Publications
181 results found
Fourie H, Al Memar M, Tuomey M, et al., 2024, The ‘onion skin’ sign of a low-grade appendiceal mucinous neoplasm: An incidental finding during early pregnancy assessment, Australasian Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine, ISSN: 1836-6864
A low-grade appendiceal mucinous neoplasm (LAMN) is a cystic dilatation of the appendix resulting from the accumulation of mucinous secretions caused by a luminal obstruction. Although usually benign, pseudomyxoma peritonei may occur in the event of rupture, and 10% of cases may be secondary to appendiceal cystadenocarcinoma. A LAMN is both more common and more likely to have a malignant association in women, making it an entity with which practitioners of gynaecological ultrasound should be familiar. Although not the primary aim, early pregnancy ultrasound assessments can offer the diagnostic opportunity to identify pelvic pathology. A LAMN can be identified on ultrasonography by visualisation of an adnexal mass separate to the ovary, which due to the layers of secretions has a distinctive appearance previously likened to ‘onion-skin’ or ‘whipped-cream’. Here, we describe an incidental finding of a LAMN during an early pregnancy assessment. Practitioners of early pregnancy ultrasound should be familiar with the characteristic morphology of this rare but important finding.
Kyle P, Perry K, Moutadjer A, et al., 2023, UK trial of pressurised intraperitoneal aerosolised chemotherapy (PIPAC) with oxaliplatin for colorectal cancer peritoneal metastases (NCT03868228), PLEURA AND PERITONEUM, ISSN: 2364-7671
Smith L, Coxon-Meggy A, Shinkwin M, et al., 2023, "Happy to close?" The relationship between surgical experience and incisional hernia rates following abdominal wall closure in colorectal surgery., Colorectal Dis, Vol: 25, Pages: 1222-1227
AIM: Incisional hernia (IH) is a common complication of colorectal surgery, affecting up to 30% of patients at 2 years. Given the associated morbidity and high recurrence rates after attempted repair of IH, emphasis should be placed on prevention. There is an association between surgeon volume and outcomes in hernia surgery, yet there is little evidence regarding impact of the seniority of the surgeon performing abdominal wall closure on IH rate. The aim of our study was to assess the rates of IH at 1 year following abdominal wall closure between junior and senior surgeons in patients undergoing elective colorectal surgery. METHODS: This was an exploratory analysis of patients who underwent elective surgery for colorectal cancer between 2014-2018 as part of the Hughes Abdominal Repair Trial (HART), a prospective, multicentre randomised control trial comparing abdominal wall closure methods. Grade of surgeon performing abdominal closure was categorised into "trainee" and "consultant" and compared to IH rate at one year. RESULTS: A total of 663 patients were included in this retrospective analysis of patients in the HART trial. The rate of IH in patients closed by trainees was 20%, compared to 12% in those closed by consultants (p = <0.001). When comparing closure methods, IH rates were significantly higher in the Hughes closure arm between trainees and consultants (20% vs. 12%, p = 0.032), but not high enough in the mass closure arm to reach statistical significance (21% vs. 13%, p = 0.058). On multivariate analysis, age (p = 0.036, OR: 1.02, 95% CI: 1.00-1.04), Male sex (p = 0.049, OR: 1.61, 95% CI: 1.00-2.59) and closure by a trainee (p = 0.006, OR: 1.85, 95% CI: 1.20-2.85) were identified as risk factors for developing IH. CONCLUSION: Patients who undergo abdominal wall closure by a surgeon in training have an increased risk of developing IH when compared to tho
Gilbert A, Homer V, Brock K, et al., 2022, Quality-of-life outcomes in older patients with early-stage rectal cancer receiving organ-preserving treatment with hypofractionated short-course radiotherapy followed by transanal endoscopic microsurgery (TREC): non-randomised registry of patients unsuitable for total mesorectal excision, The Lancet Healthy Longevity, Vol: 3, Pages: e825-e838, ISSN: 2666-7568
