OSA and providing new insight into the mechanisms underlying OSA. Support (If Any) This work was supported, in part, by the National Heart, lung, and Blood institute [T32HL110952] and the Klarman Family Foundation.

Abstract Introduction Periodic limb movements (PLMs) are episodes of involuntary, repetitive muscle movements that are highly associated with restless legs syndrome (RLS). Although PLMs and RLS are reportedly two separate phenomena, both are tightly correlated and may result from a similar pathology. The present study profiled plasma protein biomarkers of PLMs and RLS to contribute to the identification of mechanisms associated with each disorder/trait. Methods The SomaScan highly multiplexed aptamer assay was used to profile 5,000 proteins in 24–48-hour old EDTA plasma samples from the Stanford Technology Analytics and Genomics in Sleep (STAGES) study. PLMs per hour (PLMI) were derived from overnight polysomnography and RLS was classified based on affirmative responses to questions of the Alliance Sleep Questionnaire. Three linear regression models were conducted to examine significant protein markers of 1) PLMI in the sample as a whole; 2) PLMI controlling for the presence of RLS; and 3) RLS without PLMs (i.e.,PLMI&lt;5). All models included log2-normalized relative protein expression as the dependent variable and important covariates such as age, gender, BMI, sample storage time, and blood draw period. False discovery rate (FDR) to control for multiple testing was applied with an a-priori p-value of 0.05 for identifying significant associations. Results PLMI was significantly associated with 253 proteins (219 positive,34 negative). The inclusion of RLS in the model mitigated the significance of most proteins, and only 8 proteins remained significant. Negatively associated proteins (LEAP-1, Ferritin, SELH, Caspase-8) included functions related to iron storage, absorption, and delivery and negative regulation of inflammatory/immune responses. Positively associated proteins (SFRP4, RANTES, CathepsinA, DKK1) included proteins with functions related to immune response, inflammatory response, bone formation, and protein stability. RLS without PLMs was associated with 7 upregulated proteins (megalin, RUFY1, TADBP, ANGL7, LRTM2, SNAPN, STOM) with functions related to vitamin D metabolism, calcium and zinc binding, circadian rhythm regulation, and calcium-dependent neurotransmitter secretion. Conclusion These large proteomic analyses identified independent differential protein expressions for PLMs and RLS that suggest different pathophysiological contributions. Support (If Any) This work was supported, in part, by the National Heart, lung, and Blood institute [T32HL110952] and the Klarman Family Foundation.

Background:Research on the utilization and effectiveness of antitumor necrosis factor (TNF) biologics in children with very early onset inflammatory bowel disease (VEOIBD) is urgently needed. Here we describe anti‐TNF use and durability in a multicenter cohort.Methods:We performed a retrospective cohort study of patients diagnosed with VEOIBD (<6 years) between 2008 and 2013 at 25 North American centers. We performed chart abstraction at diagnosis and 1, 3, and 5 years after diagnosis. We examined the rate of initiation and durability of infliximab and adalimumab and evaluated associations between treatment durability and the following covariates with multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression: age at diagnosis, sex, disease duration, disease classification, and presence of combined immunomodulatory treatment versus monotherapy.Results:Of 294 children with VEOIBD, 120 initiated treatment with anti‐TNF therapy and 101 had follow‐up data recorded [50% Crohn disease (CD), 31% ulcerative colitis (UC), and 19% IBD unclassified (IBD‐U)]. The cumulative probability of anti‐TNF treatment was 15% at 1 year, 30% at 3 years, and 45% at 5 years from diagnosis; 56 (55%) were treated between 0 and 6 years old. Anti‐TNF durability was 90% at 1 year, 75% at 3 years, and 55% at 5 years. The most common reason for discontinuation of anti‐TNF were loss of response in 24 (57%) children. Children with UC/IBD‐U had lower durability than those with CD (hazard ratio [HR] 0.17; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.06–0.51; P = 0.001).Conclusions:Utilization and durability of anti‐TNF in VEOIBD is relatively high and comparable with older children. Having Crohn disease (compared with UC/IBD‐U) is associated with greater durability.

