Five-Fraction Radiotherapy for Breast Cancer: Which are the Most Suitable Patients?

FAST-Forward trial reported that five-fraction radiotherapy (5fx-RT) schedule with 26 Gy in adjuvant setting after breast-conserving surgery for early-breast cancer (BC) was non-inferior to the standard hypo-fx (SHfx) schedule with 40 Gy in 15fx in terms of local tumor control. Since the COVID-19 pandemic started RT expert groups encouraged professionals to implement hypo-fx schedules in order to decrease visits of patients to hospitals. The aim of this study is to help radiation oncologists choose the most suitable patients for 5fx-RT schedule according to anatomical features. Between March 2020 and December 2021, 239 patients suitable for 5fx-RT schedule were referred to our department. Prescribed RT dose was 26 Gy in 5fx to the whole breast plus a simultaneously integrated boost (SIB) up to 29 Gy to tumor bed if indicated. Patients were divided into 3 groups: Group A: Patients treated with 5fx-RT schedule that met all the FAST-Forward constraints for normal tissues;Group B: Patients treated with 5fx-RT schedule that slightly did not meet all constraints, Group C: Patients switched to SHfx schedule as they did not meet constraints in an acceptable way. For each patient, we draw an imaginary straight line connecting the medial and lateral borders of PTV in the axial slice of simulation CT where the longest anteroposterior diameter was found. From midpoint of this line, we measured the tangent distance to PTV margin and collected the data as medial-to-lateral tangent (MELT). Data was analyzed using statistical software. 150 patients were included in group A, 75 in group B and 14 in group C. The median MELT distance was: 1.91cm, 2.48cm and 3cm respectively. We found that the increase in MELT distance was significantly associated with a poorer compliance of normal tissue constraints (p<0.0001). Patient´s distribution among 3 groups for MELT distance intervals are shown in table 1. Median V8 for ipsilateral lung was: 13.1, 15.46 and 20.49% for groups A, B and C respectively. For the heart, median mean dose was: 1.06, 1.8 and 2.25 Gy for left breast cancer patients and 0.28, 0.33 and 0.48 Gy for right breast cancer patients for groups A, B and C respectively. We found a moderate positive correlation between MELT distance and dosimetric parameters assessed above (r=0.545, 0.475 and 0.418 respectively). According to laterality, for a higher MELT distance the % of left BC patients increased significantly (p=0.039). MELT distance is an easy tool that helps radiation oncologists predict which BC patients are the most suitable for 5fx-RT before RT planning begins. This could avoid delays in starting RT for patients with a high MELT distance directly planning them with the SHfx schedule. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics is the property of Pergamon Press - An Imprint of Elsevier Science and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

EQUITY CONSIDERATIONS in COVID-19 VACCINATION STUDIES of INDIVIDUALS with AUTOIMMUNE INFLAMMATORY RHEUMATIC DISEASES

Background: Individuals with autoimmune infammatory rheumatic diseases (AIRDs) have an increased baseline risk of severe COVID-19 infection. Intersection of inequity factors may result in more severe adverse effects through influencing opportunities for health. We sought to examine the extent to which populations experiencing inequities were considered in studies of COVID-19 vaccination in individuals with AIRDs. Objectives: The objective of this study is to assess how health equity is considered in studies of COVID-19 vaccination studies in individuals with AIRDs. Methods: All studies (N=19) from an ongoing Cochrane living systematic review on the effects of COVID-19 vaccination in people with AIRDs were included. We identifed inequity factors using the PROGRESS-Plus framework which stands for Place of residence, Race/ethnicity, Occupation, Gender/sex, Religion, Education, Socioeconomic status, and Social capital. Age, multimorbidity, and health literacy were also assessed as 'Plus' factors. We applied the framework to assess equity considerations in relation to differences in COVID-19 baseline risk, description of participant characteristics, controlling for confounding factors, subgroup analysis and applicability of study fndings. RESULTS: All nineteen studies are cohort studies that followed individuals with AIRDs after COVID-19 vaccination. Two articles (11%) described differences in baseline risk for COVID-19 across age. All nineteen studies described participant age and sex, with race/ethnicity and multimorbidity described in four (21%) and occupation in one (5%). Seven studies (37%) controlled for age and/or sex as confounding factors. Eleven studies (58%) conducted subgroup analysis across at least one PROGRESS-Plus factor, most commonly age. Eight studies (42%) discussed at least one PROGRESS-Plus factor in interpreting the applicability of results, most commonly age (32%), then race/ethnicity and multimorbidity (11%). Conclusion: It is unknown whether COVID-19 vaccine studies on individuals with AIRDs are applicable to populations experiencing inequities, as key inequity factors beyond age and sex have little to no reporting or analysis. Future COVID-19 vaccine studies should report social characteristics of participants consistently, facilitating informed decisions about the applicability of study results to the population of interest.

