Unilateral Diaphragmatic Weakness After Stereotactic Radiotherapy of The Lung:A Case Report

Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) is the treatment of choice for patients with stage 1 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who are medically unfit or those refusing surgery. SBRT is a modality which is well tolerated with respect to limitations on surrounding organs and contra-indications. With improving techniques and cancer treatments, patients have a longer life span, but it is known that radiotherapy can cause late-onset complications.We are reporting the case of a 77-year-old woman who was treated with SBRT because of stage 1 NSCLC. She received a total dose of 51 Gy in three fractions, prescribed to the 78% isodose line. Eight months after SBRT she developed progressive dyspnea and the CT scan showed an elevated left hemi-diaphragm. Potential causes were ruled out. The SBRT treatment was performed without other complications.To our knowledge this complication has not previously been described after SBRT. With constant improving cancer treatments and radio-therapeutic techniques, and better longevity, we could see an increase in long term toxicity in the future

Ranitidine and the incidence of hypersensitivity reactions to paclitaxel: A retrospective cohort study

Paclitaxel is a commonly used chemotherapeutic agent. To minimize the risk of hypersensitivity reactions (HSRs), which occur in approximately 16-42% of patients, premedication with dexamethasone, clemastine, and ranitidine was standard of care. As of October 2019, ranitidine is no longer available. We compared the risk of HSRs to paclitaxel with and without premedication with ranitidine, hypothesizing that the incidence of HSRs to paclitaxel will be similar. In this retrospective cohort study, all first-time paclitaxel users in the Groene Hart Hospital were included from January 2019 to August 2020. The primary outcome was the incidence of HSRs, using a Student's t-test. One-hundred and eight patients who were first-time users of paclitaxel in the Groene Hart Hospital met the inclusion criteria. Most patients were treated for breast or ovarian cancer, followed by lung cancer. Analysis of all 836 paclitaxel administrations was performed. Following 349 administrations with ranitidine as premedication, eight HSRs occurred (2.3%), while following 487 administrations without ranitidine, 12 HSRs occurred (2.5%), p-value of 0.87. An additional analysis on the occurrence of HSRs per patient was performed: 45 patients received premedication in the form of ranitidine, of which eight patients (17.8%) had a HSR. Sixty-three patients did not receive premedication in the form of ranitidine, of whom 10 (15.8%) had a HSR, p-value of .80. In conclusion, we found no difference in the incidence of HSRs during paclitaxel infusions between patients who received ranitidine as premedication versus those who did not

Humeral shaft fracture: systematic review of non-operative and operative treatment

Introduction Humeral shaft fractures can be treated non-operatively or operatively. The optimal management is subject to debate. The aim wasto compare non-operative and operative treatment of a humeral shaft fracture in terms of fracture healing, complications, and functional outcome. Methods Databases of Embase, Medline ALL, Web-of-Science Core Collection, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) were systematically searched for publications reporting clinical and functional outcomes of humeral shaft fractures after non-operative treatment with a functional brace or operative treatment by intramedullary nailing (IMN; antegrade or retrograde) or plate osteosynthesis (open plating or minimally invasive). A pooled analysis of the results was performed using MedCalc. Results A total of 173 studies, describing 11,868 patients, were included. The fracture healing rate for the non-operative group was 89% (95% confdence interval (CI) 84–92%), 94% (95% CI 92–95%) for the IMN group and 96% (95% CI 95–97%) for the plating group. The rate of secondary radial nerve palsies was 1% in patients treated non-operatively, 3% in the IMN, and 6% in the plating group. Intraoperative complications and implant failures occurred more frequently in the IMN group than in the plating group. The DASH score was the lowest (7/100; 95% CI 1–13) in the minimally invasive plate osteosynthesis group. The Constant–Murley and UCLA shoulder score were the highest [93/100 (95% CI 92–95) and 33/35 (95% CI 32–33), respectively] in the plating group. Conclusion This study suggests that even though all treatment modalities result in satisfactory outcomes, operative treatment is associated with the most favorable results. Disregarding secondary radial nerve palsy, specifcally plate osteosynthesis seems to result in the highest fracture healing rates, least complications, and best functional outcomes compared with the other treatment modalities

