An exploration of factors leading to readiness for organizational health literacy change in community-based health organizations.

Introduction: Healthcare systems have a responsibility to improve organizational health literacy (OHL) to increase health equity. This study explored two organizational cultural factors, leadership support and staff buy-in, for organizations planning OHL change.

Methods: Ten community-based health organizations participated in an OHL program.

Tumor Hypoxia on 18F-fluoromisonidazole Positron Emission Tomography and Distant Metastasis From Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Importance: Given high rates of locoregional control after definitive management of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), better methods are needed to project distant metastasis (DM) risk. Tumor hypoxia on 18F-fluoromisonidazole (FMISO) positron emission tomography (PET) is associated with locoregional failure, but data demonstrating an association with DM are limited.

Objective: To determine whether tumor hypoxia on FMISO PET is associated with DM risk after chemoradiotherapy (CRT) for HNSCC.

Development of F-Fluoromisonidazole Hypoxia PET/CT Diagnostic Interpretation Criteria and Validation of Interreader Reliability, Reproducibility, and Performance.

Tumor hypoxia, an integral biomarker to guide radiotherapy, can be imaged with F-fluoromisonidazole (F-FMISO) hypoxia PET. One major obstacle to its broader application is the lack of standardized interpretation criteria. We sought to develop and validate practical interpretation criteria and a dedicated training protocol for nuclear medicine physicians to interpret F-FMISO hypoxia PET.

Development of a Hospice Perceptions Instrument for Diverse Patients and Families: Establishing Content and Face Validity.

Context: For many, the perception of "hospice" is synonymous with "death." Even clinicians struggle to have conversations that distinguish between hospice and palliative care for fear that discussing hospice may diminish hope. To date, there are no existing measurement tools to evaluate patient and family perceptions of hospice care.

An Analysis of Positron Emission Tomography Maximum Standard Uptake Value Among Patients With Head and Neck Cancer Receiving Photon and Proton Radiation.

Purpose: One main advantage of proton therapy versus photon therapy is its precise radiation delivery to targets without exit dose, resulting in lower dose to surrounding healthy tissues. This is critical, given the proximity of head and neck tumors to normal structures. However, proton planning requires careful consideration of factors, including air-tissue interface, anatomic uncertainties, surgical artifacts, weight fluctuations, rapid tumor response, and daily variations in setup and anatomy, as these heterogeneities can lead to inaccuracies in targeting and creating unwarranted hotspots to a greater extent than photon radiation.