DID THE STROKE CODE IN MADRID JAM DURING THE FIRST WAVE OF COVID-19?

Background and aims: Madrid was one of the epicentres of the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain. The entire healthcare system was severely affected by the first wave of the pandemic. We aimed to assess the extent to which the acute stroke care chain was impacted. Methods: Using the stroke code (SC) cohort of SUMMA 112 (the main emergency medical service in the region), we compared all patients in the first wave of the pandemic and in the same period of the previous year. Subsequently, we collected all anonymized records from the main hospital administrative database (minimum basic data set at hospital discharge). We used ambulance response times, concordance between pre-hospital and hospital diagnosis, hospital times, and mortality to evaluate the SC protocol. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Community of Madrid. Results: 966 SC were analysed (514 pre-pandemic and 452 during the first wave). Pre-hospital attention times were longer (39 vs. 35 minutes), patients stayed longer in the emergency room before admission (7.5 vs. 6.1 hours), the concordance between pre-hospital and in-hospital diagnostic suspicion did not change significantly (86% vs. 89%) and mortality decreased (9% vs 13%) during the first wave of the pandemic Conclusions: During the first wave of the pandemic, there were delays in care, especially in the on-scene time. Improvements in training might have prevented it. The high qualification of pre-hospital teams enabled them to maintain their diagnostic accuracy. The reduction in mortality needs further exploration.

Temporary incapacity for work (sick leave) in the times of COVID-19, preventive aspects and consequences

Introduction: Temporary disability due to COVID-19 was expressly regulated, through various rules and instructions, covering both isolation by contact, by infection or for sensitive workers. It involved the integration of preventive labor protection covered by its protection in a financial benefit with the highest amount. Analyzing the consequences of the pandemic in the first wave, confinement, de-escalation and return to normality, months from March to October, the ..collapsing.. impact of COVID-19 on the health system led to the paralysis and increase of waiting lists for tests, operations and non-urgent consultations of the rest of pathologies, and consequently a high increase in the average duration of sick leave for all processes, in confinement and de-escalation in 84.48% and in 25.27% the prolonged casualties that reached more than 365 days. Consequently, COVID-19 as a collateral effect led to a poor evolution of the rest of the processes, prolonging the duration of temporary disabilities, which implies a worsening of occupational health, a greater risk of not returning to work that occurs during sick leave long, higher risk of unemployment, higher spending on benefits and economic decline for companies and the self-employed. Temporary disability due to COVID-19 accounted for 38.73% of all casualties at the end of October 2020. Conclusions: The pandemic forced to prioritize resources around COVID-19, collapsing the care of the rest of pathologies, except for emergencies or vital treatments. This meant an increase in waiting lists for non-urgent consultations, tests or surgical interventions, as well as the cancellation or postponement of consultations or treatments and therefore an increase in the longer duration of sick leave and also the worsening of occupational health, consequently, by not being able to have treatment in a timely manner. In confinement and de-escalation, the average duration of casualties increased by 84.48%;by processes, the increase was 503.58% in respiratory diseases, 215.88%, in infectious diseases, 60.73% in endocrine diseases, 45;42% of blood diseases, 45 09% for digestive diseases, 35.63% for osteomyoarticular disorders, 34.12% for neoplasms, 33.37% for circulatory diseases, 31.94% for ..procedures.., and 29.56% of mental disorders. Long-term sick leave (PIT) that reached 365 days increased by 25.27%, compared to the month of October of the previous year. Prolonged sick leave due to endocrine and nutritional diseases increased by 28.50, from mental disorders by 28.20%, from musculoskeletal disorders by 26.70, from neoplasms by 26.49%, from respiratory diseases in 24.27%, for diseases of the nervous system in 22.79%, for cardiovascular diseases in 20.48%, and for digestive diseases in 19.24%. As a consequence of COVID-19, the working population was exposed to an added and new risk;health and social health workers suffered the disease as a direct consequence of their work due to illness of an undoubted professional nature. The effects of COVID-19 on the delay of tests, surgeries or treatments in ..No COVID-19.. processes and the difficulties of contact with care worsened occupational health, prolonging disability situations and increasing the risk of prolonged non-COVID-19 disabilities, return to work due to the expected poor evolution of any process when it cannot be treated and attended to early.