BackgroundOlder patients with early-stage rectal cancer are under-represented in clinical trials and, therefore, little high-quality data are available to guide treatment in this patient population. The TREC trial was a randomised, open-label feasibility study conducted at 21 centres across the UK that compared organ preservation through short-course radiotherapy (SCRT; 25 Gy in five fractions) plus transanal endoscopic microsurgery (TEM) with standard total mesorectal excision in adults with stage T1–2 rectal adenocarcinoma (maximum diameter ≤30 mm) and no lymph node involvement or metastasis. TREC incorporated a non-randomised registry offering organ preservation to patients who were considered unsuitable for total mesorectal excision by the local colorectal cancer multidisciplinary team. Organ preservation was achieved in 56 (92%) of 61 non-randomised registry patients with local recurrence-free survival of 91% (95% CI 84–99) at 3 years. Here, we report acute and long-term patient-reported outcomes from this non-randomised registry group.MethodsPatients considered by the local colorectal cancer multidisciplinary team to be at high risk of complications from total mesorectal excision on the basis of frailty, comorbidities, and older age were included in a non-randomised registry to receive organ-preserving treatment. These patients were invited to complete questionnaires on patient-reported outcomes (the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life [EORTC-QLQ] questionnaire core module [QLQ-C30] and colorectal cancer module [QLQ-CR29], the Colorectal Functional Outcome [COREFO] questionnaire, and EuroQol-5 Dimensions-3 Level [EQ-5D-3L]) at baseline and at months 3, 6, 12, 24, and 36 postoperatively. To aid interpretation, data from patients in the non-randomised registry were compared with data from those patients in the TREC trial who had been randomly assigned to organ-preserving therapy, and an additional reference c
Torkington J, Harries R, O'Connell S, et al., 2022, Incisional hernia following colorectal cancer surgery according to suture technique: Hughes Abdominal Repair Randomized Trial (HART), BRITISH JOURNAL OF SURGERY, Vol: 109, Pages: 943-950, ISSN: 0007-1323
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- Citations: 8
Knight SR, Chu K, Lapitan MC, et al., 2022, Effects of hospital facilities on patient outcomes after cancer surgery: an international, prospective, observational study, LANCET GLOBAL HEALTH, Vol: 10, Pages: E1003-E1011, ISSN: 2214-109X
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- Citations: 8
Herrera C, Cottrell ML, Prybylski J, et al., 2022, The ex vivo pharmacology of HIV-1 antiretrovirals differs between macaques and humans, iScience, Vol: 25, ISSN: 2589-0042
Non-human primates (NHP) are widely used for the pre-clinical assessment of antiretrovirals (ARVs) for HIV treatment and prevention. However, the utility of these models is questionable given the differences in ARV pharmacology between humans and macaques. Here, we report a model based on ex vivo ARV exposure and the challenge of mucosal tissue explants to define pharmacological differences between NHPs and humans. For colorectal and cervicovaginal explants in both species, high concentrations of tenofovir (TFV) and maraviroc were predictive of anti-viral efficacy. However, their combinations resulted in increased inhibitory potency in NHP when compared to human explants. In NHPs, higher TFV concentrations were measured in colorectal versus cervicovaginal explants (p = 0.042). In humans, this relationship was inverted with lower levels in colorectal tissue (p = 0.027). TFV-resistance caused greater loss of viral fitness for HIV-1 than SIV. This, tissue explants provide an important bridge to refine and appropriately interpret NHP studies.
