Feasibility of an asynchronous general practitioner-to-general physician eConsultant outpatient substitution program: A Queensland pilot study.

Background And Objectives: The use of an 'eConsultant' to support the family physician is an established outpatient substitution model in North America. This pilot study investigates the feasibility of the eConsultant model for complex chronic disease management within the Australian setting.

Method: This pilot study was implemented in one urban and four rural/remote general practices in one state.

Investigation of the utility of the 1.1B4 cell as a model human beta cell line for study of persistent enteroviral infection.

The generation of a human pancreatic beta cell line which reproduces the responses seen in primary beta cells, but is amenable to propagation in culture, has long been an important goal in diabetes research. This is particularly true for studies focussing on the role of enteroviral infection as a potential cause of beta-cell autoimmunity in type 1 diabetes. In the present work we made use of a clonal beta cell line (1.

PDL1 is expressed in the islets of people with type 1 diabetes and is up-regulated by interferons-α and-γ via IRF1 induction.

Background: Antibodies targeting PD-1 and its ligand PDL1 are used in cancer immunotherapy but may lead to autoimmune diseases, including type 1 diabetes (T1D). It remains unclear whether PDL1 is expressed in pancreatic islets of people with T1D and how is it regulated.

Methods: The expression of PDL1, IRF1, insulin and glucagon was evaluated in samples of T1D donors by immunofluorescence.

"Proof of concept" pilot study: bioprocess chain of custody and bioresource sample management temperature observations. Sample level temperature trends and stability data obtained via utilization of bluechiip(®) temperature tracking technology.

Background: Preservation and optimization of biosample integrity to foster relevant research results and outcomes is a guiding principle of sample management. Tracking pre-analytical biospecimen lifecycle variables and bioprocessing chain of custody data enables documentation of adherence to best, regulatory and quality biobanking practices. Knowledge of individual sample and sample set temperature variability is believed to enhance delineation of artifacts during downstream analysis.

The Harvard Joint Center for Radiation Therapy, 1968-1999: a unique concept and its relationship to the prevailing times in academic medicine.

Purpose: Institutional structure, function, and philosophy reflect the organizational needs, and tend to mirror societal values of the times. For many years, the field of radiation oncology had among its major academic centers, an organization that served as a model for collaboration among health care institutions in an effort to serve the common good of its patients, hospitals, professional colleagues, and community. For over three decades, the Joint Center for Radiation Therapy (JCRT) was a leader in developing new organizational approaches for academic and clinical radiation oncology through the philosophy of collaboration in patient care, education, and research.

Treatment outcome after tangential radiation therapy without axillary dissection in patients with early-stage breast cancer and clinically negative axillary nodes.

Purpose: To determine the risk of nodal failure in patients with early-stage invasive breast cancer with clinically negative axillary lymph nodes treated with two-field tangential breast irradiation alone, without axillary lymph node dissection or use of a third nodal field.

Methods And Materials: Between 1988 and 1993, 986 evaluable women with clinical Stage I or II invasive breast cancer were treated with breast-conserving surgery and radiation therapy. Of these, 92 patients with clinically negative nodes received tangential breast irradiation (median dose, 45 Gy) followed by a boost, without axillary dissection.

Leukemia following low-dose total body irradiation and chemotherapy for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Purpose: Low-dose total body irradiation (TBI) is used to treat non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) and several other malignancies. Large volumes of bone marrow and other tissue receive considerable exposure, but few studies have quantified late carcinogenic sequelae.

Patients And Methods: A cohort of 61 2-year survivors of NHL treated initially with low-dose TBI was monitored for second cancer occurrence.

Long-term results of irradiation for basal cell carcinoma of the skin of the nose.

The long-term outcome of basal cell carcinoma of the nose in patients treated with radiation therapy has not been well documented. To make this evaluation, we assessed the cosmetic and oncologic results in 26 patients after an average interval of 9.3 years following radiation therapy.

