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Background: The role of induction in preemptive second kidney recipients is unclear. We examined the association between induction therapy and the long-term graft and recipient survival in the settings of tacrolimus and mycophenolate maintenance., Methods: We identified all preemptive second kidney transplant recipients between 2000 and 2020 in the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients. We excluded those with missing or mixed induction regimens and positive crossmatch. We grouped recipients by induction type into 3 groups: anti-thymocyte globulin (n = 1442), alemtuzumab (n = 362), and interleukin-2 receptor antagonist (IL-2RA; n = 481). We generated Kaplan-Meier curves of the recipient and death-censored graft survival (DCGS) with follow-up censored at 10 years. We used multivariable Cox proportional hazards models to examine the association between induction and the above outcomes. We adjusted the models for recipient and donor variables., Results: Rates of delayed graft function, rejection, hospitalization, and post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder at one year were not statistically different. Recipient survival did not vary by induction type in the Kaplan-Meier analysis (log-rank P = .189) or in the multivariable model. However, DCGS was the lowest in the Alemtuzumab group (log-rank P = .01). In the multivariable models, alemtuzumab was associated with a 57% increased risk of graft loss (1.57, 95% confidence interval (1.08, 2.30), P = .019) compared to anti-thymocyte. Live-donor kidneys were associated with significantly better recipient survival and DCGS., Conclusions: Compared to anti-thymocyte induction, alemtuzumab, but not IL-2RA, was associated with inferior graft survival in preemptive second transplant recipients discharged on tacrolimus and mycophenolate., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Despite previous literature affirming the importance of palliative care training in surgery, there is scarce literature about the readiness of Surgical Oncology and hepatopancreaticobiliary (HPB) fellows to provide such care. We performed the first nationally representative study of surgical fellowship program directors' assessment of palliative care education. The aim was to capture attitudes about the perception of palliative care and disparity between technical/clinical education and palliative care training., Methods: A survey originally used to assess surgical oncology and HPB surgery fellows' training in palliative care, was modified and sent to Program Directors of respective fellowships. The final survey consisted of 22 items and was completed online., Results: Surveys were completed by 28 fellowship programs (70 % response rate). Only 60 % offered any formal teaching in pain management, delivering bad news or discussion about prognosis. Fifty-eight percent offered formal training in basic communication skills and 43 % training in conducting family conferences. Resources were available, with 100 % of the programs having a palliative care consultation service, 42 % having a faculty member with recognized clinical interest/expertise in palliative care, and 35 % having a faculty member board-certified in Hospice and Palliative Medicine., Conclusions: Our data shows HPB and surgical oncology fellowship programs are providing insufficient education and assessment in palliative care. This is not due to a shortage of faculty, palliative care resources, or teaching opportunities. Greater focus one valuation and development of strategies for teaching palliative care in surgical fellowships are needed.

Background: Due to the increased adoption of cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC), patients with malignant peritoneal mesothelioma (MPM) have seen improved outcomes. We aimed to evaluate and synthesize the recent published literature., Methods: The review was conducted according to the recommendation of the Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies in Epidemiology group with prespecified inclusion and exclusion criteria. The DEALE method was used to combine mortality rates, and imputation techniques were used to calculate standard errors. Meta-regression techniques were used to synthesize data. Publication bias was assessed using funnel plots., Results: Of 6,528 citations collected, 20 articles reporting on 1,047 patients were included in the analysis. The median age was 51 years (interquartile range 49-55), with 59 % (54-67) female. The median peritoneal carcinomatosis index score was 19 (16-23). Complete cytoreduction (CC0, 1) was performed in 67 % (46-93 %) of patients. Pooled estimates of survival yielded a 1-, 3- and 5-year survival of 84, 59, and 42 %, respectively. Patients receiving early postoperative intraperitoneal chemotherapy [EPIC] (44 %) and those receiving cisplatin intraperitoneal chemotherapy alone (48 %) or in combination (44 %) had an improved 5-year survival., Conclusions: While CRS + HIPEC has led to an improved survival for patients with MPM compared to historic data, heterogeneity of studies precludes generalizable inferences. EPIC chemotherapy and cisplatin chemoperfusion may infer survival benefit.