Courtney A, Parks R, Wilkins A, et al., 2022, Mastitis and mammary abscess management audit (MAMMA), Publisher: SPRINGER, Pages: 90-91, ISSN: 1068-9265
Hernon J, Saxton J, Jones M, et al., 2021, SupPoRtive Exercise Programmes for Accelerating REcovery after major ABdominal Cancer surgery trial (PREPARE-ABC): Pilot phase of a multicentre randomised controlled trial, COLORECTAL DISEASE, Vol: 23, Pages: 3008-3022, ISSN: 1462-8910
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- Citations: 5
Herrera C, Harman S, Aldon Y, et al., 2021, The entry inhibitor DS003 (BMS-599793): a BMS-806 analogue, provides superior activity as a pre-exposure prophylaxis candidate, AIDS, Vol: 35, Pages: 1907-1917, ISSN: 0269-9370
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- Citations: 4
Gomara MJ, Pons R, Herrera C, et al., 2021, Peptide Amphiphilic-Based Supramolecular Structures with Anti-HIV-1 Activity, BIOCONJUGATE CHEMISTRY, Vol: 32, Pages: 1999-2013, ISSN: 1043-1802
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- Citations: 1
Moussa O, Ardissino M, Eichhorn C, et al., 2021, Atrial fibrillation and obesity: long-term incidence and outcomes after bariatric surgery, European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, Vol: 28, Pages: e22-e24, ISSN: 2047-4873
D'Souza N, Monahan K, Benton SC, et al., 2021, Finding the needle in the haystack: the diagnostic accuracy of the faecal immunochemical test for colorectal cancer in younger symptomatic patients, Colorectal Disease, Vol: 23, Pages: 2539-2549, ISSN: 1462-8910
AimDetection of early onset colorectal cancer is challenging, and remains a rare diagnosis amongst younger people with gastrointestinal symptoms. We investigated whether faecal immunochemical testing (FIT) could identify younger patients at higher risk of colorectal cancer or serious bowel disease including colorectal cancer, inflammatory bowel disease or advanced adenomas.MethodsA subgroup analysis was performed of symptomatic patients under 50 years of age (<50) from the NICE FIT study, a multicentre, prospective diagnostic accuracy study of FIT conducted between October 2017 and December 2019. The diagnostic accuracy of FIT for colorectal cancer and serious bowel disease was investigated in younger patients at different faecal haemoglobin (f-Hb) cut-offs of 2, 10 and 150 µg blood/g faeces (µg/g).ResultsEarly onset colorectal cancer was diagnosed in 1.5% (16/1103) of younger symptomatic patients. The sensitivity of FIT for younger patients aged <50 was 87.5% (95% CI 61.7%–98.4%), 81.3% (54.4%–96.0%) and 68.8% (41.3%–89.0%) at f-Hb cut-offs of 2, 10 and 150 µg/g, respectively. The positive predictive value for colorectal cancer increased from 4.2% (2.3%–6.9%) to 11.5% (5.9%–19.6%) at cut-offs of 2 and 150 µg/g, while the positive predictive value for serious bowel disease increased from 31.3% (26.3%–36.5%) to 65.6% (55.2%–75.0%) at the same cut-offs. The negative predictive value of FIT for colorectal cancer remained above 99.5% at all cut-offs.ConclusionDetectable f-Hb on FIT in symptomatic younger patients may indicate referral for investigation of colorectal cancer and serious bowel disease.
D'Souza N, Delisle TG, Chen M, et al., 2021, Faecal immunochemical testing in symptomatic patients to prioritize investigation: diagnostic accuracy from NICE FIT Study, BRITISH JOURNAL OF SURGERY, Vol: 108, Pages: 804-810, ISSN: 0007-1323
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- Citations: 16
Arhi C, Askari A, Nachiappan S, et al., 2021, Stage at Diagnosis and Survival of Colorectal Cancer With or Without Underlying Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Population-based Study, JOURNAL OF CROHNS & COLITIS, Vol: 15, Pages: 375-382, ISSN: 1873-9946
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- Citations: 10
Bach SP, Gilbert A, Brock K, et al., 2021, Radical surgery versus organ preservation via short-course radiotherapy followed by transanal endoscopic microsurgery for early-stage rectal cancer (TREC): a randomised, open-label feasibility study., The Lancet Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Vol: 6, Pages: 92-105, ISSN: 2468-1253