Changes in severity, mortality, and virus genome among a Spanish cohort of patients hospitalized with SARS-CoV-2.

Comparing pandemic waves could aid in understanding the evolution of COVID-19. The objective of the present study was to compare the characteristics and outcomes of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 in different pandemic waves in terms of severity and mortality. We performed an observational retrospective cohort study of 5,220 patients hospitalized with SARS-CoV-2 infection from February to September 2020 in Aragon, Spain. We compared ICU admissions and 30-day mortality, clinical characteristics, and risk factors of the first and second waves of COVID-19. The SARS-CoV-2 genome was also analyzed in 236 samples. Patients in the first wave (n = 2,547) were older (median age 74 years [IQR 60-86] vs. 70 years [53-85]; p < 0.001) and had worse clinical and analytical parameters related to severe COVID-19 than patients in the second wave (n = 2,673). The probability of ICU admission at 30 days was 16% and 10% (p < 0.001) and the cumulative 30-day mortality rates 38% and 32% in the first and second wave, respectively (p = 0.007). Survival differences were observed among patients aged 60 to 80 years. We also found some variability among death risk factors and the viral genome between waves. Therefore, the two analyzed COVID-19 pandemic waves were different in terms of disease severity and mortality.

A Clinical Decision Web to Predict ICU Admission or Death for Patients Hospitalised with COVID-19 Using Machine Learning Algorithms.

The purpose of the study was to build a predictive model for estimating the risk of ICU admission or mortality among patients hospitalized with COVID-19 and provide a user-friendly tool to assist clinicians in the decision-making process. The study cohort comprised 3623 patients with confirmed COVID-19 who were hospitalized in the SALUD hospital network of Aragon (Spain), which includes 23 hospitals, between February 2020 and January 2021, a period that includes several pandemic waves. Up to 165 variables were analysed, including demographics, comorbidity, chronic drugs, vital signs, and laboratory data. To build the predictive models, different techniques and machine learning (ML) algorithms were explored: multilayer perceptron, random forest, and extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost). A reduction dimensionality procedure was used to minimize the features to 20, ensuring feasible use of the tool in practice. Our model was validated both internally and externally. We also assessed its calibration and provide an analysis of the optimal cut-off points depending on the metric to be optimized. The best performing algorithm was XGBoost. The final model achieved good discrimination for the external validation set (AUC = 0.821, 95% CI 0.787-0.854) and accurate calibration (slope = 1, intercept = -0.12). A cut-off of 0.4 provides a sensitivity and specificity of 0.71 and 0.78, respectively. In conclusion, we built a risk prediction model from a large amount of data from several pandemic waves, which had good calibration and discrimination ability. We also created a user-friendly web application that can aid rapid decision-making in clinical practice.

Retrospective observational RT-PCR analyses on 688 babies born to 843 SARS-CoV-2 positive mothers, placental analyses and diagnostic analyses limitations suggest vertical transmission is possible.