Concomitant 5-fluorouracil infusion and high-dose radiation for stage III non-small cell lung cancer.

Thirty patients with Stage III non-small cell lung cancer were entered on a trial to evaluate the feasibility of combined radiation and concomitant 5-fluorouracil infusion. Patients had received prior debulking surgery (nine), induction chemotherapy (16), or no therapy (five). Radiation employed standard fractionation (180-200 rad/day) administered to a median cumulative dose of 5500 rad (range, 4500-6200 rad).

Intraoperative radiation therapy for biliary tract carcinoma: results of a 5-year experience.

The results of a 5-year experience with use of intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT) in the management of locally advanced bile duct carcinoma are presented. Fifteen patients received IORT doses between 5 and 20 Gy for localized disease, which was either primary and resected with microscopic residual (2 patients), primary and unresected (10 patients), or recurrent (3 patients). Thirteen patients also received postoperative radiation therapy.

Radiation therapy of seminoma: 17-year experience at the Joint Center for Radiation Therapy.

One hundred and sixteen patients with stage I and II primary testicular seminoma were treated at the Joint Center for Radiation Therapy (JCRT) between 1968 and 1984. Complete follow-up is available for 114 patients (98%) with a median follow-up time of 6 years. Actuarial relapse-free survival (RFS) and survival for the entire group at 10 years were 94 and 86%, respectively, with 27 patients still at risk beyond 10 years.

Chemotherapeutic strategies in the multidisciplinary treatment of head and neck cancer.

A role for chemotherapy in the multidisciplinary treatment of patients with advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) is yet to be defined. Results of uncontrolled studies indicate high response rates to induction chemotherapy and an association between a response to chemotherapy and either local-regional control or survival. Unfortunately, results of randomized, controlled trials have not confirmed an overall survival advantage with such treatment.

Resectable adenocarcinoma of the rectosigmoid and rectum. II. The influence of blood vessel invasion.

Several series have examined the influence of blood vessel invasion (BVI) by tumor on survival of patients with colorectal cancer; however, little data are available regarding its influence on patterns of failure. In an effort to determine the influence of BVI on the patterns of failure and survival in rectosigmoid and rectal cancer, a retrospective review of 168 patients who underwent potentially curative surgery at the New England Deaconess Hospital was performed. In patients who had tumors with extramural BVI, there was a significant decrease in five-year actuarial survival compared with patients who had tumors with intramural BVI or were BVI-negative (BVI-).

Resectable adenocarcinoma of the rectosigmoid and rectum. I. Patterns of failure and survival.

In an effort to determine the patterns of failure and survival of rectosigmoid and rectal cancer, a retrospective review of 168 patients who underwent potentially curative surgery at the New England Deaconess Hospital was performed. The 5-year actuarial survival for the entire group was 67%. Survival rates decreased with increasing penetration of the bowel wall by tumor and the presence of lymph node metastasis, but only the latter reached statistical significance.

Potentially curative surgery of colon cancer: the influence of blood vessel invasion.

A number of series have examined the influence of blood vessel invasion (BVI) by tumor on survival of patients with colorectal cancer; however, there are little data available regarding its influence on patterns of failure. In an effort to determine the influence of BVI on the patterns of failure and survival in colon cancer, a retrospective review of 294 patients who underwent potentially curative surgery at the New England Deaconess Hospital (NEDH) was performed. Patients whose tumors had BVI experienced a significant decrease in the 5-year actuarial survival rate.

Potentially curative surgery of colon cancer: patterns of failure and survival.

In an effort to determine the patterns of failure and survival of colon cancer, a retrospective review of 294 patients who underwent potentially curative surgery at the New England Deaconess Hospital (NEDH) was performed. For the entire group, the 5-year crude survival rate was 68% and the actuarial rate was 80%. Survival decreased with increasing bowel wall penetration by tumor and the presence of lymph node metastasis.

Colloid carcinoma of the colon and rectum.