BACKGROUND: Radical surgery via total mesorectal excision might not be the optimal first-line treatment for early-stage rectal cancer. An organ-preserving strategy with selective total mesorectal excision could reduce the adverse effects of treatment without substantially compromising oncological outcomes. We investigated the feasibility of recruiting patients to a randomised trial comparing an organ-preserving strategy with total mesorectal excision. METHODS: TREC was a randomised, open-label feasibility study done at 21 tertiary referral centres in the UK. Eligible participants were aged 18 years or older with rectal adenocarcinoma, staged T2 or lower, with a maximum diameter of 30 mm or less; patients with lymph node involvement or metastases were excluded. Patients were randomly allocated (1:1) by use of a computer-based randomisation service to undergo organ preservation with short-course radiotherapy followed by transanal endoscopic microsurgery after 8-10 weeks, or total mesorectal excision. Where the transanal endoscopic microsurgery specimen showed histopathological features associated with an increased risk of local recurrence, patients were considered for planned early conversion to total mesorectal excision. A non-randomised prospective registry captured patients for whom randomisation was considered inappropriate, because of a strong clinical indication for one treatment group. The primary endpoint was cumulative randomisation at 12, 18, and 24 months. Secondary outcomes evaluated safety, efficacy, and health-related quality of life assessed with the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) QLQ C30 and CR29 in the intention-to-treat population. This trial is registered with the ISRCTN Registry, ISRCTN14422743. FINDINGS: Between Feb 22, 2012, and Dec 19, 2014, 55 patients were randomly assigned at 15 sites; 27 to organ preservation and 28 to radical surgery. Cumulatively, 18 patients had been randomly assigned at 12 months, 31 a
D'Souza N, Georgiou-Delisle T, Chen M, et al., 2020, Faecal immunochemical test is superior to symptoms in predicting pathology in patients with suspected colorectal cancer symptoms referred on a 2WW pathway; a diagnostic accuracy study, Gut, Vol: 70, Pages: 1130-1138, ISSN: 0017-5749
Objective To assess whether a faecal immunochemical test (FIT) could be used to select patients with suspected colorectal cancer (CRC) symptoms for urgent investigation.Design Multicentre, double-blinded diagnostic accuracy study in 50 National Health Service (NHS) hospitals across England between October 2017 and December 2019. Patients referred to secondary care with suspected CRC symptoms meeting NHS England criteria for urgent 2 weeks wait referral and triaged to investigation with colonoscopy were invited to perform a quantitative FIT. The sensitivity of FIT for CRC, and effect of relevant variables on its diagnostic accuracy was assessed.Results 9822 patients were included in the final analysis. The prevalence of CRC at colonoscopy was 3.3%. The FIT positivity decreased from 37.2% to 19.0% and 7.6%, respectively, at cut-offs of 2, 10 and 150 µg haemoglobin/g faeces (µg/g). The positive predictive values of FIT for CRC at these cut-offs were 8.7% (95% CI, 7.8% to 9.7%), 16.1% (95% CI 14.4% to 17.8%) and 31.1% (95% CI 27.8% to 34.6%), respectively, and the negative predictive values were 99.8% (95% CI 99.7% to 99.9%), 99.6% (95% CI 99.5% to 99.7%) and 98.9% (95% CI 98.7% to 99.1%), respectively. The sensitivity of FIT for CRC decreased at the same cut-offs from 97.0% (95% CI 94.5% to 98.5%) to 90.9% (95% CI 87.2% to 93.8%) and 70.8% (95% CI 65.6% to 75.7%), respectively, while the specificity increased from 64.9% (95% CI 63.9% to 65.8%) to 83.5% (95% CI 82.8% to 84.3%) and 94.6% (95% CI 94.1% to 95.0%), respectively. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.93 (95% CI 0.92 to 0.95).Conclusion FIT sensitivity is maximised to 97.0% at the lowest cut-off (2 µg/g); a negative FIT result at this cut-off can effectively rule out CRC and a positive FIT result is better than symptoms to select patients for urgent investigations.Trial registration number ISRCTN49676259.