Treatment with the MTOR inhibitor everolimus improves progression-free survival (PFS) in pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (pNETs), but it is not known if the addition of a VEGF pathway inhibitor to an MTOR inhibitor enhances antitumor activity. We performed a randomized phase II study evaluating everolimus with or without bevacizumab in patients with advanced pNETs. One hundred and fifty patients were randomized to receive everolimus 10 mg daily with or without bevacizumab 10 mg/kg i.v. every 2 weeks. Patients also received standard dose of octreotide in both arms. The primary endpoint was PFS, based on local investigator review. Treatment with the combination of everolimus and bevacizumab resulted in improved progression-free survival compared to everolimus (16.7 months compared to 14.0 months; one-sided stratified log-rank P = 0.1028; hazard ratio (HR) 0.80 (95% CI 0.56–1.13)), meeting the predefined primary endpoint. Confirmed tumor responses were observed in 31% (95% CI 20%, 41%) of patients receiving combination therapy, as compared to only 12% (95% CI 5%, 19%) of patients receiving treatment with everolimus ( P = 0.0053). Median overall survival duration was similar in the everolimus and combination arm (42.5 and 42.1 months, respectively). Treatment-related toxicities were more common in the combination arm. In summary, treatment with everolimus and bevacizumab led to superior PFS and higher response rates compared to everolimus in patients with advanced pNETs. Although the higher rate of treatment-related adverse events may limit the use of this combination, our results support the continued evaluation of VEGF pathway inhibitors in pNETs.

Abstract Background: As the development and use of oral anticancer agents increases, it is critical to understand patient adherence to both standard and investigational agents. The open label, phase 3 multicenter PALLAS trial investigates whether adding 2 years of the CDK4/6 inhibitor palbociclib (P) to adjuvant endocrine therapy (ET) improves invasive disease-free survival (iDFS) over adjuvant ET alone in patients (pts) with HR- positive, HR2-negative, stage II-III breast cancer. Pts were randomly assigned to either Palbociclib (125 mg/day, 3 weeks on, 1 week off, in a 28-day cycle) plus ongoing provider/patient-choice adjuvant ET (P+ET) versus ET alone. We examined patient-reported adherence to ET +/- P during the first two years of study treatment. Methods: Adherence outcomes were measured in English-speaking pts in the U.S., UK, Ireland and Australia, Spanish-speaking pts in Spain and Mexico, and German-speaking pts in Germany and Austria. Adherence measures included drug diaries completed at each cycle, pill counts (for P only) collected at each study visit, and the Morisky Medication Adherence Scale-4 item and the McHorney Adherence Estimator questionnaires completed at cycles 2, 3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 (22 months). Mean adherence for each cycle was defined as the average proportion of prescribed pills taken (via drug diary) across all patients who initiated that cycle. Persistence was defined as the duration of drug initiation to treatment cessation (via drug diary). Generalized estimating equations were used to model the “most adherent” pts on the Morisky (score = 5 vs score &lt;5) and “low risk” for adherence problems on the McHorney (score=0 vs score &gt;0) to compare the average difference between arms over time for ET, adjusting for baseline demographic and clinical variables. Results: 81% (N=4688) of PALLAS pts were included in this analysis. Median persistence to ET was 23.6 months in P + ET (n=2169), 23.7 months in ET alone (2136) and 20.4 months for P (n=2194). The number of pts who initiated