To determine the clinicopathologic significance of colloid carcinoma in carcinoma of the colon and rectosigmoid/rectum, a retrospective review of 462 patients who underwent potentially curative surgery at the New England Deaconess Hospital was performed. Seventy-seven patients (17%) were identified who had tumors with some component of colloid present. Colloid carcinoma occurred in 49 (11%).

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma: the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute experience with 24 patients treated with induction chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma traditionally has been treated with radiotherapy alone. Although the probability of cure for patients with stage I and II nasopharyngeal carcinoma is high, the probability of cure for patients with stage III and IV disease is poor because of a higher rate of local-regional and distant failure. Between February 1981 and August 1986, 24 patients with previously untreated, stage IV nasopharyngeal carcinoma were treated with two to four monthly courses of cisplatin-based combination chemotherapy prior to radiotherapy.

Cardiac disease after mediastinal irradiation for seminoma.

One hundred twenty-four patients with seminoma (119 primary testis, five primary extragonadal) were treated between 1968 and 1984 at the Joint Center for Radiation Therapy. Fifty-seven of the 124 patients were treated with irradiation to the mediastinum as well as to an infradiaphragmatic field. One patient received supradiaphragmatic radiotherapy only.

Sequential infusional 5-fluorouracil followed by concomitant radiation for tumors of the esophagus and gastroesophageal junction.

Thirteen patients with esophageal or gastroesophageal tumors with regional disease only were treated with sequential combined therapy. Weeks 1 to 6 continuous (24 hours) infusion 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) 300 mg/m2/d; weeks 6 to 10 or 12 infusional 5-FU administered concomitantly with radiation to the primary tumor site using standard fractionation with a cumulative median dose of 5000 rad; range 4400 to 6900 rad. Surgery was performed in five patients.

Improved survival following combined radiation therapy and chemotherapy for unfavorable prognosis stage I-II non-Hodgkin's lymphomas.

A retrospective analysis of 144 patients with stage I-II non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) treated between June 1968 and December 1980 was performed. Patients were staged by bone marrow biopsy, chest radiography, blood chemistries, and either bipedal lymphangiography, computerized axial tomography, or surgical exploration of the abdomen. Patients were subclassified by extent of disease; minimal disease was defined as less than 10 cm and involved one or two contiguous sites, while patients with disease exceeding these limitations were considered to have extended stage I-II disease.

Sphincter preservation in patients with low rectal cancer treated with radiation therapy with or without local excision or fulguration.

Twenty-six patients with small cancers limited to the lower two-thirds of the rectum were treated with conservative surgery and radiation therapy (XRT). The selection factors for this approach were age, refusal of a permanent colostomy, or the high risk of local recurrence because of inadequate surgical margin or palpable residual tumor after local surgical treatment alone. In patients treated with local excision or fulguration followed by XRT, there was a 6% local failure rate (one in 17); in 16 of 17 patients receiving radiation doses above 4,500 cGy, the local control was complete for follow-up periods of 6 months to 7 years.

Radiotherapy for prostate carcinoma: the JCRT experience (1968-1978). II. Factors related to tumor control and complications.

We have analyzed treatment failure and complications as a function of radiotherapy technique and other factors in 229 patients irradiated for prostate carcinoma from 1968-1978. Thirty-four patients (15%) developed clinical evidence of local-regional recurrence. In about one-quarter of these recurrences, there was a component of ureteral obstruction, possibly due to marginal miss in the seminal vesicles.

A pilot study of protracted venous infusion of 5-fluorouracil and concomitant radiation therapy.

A method to potentially increase the effectiveness of combination 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and radiation therapy (XRT) using protracted (more than 30 days) venous infusion (PVI) of 5-FU with conventionally fractionated XRT (180 to 200 cGy per day) (100 cGy = 100 rad) is described. Forty-one patients were treated with this combination with acceptable acute toxicity. In 95% of patients, the toxicity was mild or moderate and symptom control was achieved with medications or a short treatment interruption.