Crakes KR, Herrera C, Morgan JL, et al., 2020, Efficacy of silk fibroin biomaterial vehicle for in vivo mucosal delivery of Griffithsin and protection against HIV and SHIV infection ex vivo, Journal of the International AIDS Society, Vol: 23, ISSN: 1758-2652
INTRODUCTION: The majority of new HIV infections occur through mucosal transmission. The availability of readily applicable and accessible platforms for anti-retroviral (ARV) delivery is critical for the prevention of HIV acquisition through sexual transmission in both women and men. There is a compelling need for developing new topical delivery systems that have advantages over the pills, gels and rings, which currently fail to guarantee protection against mucosal viral transmission in vulnerable populations due to lack of user compliance. The silk fibroin (SF) platform offers another option that may be better suited to individual circumstances and preferences to increase efficacy through user compliance. The objective of this study was to test safety and efficacy of SF for anti-HIV drug delivery to mucosal sites and for viral prevention. METHODS: We formulated a potent HIV inhibitor Griffithsin (Grft) in a mucoadhesive silk fibroin (SF) drug delivery platform and tested the application in a non-human primate model in vivo and a pre-clinical human cervical and colorectal tissue explant model. Both vaginal and rectal compartments were assessed in rhesus macaques (Mucaca mulatta) that received SF (n = 4), no SF (n = 7) and SF-Grft (n = 11). In this study, we evaluated the composition of local microbiota, inflammatory cytokine production, histopathological changes in the vaginal and rectal compartments and mucosal protection after ex vivo SHIV challenge. RESULTS: Effective Grft release and retention in mucosal tissues from the SF-Grft platform resulted in protection against HIV in human cervical and colorectal tissue as well as against SHIV challenge in both rhesus macaque vaginal and rectal tissues. Mucoadhesion of SF-Grft inserts did not cause any inflammatory responses or changes in local microbiota. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrated that in vivo delivery of SF-Grft in rhesus macaques fully protects against SHIV challenge ex vivo after two
Gomara MJ, Perez Y, Gomez-Gutierrez P, et al., 2020, Importance of structure-based studies for the design of a novel HIV-1 inhibitor peptide, Scientific Reports, Vol: 10, Pages: 1-14, ISSN: 2045-2322
Based on the structure of an HIV-1 entry inhibitor peptide two stapled- and a retro-enantio peptides have been designed to provide novel prevention interventions against HIV transmission. The three peptides show greater inhibitory potencies in cellular and mucosal tissue pre-clinical models than the parent sequence and the retro-enantio shows a strengthened proteolytic stability. Since HIV-1 fusion inhibitor peptides need to be embedded in the membrane to properly interact with their viral target, the structural features were determined by NMR spectroscopy in micelles and solved by using restrained molecular dynamics calculations. Both parent and retro-enantio peptides demonstrate a topology compatible with a shared helix–turn–helix conformation and assemble similarly in the membrane maintaining the active conformation needed for its interaction with the viral target site. This study represents a straightforward approach to design new targeted peptides as HIV-1 fusion inhibitors and lead us to define a retro-enantio peptide as a good candidate for pre-exposure prophylaxis against HIV-1.
Abdulaal A, Arhi C, Ziprin P, 2020, Effect of Health Care Provider Delays on Short-Term Outcomes in Patients With Colorectal Cancer: Multicenter Population-Based Observational Study, INTERACTIVE JOURNAL OF MEDICAL RESEARCH, Vol: 9, ISSN: 1929-073X
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- Citations: 2
Arhi CS, Burns EM, Bottle A, et al., 2020, Delays in referral from primary care worsen survival for patients with colorectal cancer: a retrospective cohort study, British Journal of General Practice, Vol: 70, Pages: E463-E471, ISSN: 0960-1643
Background Delays in referral for patients with colorectal cancer may occur if the presenting symptom is falsely attributed to a benign condition.Aim To investigate whether delays in referral from primary care are associated with a later stage of cancer at diagnosis and worse prognosis.Design and setting A national retrospective cohort study in England including adult patients with colorectal cancer identified from the cancer registry with linkage to Clinical Practice Research Datalink, who had been referred following presentation to their GP with a ‘red flag’ or ‘non-specific’ symptom.Method The hazard ratios (HR) of death were calculated for delays in referral of between 2 weeks and 3 months, and >3 months, compared with referrals within 2 weeks.Results A total of 4527 (63.5%) patients with colon cancer and 2603 (36.5%) patients with rectal cancer were included in the study. The percentage of patients presenting with red-flag symptoms who experienced a delay of >3 months before referral was 16.9% of those with colon cancer and 13.5% of those with rectal cancer, compared with 35.7% of patients with colon cancer and 42.9% of patients with rectal cancer who presented with non-specific symptoms. Patients referred after 3 months with red-flag symptoms demonstrated a significantly worse prognosis than patients who were referred within 2 weeks (colon cancer: HR 1.53; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.29 to 1.81; rectal cancer: HR 1.30; 95% CI = 1.06 to 1.60). This association was not seen for patients presenting with non-specific symptoms. Delays in referral were associated with a significantly higher proportion of late-stage cancers.Conclusion The first presentation to the GP provides a referral opportunity to identify the underlying cancer, which, if missed, is associated with a later stage in diagnosis and worse survival.