each cycle for ET declined over time and was similar between arms; the decline was more marked for P (Table 1). Mean adherence range as measured by drug diary was 98.2-99.3% for ET in P+ET and 98.0 - 99.4% in ET alone; and for P, ranged from 93.4 - 98.8%. The adherence and persistence results were nearly identical whether measured by drug diary or pill count for P. The observed percent “most adherent” for P measured by the Morisky scale ranged from 71.9% - 79.6% and the percent “low risk” for adherence problems measured by the McHorney scale, 64.0% - 73.4%. The percent of pts “most adherent” and “low risk” for adherence problems to ET was higher, on average over time, in the P+ET group compared to ET alone (75% vs 68%, p&lt;0.01; 75% vs 72%, p=.05, respectively). Conclusions: Self-reported mean adherence for both P + ET and ET alone was strikingly high for pts who remained on therapy; persistence was also high with ET during the 2-year treatment period. Current analyses suggest that nonadherence to either P or ET was likely not a major contributor to the iDFS results seen in the overall PALLAS trial. These results illustrate the importance of measuring and monitoring patient adherence to oral study agents. Support: AFT, Pfizer; ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02513394) and EudraCT (2014-005181-30). https://acknowledgments.alliancefound.org Table 1.Adherence and persistence in PALLAS over the 24 month treatment periodPalbocicilb + ETETPalbociclibETETTreatment cycleMean Adherence (SD)N*Mean Adherence (SD)NMean Adherence (SD)N193.4 (13.8)229098.7 (6.1)230999.0 (5.2)2343294.7 (13.3)218198.8 (6.4)220398.4 (7.1)2206397.4 (10.1)211298.7 (7.3)214298.8 (6.3)2168497.6 (10.2)203598.6 (7.8)211099.0 (5.7)2154597.6 (11.1)197598.3 (7.9)209398.1 (8.3)2148698.1 (8.7)189998.7 (6.6)203798.5 (8.2)2116798.1 (9.3)185599.0 (6.3)201298.6 (7.3)2102898.0 (9.1)181098.2 (8.2)199798.1 (8.2)2092998.4 (7.4)173399.0 (6.4)196298.8 (6.8)20511098.3 (8.6)171499.2 (4.9)194699.0 (5.5)20381198.3 (8.0)169198.5 (7.3)193798.2 (8.2)20311298.7 (6.2)161299.1 (5.3)191098.7 (7.5)19861398.5 (7.7)159698.9 (6.4)189398.8 (7.1)19691497.9 (9.3)157698.4 (7.3)188298.0 (9.1)19611598.5 (6.9)151499.2 (4.6)185499.0 (6.0)19281698.2 (8.7)148699.1 (4.6)183599.1 (5.7)19131798.1 (9.8)147998.3 (7.8)182698.5 (6.4)19031898.7 (6.8)141699.3 (4.1)176899.2 (5.3)18601998.7 (7.3)140899.3 (3.8)175699.4 (3.1)18482098.4 (8.9)139798.9 (5.3)174298.7 (5.8)18382198.5 (7.5)130199.0 (6.1)167698.8 (7.1)17842297.8 (9.7)124698.8 (6.2)164799.2 (5.7)17692398.1 (8.8)118098.2 (8.5)161998.4 (8.0)17552498.8 (7.2)108699.0 (6.3)146898.9 (7.1)16192598.8 (6.7)99699.2 (5.2)143298.8 (7.1)15892697.9 (11.2)84599.1 (5.7)140998.6 (8.8)1578ET=Endocrine therapy * Number of pts who initiated the treatment cycle. Citation Format: Eileen Shinn, David Zahrieh, Angela DeMichele, Nick Zdenkowski, Julie Lemieux, Jun Mao, Vesna Bjelic-Radisic, Michelle Naughton, Georg Pfeiler, Karen Gelmon, Ingrid Mayer, Daniel Egle, Gabriele Zoppoli, Tiffany Traina, Miguel Martin Jiménez, Silvia Antolin Novoa, Tufia Haddad, Arlene Chan, Alistair Edward Ring, Antonio Wolff, Jose JuanPonce Lorenzo, Dhanusha Sabanathan, Hal Burstein, Zbigniew Ireneusz Nowecki, Gunda Pristauz-Telsnigg, Adam Brufsky, Meritxell Bellet-Ezquerra, Theodoros Foukakis, Yelena Novik, Gabor Rubovszky, Karoline Muehlbacher, Otto Metzger, Theodora Goulioti, Ernest Law, Ann Partridge, Lisa Carey, Alex Zoroufy, Dominik Hlauschek, Christian Fesl, Erica Mayer, Michael Gnant. Adherence with adjuvant endocrine therapy with or without Palbociclib in the PALLAS trial [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2021 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2021 Dec 7-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P4-12-01.

