The Role of Circulating Tumor DNA for Management of Patients With Rectal Cancer: Challenges and Opportunities.

Recently, organ preservation with total neoadjuvant therapy resulted in substantial progress in the management of locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC). The PROSPECT trial showed noninferiority of de-escalation of radiotherapy for patients with low-risk LARC who do not need abdominoperineal resection. Although these escalation and de-escalation approaches offer more personalized therapeutic approaches, the current state of care for patients with rectal cancer is far from individualized management.

Early Prediction of Intensive Care Admission in Emergency Department Patients With Asthma.

Background: Emergency physicians must choose whether patients with asthma are admitted to a hospital ward or a higher level of care, such as an intermediate care unit (IMC) or intensive care unit (ICU).

Objective: This study aimed to determine which variables, available early during emergency department (ED) visits, are associated with IMC/ICU admission.

Methods: In this retrospective chart review (records from 2015-2018), two trained abstractors, blinded to study hypothesis, abstracted data on predictor variables and disposition (ward vs.

Emergency Department Asthma "Spacing Trials": Institutional Variability and Time Cost.

Background: Some admitting physicians request a medication-free interval ("spacing trial") in the emergency department (ED) to determine whether a patient with an acute exacerbation of asthma can be safely admitted to a hospital ward bed, where bronchodilators are only available every 4 h.

Objective: Our objectives were to estimate the frequency of ED spacing trials in different hospitals and their associated time cost.

Methods: This multicenter retrospective cohort study examined patients admitted for asthma from 2015 to 2018.