Pathiraja AA, Weerakkody RA, von Roon AC, et al., 2020, The clinical application of electrical impedance technology in the detection of malignant neoplasms: a systematic review, JOURNAL OF TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE, Vol: 18
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- Citations: 10
Beattie A, Moussa O, Hakky S, et al., 2020, Re-Audit of Theatre Delays and Appendicectomy Outcomes at a Three-Site NHS Trust, International Surgical Conference of the Association-of-Surgeons-in-Training, Publisher: WILEY, Pages: 196-196, ISSN: 0007-1323
Moussa O, Ardissino M, Heaton T, et al., 2020, Effect of bariatric surgery on long-term cardiovascular outcomes: a nationwide nested cohort study, European Heart Journal, Vol: 41, Pages: 2660-2667, ISSN: 0195-668X
AIMS: This study aims to evaluate the long-term effect of bariatric surgery on cardiovascular outcomes of patients with obesity. METHODS AND RESULTS: A nested cohort study was carried out within the Clinical Practice Research Datalink. The study cohort included the 3701 patients on the database who had undergone bariatric surgery and 3701 age, gender, and body mass index-matched controls. The primary endpoint was the composite of fatal or non-fatal myocardial infarction and fatal or non-fatal ischaemic stroke. Secondary endpoints included fatal or non-fatal myocardial infarction alone, fatal or non-fatal ischaemic stroke alone, incident heart failure, and mortality. The median follow-up achieved was 11.2 years. Patients who had undergone bariatric surgery had a significantly lower occurrence of major adverse cardiovascular events [hazard ratio (HR) 0.410, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.274-0.615; P < 0.001]. This was mainly driven by a reduction in myocardial infarction (HR 0.412, 95% CI 0.280-0.606; P < 0.001) and not in acute ischaemic stroke (HR 0.536, 95% CI 0.164-1.748; P = 0.301). A reduction was also observed in new diagnoses of heart failure (HR 0.403, 95% CI 0.181-0.897; P = 0.026) and mortality (HR 0.254, 95% CI 0.183-0.353; P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The results of this large, nationwide cohort study support the association of bariatric surgery with lower long-term risk of major cardiovascular events and incident heart failure in patients with obesity.
Moussa O, Ardissino M, Tang A, et al., 2019, Long-term impact of bariatric surgery on venous thromboembolic risk: a matched cohort study., Annals of Surgery, Pages: 1-8, ISSN: 0003-4932
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of bariatric surgery on long-term risk of VTEs in a large cohort of patients with obesity. BACKGROUND: Obesity is a well-established risk factor for VTEs, such as pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis. The rising prevalence of obesity and its associated co-morbidities, including VTE, represent a growing public health issue. METHODS: A nested, retrospective matched cohort study was designed and conducted on prospectively collected national electronic healthcare records data from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink. Eight thousand, one hundred twelve patients were included in the study: the 4056 patients on the database who had undergone bariatric surgery, and equal numbers of age, sex, and body mass index matched controls. The primary endpoint was the occurrence of VTEs; secondary endpoints were the occurrence of deep vein thrombosis alone, pulmonary embolism alone. RESULTS: Patients were followed up for a median of 10.7 years. The bariatric surgery cohort had a significantly lower occurrence of the primary outcome [hazard ratio (HR) 0.601; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.430-0.841, P = 0.003]; mainly driven by a reduction in deep vein thrombosis (HR 0.523; 95% CI 0.349-0.783, P = 0·002) and not in pulmonary embolism (HR 0.882; 95% CI 0.511-1.521, P = 0.651). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this nation-wide study set out to characterize the impact of bariatric surgery on long-term risk of thromboembolic events outline a significant reduction in thromboembolic events, driven by a reduction in deep vein thrombosis.
