Search results for "Clinical decision making"
showing 10 items of 14 documents
Rare Cancers Europe (RCE) methodological recommendations for clinical studies in rare cancers: A European consensus position paper
2015
While they account for one-fifth of new cancer cases, rare cancers are difficult to study. A higher than average degree of uncertainty should be accommodated for clinical as well as for population-based decision making. Rules of rational decision making in conditions of uncertainty should be rigorously followed and would need widely informative clinical trials. In principle, any piece of new evidence would need to be exploited in rare cancers. Methodologies to explicitly weigh and combine all the available evidence should be refined, and the Bayesian logic can be instrumental to this end. Likewise, Bayesian-design trials may help optimize the low number of patients liable to be enrolled in …
Thyroid surgery and radioiodine ablation—the surgeon's role
2012
Total thyroidectomy and subsequent radioiodine ablation improve the outcome of patients with thyroid tumours measuring >1 cm. Best practice guidelines should serve as a basis for clinical decision making in stage I thyroid cancer; however, Haymart et al. report that soft factors, unrelated to clinical presentation, affect the rate of radioiodine ablation.
Prevention of endpoints in primary biliary cholangitis with ursodeoxycholic acid: quantifying the benefit
2020
Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) is a hydrophilic bile acid with an established benefit for patients suffering from primary biliary cholangitis (PBC). It was first introduced in the 60s and took until the late 90s to demonstrate a survival benefit in large meta-cohort studies.1 Since then, UDCA is the established first-line therapy according to current guidelines.2 The benefit of UDCA is multidimensional, and patients receiving UDCA experience increased transplant-free survival, a decreased risk of hepatocellular carcinoma and potentially improved quality of life.3–5 The survival benefit is predicted by a number biochemical markers that reflect cholestasis and that are accepted surrogates of the…
Early evaluation using a radiomic signature of unresectable hepatic metastases to predict outcome in patients with colorectal cancer treated with FOL…
2020
PurposeThe objective of this study was to build and validate a radiomic signature to predict early a poor outcome using baseline and 2-month evaluation CT and to compare it to the RECIST1·1 and morphological criteria defined by changes in homogeneity and borders.MethodsThis study is an ancillary study from the PRODIGE-9 multicentre prospective study for which 491 patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) treated by 5-fluorouracil, leucovorin and irinotecan (FOLFIRI) and bevacizumab had been analysed. In 230 patients, computed texture analysis was performed on the dominant liver lesion (DLL) at baseline and 2 months after chemotherapy. RECIST1·1 evaluation was performed at 6 months. …
Choice of New Oral Anticoagulant Agents Versus Vitamin K Antagonists in Atrial Fibrillation: FANTASIIA Study.
2015
Introduction: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with an increased risk of thromboembolic events. Many patients with AF receive chronic anticoagulation, either with vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) or with non-VKA oral anticoagulants (NOACs). We sought to analyze variables associated with prescription of NOAC. Methods: Patients with AF under anticoagulation treatment were prospectively recruited in this observational registry. The sample comprised 1290 patients under chronic anticoagulation for AF, 994 received VKA (77.1%) and 296 NOAC (22.9%). Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify variables associated with use of NOAC. Results: Mean age was 73.8 ± 9.4 years, and 4…
Diagnostic accuracy of non-invasive tests for advanced fibrosis in patients with NAFLD : an individual patient data meta-analysis
2021
ObjectiveLiver biopsy is still needed for fibrosis staging in many patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. The aims of this study were to evaluate the individual diagnostic performance of liver stiffness measurement by vibration controlled transient elastography (LSM-VCTE), Fibrosis-4 Index (FIB-4) and NAFLD (non-alcoholic fatty liver disease) Fibrosis Score (NFS) and to derive diagnostic strategies that could reduce the need for liver biopsies.DesignIndividual patient data meta-analysis of studies evaluating LSM-VCTE against liver histology was conducted. FIB-4 and NFS were computed where possible. Sensitivity, specificity and area under the receiver operating curve (AUROC) were c…
Pooled analysis of prospective European studies assessing the impact of using the 21-gene Recurrence Score assay on clinical decision making in women…
2016
PURPOSE: The 21-gene Recurrence Score assay (Oncotype DX) provides prognostic/predictive information in oestrogen receptor positive (ER+) early breast cancer, but access/reimbursement has been limited in most European countries in the absence of prospective outcome data. Recently, two large prospective studies and a real-life 5-year outcome study have been reported. We performed a pooled analysis of prospective European impact studies to generate robust data on impact of use in different clinical subgroups. METHODS: The analysis included four studies (French, German, Spanish, and British) in ER+ human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative breast cancer patients (n = 527). Node-positiv…
Rethinking clinical decision-making to improve clinical reasoning
2022
Improving clinical reasoning techniques is the right way to facilitate decision-making from prognostic, diagnostic, and therapeutic points of view. However, the process to do that is to fill knowledge gaps by studying and growing experience and knowing some cognitive aspects to raise the awareness of thinking mechanisms to avoid cognitive errors through correct educational training. This article examines clinical approaches and educational gaps in training medical students and young doctors. The authors explore the core elements of clinical reasoning, including metacognition, reasoning errors and cognitive biases, reasoning strategies, and ways to improve decision-making. The article addres…
Generation of TCR-Engineered T Cells and Their Use To Control the Performance of T Cell Assays
2015
Abstract The systematic assessment of the human immune system bears huge potential to guide rational development of novel immunotherapies and clinical decision making. Multiple assays to monitor the quantity, phenotype, and function of Ag-specific T cells are commonly used to unravel patients’ immune signatures in various disease settings and during therapeutic interventions. When compared with tests measuring soluble analytes, cellular immune assays have a higher variation, which is a major technical factor limiting their broad adoption in clinical immunology. The key solution may arise from continuous control of assay performance using TCR-engineered reference samples. We developed a simp…
The hemodynamic approach to evaluating adolescent varicocele
2012
During adolescence, the risk of developing a varicocele increases. Prevalence is less than 1% in boys aged younger than 10 years, but approaches that of the general adult population (about 15%) during puberty. For adolescent males with varicoceles, surgical risk factors have not yet been clearly delineated and clinical severity correlates poorly with prognosis. Fortunately, the widespread use of Doppler ultrasonography is transforming the diagnostic work-up for this demographic. A continuous reflux detected by color Doppler ultrasound (CDUS) is thought to have a negative prognostic value and evidence suggests that a peak retrograde flow above 38 cm per second is a powerful predictor of lack…