Optimizing care in early phase cancer trials: The role of palliative care.

Advancements in cancer treatment have led to improved survival rates, with early phase clinical trials (EPCTs) serving as important initial steps in evaluating novel therapies. Recent studies have shown that response rates in these trials have doubled in the last twenty years. Patients who enroll on EPCTs have advanced cancer and heightened symptomatology yet maintain a robust performance status that qualifies them for clinical trial participation.

Can echocardiographically estimated pulmonary arterial elastance be a non-invasive predictor of pulmonary vascular resistance?

Introduction: Measurement of pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) is essential in evaluating a patient with pulmonary hypertension.

Material And Methods: Data from right heart catheterization (RHC) and echocardiograms performed within 90 days of each other on 45 non-consecutive adult patients were reviewed in this retrospective study. Patients were recruited using an assortment of strategies to ensure the presence of patients with a wide range of PVR.

Operationalizing the internal medicine milestones-an early status report.

Background: The internal medicine milestones were developed to advance outcomes-based residency training and will play an important role in the next accreditation system.

Innovation: As an element of our program's participation in the internal medicine educational innovations project, we implemented a milestones-based evaluation process in our general medicine and pulmonary-critical care rotations on July 1, 2010.

Measures: Outcomes assessed included survey-rated acceptability to participating faculty, residents, and clinical competency committee members.