Development and Validation of a Machine Learning Approach Leveraging Real-World Clinical Narratives as a Predictor of Survival in Advanced Cancer.

PURPOSE: Predicting short-term mortality in patients with advanced cancer remains challenging. Whether digitalized clinical text can be used to build models to enhance survival prediction in this population is unclear. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a single-centered retrospective cohort study in patients with advanced solid tumors. Clinical correspondence authored by oncologists at the first patient encounter was extracted from the electronic medical records. Machine learning (ML) models were trained using narratives from the derivation cohort, before being tested on a temporal validation cohort at the same site. Performance was benchmarked against Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (PS), comparing ML models alone (comparison 1) or in combination with PS (comparison 2), assessed by areas under receiver operating characteristic curves (AUCs) for predicting vital status at 11 time points from 2 to 52 weeks. RESULTS: ML models were built on the derivation cohort (4,791 patients from 2001 to April 2017) and tested on the validation cohort of 726 patients (May 2017-June 2019). In 441 patients (61%) where clinical narratives were available and PS was documented, ML models outperformed the predictivity of PS (mean AUC improvement, 0.039, P < .001, comparison 1). Inclusion of both clinical text and PS in ML models resulted in further improvement in prediction accuracy over PS with a mean AUC improvement of 0.050 (P < .001, comparison 2); the AUC was > 0.80 at all assessed time points for models incorporating clinical text. Exploratory analysis of oncologist's narratives revealed recurring descriptors correlating with survival, including referral patterns, mobility, physical functions, and concomitant medications. CONCLUSION: Applying ML to oncologists' narratives with or without including patient's PS significantly improved survival prediction to 12 months, suggesting the utility of clinical text in building prognostic support tools.

Bilateral atherosclerotic internal carotid artery occlusion and recurrent ischaemic stroke.

Bilateral internal carotid artery occlusion (BICAO) is a rare disease that carries a gloomy prognosis. We report a case of a 52-year-old man who developed ischaemic infarction at the region of the right middle cerebral artery; he was found to have atherosclerotic occlusion of both internal carotid arteries on Doppler-duplex examination. He received medical treatment only. After 1 year, he developed a new infarction at the region of the left middle cerebral artery. Conventional angiography revealed bilateral occlusion of internal carotid arteries at their origin, approximately 50% stenosis of the common carotid bulbs and mild stenosis of the origin of external carotid arteries. The patient did not undergo any form of surgical revascularisation procedures and died of severe aspiration pneumonia approximately 2 months after the second stroke. BICAO portends a poor outcome and carries a risk of recurrent ischaemic events. The best management strategy for this vascular occlusion remains unclear.

Cystic meningioma.

Cystic meningioma is an uncommon form of meningioma and the radiological appearance and location of the cystic/solid components of the mass may create a diagnostic dilemma. We report on the case of an 80-year-old left-handed man who presented with recurrent focal motor seizures and secondary generalisation. A large left-sided parieto-occipital cystic mass was detected on contrast CT of the brain. The appearance suggested a malignant tumour. However, brain MRI with gadolinium delineated the solid and cystic component precisely. A provisional diagnosis of cystic meningioma was made and this was confirmed histologically after resecting the tumour surgically. It was a benign WHO Grade I fibroblastic meningioma. The preoperative diagnosis of cystic meningioma is not that straightforward. Brain MRI with gadolinium has a better diagnostic yield than CT scanning. Histopathological examination of the tumour cells should always be performed to confirm the category and subtype of the tumour.

Simultaneous hypertensive intracerebral haemorrhages: what are the odds?

The simultaneous development of two (or more) spontaneous, hypertensive, non-traumatic intraparenchymal cerebral haemorrhages is rare and constitutes less than 5.6% of all hypertensive cerebral haemorrhages. In addition to having a high early mortality, these haemorrhages carry a considerable morbidity figure in patients who survive the event. We report a 68-year-old hypertensive and diabetic woman who presented with a sudden onset of headache, vomiting, and dense right-sided weakness. In less than an hour, she became obtunded. An urgent non-contrast CT brain scan revealed two left-sided supratentorial hemispheric haemorrhages; putamenal and thalamic.

Recurrent hypertensive intracerebral haemorrhages: what should we do when a new hemispheric ischaemic event strikes?

Hypertensive intracerebral haemorrhage is usually a once in a lifetime event and recurrences are rare. Most recurrences usually develop within 2 years of the first event and the majority usually target the basal ganglia and thalami. Failure of blood pressure control is the most important, potentially preventable, culprit behind the development of primary intracerebral haemorrhages. However, the occurrence of a recurrent bleed in patients with optimally controlled hypertension should always prompt the physician to think of a new co-operating factor. We report on a 60-year-old hypertensive woman who developed right-sided thalamic haemorrhage 5 days after sustaining a lacunar infarct of the left thalamus for which she had been prescribed a dual antiplatelet therapy: aspirin and clopidrogrel. She had a history of two bilateral sequential hypertensive deep cerebellar haemorrhages which were developed 2 years ago.

The striatocapsular infarction and its aftermaths.

Ischaemic stroke syndromes in the vascular territory of middle cerebral artery may have atypical presentation and radiographic findings because of the variable anatomy of that artery. Therefore, misdiagnosis of these syndromes as neoplastic or infectious processes is not uncommon. This case describes a 69-year-old comatose woman who was referred to us as having 'a brain tumour with massive surrounding oedema.' Further work-up revealed that she had a large left-sided lenticular nuclear infarction with some extension into the surrounding areas-the striatocapsular infarction.