Abstract Background: Quality of life (QOL) in breast cancer patients (pts) can be greatly impacted by initial treatment and ongoing therapy, particularly if side effects and symptoms are not well tolerated. The PALLAS trial investigated whether the addition of 2 years of palbociclib (palbo) to adjuvant endocrine therapy (ET) improved invasive disease-free survival (iDFS) over adjuvant ET alone. We report on the main patient-reported outcome (PRO) quality of life (QOL) and symptom severity results of this trial by treatment arm. Methods: PALLAS is an ongoing multicenter, open label phase 3 trial that enrolled hormone receptor positive, HER2-negative, stage II-III breast cancer patients at 406 cancer centers across 21 countries. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to either 2 years of palbo (125mg/day, 3 weeks on 1 week off) plus ongoing provider or patient-choice adjuvant ET (palbo+ET) versus ongoing ET alone. The primary study endpoint was iDFS. Treatment with palbo in all pts stopped at the time of the second interim analysis (5/2020) due to futility; all pts then moved to follow up. The PRO analyses were triggered for completion after awareness of the pre-specified 469 iDFS cases in November 2020. Eight PRO endpoints were measured serially (i.e., day 1 of each monthly cycle for the first 3 months, then every 3 months for the first 2 years, and once at year 3). The endpoints were the EORTC QLQ-C30 global health status/QOL score, the Brief Fatigue Inventory score, the modified Brief Pain Inventory severity and pain interference scores, the EORTC QLQ-BR23 alopecia score, and the Breast Cancer Prevention Trial hot flash symptoms, vaginal problems, and musculoskeletal pain scores. Linear mixed models compared the average difference between arms across time points during the initial 2-year treatment period adjusting for cycle 1 day 1 (C1D1) PRO scores, demographic and clinical variables. The average differences between arms (palbo+ET vs ET alone) and the two-sided (1-[0.05/8]) x 100% confidence intervals, adjusted for multiple comparisons, were calculated. Analysis of covariance compared the average between-arm differences by endpoint at 3 years. Results: The PRO intention to collect population included 4688 (81%) of the overall trial pts, and was clinically and demographically representative of the remaining 1073 pts. Each analysis population, with measures at C1D1 and at least 1 post-C1D1 assessment for each PRO endpoint, comprised ≥ 89% of the 4688 pts and the proportions were similar between arms. After adjustment for baseline covariates, on average, no clinically important differences between arms were observed for any of the eight endpoints over the 2 year treatment period (Table 1). All effect sizes were below the pre-specified 0.2 threshold. These PRO results were similar at the 3 year time point. Conclusions: No clinically significant differences in either patient-reported QOL or symptom severity were found, on average, between participants in the two PALLAS treatment arms while either taking palbo+ET or ET alone, or after study-wide termination of palbo. In general, the addition of palbociclib in the adjuvant breast cancer setting did not contribute to increased symptom burden within this survivorship population. Further analyses will examine the relationship between PROs and treatment discontinuation by arm and study time point. Support: AFT, Pfizer, https://acknowledgments.alliancefound.org Table 1.Results of the Patient-Reported QOL and Symptom Severity Analyses Between the Two Treatment Arms During the First 2 Years of PALLASPRO Endpoint *Palbo + ET Adjusted average score (95% CI)ET alone Adjusted average score (95% CI)Average Difference + (Palbo + ET vs ET alone)[99.38% CI] Clinically ++ Important DifferenceEORTC QLQ-C30 Global Health Status/QOL71.7 (71.2, 72.2)74.0 (73.5, 74.5)-2.3 (-3.3, -1.4)**NoBrief Fatigue Inventory Score2.3 (2.2, 2.3)2.1 (2.0, 2.1)0.2 (0.1, 0.3)NoModified Brief Pain Inventory - Severity Score2.3 (2.2, 2.3)2.4 (2.4, 2.5)-0.2 (-0.3, -0.1)NoModified Brief Pain Inventory - Interference Score1.7 (1.6, 1.7)1.7 (1.6, 1.7)0.0 (-0.1, 0.1)NoEORTC QLQ-BR23 Alopecia1.4 (1.4, 1.4)1.3 (1.3, 1.3)0.1 (0.1, 0.1)NoBreast Cancer Prevention Trial - Hot Flash Symptoms1.2 (1.2, 1.3)1.2 (1.2, 1.3)0.0 (-0.1, 0.1)NoBreast Cancer Prevention Trial - Vaginal Problems0.8 (0.8, 0.8)0.8 (0.7, 0.8)0.0 (0.0, 0.1)NoBreast Cancer Prevention Trial - Musculoskeletal Pain1.2 (1.2, 1.2)1.3 (1.3, 1.3)-0.1 (-0.2, 0.0)No* For the EORTC QLQ-C30 Global Health Status/QOL subscale, higher scores indicate better QOL. For all other PRO endpoints, higher scores indicate worse symptom levels. ** The lower bound of the one-sided CI (adjusted for multiple comparisons) was -3.3. Because the lower limit is greater than the pre-specified non-inferiority margin of -3.44, non-inferiority of palbo+ET relative to ET-alone was concluded. The non-inferiority margin corresponds to a 0.2 SD in the EORTC QLQ-C30 global health/QOL score. +The average difference was adjusted for the following baseline