Arhi CS, Ziprin P, Bottle A, et al., 2019, Colorectal cancer patients under the age of 50 experience delays in primary care leading to emergency diagnoses: a population-based study, Colorectal Disease, Vol: 21, Pages: 1270-1278, ISSN: 1462-8910
AIM: The incidence of colorectal cancer in the under 50s is increasing. In this national population-based study we aim to show that missed opportunities for diagnosis in primary care are leading to referral delays and emergency diagnoses in young patients. METHOD: We compared the interval before diagnosis, presenting symptom(s) and the odds ratio (OR) of an emergency diagnosis for those under the age of 50 with older patients sourced from the cancer registry with linkage to a national database of primary-care records. RESULTS: The study included 7315 patients, of whom 508 (6.9%) were aged under 50 years, 1168 (16.0%) were aged 50-59, 2294 (31.4%) were aged 60-69 and 3345 (45.7%) were aged 70-79 years. Young patients were more likely to present with abdominal pain and via an emergency, and had the lowest percentage of early stage cancer. They experienced a longer interval between referral and diagnosis (12.5 days) than those aged 60-69, reflecting the higher proportion of referrals via the nonurgent pathway (33.3%). The OR of an emergency diagnosis did not differ with age if a red-flag symptom was noted at presentation, but increased significantly for young patients if the symptom was nonspecific. CONCLUSION: Young patients present to primary care with symptoms outside the national referral guidelines, increasing the likelihood of an emergency diagnosis.
Collins P, Moussa O, Ardissino M, et al., 2019, Effect of bariatric surgery on long-term cardiovascular outcomes A nation-wide nested cohort study, European Heart Journal, Vol: 40, ISSN: 0195-668X
BackgroundObesity is a cardinal risk factor for the development of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Bariatric surgery is an effective method of achieving weight reduction and improving control of cardiovascular risk factors in patients with obesity. However, the effect of bariatric surgery on long-term cardiovascular outcomes has yet to be defined.PurposeThe aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of bariatric surgery on long-term risk of major adverse cardiovascular events in a large population of patients with obesity.MethodsA nested cohort study was carried out; including the 3,701 patients of the Clinical Practice Research Datalink database who had undergone bariatric surgery, and 3,701 age, gender and BMI matched controls. The primary endpoint was the composite of fatal or non-fatal myocardial infarction; and fatal or non-fatal acute ischaemic stroke. Secondary endpoints included all-cause mortality, new diagnosis of heart failure, fatal or non-fatal myocardial infarction, and fatal or non-fatal acute ischaemic stroke. Data was analysed using a Cox proportional hazards model to account for multiple covariates.ResultsPatients were followed up for a median of 11.2 years; 20.3% of the population were female, the median age was 36 years and median BMI was 40.4 kg/m2. Patients who had undergone bariatric surgery had a significantly lower occurrence of the primary composite outcome (HR 0.450; 95% CI 0.312–0.671, p<0.001, NNT=62); this was driven by a reduction in myocardial infarction (HR 0.444; 95% CI 0.302–0.654, p<0.001, NNT=64) and not in acute ischaemic stroke (HR 0.528; 95% CI 0.159–1.751, p=0.296). A significant reduction was observed in rates all-cause mortality (HR 0.254; 95% CI 0.183–0.353; p<0.001, NNT=27) and of new diagnosis of heart failure (HR 0.519; 95% CI 0.311–0.864, p=0.012, NNT=153).ConclusionThe results of this large, nation-wide nested cohort study support the role of bariatric surgery in reducin
Arhi CS, Markar S, Burns EM, et al., 2019, Delays in referral from primary care are associated with a worse survival in patients with esophagogastric cancer, Diseases of the Esophagus, Vol: 32, Pages: 1-11, ISSN: 1120-8694
