The impact of a pathologist's personality on the interobserver variability and diagnostic accuracy of predictive PD-L1 immunohistochemistry in lung cancer

OBJECTIVES: Programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) is the only approved predictive biomarker for immunotherapy in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, predictive PD-L1 immunohistochemistry is subject to interobserver variability. We hypothesized that a pathologist's personality influences the interobserver variability and diagnostic accuracy of PD-L1 immunoscoring. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Seventeen pathologists performed PD-L1 immunoscoring on 50 resected NSCLC tumors in three categories (<1%;1-49%;≥50%). Also, the pathologists completed a certified personality test (NEO-PI-r), assessing five personality traits: neuroticism, extraversion, openness, altruism and conscientiousness. RESULTS: The overall agreement among pathologists for a series of 47 tumors was substantial (kappa = 0.63). Of these, 23/47 (49%) tumors were entirely negative or largely positive, resulting in a kappa value of 0.93. The remaining 24/47 (51%) tumors had a PD-L1 score around the cutoff value, generating a kappa value of 0.32. Pathologists with high scores for conscientiousness (careful, diligent) had the least interobserver variability (r = 0.6, p = 0.009). Also, they showed a trend towards higher sensitivity (74% vs. 68%, p = 0.4), specificity (86% vs. 82%, p = 0.3) and percent agreement (83% vs. 79%, p = 0.3), although not significant. In contrast, pathologists with high scores for neuroticism (sensitive, anxious) had significantly lower specificity (80% vs. 87%, p = 0.03) and percent agreement (78% vs. 85%, p = 0.03). Also, a trend towards high interobserver variability (r = -0.3, p = 0.2) and lower sensitivity (68% vs. 74%, p = 0.3) was observed, although not significant. Pathologists with relatively high scores for conscientiousness scored fewer tumors PD-L1 positive at the ≥ 1% cut-off (r = -0.5, p = 0.03). In contrast, pathologists with relatively high scores for neuroticism score more tumors PD-L1 positive at ≥ 1% (r = 0.6, p = 0.017) and ≥ 50% cut-offs (r = 0.6, p = 0.009). CONCLUSIONS: This study is the first to demonstrate the impact of a pathologist's personality on the interobserver variability and diagnostic accuracy of immunostaining, in the context of PD-L1 in NSCLC. Larger studies are needed for validation of these findings

Intraperitoneal drain placement and outcomes after elective colorectal surgery: international matched, prospective, cohort study

Despite current guidelines, intraperitoneal drain placement after elective colorectal surgery remains widespread. Drains were not associated with earlier detection of intraperitoneal collections, but were associated with prolonged hospital stay and increased risk of surgical-site infections.Background Many surgeons routinely place intraperitoneal drains after elective colorectal surgery. However, enhanced recovery after surgery guidelines recommend against their routine use owing to a lack of clear clinical benefit. This study aimed to describe international variation in intraperitoneal drain placement and the safety of this practice. Methods COMPASS (COMPlicAted intra-abdominal collectionS after colorectal Surgery) was a prospective, international, cohort study which enrolled consecutive adults undergoing elective colorectal surgery (February to March 2020). The primary outcome was the rate of intraperitoneal drain placement. Secondary outcomes included: rate and time to diagnosis of postoperative intraperitoneal collections; rate of surgical site infections (SSIs); time to discharge; and 30-day major postoperative complications (Clavien-Dindo grade at least III). After propensity score matching, multivariable logistic regression and Cox proportional hazards regression were used to estimate the independent association of the secondary outcomes with drain placement. Results Overall, 1805 patients from 22 countries were included (798 women, 44.2 per cent; median age 67.0 years). The drain insertion rate was 51.9 per cent (937 patients). After matching, drains were not associated with reduced rates (odds ratio (OR) 1.33, 95 per cent c.i. 0.79 to 2.23; P = 0.287) or earlier detection (hazard ratio (HR) 0.87, 0.33 to 2.31; P = 0.780) of collections. Although not associated with worse major postoperative complications (OR 1.09, 0.68 to 1.75; P = 0.709), drains were associated with delayed hospital discharge (HR 0.58, 0.52 to 0.66; P &lt; 0.001) and an increased risk of SSIs (OR 2.47, 1.50 to 4.05; P &lt; 0.001). Conclusion Intraperitoneal drain placement after elective colorectal surgery is not associated with earlier detection of postoperative collections, but prolongs hospital stay and increases SSI risk

