Oligorecurrent nodal prostate cancer: radiotherapy quality assurance of the randomized PEACE V-STORM phase II trial.

PURPOSE Aim of this study is to report the results of the radiotherapy quality assurance program of the PEACE V-STORM randomized phase II trial for pelvic nodal oligorecurrent prostate cancer (PCa). MATERIAL AND METHODS A benchmark case (BC) consisting of a postoperative case with 2 nodal recurrences was used for both stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT, 30 Gy/3 fx) and whole pelvic radiotherapy (WPRT, 45 Gy/25 fx + SIB boost to 65 Gy). RESULTS BC of 24 centers were analyzed. The overall grading for delineation variation of the 1st BC was rated as 'UV' (Unacceptable Variation) or 'AV' (Acceptable Variation) for 1 and 7 centers for SBRT (33%), and 3 and 8 centers for WPRT (46%), respectively. An inadequate upper limit of the WPRT CTV (n=2), a missing delineation of the prostate bed (n=1), and a missing nodal target volume (n=1 for SBRT and WPRT) constituted the observed 'UV'. With the 2nd BC (n=11), the overall delineation review showed 2 and 8 'AV' for SBRT and WPRT, respectively, with no 'UV'. For the plan review of the 2nd BC, all treatment plans were per protocol for WPRT. SBRT plans showed variability in dose normalization (Median D90% = 30.1 Gy, range 22.9-33.2Gy and 30.6 Gy, range 26.8-34.2Gy for nodes 1 and 2 respectively). CONCLUSIONS Up to 46% of protocol deviations were observed in delineation of WPRT for nodal oligorecurrent PCa, while dosimetric results of SBRT showed the greatest disparities between centers. Repeated BC resulted in an improved adherence to the protocol, translating in an overall acceptable contouring and planning compliance rate among participating centers

Risk stratification for hospital-acquired venous thromboembolism in medical patients (RISE): Protocol for a prospective cohort study

Background: Hospital-acquired venous thromboembolism (VTE) is one of the leading preventable causes of in-hospital mortality. However, its risk assessment in medically ill inpatients is complicated due to the patients' heterogeneity and complexity of currently available risk assessment models (RAMs). The simplified Geneva score provides simplicity but has not yet been prospectively validated. Immobility is an important predictor for VTE in RAMs, but its definition is inconsistent and based on subjective assessment by nurses or physicians. In this study, we aim to prospectively validate the simplified Geneva score and to examine the predictive performance of a novel and objective definition of in-hospital immobilization using accelerometry. Methods and analysis: RISE is a multicenter prospective cohort study. The goal is to recruit 1350 adult inpatients admitted for medical illness in three Swiss tertiary care hospitals. We collect data on demographics, comorbidities, VTE risk and thromboprophylaxis. Mobility from admission to discharge is objectively measured using a wrist-worn accelerometer. Participants are followed for 90 days for the occurrence of symptomatic VTE (primary outcome). Secondary outcomes are the occurrence of clinically relevant bleeding, and mortality. The evolution of autonomy in the activities of daily living, the length of stay, and the occurrence of readmission are also recorded. Time-dependent area under the curve, sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values are calculated for each RAM (i.e. the simplified and original Geneva score, Padua, and IMPROVE score) with and without the objective mobility measures to assess their accuracy in predicting hospital-acquired VTE at 90 days. Ethics and expected impact: The ethics committee approved the protocol and the study was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov as NCT04439383. RISE has the potential to optimize VTE risk stratification, and thus to improve the quality of care of medically hospitalized patients.</p

Bioactive trace metals and their isotopes as paleoproductivity proxies: An assessment using GEOTRACES-era data

International audiencePhytoplankton productivity and export sequester climatically significant quantities of atmospheric carbon dioxide as particulate organic carbon through a suite of processes termed the biological pump. How the biological pump operated in the past is therefore important for understanding past atmospheric carbon pump requires proxies. Due to their intimate association with biological processes, several bioactive trace metals and their isotopes are potential proxies for past phytoplankton productivity, including: iron, zinc, copper, cadmium, molybdenum, barium, nickel, chromium, and silver. Here we review the oceanic distributions, driving processes, and depositional archives for these nine metals and their isotopes based on GEOTRACES-era datasets. We offer an assessment of the overall maturity of each isotope system to serve as a proxy for diagnosing aspects of past ocean productivity and identify priorities for future research. This assessment reveals that cadmium, barium, nickel, and chromium isotopes offer the most promise as tracers of paleoproductivity, whereas iron, zinc, copper, and molybdenum do not. Too little is known about silver to make a confident determination. Intriguingly, the elements that are least sensitive to productivity may be used to trace other aspects of ocean chemistry, such as nutrient sources, particle scavenging, organic complexation, and ocean redox state. These complementary sensitivities suggest new opportunities for combining perspectives from multiple proxies that will ultimately enable painting a more complete picture of marine paleoproductivity, biogeochemical cycles, and Earth's climate history

Heterogeneity in Long Term Outcomes for R-ISS Stage II in Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma Patients.

International audienceIn the era of personalized treatment in multiple myeloma, high-risk patients must be accurately defined. The International Myeloma Working Group recommends using the Revised International Staging System (R-ISS) to identify high-risk patients. The main purpose of our work was to explore the heterogeneity of outcome among R-ISS stage II patients assessing the impact of ISS, chromosomal abnormalities (CA) and LDH level in this subgroup. Data were issued from 1,343 newly diagnosed myeloma patients up to 65 years, enrolled in 3 clinical trials implemented by the Intergroupe Francophone du Myelome. All patients were eligible to an intensive treatment. Patients R-ISS stage II but ISS stage I had 1.6 times more risk of death than patients R-ISS stage I (adjusted HR 1.6; 95% CI, 1.1 to 2.2; P = .01) and patients R-ISS stage II but ISS stage III had a better overall survival than patients R-ISS stage III (adjusted HR 0.7; 95% CI, 0.4 to 0.9, P = .02). However, among patients classified in R-ISS II, ISS stage and CA (del(17p) and t(4;14)) were still relevant prognostic factors for death. Dividing R-ISS stage II into 3 subgroups: ISS I with standard risk CA, ISS II or III with standard risk CA and, high risk CA patients, median overall survivals were respectively not reached, 112 and 71 months (P < 0.001). In conclusion, stratification of patients in the R-ISS stage II group can be improved by taking into account CA and ISS. However, this does not improve predictive performance of survival models