NICE referral guidelines for suspected cancer were introduced to improve prognosis by reducing referral delays. However, over 20% of patients with esophagogastric cancer experience three or more consultations before referral. In this retrospective cohort study, we hypothesize that such a delay is associated with a worse survival compared with patients referred earlier. By utilizing Clinical Practice Research Datalink, a national primary care linked database, the first presentation, referral date, a number of consultations before referral and stage for esophagogastric cancer patients were determined. The risk of a referral after one or two consultations compared with three or more consultations was calculated for age and the presence of symptom fulfilling the NICE criteria. The risk of death according to the number of consultations before referral was determined, while accounting for stage and surgical management. 1307 patients were included. Patients referred after one (HR 0.80 95% CI 0.68-0.93 p = 0.005) or two consultations (HR 0.81 95% CI 0.67-0.98 p = 0.034) demonstrated significantly improved prognosis compared with those referred later. The risk of death was also lower for patients who underwent a resection, were younger or had an earlier stage at diagnosis. Those presenting with a symptom fulfilling the NICE criteria (OR 0.27 95% CI 0.21-0.35 p < 0.0001) were more likely to be referred earlier. This is the first study to demonstrate an association between a delay in referral and worse prognosis in esophagogastric patients. These findings should prompt further research to reduce primary care delays.
El-Sharkawy AM, Tewari N, Vohra RS, et al., 2019, The Cholecystectomy As A Day Case (CAAD) Score: A Validated Score of Preoperative Predictors of Successful Day-Case Cholecystectomy Using the CholeS Data Set, WORLD JOURNAL OF SURGERY, Vol: 43, Pages: 1928-1934, ISSN: 0364-2313
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- Citations: 6
Moussa OM, Erridge S, Chidambaram S, et al., 2019, Mortality of the severely obese: a population study, Annals of Surgery, Vol: 269, Pages: 1087-1091, ISSN: 0003-4932
OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to analyze the Clinical Practice Research Datalink to identify the prognostic factors of all-cause mortality in the severely obese. BACKGROUND: Patients who are severely obese [body mass index (BMI) ≥35 kg/m] are at increased risk of all-cause mortality as a result of metabolic sequelae including hyperlipidemia, hypertension, and diabetes. Bariatric surgery has been shown to reduce the severity of the metabolic complications of obesity. METHOD: A case-controlled analysis was carried out of patients with a BMI of 35 kg/m or more from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink, a UK database of primary care clinics. Clinicopathological characteristics at baseline diagnosis were extracted. Cases of all-cause mortality were identified as a clinical endpoint. A Cox proportional hazard model was used to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) for different patient factors. A P value less than 0.050 was defined as significant. RESULTS: A total of 187,061 records were identified for analysis. Median follow-up time was 98.0 months (range: 3.0-1095.0). A total of 8655(4.6%) were identified as having died during the study period. The median time from baseline obesity diagnosis until death was 137.0 months (range: 3.0-628.7). Multivariate analysis found bariatric surgery to be associated with reduced risk of all-cause mortality (HR: 0.487; P < 0.001). The following were associated with increased risk of death: male sex (HR: 1.805; P < 0.001), BMI of 60 or greater (HR: 2.541; P < 0.001), hypertension (HR: 2.108; P < 0.001), diabetes (HR: 2.766; P < 0.001), and hyperlipidemia (HR: 1.641; P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Factors such as high BMI, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension at first diagnosis of severe obesity were each independently associated with an increased risk of death. Bariatric surgery was shown to be associated with reduced risk of all-cause mortality. Improving access to bariatric surgery and public health campaigns can improve
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