Background: Surgical oncologists (SO) and hepatobiliary (HPB) surgeons frequently care for patients with advanced diseases near the end of life, yet little is known about their training, comfort, and readiness in the provision of palliative care. This study sought to assess the quality, adequacy, and extent of palliative care training and the readiness of SO and HPB fellows in delivering palliative care., Methods: A self-administered survey was distributed to all fellows enrolled in Society of Surgical Oncology (SSO) and HPB fellowships during the 2013-2014 academic year. The survey assessed attitudes, training, experience, and readiness of fellows in caring for patients at the end of life. Descriptive analysis was performed, and Chi square, Student's t test, and the Mann-Whitney U test were used to compare mean or median values as appropriate., Results: The response rate was 47.2 %, and 50.9 % of the fellows reported exposure to a palliative care specialty service during their fellowship. Of the study participants, 75 % observed their faculty discussing the side effects of surgery compared with 54 % who observed faculty communication with patients regarding end-of-life goals (p < 0.01). On the other hand, 40 % of the fellows were never observed by faculty discussing symptoms management, goals of care, or hospice referral with patients, and 56.7 % never received feedback on their palliative skills., Conclusion: The fellows rated the quality of their palliative care education as poor compared with other aspects of their fellowship training, implying the lack and need of palliative care teaching. Surgical oncology and HPB fellows and ultimately patients may benefit from increased clinical and didactic palliative care training.

Background: Preoperative needle localization (NL) is the gold standard for lumpectomy of nonpalpable breast cancer. Hematoma ultrasound-guided (HUG) lumpectomy can offer several advantages. The purpose of this study was to compare the use of HUG with NL lumpectomy in a single surgical practice., Study Design: Patients with nonpalpable lesions who underwent NL or HUG lumpectomy from January 2007 to December 2009 by a single surgeon were identified from a breast surgery database. Ease of scheduling, volume excised, re-excision rates, operating room time, and health care charges were the main outcomes variables. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to compare the 2 groups., Results: Lumpectomy was performed in 110 patients, 55 underwent HUG and 55 underwent NL. Hematoma ultrasound-guided lumpectomy was associated with a nearly 3-fold increase in the odds ratio of additional tissue being submitted to pathology (p = 0.039), but neither the total amount of breast tissue removed, nor the need for second procedure were statistically different between the 2 groups. Duration of the surgical procedure did not vary between the 2 groups; however, the time from biopsy to surgery was shorter for HUG by an expected 9.7 days (p = 0.019), implying greater ease of scheduling. Mean charges averaged $250 less for HUG than for NL, but this difference was not statistically significant., Conclusions: Hematoma ultrasound-guided is equivalent to NL with regard to volume of tissue excised, need for operative re-excision, and operating room time. Adoption of HUG in our practice allowed for more timely surgical care., (Copyright © 2012 American College of Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: We analyzed factors that influenced the need for re-excision after partial mastectomy., Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of 470 breast cancer patients treated with partial mastectomy with main outcome measures of re-excision, conversion to mastectomy, and recurrence., Results: Of 470 patients, 146 (31%) underwent re-excision for inadequate margins and 42 (8.9%) required mastectomy. Twelve (2.6%) patients had local recurrence of disease with a mean follow-up of 4.2 years. Factors found on multivariate analysis increasing the likelihood of re-excision include wire localization (2.4-fold), tumor or ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) close to the margins (<0.2 cm; 12.5-fold), margins involved with tumor or DCIS (25.3-fold), and seen by a non-breast specialist (2.25-fold). Taking secondary margins at initial operation reduced odds ratio of re-excision by 52% (P = .006) without a difference in volume of breast tissue removed (P = .33). Inadequate margins without re-excision had 12.% overall recurrence compared with a 6% recurrence with adequate margin and no re-excision (P = .069)., Conclusion: One third of patients treated with partial mastectomy required re-excision, but 89% avoided the need for mastectomy. Taking secondary margins during the initial procedure decreased the need for re-excision by half. The recurrence rate was identical whether clear margins were obtained after primary partial mastectomy or re-excision., (Copyright © 2011 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.)