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Plasma Predictive Features in Treating EGFR-Mutated Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Simple Summary Patients with non-small cell lung cancer with an activating EGFR mutation in the tumor, are treated with targeted therapy against this mutation. In the end, all patients develop resistance against this therapy, but some patients have a very short or no benefit. In this study, the authors used blood samples from 41 patients to investigate predictive factors for lack of or short efficacy of targeted therapy. They found that lack of disappearance of the treated mutation in blood after 6 or 12 weeks, the presence of co-occurring TP53 mutations, and decrease of erlotinib therapy concentrations in time are correlated to a shorter time of benefit. Confirmation of these findings in a larger cohort is desirable, this may lead to implementation of blood sampling for DNA analysis and therapy concentration measurement in daily practice in the future, to identify patients in need of closer follow-up or more extensive treatment. Although epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are the preferred treatment for patients with EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), not all patients benefit. We therefore explored the impact of the presence of mutations found in cell-free DNA (cfDNA) and TKI plasma concentrations during treatment on progression-free survival (PFS). In the prospective START-TKI study blood samples from 41 patients with EGFR-mutated NSCLC treated with EGFR-TKIs were available. Next generation sequencing (NGS) on cfDNA was performed, and plasma TKI concentrations were measured. Patients without complete plasma conversion of EGFR mutation at week 6 had a significantly shorter PFS (5.5 vs. 17.0 months, p = 0.002) and OS (14.0 vs. 25.5 months, p = 0.003) compared to patients with plasma conversion. In thirteen (second line) osimertinib-treated patients with a (plasma or tissue) concomitant TP53 mutation at baseline, PFS was significantly shorter compared to six wild-type cases; 8.8 vs. 18.8 months, p = 0.017. Erlotinib C-mean decrease of >= 10% in the second tertile of treatment was also associated with a significantly shorter PFS; 8.9 vs. 23.6 months, p = 0.037. We obtained evidence that absence of plasma loss of the primary EGFR mutation, isolated plasma p.T790M loss after six weeks, baseline concomitant TP53 mutations, and erlotinib C-mean decrease during treatment are probably related to worse outcome

Plasma Predictive Features in Treating EGFR-Mutated Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Although epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are the preferred treatment for patients with EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), not all patients benefit. We therefore explored the impact of the presence of mutations found in cell-free DNA (cfDNA) and TKI plasma concentrations during treatment on progression-free survival (PFS). In the prospective START-TKI study blood samples from 41 patients with EGFR-mutated NSCLC treated with EGFR-TKIs were available. Next generation sequencing (NGS) on cfDNA was performed, and plasma TKI concentrations were measured. Patients without complete plasma conversion of EGFR mutation at week 6 had a significantly shorter PFS (5.5 vs. 17.0 months, p = 0.002) and OS (14.0 vs. 25.5 months, p = 0.003) compared to patients with plasma conversion. In thirteen (second line) osimertinib-treated patients with a (plasma or tissue) concomitant TP53 mutation at baseline, PFS was significantly shorter compared to six wild-type cases; 8.8 vs. 18.8 months, p = 0.017. Erlotinib Cmean decrease of &ge;10% in the second tertile of treatment was also associated with a significantly shorter PFS; 8.9 vs. 23.6 months, p = 0.037. We obtained evidence that absence of plasma loss of the primary EGFR mutation, isolated plasma p.T790M loss after six weeks, baseline concomitant TP53 mutations, and erlotinib Cmean decrease during treatment are probably related to worse outcome

The impact of a pathologist's personality on the interobserver variability and diagnostic accuracy of predictive PD-L1 immunohistochemistry in lung cancer