covariates: Cycle 1 day 1 score, region (if applicable), age category, first adjuvant ET, race, ethnicity, N-stage, T-stage, histological grade, PgR, prior chemotherapy, ECOG Performance Status. ++Based on each instrument’s published clinically relevant cut-offs, if available. After calculating Cohen’s d treatment effect sizes, (i.e. by dividing the average difference by the ET-alone arm standard deviation from cycle 1 day 1), all effect sizes were below the pre-specified 0.2 threshold, and would not be considered clinically important. Citation Format: Michelle Joy Naughton, David Zahrieh, Michael Gnant, Nicholas Zdenkowski, Julie Lemieux, Jun J Mao, Vesna Bjelic-Radisic, Eileen Shinn, Marija Balic, Christoph Thomssen, Jane Neisel, Manuel Ruiz-Echarri, Sibylle Loibl, Claudine Isaacs, David Cameron, Fernando Manuel Henao Carrasco, Matthew Goetz, Viktor Wette, Gustavo Werutsky, Hope Rugo, Marcus Vetter, Ling-Ming Tseng, Kathy Miller, Florian Fitzal, Juan Miguel Gil Gil, Haeseong Park, Barbro Linderholm, Emilio Bajetta, Zoneddy Dayao, Aleix Prat, Karin Ehrhardt, Otto Metzger, Amal Arahmani, Ernest Law, Ann Partridge, Lisa Carey, Alex Zoroufy, Amylou Dueck, Dominik Hlauschek, Angela DeMichele, Erica Mayer. Quality of life and symptom severity in the PALLAS randomized trial of palbociclib with adjuvant endocrine therapy in early breast cancer (AFT-05) [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2021 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2021 Dec 7-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P4-10-01.

INTRODUCTION: Eosinophilic gastritis (EG) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the stomach characterized by eosinophil-predominant gastric mucosal inflammation and gastrointestinal symptoms. The aim of this study was to prospectively evaluate endoscopic features in a large series of children and adults with EG to better understand the endoscopic manifestations and develop a standardized instrument for investigations. METHODS: Data were prospectively collected as part of the Consortium for Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Disease Researchers, a national collaborative network. Endoscopic features were prospectively recorded using a system specifically developed for EG, the EG Endoscopic Reference System (EG-REFS). Correlations were made between EG-REFS and clinical and histologic features. RESULTS: Of 98 patients with EG, 65 underwent assessments using EG-REFS. The most common findings were erythema (72%), raised lesions (49%), erosions (46%), and granularity (35%); only 8% of patients with active histology (≥30 eosinophils/high-power field) exhibited no endoscopic findings. A strong correlation between EG-REFS scores and physician global assessment of endoscopy severity was demonstrated (Spearman r = 0.84, P < 0.0001). The overall score and specific components of EG-REFS were more common in the antrum than in the fundus or body. EG-REFS severity was significantly correlated with active histology, defined by a threshold of ≥30 eosinophils/high-power field ( P = 0.0002). DISCUSSION: Prospective application of EG-REFS identified gastric features with a strong correlation with physician global assessment of endoscopic activity in EG. Endoscopic features demonstrated greater severity in patients with active histology and a predilection for the gastric antrum. Further development of EG-REFS should improve its utility in clinical studies.

Abstract Recent advances in the science and technology of artificial intelligence (AI) and growing numbers of deployed AI systems in healthcare and other services have called attention to the need for ethical principles and governance. We define and provide a rationale for principles that should guide the commission, creation, implementation, maintenance, and retirement of AI systems as a foundation for governance throughout the lifecycle. Some principles are derived from the familiar requirements of practice and research in medicine and healthcare: beneficence, nonmaleficence, autonomy, and justice come first. A set of principles follow from the creation and engineering of AI systems: explainability of the technology in plain terms; interpretability, that is, plausible reasoning for decisions; fairness and absence of bias; dependability, including “safe failure”; provision of an audit trail for decisions; and active management of the knowledge base to remain up to date and sensitive to any changes in the environment. In organizational terms, the principles require benevolence—aiming to do good through the use of AI; transparency, ensuring that all assumptions and potential conflicts of interest are declared; and accountability, including active oversight of AI systems and management of any risks that may arise. Particular attention is drawn to the case of vulnerable populations, where extreme care must be exercised. Finally, the principles emphasize the need for user education at all levels of engagement with AI and for continuing research into AI and its biomedical and healthcare applications.