Economic evaluation of operative versus nonoperative treatment of a humeral shaft fracture: economic analyses alongside a multicenter prospective cohort study (HUMMER)

Purpose: Operative treatment of a humeral shaft fracture results in faster recovery than nonoperative treatment. The cost-effectiveness, in terms of costs per Quality-Adjusted Life Year (QALY) gained (Dutch threshold €20,000-€80,000) or minimal important change (MIC) in disability reduced (DASH 6.7), is unknown. The aim of this study was to determine cost-utility and cost-effectiveness of operative versus nonoperative treatment in adults with a humeral shaft fracture type 12A or 12B. Methods: This study was performed alongside a multicenter prospective cohort study. Costs for health care and lost productivity until one year after trauma were calculated. The incremental cost-utility ratio (ICUR) was reported in costs per QALY (based on the EuroQoL-5D-3L (EQ-5D)) gained. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) was reported in costs per MIC (based on the DASH score at three months) reduced. Results: Overall, 245 patients were treated operatively and 145 nonoperatively. In the operative group, the mean total costs per patient (€11,925 versus €8793; p < 0.001) and QALYs (0.806 versus 0.778; p < 0.001) were higher. The ICUR of operative treatment was €111,860 per QALY gained (i.e., €3132/0.028). The DASH was 7.3 points (p < 0.001) lower in the operative group. The ICER of operative treatment was €2880 per MIC in disability reduced (i.e., €3132/7.3*6.7). Conclusion: Due to the limited effect of treatment on quality of life measured with the EQ-5D, the ICUR of operative treatment (€111,860 per QALY gained) exceeds the threshold. However, the incremental costs of €2880 per clinically meaningful difference in DASH are much lower and suggest that operative treatment for a humeral shaft fracture is cost-effective

Survival outcomes of patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer according to pathological response at radical cystectomy with or without neo-adjuvant chemotherapy: a case-control matching study

Objectives To assess survival of patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) who underwent radical cystectomy (RC) with or without neo-adjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) according to the pathological response at RC. Methods 965 patients with MIBC (cT2-4aN0M0) who underwent RC with or without NAC were analyzed. Among the collected data were comorbidity, clinical and pathological tumor stage, tumor grade, nodal status (y)pN, and OS. Case–control matching of 412 patients was performed to compare oncological outcomes. Kaplan–Meier curves were created to estimate OS for patients who underwent RC with or without NAC, and for those with complete response (pCR), partial response (pPR), or residual or progressive disease (PD). Results Patients with a pCR or pPR at RC, with or without NAC, had better OS than patients who had PD (both p val- ues < 0.001). Moreover, the incidence of pCR was significantly higher in patients receiving NAC prior to RC than in patients undergoing RC only (31% versus 15%, respectively; p < 0.001). Case–control matching displayed better OS of patients who underwent RC with NAC, median survival not reached, than of those who underwent RC only, median 4.5 years (p = 0.023). Conclusions This study showed that patients with MIBC who underwent NAC with RC had a significant better OS than those who underwent RC only. The proportion of patients with a pCR was higher in those who received NAC and RC than in those who were treated by RC only. The favorable OS rate in the NAC and RC cohort was probably attributed to the higher observed pCR rate

Intermediate term survival following open versus robot-assisted radical cystectomy in the Netherlands:results of the Cystectomie SNAPSHOT study

There is insufficient knowledge on intermediate-term survival of non-metastatic muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) after open (ORC) versus robot-assisted (RARC) cystectomy, with or without neo-adjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). This retrospective study was performed in 19 Dutch hospitals between 2012 and 2015 to assess the five-year survival after both interventions and the influence of NAC. Out of 1,534 cT1-4N0-1-patients, 1,086 patients were treated with ORC and 389 with RARC. The 5-year survival rate after ORC was 51% (95% CI 47–53) versus 58% after RARC (95% CI 52–63), hazard ratio 1.00 (95% CI 0.84–1.20) after multivariable analysis. 226 of 965 cT2-4aN0 patients were treated with NAC. More patients had ypT0 after NAC than after no NAC (31% vs 15%; p?&lt; 0.01). The best five-year survival was in patients with ypT0 after NAC (89%; 95% CI 81–97). This study shows similar five-year survival of MIBC patients treated with ORC or RARC and shows that the best survival was after NAC