Objectives: Programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) is the only approved predictive biomarker for immunotherapy in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, predictive PD-L1 immunohistochemistry is subject to interobserver variability. We hypothesized that a pathologist's personality influences the interobserver variability and diagnostic accuracy of PD-L1 immunoscoring. Materials and Methods: Seventeen pathologists performed PD-L1 immunoscoring on 50 resected NSCLC tumors in three categories (<1%;1–49%;≥50%). Also, the pathologists completed a certified personality test (NEO-PI-r), assessing five personality traits: neuroticism, extraversion, openness, altruism and conscientiousness. Results: The overall agreement among pathologists for a series of 47 tumors was substantial (kappa = 0.63). Of these, 23/47 (49%) tumors were entirely negative or largely positive, resulting in a kappa value of 0.93. The remaining 24/47 (51%) tumors had a PD-L1 score around the cutoff value, generating a kappa value of 0.32. Pathologists with high scores for conscientiousness (careful, diligent) had the least interobserver variability (r = 0.6, p = 0.009). Also, they showed a trend towards higher sensitivity (74% vs. 68%, p = 0.4), specificity (86% vs. 82%, p = 0.3) and percent agreement (83% vs. 79%, p = 0.3), although not significant. In contrast, pathologists with high scores for neuroticism (sensitive, anxious) had significantly lower specificity (80% vs. 87%, p = 0.03) and percent agreement (78% vs. 85%, p = 0.03). Also, a trend towards high interobserver variability (r = -0.3, p = 0.2) and lower sensitivity (68% vs. 74%, p = 0.3) was observed, although not significant. Pathologists with relatively high scores for conscientiousness scored fewer tumors PD-L1 positive at the ≥ 1% cut-off (r = −0.5, p = 0.03). In contrast, pathologists with relatively high scores for neuroticism score more tumors PD-L1 positive at ≥ 1% (r = 0.6, p = 0.017) and ≥ 50% cut-offs (r = 0.6, p = 0.009). Conclusions: This study is the first to demonstrate the impact of a pathologist's personality on the interobserver variability and diagnostic accuracy of immunostaining, in the context of PD-L1 in NSCLC. Larger studies are needed for validation of these findings

The impact of a pathologist's personality on the interobserver variability and diagnostic accuracy of predictive PD-L1 immunohistochemistry in lung cancer

Objectives: Programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) is the only approved predictive biomarker for immunotherapy in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, predictive PD-L1 immunohistochemistry is subject to interobserver variability. We hypothesized that a pathologist's personality influences the interobserver variability and diagnostic accuracy of PD-L1 immunoscoring.& nbsp;Materials and Methods: Seventeen pathologists performed PD-L1 immunoscoring on 50 resected NSCLC tumors in three categories (= 50%). Also, the pathologists completed a certified personality test (NEO-PI-r), assessing five personality traits: neuroticism, extraversion, openness, altruism and conscientiousness.& nbsp;Results: The overall agreement among pathologists for a series of 47 tumors was substantial (kappa = 0.63). Of these, 23/47 (49%) tumors were entirely negative or largely positive, resulting in a kappa value of 0.93. The remaining 24/47 (51%) tumors had a PD-L1 score around the cutoff value, generating a kappa value of 0.32. Pathologists with high scores for conscientiousness (careful, diligent) had the least interobserver variability (r = 0.6, p = 0.009). Also, they showed a trend towards higher sensitivity (74% vs. 68%, p = 0.4), specificity (86% vs. 82%, p = 0.3) and percent agreement (83% vs. 79%, p = 0.3), although not significant. In contrast, pathologists with high scores for neuroticism (sensitive, anxious) had significantly lower specificity (80% vs. 87%, p = 0.03) and percent agreement (78% vs. 85%, p = 0.03). Also, a trend towards high interobserver variability (r =-0.3, p = 0.2) and lower sensitivity (68% vs. 74%, p = 0.3) was observed, although not significant. Pathologists with relatively high scores for conscientiousness scored fewer tumors PD-L1 positive at the >= 1% cut-off (r =-0.5, p = 0.03). In contrast, pathologists with relatively high scores for neuroticism score more tumors PD-L1 positive at > 1% (r = 0.6, p = 0.017) and >= 50% cut-offs (r = 0.6, p = 0.009).& nbsp;Conclusions: This study is the first to demonstrate the impact of a pathologist's personality on the interobserver variability and diagnostic accuracy of immunostaining, in the context of PD-L1 in NSCLC. Larger studies are needed for validation of these findings

Intraperitoneal drain placement and outcomes after elective colorectal surgery: international matched, prospective, cohort study

Many surgeons routinely place intraperitoneal drains after elective colorectal surgery. However, enhanced recovery after surgery guidelines recommend against their routine use owing to a lack of clear clinical benefit. This study aimed to describe international variation in intraperitoneal drain placement and the safety of this practice