Radiation Duration in Women with Cervical Cancer Treated with Primary Chemoradiation: A Population-Based Analysis

<p>This study examines factors associated with prolonged radiation duration and its impact on survival in women with cervical cancer treated with primary chemoradiation. Women in the National Cancer Database with stage IB2-IVA cervical cancer from 2003 to 2011 who received radiation and chemotherapy were included. Of 7209 women, who met inclusion criteria, 3401 (47.1%) and 3808 (52.8%) completed radiation in ≤ 8 and > 8 weeks, respectively. There was no overall survival difference for radiation duration ≤ 8 vs. > 8 weeks. Sensitivity analyses showed that inferior overall survival is only seen with radiation duration of > 10–12 weeks.</p

Predictors of Interventional Treatment Use for Venous Thromboembolism in Cancer Patients

<p>Venous thromboembolic disease is a major cause of morbidity in cancer patients. The Perspective database was used to identify patients with solid tumors and a diagnosis of VTE from 2006 to 2012. We examined use of IVC filters, thrombolysis, and thrombectomy. Among 32,545 patients, 23.1% received an IVC filter, 1.9% thrombolytic therapy, and 0.4% underwent thrombectomy. Use of IVC filters decreased between 2006 and 2012 (23.4% to 21.2%, <i>p</i> = 0.012). Older patients, uninsured patients, Hispanics, and those with more comorbidities were more likely to undergo filter placement while patients at rural hospitals were less likely to receive an IVC filter (<i>p</i> < 0.05 for all).</p

Safety, Utilization, and Cost of Image-Guided Percutaneous Liver Biopsy Among Cancer Patients

<p>Image-guided percutaneous liver biopsy (PLB) is a diagnostic tool for lesions in the liver. Hemorrhage is the most common complication. We selected patients with a diagnostic claim for cancer who had undergone PLB. There were a total of 26,941 patients who underwent PLB. Hemorrhage risk was 1.43% among patients undergoing PLB. When stratified by setting, odds of hemorrhage were 4.5 times higher when biopsy was performed in an inpatient setting (<i>p</i> < .001). Risk factors associated with hemorrhage included marital status, liver cancer and comorbidity score. The use of PLB has increased over time. Reassuringly, the hemorrhage risk associated with PLB is low.</p