Cancer-related Fear and Worry in Patients with Low-Risk Thyroid Cancer: A Longitudinal Cohort Study.

Context: Little is known about how patients' emotions impact the choice between hemi- and total thyroidectomy (TT) for low-risk thyroid cancer (LR-TC) and how these emotions change after treatment.

Objective: To investigate thyroid cancer-specific fear and worry both before and after treatment of LR-TC with hemi- or TT.

Methods: This prospective cohort study enrolled adults with confirmed or likely LR-TC at 15 institutions.

Nerve monitoring in endocrine surgery: Practice patterns differ among surgeons for parathyroidectomy and thyroidectomy.

Background: It is unknown whether intraoperative nerve monitoring is associated with reduced vocal cord dysfunction after parathyroidectomy. We aimed to investigate intraoperative nerve monitoring use among Collaborative Endocrine Surgery Quality Improvement Program surgeons and factors associated with vocal cord dysfunction after parathyroidectomy.

Methods: Patients who underwent parathyroidectomy included in the Collaborative Endocrine Surgery Quality Improvement Program (2014-2022) were identified.

From Eggshells to Action: A Qualitative Study of Faculty Experience Responding to Microaggressions Targeting Medical Students.

Purpose: Microaggressions targeting clinical learners cause harm and threaten learning. Clinical supervisors can be powerful allies by intervening when microaggressions occur. This study explored general and student-nominated skilled supervisors' perspectives on responding to microaggressions targeting clinical learners.

Routine use of intraoperative nerve monitoring is associated with a reduced risk of vocal cord dysfunction after thyroid cancer surgery.

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the associations between individual surgeon's intraoperative nerve monitoring (IONM) practice and factors associated with vocal cord (VC) dysfunction in patients with thyroid cancer undergoing thyroidectomy.

Methods: Using Collaborative Endocrine Surgery Quality Improvement Program (CESQIP) 2014-21 data, multivariable logistic regression analyses investigated variables associated with short- and long-term VC-dysfunction, associations of routine use of IONM with postoperative outcomes, and patient characteristics associated with IONM use.

Results: Among 5,446 patients (76.

Disparities in advance care planning rates persist among emergency general surgery patients: Current state and recommendations for improvement.

Background: Unanticipated changes in health status and worsening of chronic conditions often prompt the need to consider emergency general surgery (EGS). Although discussions about goals of care may promote goal-concordant care and reduce patient and caregiver depression and anxiety, these conversations, as well as standardized documentation, remain infrequent for EGS patients.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using electronic health record data from patients admitted to an EGS service at a tertiary academic center to determine the prevalence of clinically meaningful advance care planning (ACP) documentation (conversations and legal ACP forms) during the EGS hospitalization.

Disease-Specific Survival Trends for Patients Presenting with Differentiated Thyroid Cancer and Distant Metastases in the United States, 1992-2018.

Differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) is associated with an excellent prognosis, but patients with distant metastatic DTC have a 10-year disease-specific survival (DSS) of just 50%. The incidence of distant metastatic DTC has steadily increased in the United States since the 1980s. The aim of this study was to examine trends in survival and treatment for patients with distant metastatic DTC.

Disparities in Treatment for Differentiated Thyroid Cancer.

Disparities in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) have been described. This review includes the most recent literature on existing diagnostic and treatment disparities in the United States and proposes practical clinical and policy ideas for improving the gap in the treatment of DTC. We performed a comprehensive literature review to include key articles related to DTC and disparities of treatment, diagnosis, and outcomes for disadvantaged patient populations.

Endocrine surgeons are performing more thyroid lobectomies for low-risk differentiated thyroid cancer since the 2015 ATA guidelines.

Background: The 2015 American Thyroid Association guidelines recommended either total thyroidectomy or lobectomy for surgical treatment of low-risk differentiated thyroid cancer and de-escalated recommendations for central neck dissections. The study aim was to investigate how practice patterns among endocrine surgeons have changed over time.

Methods: All adult patients with low-risk differentiated thyroid cancers (T1-T2, N0/Nx, M0/Mx) in the Collaborative Endocrine Surgery Quality Improvement Program (2014-2021) were identified.

The Path to Academic Success: Perspectives of a LGBTQ+ Chairof Surgery.

There is a growing number of Americans who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or other sexual and gender minority (LGBTQ+). Unfortunately, in American surgery to date there has been a paucity of discussion about how to make our community as inclusive as possible for its LGBTQ+ members. General surgery learners, in particular, have been shown to be the subject of discrimination, harassment, and bullying.

Third year medical student knowledge gaps after a virtual surgical rotation.

Introduction: This study describes perceived knowledge gaps of third-year medical students after participating in a virtual surgical didactic rotation (EMLR) and shortened in-person surgery rotation during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Methods: Open-ended and Likert questions were administered at the end of the virtual rotation and inperson-surgical rotation to medical students. Three blinded coders identified themes by semantic analysis.

Anxiety During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Web-Based Survey of Thyroid Cancer Survivors.

Objective: Cancer patients and survivors may be disproportionately affected by COVID-19. We sought to determine the effects of the pandemic on thyroid cancer survivors' health care interactions and quality of life.

Methods: An anonymous survey including questions about COVID-19 and the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System profile (PROMIS-29, version 2.

A cost-utility analysis of 18F-fluorocholine-positron emission tomography imaging for localizing primary hyperparathyroidism in the United States.

Background: Primary hyperparathyroidism historically necessitated bilateral neck exploration to remove abnormal parathyroid tissue. Improved localization allows for focused parathyroidectomy with lower complication risks. Recently, positron emission tomography using radiolabeled 18F-fluorocholine demonstrated high accuracy in detecting these lesions, but its cost-effectiveness has not been studied in the United States.

Bursting the Hidden Curriculum Bubble: A Surgical Near-Peer Mentorship Pilot Program for URM Medical Students.

The hidden curriculum of unspoken professional expectations negatively impacts medical student interest in surgery. Medical student mentorship and early surgical exposure have been shown to demystify the hidden curriculum. Although residents and faculty play a vital role, near-peer mentorship may aid in uncovering the hidden curriculum and promoting medical student interest in surgery, especially for those learners who are underrepresented in medicine.

Superior sensitivity of F-fluorocholine: PET localization in primary hyperparathyroidism.

Background: Preoperative parathyroid imaging guides surgeons during parathyroidectomy. This study evaluates the clinical impact of F-fluorocholine positron emission tomography for preoperative parathyroid localization on patients with primary hyperparathyroidism.

Methods: Patients with primary hyperparathyroidism and indications for parathyroidectomy had simultaneous F-fluorocholine positron emission tomography imaging/magnetic resonance imaging.