RESEARCH QUESTION: Is there vertical transmission (from mother to baby antenatally or intrapartum) after SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) infected pregnancy? STUDY DESIGN: A systematic search related to SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19), pregnancy, neonatal complications, viral and vertical transmission. The duration was from December 2019 to May 2020. RESULTS: A total of 84 studies with 862 COVID positive women were included. Two studies had ongoing pregnancies while 82 studies included 705 babies, 1 miscarriage and 1 medical termination of pregnancy (MTOP). Most publications (50/84, 59.5%), reported small numbers (<5) of positive babies. From 75 studies, 18 babies were COVID-19 positive. The first reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) diagnostic test was done in 449 babies and 2 losses, 2nd RT-PCR was done in 82 babies, IgM tests were done in 28 babies, and IgG tests were done in 28 babies. On the first RT-PCR, 47 studies reported time of testing while 28 studies did not. Positive results in the first RT-PCR were seen in 14 babies. Earliest tested at birth and the average time of the result was 22 hours. Three babies with negative first RT-PCR became positive on the second RT-PCR at day 6, day 7 and at 24 hours which continued to be positive at 1 week.Four studies with a total of 4 placental swabs were positive demonstrating SARS-CoV-2 localised in the placenta. In 2 studies, 10 tests for amniotic fluid were positive for SARS-CoV-2. These 2 babies were found to be positive on RT-PCR on serial testing. CONCLUSION: Diagnostic testing combined with incubation period and placental pathology indicate a strong likelihood that intrapartum vertical transmission of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) from mother to baby is possible.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the organisation of stroke care. Madrid Stroke Care Plan. / Impacto de la pandemia de COVID-19 en la organización asistencial del ictus. Plan Ictus Madrid.

INTRODUCTION: The overload of the healthcare system and the organisational changes made in response to the COVID-19 pandemic may be having an impact on acute stroke care in the Region of Madrid. METHODS: We conducted a survey with sections addressing hospital characteristics, changes in infrastructure and resources, code stroke clinical pathways, diagnostic testing, rehabilitation, and outpatient care. We performed a descriptive analysis of results according to the level of complexity of stroke care (availability of stroke units and mechanical thrombectomy). RESULTS: The survey was completed by 22 of the 26 hospitals in the Madrid Regional Health System that attend adult emergencies, between 16 and 27 April 2020. Ninety-five percent of hospitals had reallocated neurologists to care for patients with COVID-19. The numbers of neurology ward beds were reduced in 89.4% of hospitals; emergency department stroke care pathways were modified in 81%, with specific pathways for suspected SARS-CoV2 infection established in 50% of hospitals; and SARS-CoV2-positive patients with acute stroke were not admitted to neurology wards in 42%. Twenty-four hour on-site availability of mechanical thrombectomy was improved in 10 hospitals, which resulted in a reduction in the number of secondary hospital transfers. The admission of patients with transient ischaemic attack or minor stroke was avoided in 45% of hospitals, and follow-up through telephone consultations was implemented in 100%. CONCLUSIONS: The organisational changes made in response to the SARS-Co2 pandemic in hospitals in the Region of Madrid have modified the allocation of neurology department staff and infrastructure, stroke units and stroke care pathways, diagnostic testing, hospital admissions, and outpatient follow-up.

Acute stroke care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ictus Madrid Program recommendations. / Atención al ictus agudo durante la pandemia por COVID-19. Recomendaciones Plan Ictus Madrid.

INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in complete saturation of healthcare capacities, making it necessary to reorganise healthcare systems. In this context, we must guarantee the provision of acute stroke care and optimise code stroke protocols to reduce the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection and rationalise the use of hospital resources. The Madrid Stroke multidisciplinary group presents a series of recommendations to achieve these goals. METHODS: We conducted a non-systematic literature search using the keywords "stroke" and "COVID-19" or "coronavirus" or "SARS-CoV-2." Our literature review also included other relevant studies known to the authors. Based on this literature review, a series of consensus recommendations were established by the Madrid Stroke multidisciplinary group and its neurology committee. RESULTS: These recommendations address 5 main objectives: 1) coordination of action protocols to ensure access to hospital care for stroke patients; 2) recognition of potentially COVID-19-positive stroke patients; 3) organisation of patient management to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection among healthcare professionals; 4) avoidance of unnecessary neuroimaging studies and other procedures that may increase the risk of infection; and 5) safe, early discharge and follow-up to ensure bed availability. This management protocol has been called CORONA (Coordinate, Recognise, Organise, Neuroimaging, At home). CONCLUSIONS: The recommendations presented here may assist in the organisation of acute stroke care and the optimisation of healthcare resources, while ensuring the safety of healthcare professionals.